1991 NCAA Division I-A football season

1991 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams	107
Preseason AP #1	Florida State Seminoles
Post-season
Bowl games	18
AP Poll #1	Miami Hurricanes
Coaches Poll #1	Washington Huskies
Heisman Trophy	Desmond Howard, Michigan WR-KR
Winner	Miami Hurricanes (AP) Washington Huskies (Coaches)
Division I-A football seasons
← 1990 1992 →

The 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split champion for the second consecutive season. Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated (12-0) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll. Under the conference-bowl selection alignments of the time, the Hurricanes and Huskies could not meet in a decisive title game because A) Washington was slotted into the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 champions and B) the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to the Big 10 champions, in this case Michigan. The Rose Bowl's selection terms also thwarted potential title matchups of undefeated teams in 1994 and 1997; since the 1998 BCS realignment, several Pac-10 and Big 10 teams have been able to play in a BCS title game instead of being forced to play a non-title contender in the Rose Bowl; these include the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2002, 2006 and 2007, the USC Trojans in 2004 and 2005 and the Oregon Ducks in 2010.

The Hurricanes closed the 1991 season with a 22-0 shutout over #11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then-#1 ranked and perennial rival Florida State. That game ended with the FSU place kicker missing a field goal, wide right, which would become a theme in the Miami-FSU rivalry; this game later took on the moniker "Wide Right I." Nebraska lost to both national champions in 1991 and finished at 9-2-1, ranked fifteenth in the AP poll.

The Washington Huskies posted a 15-point victory at #9 Nebraska in September, a 7-point win at #7 California in October, and consecutive Pac-10 and Rose Bowl championships. Washington defended its Rose Bowl title with a 20-point victory in the 1992 Rose Bowl over #4 Michigan, the Big Ten champions with Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. The Wolverines scored a late touchdown to tighten the final score to 34-14, and finished at 10-2, ranked sixth in both polls.

The Florida Gators captured their first official SEC title in school history (they had previously won the 1984 SEC title, but it was later vacated) in dominating fashion. Alabama finished second in the SEC in 1991 with an 11-1 record, but were annihilated 35-0 by the Gators, led by head coach Steve Spurrier. Florida's luck ran out in the Sugar Bowl, as #18 Notre Dame powered their way to a 39-28 win.

Conference and program changes

• Independent Florida State joined the ACC in 1991; known primarily as a basketball conference, the ACC would never be the same for football. Dominant from the moment they joined, Florida State went undefeated in conference play for years and won the conference title for the remainder of the 1990s. The Seminoles would begin ACC football play in 1992.
• The Big East Conference began sponsoring football during the 1991 season after adding Miami and other independent teams. Conference play, however, was not fully integrated and official standings were not kept until 1992.

School	1990 Conference	1991 Conference
Boston College Eagles	I-A Independent	Big East
Miami (FL) Hurricanes	I-A Independent	Big East
Pittsburgh Panthers	I-A Independent	Big East
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	I-A Independent	Big East
Syracuse Orangemen	I-A Independent	Big East
Temple Owls	I-A Independent	Big East
Virginia Tech Hokies	I-A Independent	Big East
West Virginia Mountaineers	I-A Independent	Big East

Rule changes

The NCAA adopted the following rule changes for the 1991 season:

• Repealing a rule change from 1959, the width of the goal posts were shortened from 23 feet, 4 inches to 18 feet, 6 inches, matching the NFL width. The hashmarks did not change from their position of 53 feet, 4 inches apart, causing drastically difficult angles for field-goal attempts.
• Offensive holding, illegal use of hands, and clipping penalties committed behind the line of scrimmage will be enforced from the spot of the foul, rescinding a 1982 rule that enforced those penalties from the previous spot.
• When kickoffs and free kicks go out of bounds untouched in the field of play, the receivers have the option to put the ball in play 30 yards from the spot of the kick, in addition to the two other options (putting the ball in play at the out-of-bounds spot or re-kick after a five-yard penalty).
• When a fumble occurs anywhere in the field of play on fourth down, only the fumbling player can recover and/or advance the fumble. If a teammate recovers the fumble, the ball is dead at the spot of the fumble, unless the recovery was made behind the spot of the fumble, in which case the ball is dead at the spot of recovery. This mirrors the NFL's "Stabler fumble rule" adopted in 1979 after the "Holy Roller" game.
• After numerous taunting incidents in the 1991 Cotton Bowl, unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yard) penalties will be enforced for any taunting acts (such as finger-pointing, baiting an opponent verbally, etc.) and individual celebrations in the field of play.
• Teams attempting the "fumblerooski" must inform the referee of their intentions before the play. If a team fails to do this, they are penalized five yards.

Conference standings

1991 ACC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #18 Clemson $ 6 – 0 – 1     9 – 2 – 1 #24 NC State 5 – 2 – 0     9 – 3 – 0 Georgia Tech 5 – 2 – 0     8 – 5 – 0 Virginia 4 – 2 – 1     8 – 3 – 1 North Carolina 3 – 4 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Maryland 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 Duke 1 – 6 – 0     4 – 6 – 1 Wake Forest 1 – 6 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Big East football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #11 Syracuse 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 #1 Miami (FL) 2 – 0 – 0     12 – 0 – 0 Virginia Tech 1 – 0 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Pittsburgh 3 – 2 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 West Virginia 3 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Rutgers 2 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Boston College 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Temple 0 – 5 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 The Big East did not crown an official champion until 1993 when full league play began. Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Big 8 football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #15 Nebraska + 6 – 0 – 1     9 – 2 – 1 #20 Colorado + 6 – 0 – 1     8 – 3 – 1 #16 Oklahoma 5 – 2 – 0     9 – 3 – 0 Kansas State 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Kansas 3 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Iowa State 1 – 5 – 1     3 – 7 – 1 Missouri 1 – 6 – 0     3 – 7 – 1 Oklahoma State 0 – 6 – 1     0 – 10 – 1 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
1991 Big Ten football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #6 Michigan $ 8 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 #10 Iowa 7 – 1 – 0     10 – 1 – 1 Ohio State 5 – 3 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 Indiana 5 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 1 Illinois 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 6 – 0 Purdue 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Michigan State 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 Wisconsin 2 – 6 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Northwestern 2 – 6 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 Minnesota 1 – 7 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Big West Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Fresno State + 6 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 San Jose State + 6 – 1 – 0     6 – 4 – 1 Utah State 5 – 2 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Pacific 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 7 – 0 UNLV 2 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Long Beach State 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 New Mexico State 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Bowling Green $ 8 – 0 – 0     11 – 1 – 0 Central Michigan 3 – 1 – 4     6 – 1 – 4 Miami 4 – 3 – 1     6 – 4 – 1 Toledo 4 – 3 – 1     5 – 5 – 1 Ball State 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Western Michigan 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Eastern Michigan 3 – 4 – 1     3 – 7 – 1 Ohio 1 – 6 – 1     2 – 8 – 1 Kent State 1 – 7 – 0     1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1991 Pacific-10 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #2 Washington $   8 – 0         12 – 0   #8 California   6 – 2         10 – 2   #19 UCLA   6 – 2         9 – 3   #22 Stanford   6 – 2         8 – 4   Arizona State   4 – 4         6 – 5   Washington State   3 – 5         4 – 7   Arizona   3 – 5         4 – 7   USC   2 – 6         3 – 8   Oregon   1 – 7         3 – 8   Oregon State   1 – 7         1 – 10   $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1991 SEC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #7 Florida $ 7 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 #5 Alabama 6 – 1 – 0     11 – 1 – 0 #14 Tennessee 5 – 2 – 0     9 – 3 – 0 #17 Georgia 4 – 3 – 0     9 – 3 – 0 Mississippi State 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 5 – 0 LSU 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Vanderbilt 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Auburn 2 – 5 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Ole Miss 1 – 6 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Kentucky 0 – 7 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Southwest Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #12 Texas A&M $ 8 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Baylor 5 – 3 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 Texas Tech 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Arkansas 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 6 – 0 TCU 4 – 4 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Texas 4 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Houston 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Rice 2 – 6 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 SMU 0 – 8 – 0     1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1991 WAC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #23 BYU $ 7 – 0 – 1     8 – 3 – 2 San Diego State 6 – 1 – 1     8 – 4 – 1 #25 Air Force 6 – 2 – 0     10 – 3 – 0 Utah 4 – 4 – 0     7 – 5 – 0 Hawaii 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 1 Wyoming 2 – 5 – 1     4 – 6 – 1 UTEP 2 – 5 – 1     4 – 7 – 1 Colorado State 2 – 6 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 New Mexico 2 – 6 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1991 Division I-A independents football records Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #9 East Carolina   –       11 – 1 – 0 #4 Florida State   –       11 – 2 – 0 #3 Penn State   –       11 – 2 – 0 #21 Tulsa   –       10 – 2 – 0 Louisiana Tech   –       8 – 1 – 2 #13 Notre Dame   –       10 – 3 – 0 Akron   –       5 – 6 – 0 Memphis   –       5 – 6 – 0 Army   –       4 – 7 – 0 Cincinnati   –       4 – 7 – 0 Southern Miss   –       4 – 7 – 0 South Carolina   –       3 – 6 – 2 Southwestern Louisiana   –       2 – 8 – 1 Louisville   –       2 – 9 – 0 Northern Illinois   –       2 – 9 – 0 Arkansas State   –       1 – 10 – 0 Navy   –       1 – 10 – 0 Tulane   –       1 – 10 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll

#1 and #2 progress

In the pre-season poll, Florida State was ranked #1 with 54 of the 59 votes cast, Michigan was 2nd, and Miami 3rd. As of the September 10th poll, Florida State remained the overwhelming choice for #1 and Miami reached #2. Those two Sunshine State teams would continue to be 1 and 2 as their November 16th meeting approached. On November 16th in Tallahassee, the long awaited #1 & #2 showdown had the 10-0 Seminoles hosting the 8-0 Hurricanes. Visiting Miami won, 17-16 to take the top spot. In the Pacific Northwest, Washington won its Apple Cup game by 35 points on November 23rd and finished the regular season at 11-0; the Huskies took over the #2 spot in the final two polls of the regular season.

Bowl games

Main article: 1991–92 NCAA football bowl games

• Rose Bowl: #2 Washington 34, #4 Michigan 14
• Sugar Bowl: #18 Notre Dame 39, #3 Florida 28
• Gator Bowl: #20 Oklahoma 48, #19 Virginia 14
• Cotton Bowl Classic: #5 Florida State 10, #9 Texas A&M 2
• Fiesta Bowl: #6 Penn State 42, #10 Tennessee 17
• Florida Citrus Bowl: #14 California 37, #13 Clemson 13
• Orange Bowl: #1 Miami 22, #11 Nebraska 0
• Hall of Fame Bowl: #16 Syracuse 24, #25 Ohio State 17
• John Hancock Bowl: #22 UCLA 6, Illinois 3
• Copper Bowl: Indiana 24, Baylor 0
• Holiday Bowl: BYU 13, #7 Iowa 13
• Freedom Bowl: #22 Tulsa 28, San Diego State 17
• Peach Bowl: #12 East Carolina 37, #21 NC State 34
• Blockbuster Bowl: #8 Alabama 30, #15 Colorado 25
• Liberty Bowl: Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15
• Aloha Bowl: Georgia Tech 18, #17 Stanford 17
• Independence Bowl: #24 Georgia 24, Arkansas 15

  Bowling Green 28, Fresno State 21

Final AP Poll

1. Miami (FL)
2. Washington
3. Penn State
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. Florida
8. California
9. East Carolina
10. Iowa
11. Syracuse
12. Texas A&M
13. Notre Dame
14. Tennessee
15. Nebraska
16. Oklahoma
17. Georgia
18. Clemson
19. UCLA
20. Colorado

Final Coaches Poll

1. Washington
2. Miami (FL)
3. Penn State
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. California
8. Florida
9. East Carolina
10. Iowa
11. Syracuse
12. Notre Dame
13. Texas A&M
14. Oklahoma
15. Tennessee
16. Nebraska
17. Clemson
18. UCLA
19. Georgia
20. Colorado
21. Tulsa
22. Stanford
23. Brigham Young
24. Air Force
25. North Carolina State

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year

1. Desmond Howard, Michigan, Jr. - WR-KR
2. Casey Weldon, Florida State, Sr. - QB
3. Ty Detmer, BYU, Sr. - QB - (1990 winner)
4. Steve Emtman, Washington, Jr. - DT
5. Shane Matthews, Florida, Jr. - QB
6. Vaughn Dunbar, Indiana, Sr. - TB
7. Jeff Blake, East Carolina, Sr. - QB
8. Terrell Buckley, Florida State, Jr. - DB
9. Marshall Faulk, San Diego State, Fr. - RB
10. Bucky Richardson, Texas A&M, Sr. - QB

Other major awards

• Maxwell (MVP) - Desmond Howard, Michigan
• Camp (College Player of the Year) - Desmond Howard, Michigan
• Butkus (Linebacker) - Erick Anderson, Michigan
• Lombardi (Lineman) - Steve Emtman, Washington
• Outland (Interior lineman) - Steve Emtman, Washington
• AFCA Coach of the Year - Bill Lewis, East Carolina
• FWAA Coach of the Year - Don James, Washington