Dave Feit's Historical College Football Playoffs: Tom Osborne's 1980s Nebraska Teams

Welcome to Part IV of our look at where Nebraska would have landed in 12-team playoffs throughout the years.

For more information on the series, and a look at Nebraska's first hypothetical playoff teams, click here. Brackets from the Bob Devaney era and Tom Osborne's 1970s teams are available as well.

We're into the 1980s. After some down years (by Nebraska's standards, anyway), Tom Osborne was getting his Nebraska machine running at full strength. Barry Switzer and Oklahoma remained the biggest thing standing between Nebraska and an annual automatic berth in the playoffs.

One bit of housekeeping: In the 1980s, the NCAA still policed member schools who broke the rules. Bowl game bans were often a part of their probation punishment. Teams with a bowl ban would be ineligible for the 12-team playoff and were not included in the brackets.

1980

Nebraska: 9-2-0 (records are regular season only), Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season)

#1 Georgia (SEC)
#4 Oklahoma (Big Eight)
#5 Michigan (Big Ten)
#6 Baylor (Southwest)
#13 North Carolina (ACC)

At-large teams (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season)

#2 Florida State
#3 Pittsburgh
#7 Notre Dame
#8 Nebraska
#9 Alabama
#10 Penn State
#11 Ohio State

First two out

#12 USC
#14 BYU

In September of 1977, Alabama came to Lincoln as part of a home-and-home (only one SEC team has come to Lincoln since). In 1980, 9 seed Bama would be coming to Lincoln in mid-December. The winner would face off against Georgia and sensational freshman Herschel Walker. 1980 Nebraska was 1-2 against playoff teams, beating Penn State, and losing to Florida State and Oklahoma.

In the 1980 Sun Bowl, the Huskers beat #17 Mississippi State 31-17.

Team that won the National Championship: Georgia beat Notre Dame by a touchdown to claim the title.

1981

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 Clemson (ACC)
#2 Georgia (SEC)
#4 Nebraska (Big Eight)
#6 Texas (Southwest)
#12 Washington (Pacific 8)

At-large teams

#3 Alabama
#7 Penn State
#8 USC
#10 Pittsburgh
#11 North Carolina
#13 Iowa
#14 BYU

First teams out

#5 SMU (NCAA probation)
#9 Miami (NCAA probation)
#15 Ohio State
#16 Michigan

This is the first of five straight seasons with at least one playoff-caliber team being ineligible due to NCAA probation, which opened the door for teams ranked in the teens to sneak in.

Three seed Nebraska awaits the winner of Iowa at Penn State. The Huskers lost to both of those teams in the regular season - a 10-7 upset in the opener and a game where PSU's Curt Warner ran for 238 yards - so revenge would be on their minds.

Team that won the National Championship: #2 Georgia and #3 Alabama both lost their bowl games, so the Orange Bowl between #1 Clemson and #4 Nebraska would decide the champion. Alas, the Huskers' fourth-quarter comeback fell short, and Clemson won 22-15.

1982

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 Georgia (SEC)
#3 Nebraska (Big Eight)
#4 SMU (Southwest)
#5 UCLA (Pacific 8)
#19 Michigan (Big Ten)

At-large teams

#2 Penn State
#6 Pittsburgh
#8 Texas
#9 Washington
#10 West Virginia
#11 Arizona State
#12 Oklahoma

First teams out

#7 Clemson (NCAA probation)
#13 LSU
#14 Arkansas

Clemson won the ACC, but was ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA probation. The search for the next highest ranked conference champion went all the way to #19 Michigan (8-3-0), just one spot ahead of Missouri Valley champion Tulsa (10-1-0).

Two seed Nebraska would face the winner of Arizona State at Texas. A chance to avenge a controversial loss at Penn State would have been possible in the championship game. The title game would have been played on a regulation gridiron, instead of the crooked field in State College.

Team that won the National Championship: Penn State beat Georgia and Heisman winner Herschel Walker to claim Joe Paterno's first championship.

1983

Nebraska: 12-0-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 Nebraska (Big Eight)
#2 Texas (Southwest)
#3 Auburn (SEC)
#4 Illinois (Big Ten)
#9 BYU (WAC)

At-large teams

#5 Miami
#6 SMU
#7 Georgia
#8 Michigan
#10 Iowa
#11 Florida
#13 Boston College

First teams out

#12 Clemon (NCAA probation)
#14 Ohio State
#15 Pittsburgh

Top seed Nebraska and its Scoring Explosion offense await the winner of BYU at Michigan. The Miami Hurricanes would be a possible opponent in the semifinals. Let's just assume the Committee would put this game in the Orange Bowl.

Team that won the National Championship: Miami. In an epic game that featured a fumbleroosky and a furious comeback, a short-side option play on 4th & 8 resulted in a 24-yard touchdown, putting NU down 31-30. If Tom Osborne decided to kick the PAT and tie, NU would likely share the championship. If Osborne went for two, they'd win the title outright.

You know what happened next.

1984

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place (tied) in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 BYU (WAC)
#2 Oklahoma (Big Eight)
#6 Ohio State (Big Ten)
#10 SMU (Southwest)
#12 Maryland (ACC)

At-large teams

#4 Washington
#5 Nebraska
#7 South Carolina
#8 Boston College
#9 Oklahoma State
#11 LSU
#13 Miami

First teams out

#3 Florida (NCAA probation)
#14 UCLA
#15 Florida State

Nebraska, the 6 seed, would host 11 seed Maryland, led by quarterback Frank Reich. The winner would play Ohio State. In the 1985 Sugar Bowl, the Huskers defeated LSU 28-10.

Team that won the National Championship: #4 Washington passed on an opportunity to play BYU in the Holiday, opting instead for Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The Huskies beat the Sooners, but BYU managed to get enough votes to finish #1 in the AP poll. It was one of the closest votes in AP history.

1985

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#3 Oklahoma (Big Eight)
#4 Iowa (Big Ten)
#8 Tennessee (SEC)
#9 BYU (WAC)
#11 Texas A&M (Southwest)

At-large teams

#1 Penn State
#2 Miami
#5 Michigan
#7 Nebraska
#10 Air Force
#12 LSU
#13 UCLA

First two out

#6 Florida (NCAA probation)
#14 Arkansas
#15 Alabama

Nebraska (the 8 seed) would host 9 seed Air Force, with the winner to face Oklahoma. Nebraska lost to the Sooners 27-7 in their annual meeting. The Huskers narrowly lost to quarterback Jim Harbaugh and Michigan 27-23 in the Fiesta Bowl, with freshman QB Steve Taylor leading a late comeback attempt.

Team that won the National Championship: In another wild New Year's Day slate of bowls, #2 Miami lost to #8 Tennessee, and #3 Oklahoma upset #1 Penn State in the Orange Bowl. That was enough to get Oklahoma the championship.

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Third place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#3 Oklahoma (Big Eight)
#4 Michigan (Big Ten)
#5 LSU (SEC)
#7 Arizona State (Pac-10)
#8 Texas A&M (Southwest)

At-large teams

#1 Miami
#2 Penn State
#6 Nebraska
#9 Arkansas
#10 Auburn
#11 Ohio State
#12 Washington

First two out

#13 Alabama
#14 Baylor

Oklahoma's "Sooner Magic" win over Nebraska in Lincoln meant the Huskers would be the 7 seed with Auburn coming to town. The winner would advance to play Michigan. Three seed LSU would be favorite to advance over the Penn State-Ohio State winner. The Huskers defeated LSU 30-15 in the 1987 Sugar Bowl.

Team that won the National Championship: In a rare bowl game matching #1 vs #2, top-ranked Miami faced off against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State won 14-10, giving Joe Paterno his second national championship.

1987

Nebraska: 10-1, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 Oklahoma (Big Eight)
#6 Auburn (SEC)
#8 Michigan State (Big Ten)
#13 Texas A&M (Southwest)
#14 Clemson (ACC)

At-large teams

#2 Miami
#3 Florida State
#4 Syracuse
#5 Nebraska
#7 LSU
#9 South Carolina
#10 UCLA

First two out

#11 Oklahoma State
#12 Notre Dame

The Committee had its hands full with this one. The final regular season poll had five independent teams and four others who did not win their conference. This meant pulling two conference champs (Texas A&M and Clemson) from outside the top 12, with the Aggies shooting from the #13 ranking to a first-round bye. Oklahoma State and Notre Dame get edged out.

The Huskers end up as the 8 seed, hosting the Tigers of LSU. If NU wins, they would have a rematch of "The Game of the Century II" against Oklahoma. In 1987, the Huskers did beat playoff teams UCLA and South Carolina, as well as "first team out" Oklahoma State. In the Fiesta Bowl against Florida State, NU fumbled inside the five, and the Seminoles drove the length of the field to score the winning touchdown.

Team that won the National Championship: #2 Miami beat #1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship.

1988

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#5 USC (Pac-10)
#6 Nebraska (Big Eight)
#8 Arkansas (Southwest)
#11 Michigan (Big Ten)
#13 Clemson (ACC)

At-large teams

#1 Notre Dame
#2 Miami
#3 West Virginia
#4 Florida State
#7 Auburn
#9 UCLA
#10 Oklahoma

First two out

#12 Oklahoma State
#14 Houston

Auburn's 7-6 loss at LSU in the "Earthquake Game" kept them from winning the SEC and opened the door for Clemson to sneak in as the fifth conference champion, bumping Barry Sanders and Oklahoma State out for the second straight year.

Nebraska beat Okie State in a memorable 63-42 shootout, beat Oklahoma 7-0, but lost to Troy Aikman's UCLA team early in the season. The Bruins earned the 10 seed and would travel to West Virginia, with the winner to face 2 seed Nebraska. The other side of the bracket contained 3 seed Arkansas, Oklahoma and Miami. The Canes beat NU 23-3 in the Orange Bowl.

Team that won the National Championship: #2 Miami's big win over Nebraska was impressive, but it wasn't enough to jump #1 Notre Dame, who beat West Virginia by 13 in the Fiesta Bowl.

1989

Nebraska: 10-1-0, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

#1 Colorado (Big Eight)
#3 Michigan (Big Ten)
#7 Alabama (SEC)
#10 Arkansas (Southwest)
#12 USC (Pac-10)

At-large teams

#2 Miami
#4 Notre Dame
#5 Florida State
#6 Nebraska
#8 Tennessee
#9 Auburn
#11 Illinois

First two out

#13 Houston
#14 Clemson

In the SEC, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee all shared the conference title. The head-to-head games (Tennessee lost to Alabama, Alabama lost to Auburn, and Auburn lost to Tennessee) did not break the tie, so the Committee gave the bye to the highest ranked (AP #7 Bama), with Auburn and Tennessee both earning at-large bids.

The 9 seed Volunteers would come to Lincoln to face Nebraska. The winner would play 1 seed Colorado. The Buffs beat Nebraska 27-21 in early November. The Huskers were hammered by Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl, 41-17.

Team that won the National Championship: Notre Dame knocked off #1 Colorado in the Orange Bowl, opening the door for #2 Miami to win the title. The Hurricanes beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

* * *

Tom Osborne led his Huskers to a playoff appearance every year in the 1980s, but that streak was about to end.

However, a new streak - and an era of dominance - was about to begin … even if it did come with controversy and split championships.

1980

Nebraska: 9-2-0 (records are regular season only), Second place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season)

At-large teams (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season)

First two out

1981

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First teams out

1982

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First teams out

1983

Nebraska: 12-0-0, First place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First teams out

1984

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place (tied) in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First teams out

1985

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Second place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First two out

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Third place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First two out

1987

Nebraska: 10-1, Second place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First two out

1988

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First two out

1989

Nebraska: 10-1-0, Second place in the Big Eight Conference champion automatic qualifiers

At-large teams

First two out

* * *

Nebraska: 9-2-0 (records are regular season only), Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season)

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 12-0-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 9-2-0, First place (tied) in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 9-2-0, Third place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 10-1, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 11-1-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers

Nebraska: 10-1-0, Second place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers