1987 NCAA Division I-A football season

1987 NCAA Division I-A season
Total # of teams	105
Preseason AP #1	Oklahoma Sooners
Number of bowls	17
National championship	1988 Orange Bowl (#1 Miami, #2 Oklahoma)
Location of championship	Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Champions	Miami Hurricanes
Heisman	Tim Brown, Notre Dame WR
NCAA Division I-A football season «1986 1988»

The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs. #2 matchup between the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the Hurricanes.

Miami's first three games were against ranked opponents in what was labeled a rebuilding year so when, after some late game theatrics by Michael Irvin against rival Florida State, the Hurricanes were 3-0, the national media started to take notice.

Oklahoma was also seen as quite the juggernaut, averaging 428.8 yards rushing per game with their potent wishbone offense. Miami was able to hold Oklahoma to just 179 yards on the ground, winning the game 20-14.

Also having notable seasons were Syracuse, LSU and Florida State. Syracuse finished the season 11-0-1 and ranked #4 after a controversial Sugar Bowl game in which [[{{{school}}}|Auburn]] kicked a late field goal to end the game in a tie. LSU went 10-1-1, ending the season ranked #5. This was LSU's first ten win season in 26 years and their highest ranking since 1961.

Florida State finished ranked #2, their only loss to Miami, and began a streak of 14 years where FSU either finished in the top 5 or played for the national championship. The Seminoles beat Rose Bowl champion Michigan State and SEC champion Auburn on the road and beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

Conference standings

1987 ACC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #12 Clemson † 6 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Virginia 5 – 2 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 Wake Forest 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 NC State 4 – 3 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Maryland 3 – 3 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 North Carolina 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Duke 2 – 5 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Georgia Tech 0 – 6 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Big 8 football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #3 Oklahoma 7 – 0 – 0     11 – 1 – 0 #6 Nebraska 6 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 #11 Oklahoma State 5 – 2 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Colorado 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Missouri 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Iowa State 2 – 5 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 Kansas 0 – 6 – 1     1 – 9 – 1 Kansas State 0 – 6 – 1     0 – 10 – 1 Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Big Ten football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #8/8 Michigan State † 7 – 0 – 1     9 – 2 – 1 #16/16 Iowa 6 – 2 – 0     10 – 3 – 0 #NR/20 Indiana 6 – 2 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 #19/18 Michigan 5 – 3 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 Ohio State 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 4 – 1 Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Purdue 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 7 – 1 Illinois 2 – 5 – 1     3 – 7 – 1 Northwestern 2 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 1 Wisconsin 1 – 7 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll
1987 Mid-American football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Eastern Michigan † 7 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Kent State 5 – 2 – 1     6 – 3 – 1 Miami 5 – 3 – 0     8 – 3 – 0 Bowling Green 5 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Western Michigan 4 – 3 – 1     4 – 6 – 1 Central Michigan 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Toledo 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Ball State 1 – 6 – 1     2 – 8 – 1 Ohio 0 – 7 – 1     0 – 10 – 1 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Pacific-10 football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #18 USC § 7 – 1 – 0     8 – 4 – 0 #9 UCLA § 7 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Washington 4 – 3 – 1     7 – 4 – 1 #20 Arizona State 3 – 3 – 1     7 – 4 – 1 Oregon 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Stanford 4 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Arizona 2 – 3 – 3     4 – 4 – 3 California 2 – 3 – 2     3 – 6 – 2 Washington State 1 – 5 – 1     3 – 7 – 1 Oregon State 0 – 7 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 § – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T San Jose State † 7 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Fresno State 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 4 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 UNLV 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Utah State 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Pacific 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Long Beach State 2 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 New Mexico State 0 – 7 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1987 SEC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #7/7 Auburn † 5 – 0 – 1     9 – 1 – 2 #5/5 LSU 5 – 1 – 0     10 – 1 – 1 #14/13 Tennessee 4 – 1 – 1     10 – 2 – 1 #13/14 Georgia 4 – 2 – 0     9 – 3 – 0 Alabama 4 – 2 – 0     7 – 5 – 0 Florida 3 – 3 – 0     6 – 6 – 0 Kentucky 1 – 5 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Mississippi State 1 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Vanderbilt 1 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Ole Miss 1 – 5 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches Poll	1987 Southwest Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T #10 Texas A&M † 6 – 1 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Arkansas 5 – 2 – 0     9 – 4 – 0 Texas 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 5 – 0 Texas Tech 3 – 3 – 1     6 – 4 – 1 Baylor 3 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 TCU 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Houston 2 – 4 – 1     4 – 6 – 1 Rice 0 – 8 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Division I-A independents football records Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 1 Miami (FL)   –   –       12 – 0 – 0 No. 4 Syracuse   –   –       11 – 0 – 1 No. 2 Florida State   –   –       11 – 1 – 0 No. 15 South Carolina   –   –       8 – 4 – 0 Pittsburgh   –   –       8 – 4 – 0 Penn State   –   –       8 – 4 – 0 No. 17 Notre Dame   –   –       8 – 4 – 0 Southern Miss   –   –       6 – 5 – 0 Rutgers   –   –       6 – 5 – 0 Southwestern Louisiana   –   –       6 – 5 – 0 Memphis   –   –       5 – 5 – 1 Northern Illinois   –   –       5 – 5 – 1 West Virginia   –   –       6 – 6 – 0 Tulane   –   –       6 – 6 – 0 Army   –   –       5 – 6 – 0 Boston College   –   –       5 – 6 – 0 East Carolina   –   –       5 – 6 – 0 Akron   –   –       4 – 7 – 0 Cincinnati   –   –       4 – 7 – 0 Louisville   –   –       3 – 7 – 1 Temple   –   –       3 – 8 – 0 Tulsa   –   –       3 – 8 – 0 Navy   –   –       2 – 9 – 0 Virginia Tech   –   –       2 – 9 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll
1987 WAC football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Wyoming † 8 – 0 – 0     10 – 3 – 0 BYU 7 – 1 – 0     9 – 4 – 0 Air Force 6 – 2 – 0     9 – 4 – 0 UTEP 5 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 San Diego State 4 – 4 – 0     5 – 7 – 0 Hawaii 3 – 5 – 0     5 – 7 – 0 Utah 2 – 6 – 0     5 – 7 – 0 Colorado State 1 – 7 – 0     1 – 11 – 0 New Mexico 0 – 8 – 0     0 – 11 – 0 † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Season summary

Notable rivalry games

• Michigan State 17, Michigan 11
• South Carolina 20,Clemson 7
• Auburn 10, Alabama 0
• Kansas 17, Kansas State 17
• LSU 41, Tulane 36
• Oklahoma 17, Nebraska 7
• Miami 26, Florida State 25
• USC 17 UCLA 13 (decided Rose Bowl berth)
• Pitt 10, Penn State 0

The year 1987 saw the first meeting, since 1946, between the University of Miami Hurricanes and Miami University. On November 7, in Florida, "Miami-FL" won 54-3 over "Miami-OH".

#1 and #2 progress

The Oklahoma Sooners were #1, and their Big 8 Conference rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, were #2, during the first eleven polls taken in 1987. Beginning with the September 29 poll, Miami was ranked #3. For polls 4 through 11, the ranking remained 1.Oklahoma 2.Nebraska 3.Miami. With the Big Eight champion contracted to play in the Orange Bowl in Miami, the hometown Hurricanes were an obvious choice. The only question was whether the Big 8 team would be the Sooners or the Huskers.

In the 12th poll, issued on the Tuesday before the annual Nebraska-Oklahoma game, 9-0-0 Nebraska was voted #1 and 10-0-0 Oklahoma #2. The two teams met at Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 21, 1987, with Oklahoma winning 17-7. In the last three polls, Oklahoma stayed at #1 and Miami at #2.

Bowl games

• Rose Bowl: #8 Michigan State 20, #16 USC 17
• Sugar Bowl: #6 Auburn 16, #4 Syracuse 16
• Cotton Bowl Classic: #13 Texas A&M 35, #12 Notre Dame 10
• Fiesta Bowl: #3 Florida State 31, #5 Nebraska 28
• Florida Citrus Bowl: #14 Clemson 35, #19 Penn State 10
• Orange Bowl: #2 Miami (FL) 20, #1 Oklahoma 14
• Hall of Fame Bowl: Michigan 28, Alabama 24
• Gator Bowl: #7 LSU 30, #9 South Carolina 13
• John Hancock Sun Bowl: #11 Oklahoma State 35, West Virginia 33
• Holiday Bowl: #18 Iowa 20, Wyoming 19
• Freedom Bowl: Arizona State 33, Air Force 28
• Peach Bowl: #17 Tennessee 27, #21 Indiana 22
• All-American Bowl: Virginia 22, BYU 16
• Liberty Bowl: #15 Georgia 20, Arkansas 17
• Aloha Bowl: #10 UCLA 20, Florida 16
• Independence Bowl: Washington 24, Tulane 12
• California Bowl: [[{{{school}}}|Eastern Michigan]] 30, San Jose State 27

Polls

Final AP Poll

1. Miami (FL)
2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Syracuse
5. LSU
6. Nebraska
7. Auburn
8. Michigan State
9. UCLA
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma State
12. Clemson
13. Georgia
14. Tennessee
15. South Carolina
16. Iowa
17. Notre Dame
18. Southern California
19. Michigan
20. Arizona State
21. Texas
22. Indiana

Final Coaches Poll

1. Miami (FL)
2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Syracuse
5. LSU
6. Nebraska
7. Auburn
8. Michigan State
9. Texas A&M
10. Clemson
11. UCLA
12. Oklahoma State
13. Tennessee
14. Georgia
15. South Carolina
16. Iowa
17. Southern California
18. Michigan
19. Texas
20. Indiana

Awards

Heisman Trophy

1. Winner: Tim Brown, Notre Dame, Sr. WR
2. Don McPherson, Syracuse, Sr. QB
3. Gordie Lockbaum, Holy Cross, Sr. TB
4. Lorenzo White, Michigan State, Sr. TB
5. Craig Heyward, Pittsburgh, Jr. RB

Other major awards

• Maxwell (Player):Don McPherson, Syracuse
• Camp (Back): Tim Brown, Notre Dame
• O'Brein Award (QB): Don McPherson, Syracuse
• Rockne (Lineman): N/A
• Lombardi (Linebacker): Chris Spielman, Ohio State
• Outland (Interior): Chad Hennings, Air Force
• Coach of the Year:

Notes and references

• "1987 (12-0-0): Dominance From Start To Finish". http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/043002aac.html. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
• "# 4: 1987 Florida State Seminoles". Florida College Sports. January 23, 2007. http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/043002aac.html. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
• "Great wins by LSU in the last 40+ years in football". Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070712063650/http://www.dandydon.com/greatwins.html. Retrieved 26 July 2007.

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This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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