We’re not sure how far back we will go with this miniseries (maybe just to the year of the first Rose Bowl?), but today is another look at the mythical national champion on MNC Wednesday. Not an era of NIL or transfers, this was a simpler time, perhaps, and seemingly in another world of existence before technology overran human society. We’d like to imagine it was a world of joy in sport, yet we also know that wasn’t true, either, as we saw with last season’s analysis. So, enough context: let’s get to it, shall we?!

The 1915 MNC: Cornell (Helms, NCF); Georgia Tech (DMP)

The Cornell Big Red currently holds the retrospective crown here, despite finishing just seventh in the SRS rankings. With a 9-0 record compiled against just six major-college opponents, the team’s SOS came in at 53rd out of 86 teams. Cornell also played just three road games, and we realize this was not an era of cross-country travel. But come on, at least try to balance your schedule a bit more evenly, right? Anyway, all this leaves our analysis wide open, and we have several other candidates to check out here.

Here are the main contenders, as we see it, prescreened with topical SRS info:

  • Georgia Tech (7-0-1): No. 1 SRS, No. 6 SOS
  • Minnesota (6-0-1): No. 2, No. 18
  • Nebraska (8-0): No. 3, No. 58
  • Virginia (8-1): No. 4, No. 10
  • Illinois (5-0-2): No. 5, No. 9
  • Colorado State (7-0): No. 6, No. 44
  • Pittsburgh (8-0): No. 8, No. 64
  • Notre Dame (7-1): No. 9, No. 32

First and foremost, we can dismiss Nebraska, Colorado State, and Pittsburgh for the poor SOS marks, and truthfully, Cornell falls into this category, too. They all had great seasons, of course, but some standards have to be enforced, regardless. To the Rams’ credit, all seven of their opponents were big-college teams, although they were not very good ones. We also can say adieu to the Fighting Irish, as they lost to the Cornhuskers, and that is a fatal flaw (in addition to the “lesser-than” SOS rating, too). So be it.

This preliminary screening leaves us with the Yellow Jackets, the Golden Gophers, the Cavaliers, and the Fighting Illini in our version of a “final four” for 1915. GIT played six big-time opponents, but it went on the road just once. Minnesota and Illinois tied their game in Champaign-Urbana, which helps us none. The Gophers played just five major-college teams and went on the road just twice, while the Illini played six real schools while also going away from home just twice. We give the SOS edge to Illinois.

Is that fair to Minnesota? Well, yes, because the Gophers shutout both their small-school opponents, which skews their SRS status, due to the margin-of-victory element. If you run up the score on weaklings, it may help your SRS—but it hurts you in the SOS. We have to balance the two, and Minnesota loses out to the Illini when comparing the two Western Conference rivals. Yet Illinois also has that second tie, against No. 32 SRS-ranked Ohio State, and while the SOS edge overcomes that, it’s still a negative on the slate.

As for Virginia, it lost to No. 13 Harvard in a road matchup, one of four games away from home for the Cavs. They also played seven real opponents as well, which hurts them in the SRS but shows up in the SOS. This is a tough challenge, splitting hairs for these four teams, but let’s look at the MOV for the small-school victories in each school’s case:

  • Georgia Tech: 119-0 in two wins
  • Minnesota: 60-0 in two wins
  • Virginia: 94-0 in two wins
  • Illinois: 75-7 in one win

Each team’s SRS really benefitted from these victories, of course, and we think we can discard the Gophers for having the weakest SOS, by far, in the quartet. So that drops us to three teams: the Yellow Jackets’ SRS is bloated the most from the cheap scheduling, followed by Virginia. And with the Cavs also having a loss, albeit a respectable one, that eliminates them in a situation where the SOS marks are so close. In our minds now, then, it’s down to GIT and Illinois, and the extra tie for the Illini is now on the table.

The Yellow Jackets tied No. 14 Georgia at home and played just one road game. The Illini’s extra tie came on the road against the lower-ranked Buckeyes, but overall, Illinois only played one extra road game, while also facing six big-time opponents, just like Georgia Tech did. In real games, then, the Yellow Jackets outscored their opponents 112-24, while the Illini put up a 108-18 scoring differential themselves. The difference there is negligible, too, so in the end, that second tie is going to cost Illinois here.

We thereby grant this MNC to the Georgia Institute of Technology, its third such designation in the last 14 columns/seasons (1917, 1928)—and third overall, still, in this entire exercise. We would have little issue with someone making the case any one of our final contenders, of course, but we like to choose one and feel confident in the choosing. Thus, we have done so this week. There is a reason the Heisman Trophy is named after the Yellow Jackets’ legendary coach, and these pre-modern teams demonstrate that.