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orangefan Offline
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1943
Assuming the season moves forward with the current lineup of schools more or less, this season will bear a pretty close resemblance to the 1943 season, when a large number of schools did not field teams that year due to World War 2.

According to Sports-Reference.com, there were 119 major programs playing football in 1941, the last full season before the US entered WW2. Some schools did not field teams in 1942, but the number of schools choosing not to field teams reached its maximum in 1943. That season, Sports-Reference.com lists 76 major programs. However, 10 of these were military bases. Thus, only 66 schools played football as major programs.

Only 4 of the 12 members of the SEC played football in 1943. Only 3 of the 10 members of the Pacific Coast Conference played. All 9 members of the Big Ten played that season (Chicago had dropped football after the 1939 season). 9 of the 16 members of the Southern Conference played, including all 7 of the later founding members of the ACC. Syracuse did not field a football team. Harvard played only an informal schedule against a limited number of local teams and is not included as a major program.

Notre Dame won the AP national championship in 1943 with a 9-1 record, beating five teams that finished in the top 11 that season including Army, Navy, Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa Pre-flight (which finished number 2). Notre Dame's only loss was by a score of 19-14 in its season ender against Great Lakes Navy in Chicago. Great Lakes Navy, which had been unranked prior to its defeat of Notre Dame, finished the season 10-2 and ranked number 6.

During 2019, there were 130 FBS programs. If all of the schools intending to play as of today are able to play, there will be 76 FBS programs competing this season.
(This post was last modified: 08-17-2020 02:03 PM by orangefan.)
08-17-2020 02:00 PM
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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RE: 1943
How were Iowa Pre-flight and Great Lakes Navy so good?
08-17-2020 02:17 PM
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ken d Offline
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RE: 1943
(08-17-2020 02:17 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  How were Iowa Pre-flight and Great Lakes Navy so good?

I guess they were pretty lax about letting "transfers" from other power schools play without having to sit out a year.
08-17-2020 02:20 PM
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Fighting Muskie Offline
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RE: 1943
(08-17-2020 02:17 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  How were Iowa Pre-flight and Great Lakes Navy so good?

They were able to pick up players from the best teams in the country. Some of those military teams were effectively all Star teams.
08-17-2020 02:31 PM
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TerryD Offline
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RE: 1943
(08-17-2020 02:17 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  How were Iowa Pre-flight and Great Lakes Navy so good?

World War II. They had the pick of the (military) draft (and volunteers).
08-17-2020 03:24 PM
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