Gotcha. If those two games were bowls they obviously wouldn't have had any bearing on the selection, but interesting to note. TCU/Boise had some great teams back then.
(05-10-2022 07:50 AM)quo vadis Wrote: This list shows the impact that the formula changes had on non-AQ teams.
Before those changes in the mid-2000s, basically no non-AQ ever got in.
Afterwards, even though a non-AQ was not guaranteed a spot, in six of the final eight years a non-AQ did get in. So it was a real reform, not window-dressing.
That broadly seems to be the case, you definitely saw a lot fewer non-power schools in the Top 25 at the start of bowl season in the twenty years between the DI-A/AA split and the creation of the BCS. Three current NY6 bowls gave bids to non-power teams in that span (Louisville/1990 Fiesta, East Carolina/1991 Peach, BYU/1995 Cotton) though the relative prestige wasn't the same back then as it is now.
1978 - No minor conference champions (or minor independents) ranked at start of bowls
1979 - BYU at 9 (Tulane at 15, Temple at 20)
1980 - BYU at 14 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1981 - BYU at 14 (Southern Miss at 18)
1982 - Tulsa at 20 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1983 - BYU at 9 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1984 - BYU at 1 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1985 - BYU at 9 (Fresno State at 18)
1986 - No minor champs ranked at start of bowls
1987 - No minor champs ranked at start of bowls
1988 - Wyoming at 15 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1989 - BYU at 19 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1990 - BYU at 13 (Louisville at 18, Southern Miss at 23)
1991 - East Carolina at 12 (Tulsa at 23)
1992 - BYU at 25 (Hawaii at 10-2 was WAC co-champ with head-to-head tiebreakers, may have qualified instead)
1993 - Fresno State and Louisville were both at 25 per Wikipedia (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1994 - Colorado State at 10 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1995 - Toledo at 25 (no other champs ranked at start of bowls)
1996 - BYU at 5 (Army at 24)
1997 - Colorado State at 18 (Southern Miss at 22)