During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams, later known as "Division I-A."
The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top-ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls.
In 1969, the UPI issued its final poll before the bowls, but the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed.
The four elevated from the College Division for 1969 were Northern Illinois, San Diego State, Idaho, and Pacific;[3][4] the latter two were dropped down in 1967.
[5] In the preseason poll released on September 15, the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes were at the top with 26 of the 33 first place votes.
Rutgers hosted Princeton, just as it had one hundred years earlier on November 6, 1869, the first college football game.
By this time, coach Woody Hayes' Buckeyes had outscored their opposition 371–69 and had an 8–0 record with one game left.
5 USC, aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down that led to the late game-winning touchdown,[10] closed with a 14–12 win over city rival No.
[11] For the second straight year, the Trojans finished the regular season 9−0−1 with the only blemish being a tie against Notre Dame.
Before Ohio State's loss, however, the players had voted to accept a bid to the Orange Bowl,[12] because they preferred going to Miami instead of Dallas.
6 Missouri, which tied for the Big 8 championship with Nebraska and got the Orange Bowl bid by virtue of a 17−7 victory over the Cornhuskers in October.
2 would not meet in a bowl, but faced off at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the final regular season game for both teams.
Among the 44,000 in attendance was President Richard Nixon, who had with him a plaque to award to the "national champion", while an estimated 50 million viewers watched the game on ABC television.
In the fourth quarter, Longhorns' quarterback James Street couldn't find a receiver and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, then carried over the ball for two to cut the lead to six at 14–8.
Street threw long to Randy Peschel open downfield, who made the catch and fell out of bounds on the 13-yard line.
After Ted Koy ran for eleven yards, Jim Bertelsen went over to tie the score, and the extra point kick by Happy Feller gave Texas a 15–14 lead with just under four minutes remaining.
[15][16] President Nixon presented the plaque to Texas head coach Darrell Royal after the game.
[17] Because both teams had been unbeaten in Southwest Conference play, the game also determined the SWC championship, with Texas getting the bid for the Cotton Bowl.
However, LSU tried instead to arrange a matchup against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, which the school officials viewed as an opportunity to play for the national championship.
13 Ole Miss, which held just a 7−3 record but had dealt both the Tigers and the Volunteers their only loss of the regular season.
[23] Trailing 17–14 with 2:26 left in the game, Texas faced a fourth-and-two situation on the Irish ten-yard line.
Settling for a tying field goal was out of the question, but a failure to convert would give Notre Dame the ball and the chance to run out the clock.
Texas QB James Street managed to fire a pass over the head of the equally determined linebacker Bob Olson.
The officials paused before ruling that the pass was indeed complete; on third down from the one, Billy Dale took the ball in for the winning points and, ultimately, the title.
[23][24][25] In the final poll after the bowls, the Texas Longhorns were the top choice for 36 of the 45 writers voting, and won the AP Trophy.
The Huskers were undefeated in the next two seasons to win consecutive national championships, with an unbeaten streak of 32 games.
Many schools, at the behest of the NCAA, commemorated the 1969 season by wearing a special decal on their football helmets.
[27] Steve Owens of Oklahoma had rushed for 3,867 yards and scored 56 touchdowns in three seasons with the Sooners.
Following him in the Heisman voting were three quarterbacks: Mike Phipps of Purdue, Rex Kern of Ohio State, and Archie Manning of Mississippi.
Defensive tackle Mike Reid of Penn State, the Outland Trophy winner, was fifth.