The 1971 NCAA University Division football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions.

[2][3] Ranked a close second behind Notre Dame in the preseason poll, Nebraska moved up to first place the following week, remained there for the rest of 1971, and convincingly won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a No.

The change brought the total number of programs in the University Division to 119.

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.

Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams.

In the preseason poll released on September 6, Notre Dame was ranked No.

Nebraska had more first place votes (26) than Notre Dame (15), but fewer points overall (870 vs. 885).

5 USC, 17–10, marking a successful debut for Bear Bryant's new Wishbone offense.

2 Michigan registered its third straight shutout at home, beating Navy 46–0.

4 Notre Dame beat Michigan State 14–2, but fell to seventh in the next poll.

5 Colorado won 24–14 at Iowa State, but dropped in the poll to sixth, while No.

October 16Top-ranked Nebraska crushed Kansas 55–0, raising its record to 6–0 and outscoring its opposition 238–27.

October 23Seven of the top eight teams stayed unbeaten, all playing unranked opponents.

1 Nebraska allowed Oklahoma State to reach double digits (all previous opponents had scored 7 points or less), but easily won at Stillwater, 41–13.

All of the aforementioned games were overshadowed by the death of TCU head coach Jim Pittman, who suffered a massive heart attack during the Horned Frogs' rivalry game with Baylor in Waco.

5 Auburn prepared for their season closer in the Iron Bowl in Birmingham.

Unusually for a game during the evenly-matched "Ten Year War", undefeated Michigan had already clinched the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth against Pac-8 champion Stanford, while Ohio State was unranked with a relatively pedestrian 6−3 record.

November 25–27As the regular season neared its close, four undefeated and untied teams met in rivalry games which were de facto semifinals for the national championship.

2 Oklahoma (9–0) met on the Sooners' field in a game that would determine the Big Eight title, the No.

In the decade's Game of the Century, Nebraska won a classic back-and-forth battle 35–31; Husker I-back Jeff Kinney scored his fourth and game-deciding touchdown with 98 seconds left, capping a 5½-minute, 74-yard drive.

5 Auburn (9–0) played their annual season-ender at Birmingham with the SEC championship at stake, and Alabama handed the Tigers their first loss, 31–7.

Auburn went to the Sugar Bowl instead, to face Oklahoma in a meeting of conference runners-up.

1 Nebraska (11–0) had NCAA permission to play a twelfth game against Hawaii; they beat the Rainbows 45–3 and ended the regular season at 12–0.

Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions would play SWC champion Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

3 Michigan held out the slim hope that, if they handily defeated Stanford while Nebraska or Alabama barely won or tied, they could leapfrog both teams into the top position.

For the second year in a row in the Rose Bowl, underdog Stanford rallied to defeat the undefeated Big Ten champion, besting Michigan 13–12 on a last second field goal by Rod Garcia.

(He had missed all five of his kicks (four field goals and an extra point) when Stanford was upset by San Jose State on November 13, by the same score.

)[10] In the final game of the day, Nebraska walloped Alabama in the Orange Bowl 38–6 to claim its second straight national title.

[4] Earlier in the day at the Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma intercepted Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan three times and easily handled Auburn 40–22,[11]and regained the runner-up ranking in the final poll.

The Big Eight occupied the top three spots in the final AP poll, with Nebraska receiving all 55 first place votes; Oklahoma was second, and Colorado (whose only losses were to Nebraska and Oklahoma) climbed to third.