1984
Final regular season AP vote: 1. BYU (12-0); 2. Oklahoma (9-1-1); 3. Florida (9-1-1); Washington (10-1); 5. Nebraska (9-2); 6. Ohio State (9-2); 7. South Carolina (10-1); 8. Boston College (9-2); 9. Oklahoma State (9-2); 10. SMU (9-2)

The situation: The screwiest season this side of 2007 belonged to 1984. Washington and Florida were the only major-conference programs to finish with fewer than two losses, and the Gators were on probation and ineligible for the Sugar Bowl.

The Huskies were ranked No. 1 for four weeks before stumbling in mid-November at USC, 16-7. That enabled BYU to step in at No. 1 without a significant win. The Cougars opened the season with a 20-14 victory against No. 3 Pittsburgh, but the Panthers finished 3-7-1. BYU next played Baylor, which was 5-6. Only three BYU three opponents posted winning records, and as WAC champions, the Cougars were mandated to play in the Holiday Bowl. They faced Michigan (6-5) and won 24-17.

With USC snagging the Pac-10’s Rose Bowl slot, No. 4 Washington met No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The Huskies won 28-17 and believed they had won the national title. Instead, BYU had a plurality of first-place votes and edged Washington by 20 points to claim the championship.

The fix: This sweet mess of a season ended just about perfectly — outside of a high-quality postseason opponent for BYU. The Holiday Bowl chose not to budge on its Dec. 21 game date, and organizers had seven schools turn them down because of final exams. The game had a syndicated broadcasting contract instead of rights through a major TV network, which kept the payout to about $475,000 per team, low even for the mid-tier bowls. Had the Holiday Bowl lured No. 8 Boston College and Doug Flutie or No. 10 SMU, it would have legitimized BYU’s championship — or spoiled it.