1979 Los Angeles Rams: An Overdue & Improbable Super Bowl Trip
After six years of playoff frustration, it was a mediocre version of the Rams that broke through and reached the Super Bowl. Read the game-by-game narrative.
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The Road To The 1980 Sugar Bowl: Alabama & Arkansas
The 1980 Sugar Bowl saw a national title settled in New Orleans for the second year in a row and once again the team doing the claiming was Alabama. After a winning a co-national championship the prior year, the Crimson Tide won it all again. The team standing in their way was Arkansas, coached by Lou Holtz. Let’s look back on the paths Alabama and Arkansas took through the 1979 college football season to reach New Year’s Day 1980 in the Bayou.
The Road To The 1980 Rose Bowl: USC & Ohio State
The 1980 Rose Bowl was one of the great battles in the modern era for the “Grandaddy” of all college bowl games. Following the 1979 regular season, Ohio State was undefeated and in position to play for a national title. USC had only one tie on their resume and came into the game with outside hopes of their own. The Trojans and Buckeyes then proceeded to give the country an outstanding football game. Here’s a look back on the path each team took to reach Pasadena.
The Road To The 1980 Cotton Bowl: Houston & Nebraska
The Houston Cougars and Nebraska Cornhuskers each flirted with greatness during 1979 college football season. Each “settled” for just being really good, at 10-1 before they met on New Year’s Day in the 1980 Cotton Bowl. Let’s look back on the road each team took to Dallas.
The Road To The 1980 Orange Bowl: Oklahoma & Florida State
One traditional powerhouse program and another up-and-comer on their way to becoming a powerhouse program crossed paths at the 1980 Orange Bowl. Oklahoma and Florida State arrived in Miami each having completed the 1979 college football regular season ranked in the top five and ready for what would prove to be the first of two consecutive New Year’s Day battles on South Beach.
The Road To The 1979 Rose Bowl: USC & Michigan
Two traditional rivals came together on New Year’s Day for the 1979 Rose Bowl. USC arrived ranked #3 in the country and hoping that if the cards fell right they could be national champs. Michigan was ranked fifth, no hope at the top, but still aiming to get head coach Bo Schembecler his first victory in Pasadena. Let’s look back on how the Wolverines and Trojans navigated the 1978 college football regular season to get to this point.
The Road To The 1979 Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame & Houston
Notre Dame was the defending national champion coming into the 1978 college football season. Houston was only two years removed from a major bowl appearance of their own, but continued to be a mostly unheralded program. These two teams marched a path to a memorable January 1 battle at the 1979 Cotton Bowl.
The Road To The 1979 Orange Bowl: Oklahoma & Nebraska
The Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry was as good as it got in college football in the 1970s and 1980s, combining regional intensity and national impact. Their November game was almost always for the championship of the old Big Eight and the Orange Bowl bid that went with it. The 1978 college football season saw the rivalry go one step further, as the Sooners and Cornhuskers followed a path that led to a January 1 rematch in the 1979 Orange Bowl.
The Game-By-Game Narrative Of The 1992 Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins scaled the heights of the NFL with their Super Bowl championship of 1991, a team that was one the great champions in modern league history. The attempt at a sequel in 1992 didn’t work out. The season was marred by problems from the moment training camp started. And even though the Redskins made the playoffs again, the end of the season was marred by the surprise departure of the cast’s star member.
The Game-By-Game Narrative Of The 1990 Washington Redskins
Joe Gibbs only missed the postseason in consecutive years one time in his storied coaching career. Those years were 1988 and 1989. The 1990 Washington Redskins got Gibbs and the franchise off the schneid, as they returned to the playoffs, won a game and set the stage for future greatness.
The Game-By-Game Narrative Of The 1989 Washington Redskins
The 1989 Washington Redskins spent much of the season in the same doldrums that had caused them to post the first losing season of head coach Joe Gibbs’ tenure the year before. A strong finish wasn’t quite enough to make the playoffs, but it did serve as a launching point for a postseason return one year later.
The Game-By-Game Narrative Of The 1988 Washington Redskins
The 1988 Washington Redskins were the most disappointing team of the Joe Gibbs era. One year after winning their second Super Bowl, the Redskins fell to 7-9, the only losing season in Gibbs’ first term as head coach (1981-92).