1950 College Football Recap
Notre Dame began the 1950s as the nation's number one team and owner of a 38–game unbeaten streak.
The Irish labored to beat North Carolina in their opener, then lost for the first time in five years to visiting Purdue 28–14. The streak lasted from Sept. 28, 1946 to Oct. 7, 1950. Notre Dame's record over that span was 37–0–2, the ties coming against Army in '46 and Southern Cal in '48. ND lost three more times before the end of the season, finished at 4–4–1 and failed to make the final Top 20 for the first time in 10 years.
Two other lengthy streaks were snapped, but they belonged to the two best teams in the country: Oklahoma and Army. Top-ranked Oklahoma swept through the regular season with 10 wins to run its unbeaten string to 31. The Sooners then met Bear Bryant's No.7 Kentucky team in the Sugar Bowl. The Wildcats took a 13–0 halftime lead and held on for the 13–7 upset.
Army's unbeaten streak of 28 games also came to an abrupt halt against Navy in Philadelphia. The Cadets entered the game with an average winning score of 33–3. Navy was unimpressed, building a 14–0 lead by the half and winning 14–2.
No.3 Texas and 4th-ranked Tennessee squared off in the Cotton Bowl, where the Vols came from behind to win 20–14 in the last three minutes. Out in Pasadena, No.5 California, undefeated for the third regular season in a row (overall record: 29–0–1), lost its third straight Rose Bowl.
Trending
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
