Remember a week or so ago I responded to Corn Nation's post about the split national championship of 1997 by asking "what about 1994?" Well, Corn Nation calls it justice for 1982.
Penn State in 1994 - darned good team. A great team. They got screwed in the polls, but like I said, they owed us one.
So let me get this straight. Now Penn State didn't deserve the 1982 National Championship either? And 1994 was payback for the 1982 injustice? So basically you're saying Penn State was the better team in 1994, but much like Nebraska in 1982, we got screwed.
Not that I'm willing to say Nebraska completely got screwed 1982 mind you. Yes, there was a bad call at the end of the game. Yes, it made a difference. But that's football. If it had happened in the first quarter nobody would remember it today. Human error is part of football and has been since the very first snap.
But let's not just dismiss the other accomplishments of the 1982 Penn State team. They played four teams ranked in the top five that year: #2 Nebraska, #4 Alabama, #5 Pitt, and #1 Georgia. They also played #13 Notre Dame. With the exception of Alabama, Penn State beat all of these teams. By contrast, Nebraska's best wins came against #20 Auburn, #11 Oklahoma, and #13 LSU. So not only did Penn State beat Nebraska in 1982, they played a much more difficult schedule.
No. I'm sorry. Penn State deserved the National Championship in 1982 just as they deserved a share of the title in 1994. Despite the out of bounds play in 1982, Husker fans have no claim on that title what-so-ever. If you don't like getting screwed at the end of the game, don't put yourself in a position to get screwed.