11-1-1 under Bill McCartney, beat Notre Dame 10-9 in the Orange Bowl; season included the infamous fifth-down win at Missouri. No. 1 with AP, FWAA, NFF, and USA Today/CNN.
Colorado’s 1990 schedule1990: 2 Champions, Zero Agreement
SPLITMULTIPLEColorado takes the AP, FWAA, NFF, and USA Today/CNN titles while once-tied, never-beaten Georgia Tech edges Colorado by a single point in the UPI coaches poll, a split that helps birth the Bowl Coalition.
The case for each side
11-0-1 under Bobby Ross, the only unbeaten team in Division I-A, beat Nebraska 45-21 in the Citrus Bowl; won the UPI coaches poll 847-846 over Colorado.
Georgia Tech’s 1990 scheduleNo national title game was played after the 1990 season: before 1998 there was no mechanism to play one, which is why so many of these seasons were settled by vote instead.