1987 NCAA Division I-A football season

1987 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams	104
Preseason AP No. 1	Oklahoma[1]
Post-season
Bowl games	18
Heisman Trophy	Tim Brown (wide receiver, Notre Dame)
Champion(s)	Miami (FL) (AP, Coaches, FWAA)
Division I-A football seasons
← 1986 1988 →

The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the '80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the Hurricanes.

Miami's first three games were against ranked opponents, in what was labeled as a rebuilding year, when after some late game theatrics by Michael Irvin against rival Florida State, the Hurricanes were 3–0, the national media started to take notice.

Oklahoma was also seen as quite the juggernaut, averaging 428.8 yards rushing per game with their potent wishbone offense. Miami was able to hold Oklahoma to just 179 yards on the ground, winning the game 20–14.

Also having notable seasons were Syracuse, LSU and Florida State. Syracuse finished the season 11–0–1 and ranked No. 4 after a controversial Sugar Bowl game in which Auburn kicked a late field goal to end the game in a tie. LSU went 10–1–1, ending the season ranked No. 5. This was LSU's first ten win season in 26 years and their highest ranking since 1961.

Florida State finished ranked No. 2, their only loss to Miami, and began a streak of 14 years where FSU finished in the top 5. The Seminoles beat Rose Bowl champion Michigan State and SEC champion Auburn on the road and beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

This would be the first of two years SMU would not field a team due to the NCAA's death penalty.

Rule changes[]

• If a roughing the passer penalty occurs on a completed pass, the 15-yard penalty is added to the end of the run.
• Pushing an opponent in the back in the act of recovering a kick is permitted.
• Kicking or swinging at an opponent and missing are considered personal fouls instead of non-contact fouls.
• Uprights now must be 30 feet above the crossbar, same as in the NFL.

Conference and program changes[]

• This was the first season Akron was a Division I-A football member.
• Wichita State discontinued their football program after the 1986 season and have never fielded a team since then.

The loss of Wichita State and SMU and the gain of Akron decreased the number of teams to 104.

School	1986 Conference	1987 Conference
Akron Zips	Ohio Valley (I-AA)	I-A Independent
Wichita State Shockers	I-A Independent	Program Dropped

Conference standings[]

1987 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 12 Clemson $ 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Virginia 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 Wake Forest 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 NC State 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Maryland 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 North Carolina 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Duke 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Georgia Tech 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Big Eight Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Oklahoma $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 No. 6 Nebraska 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 No. 11 Oklahoma State 5 – 2 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Colorado 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Missouri 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Iowa State 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Kansas 0 – 6 – 1 1 – 9 – 1 Kansas State 0 – 6 – 1 0 – 10 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Big Ten Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Michigan State $ 7 – 0 – 1 9 – 2 – 1 No. 16 Iowa 6 – 2 – 0 10 – 3 – 0 Indiana 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 No. 19 Michigan 5 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 Ohio State 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 1 Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 1 Illinois 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 7 – 1 Northwestern 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 1 Wisconsin 1 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1987 Mid-American football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Eastern Michigan $ 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Kent State 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Miami 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Bowling Green 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Western Michigan 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Central Michigan 3 – 4 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Toledo 3 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1 Ball State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Ohio 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1987 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T San Jose State $ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Fresno State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 6 – 0 UNLV 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Utah State 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Pacific (CA) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Long Beach State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 New Mexico State 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1987 Pacific-10 Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 18 USC + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 No. 9 UCLA + 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Washington 4 – 3 – 1 7 – 4 – 1 No. 20 Arizona State 3 – 3 – 1 7 – 4 – 1 Oregon 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Stanford 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Arizona 2 – 3 – 3 4 – 4 – 3 California 2 – 3 – 2 3 – 6 – 2 Washington State 1 – 5 – 1 3 – 7 – 1 Oregon State 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
1987 Southeastern Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 7 Auburn $ 5 – 0 – 1 9 – 1 – 2 No. 5 LSU 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 1 No. 14 Tennessee 4 – 1 – 1 10 – 2 – 1 No. 13 Georgia 4 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 Alabama 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 5 – 0 Florida 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 6 – 0 Kentucky 1 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Mississippi State 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Vanderbilt 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Ole Miss 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Southwest Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 10 Texas A&M $ 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Arkansas 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 4 – 0 Texas 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 5 – 0 Texas Tech 3 – 3 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 Baylor 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 TCU 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Houston 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1 Rice 0 – 8 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1987 Western Athletic Conference football standings v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wyoming $ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 3 – 0 BYU 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 4 – 0 Air Force 6 – 2 – 0 9 – 4 – 0 UTEP 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 San Diego State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 7 – 0 Hawaii 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 7 – 0 Utah 2 – 6 – 0 5 – 7 – 0 Colorado State 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 11 – 0 New Mexico 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 11 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1987 NCAA Division I-A independents football records v t Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Miami (FL)   –   –   12 – 0 – 0 No. 4 Syracuse   –   –   11 – 0 – 1 No. 2 Florida State   –   –   11 – 1 – 0 No. 15 South Carolina   –   –   8 – 4 – 0 Pittsburgh   –   –   8 – 4 – 0 Penn State   –   –   8 – 4 – 0 No. 17 Notre Dame   –   –   8 – 4 – 0 Southern Miss   –   –   6 – 5 – 0 Rutgers   –   –   6 – 5 – 0 Southwestern Louisiana   –   –   6 – 5 – 0 Memphis State   –   –   5 – 5 – 1 Northern Illinois   –   –   5 – 5 – 1 West Virginia   –   –   6 – 6 – 0 Tulane   –   –   6 – 6 – 0 Army   –   –   5 – 6 – 0 Boston College   –   –   5 – 6 – 0 East Carolina   –   –   5 – 6 – 0 Akron   –   –   4 – 7 – 0 Cincinnati   –   –   4 – 7 – 0 Louisville   –   –   3 – 7 – 1 Temple   –   –   3 – 8 – 0 Tulsa   –   –   3 – 8 – 0 Virginia Tech   –   –   2 – 9 – 0 Navy   –   –   2 – 9 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll

Season summary[]

Notable rivalry games[]

• Michigan State 17, Michigan 11
• South Carolina 20, Clemson 7
• Auburn 10, Alabama 0
• Kansas 17, Kansas State 17
• LSU 41, Tulane 36
• Oklahoma 17, Nebraska 7
• Miami 26, Florida State 25
• USC 17 UCLA 13 (decided Rose Bowl berth)
• Pitt 10, Penn State 0
• Texas 16, Arkansas 14
• Arizona State 24, Arizona 24

The year 1987 saw the first meeting, since 1946, between the University of Miami Hurricanes and Miami University. On November 7, in Florida, "Miami-FL" won 54–3 over "Miami-OH".

No. 1 and No. 2 progress[]

The Oklahoma Sooners were No. 1, and their Big 8 Conference rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, were No. 2, during the first eleven polls taken in 1987. Beginning with the September 29 poll, Miami was ranked No. 3. For polls 4 through 11, the ranking remained 1.Oklahoma 2.Nebraska 3.Miami. For the remainder of polls 6 through 11, Florida State is ranked No. 4, with two Big 8 teams and two Florida independents ranked in the top 4. With the Big Eight champion contracted to play in the Orange Bowl in Miami, the hometown Hurricanes were an obvious choice. The only question was whether the Big 8 team would be the Sooners or the Huskers.

In the 12th poll, issued on the Tuesday before the annual Nebraska–Oklahoma game, 9–0–0 Nebraska was voted No. 1 and 10–0–0 Oklahoma No. 2. The two teams met at Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 21, 1987, with Oklahoma winning 17–7. In the last three polls, Oklahoma stayed at No. 1 and Miami at No. 2.

Bowl games[]

• Orange Bowl: No. 2 Miami (FL) 20, No. 1 Oklahoma 14
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Florida State 31, No. 5 Nebraska 28
• Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Auburn 16, No. 4 Syracuse 16
• Rose Bowl: No. 8 Michigan State 20, No. 16 USC 17
• Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 13 Texas A&M 35, No. 12 Notre Dame 10
• Florida Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Clemson 35, No. 19 Penn State 10
• Hall of Fame Bowl: Michigan 28, Alabama 24
• Gator Bowl: No. 7 LSU 30, No. 9 South Carolina 13
• John Hancock Sun Bowl: No. 11 Oklahoma State 35, West Virginia 33
• Holiday Bowl: No. 18 Iowa 20, Wyoming 19
• Freedom Bowl: Arizona State 33, Air Force 28
• Peach Bowl: No. 17 Tennessee 27, No. 21 Indiana 22
• All-American Bowl: Virginia 22, BYU 16
• Liberty Bowl: No. 15 Georgia 20, Arkansas 17
• Aloha Bowl: No. 10 UCLA 20, Florida 16
• Independence Bowl: Washington 24, Tulane 12
• California Bowl: Eastern Michigan 30, San Jose State 27
• Bluebonnet Bowl: Texas 32, Pittsburgh 27

Polls[]

Final AP Poll[]

1. Miami (FL)
2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Syracuse
5. LSU
6. Nebraska
7. Auburn
8. Michigan State
9. UCLA
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma State
12. Clemson
13. Georgia
14. Tennessee
15. South Carolina
16. Iowa
17. Notre Dame
18. Southern California
19. Michigan
20. Arizona State

Final Coaches Poll[]

1. Miami (FL)
2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Syracuse
5. LSU
6. Nebraska
7. Auburn
8. Michigan State
9. Texas A&M
10. Clemson
11. UCLA
12. Oklahoma State
13. Tennessee
14. Georgia
15. South Carolina
16. Iowa
17. Southern California
18. Michigan
19. Texas
20. Indiana

Awards[]

Heisman Trophy[]

1. Winner: Tim Brown, Notre Dame, Sr. WR (1,442 points)
2. Don McPherson, Syracuse, Sr. QB (831)
3. Gordie Lockbaum, Holy Cross, Sr. TB (657)
4. Lorenzo White, Michigan State, Sr. TB (632)
5. Craig Heyward, Pittsburgh, Jr. RB (170)
6. Chris Spielman, Ohio State, Sr. LB (110)
7. Thurman Thomas, Oklahoma State, Sr. RB (99)
8. Gaston Green, UCLA, Sr. RB (73)
9. Emmitt Smith, Florida, Fr. RB (70)
10. Bobby Humphrey, Alabama, Jr. RB (63)

Source:^[2][3]

Other major awards[]

• Maxwell (Player):Don McPherson, Syracuse
• Camp (Back): Tim Brown, Notre Dame
• O'Brein Award (QB): Don McPherson, Syracuse
• Rockne (Lineman): N/A
• Lombardi (Linebacker): Chris Spielman, Ohio State
• Outland (Interior): Chad Hennings, Air Force
• Coach of the Year:

References[]