1991 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams	106[1]
Preseason AP No. 1	Florida State[2]
Postseason
Bowl games	18
AP Poll No. 1	Miami (FL)
Coaches Poll No. 1	Washington
Heisman Trophy	Desmond Howard (Wide receiver,Michigan)
Champion(s)	Miami (FL) (AP) Washington (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
Division I-A football seasons
← 1990 1992 →

The1991 NCAA Division I-A football season was the maincollege football season sanctioned by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The season began on August 28, 1991, and ended on January 1, 1992. For the second consecutive season, there was a splitnational championship. Both theMiami Hurricanes and theWashington Huskies finished the season undefeated (12–0) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll.

Under the conference-bowl selection alignments of the time, the Hurricanes and Huskies could not meet in a decisive title game because Washington was slotted into theRose Bowl as thePac-10 champions, and the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to theBig Ten champions (in 1991, that wasMichigan). The Rose Bowl's selection terms later thwarted potential title matchups of undefeated teams following the 1994 and 1997 seasons. Following the 1998Bowl Championship Series (BCS) realignment, several Pac-10 and Big Ten teams were able to play in a BCS title game instead of being forced to play a non-title contender in the Rose Bowl; these include theOhio State Buckeyes in2002,2006 and2007, theUSC Trojans in2004 and2005 and theOregon Ducks in2010.

Miami closed the 1991 season with a 22–0 shutout over No. 11Nebraska in theOrange Bowl, but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then No. 1 ranked and perennial rivalFlorida State. That game ended with the FSUplace kicker missing a field goal, wide right, which would become a theme in theFlorida State–Miami football rivalry; this game later took on the moniker "Wide Right I." Nebraska lost to both national champions in 1991 and finished at 9–2–1, ranked No. 15 in the AP poll.

Washington posted a 15-point victory at No. 9 Nebraska in September, a seven-point win at No. 7California in October, and repeated as Pac-10 champions. They went on to win theRose Bowl by 20 points over No. 4Michigan, the Big Ten champions who featuredHeisman Trophy winnerDesmond Howard; it was Washington's second consecutive Rose Bowl win. Michigan finished at 10–2, ranked at No. 6 in both polls.

TheFlorida Gators captured their first officialSEC title in school history (they had previously won the1984 SEC title, but it was later vacated) in dominating fashion.Alabama finished second in the SEC with an 11–1 record, but were shutout 35–0 by the Gators. Florida's luck ran out in theSugar Bowl, as No. 18Notre Dame powered their way to a 39–28 win.

• IndependentFlorida State joined theACC in 1991; known primarily as a basketball conference, the ACC would never be the same for football. Dominant from the moment they joined, Florida State went undefeated in conference play for years and won the conference title for the remainder of the 1990s. The Seminoles would begin ACC football play in 1992.
• TheBig East Conference began sponsoring football during the 1991 season after adding Miami and other independent teams. Conference play, however, was not fully integrated and official standings were not kept until 1992.

The NCAA adopted the following rule changes for the 1991 season:

• Repealing a rule change from 1959, the width of the goal posts were shortened from 23 feet, 4 inches to 18 feet, 6 inches, matching theNFL width. The hashmarks did not change from their position of 53 feet, 4 inches apart, causing drastically difficult angles for field-goal attempts.
• Offensive holding, illegal use of hands, and clipping penalties committed behind the line of scrimmage will be enforced from the spot of the foul, rescinding a1982 rule that enforced those penalties from the previous spot.
• When kickoffs and free kicks go out of bounds untouched in the field of play, the receivers have the option to put the ball in play 30 yards from the spot of the kick, in addition to the two other options (putting the ball in play at the out-of-bounds spot or re-kick after a five-yard penalty).
• When a fumble occurs anywhere in the field of play on fourth down, only the fumbling player can recover and/or advance the fumble. If a teammate recovers the fumble, the ball is dead at the spot of the fumble, unless the recovery was made behind the spot of the fumble, in which case the ball is dead at the spot of recovery. This mirrors the NFL's "Stabler fumble rule" adopted in1979 after the "Holy Roller" game.
• After numerous taunting incidents in the1991 Cotton Bowl, unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yard) penalties will be enforced for any taunting acts (such as finger-pointing, baiting an opponent verbally, etc.) and individual celebrations in the field of play.
• Teams attempting the "fumblerooski" must inform the referee of their intentions before the play. If a team fails to do this, they are penalized five yards.

Neither of the 1990 champions, Colorado and Georgia Tech, cracked the top five in the preseason poll for 1991. The leading teams were No. 1Florida State, No. 2Michigan, No. 3Miami, No. 4Washington, and No. 5Florida.

August 29–31: No. 1 Florida State defeated No. 19Brigham Young 44–28 in thePigskin Classic, and No. 3 Miami won 31–3 at Arkansas. No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Florida had not yet begun their schedules, and the latter team fell out of the top five. No. 7Penn State, who defeated No. 8Georgia Tech 34–22 in theKickoff Classic, moved up: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Penn State.

September 7: No. 1 Florida State defeated Tulane 38–11, and No. 2 Michigan won 35–13 at Boston College. No. 3 Miami was idle. No. 4 Washington opened their schedule with a 42–7 win at Stanford, and No. 5 Penn State overwhelmed Cincinnati 81–0. The next poll featured No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Penn State.

September 12–14: No. 1 Florida State blasted Western Michigan 58–0, No. 2 Miami defeated No. 10Houston 40–10, and No. 3 Michigan won 24–14 over No. 7Notre Dame. No. 4 Washington was idle. No. 5 Penn State lost 21–10 at USC. No. 6 Florida opened SEC play by shutting out No. 17Alabama 35–0, and the Gators moved back into the top five in the next poll: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Florida.

September 21: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, and No. 3 Michigan were all idle. No. 4 Washington visited No. 9Nebraska for a 36–21 win, but No. 5 Florida fell 38–21 at No. 18Syracuse. No. 6Tennessee won a 26–24 nailbiter against No. 23Mississippi State to move into the top five: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Tennessee.

September 28: No. 1 Florida State visited No. 3 Michigan and won 51–31, the most points the Wolverines had ever allowed on their home turf. No. 2 Miami won 34–10 at Tulsa. No. 4 Washington overwhelmed Kansas State 56–3, No. 5 Tennessee defeated No. 13Auburn 30–21, and No. 6Oklahoma beat Virginia Tech 27–17. The next poll featured No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Tennessee, and No. 5 Oklahoma.

October 5: No. 1 Florida State posted another high-scoring win over a top-ten opponent, defeating No. 10 Syracuse 46–14. No. 2 Miami won 40–3 over Oklahoma State, and No. 3 Washington shut out Arizona 54–0. No. 4 Tennessee was idle. No. 5 Oklahoma posted a 29–8 win at Iowa State, but nevertheless fell out of the top five in the next poll. No. 6 Michigan moved back up with a 43–24 victory at No. 9Iowa: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Tennessee, and No. 5 Michigan.

October 12: No. 1 Florida State defeated Virginia Tech 33–20, and No. 2 Miami got past No. 9 Penn State 26–20. No. 3 Washington posted a second straight lopsided shutout, 48–0 over Toledo. No. 4 Tennessee visited No. 10 Florida and lost 35–18. No. 5 Michigan won 45–28 at Michigan State, and No. 7 Notre Dame beat No. 12Pittsburgh 42–7. The next poll featured No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Notre Dame.

October 19: No. 1 Florida State beat Middle Tennessee 39–10, and No. 2 Miami shut out Long Beach State 55–0. After outscoring their last three opponents 158–3, No. 3 Washington struggled against No. 7California but pulled out a 24–17 victory. No. 4 Michigan defeated Indiana 24–16, and No. 5 Notre Dame won 28–15 at Air Force. The top five remained the same in the next poll.

October 25–26: No. 1 Florida State visited LSU for a 27–16 victory, No. 2 Miami won 36–9 at Arizona, No. 3 Washington beat Oregon 29–7, No. 4 Michigan defeated Minnesota 52–6, and No. 5 Notre Dame beat USC 24–20. The top five again remained the same in the next poll.

November 2: No. 1 Florida State won 40–15 at Louisville. No. 2 Miami was idle. No. 3 Washington defeated Arizona State 44–16, No. 4 Michigan shut out Purdue 42–0, and No. 5 Notre Dame blanked Navy 38–0. In the next poll, Washington moved up to tie Miami at No. 2, with all of the other top teams remaining the same.

November 9: No. 1 Florida State defeated South Carolina 38–10. No. 2 Miami beat West Virginia 27–3 while fellow No. 2 Washington won 14–3 at USC. No. 4 Michigan was a 59–14 victor over Northwestern. No. 5 Notre Dame blew a 31–7 second-quarter lead and lost 35–34 to No. 13 Tennessee on a blocked field goal attempt as time expired. No. 6 Florida won 45–13 over No. 23Georgia to clinch the SEC title and aSugar Bowl berth. The next poll featured No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Florida.

November 16 featureda highly-anticipated showdown between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Miami, the first time that the two rivals had met while ranked in the top two spots of the AP Poll. The Seminoles held a 16–7 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Hurricanes responded with a field goal and a touchdown to take a one-point lead with three minutes left. Florida State drove down the field, and coachBobby Bowden elected to kick a field goal on third down with 29 seconds left. Kicker Gerry Thomas’s 34-yard attempt went wide right, delivering a 17–16 victory to Miami—the first of several FSU-Miami games in the 1990s and early 2000s which featured late-game kicking miscues by the Seminoles. No. 3 Washington won 58–6 at Oregon State and No. 4 Michigan shut out No. 25Illinois 20–0; by clinching their respective conference titles, the Huskies and Wolverines ensured that they would meet each other in theRose Bowl. No. 5 Florida finished their SEC schedule by beating Kentucky 35–26. The next poll featured No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Florida.

November 23: No. 1 Miami won 19–14 at Boston College. No. 2 Washington finished their season by defeating Washington State 56–21, and No. 4 Michigan dominated No. 18Ohio State 31–3. No. 3 Florida State and No. 5 Florida were idle as they prepared to play each other the following week. The top five remained the same in the next poll.

November 30: No. 1 Miami beat San Diego State 39–12. No. 2 Washington and No. 4 Michigan had finished their schedules. No. 3 Florida State suffered their second straight loss to an in-state rival, falling 14–9 to No. 5 Florida. The top five in the final AP Poll of the regular season were No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Florida State, but the Coaches’ Poll elevated Washington to No. 1 by a narrow margin.

With Washington contractually bound to the Rose Bowl and no opportunity for a de facto national championship matchup, No. 1 Miami opted for the hometownOrange Bowl as their postseason game. No. 11 Nebraska and No. 15Colorado had finished in a tie both in their game against each other and at the top of the Big 8 standings; the Cornhuskers, with a higher ranking and better overall record, would face the Hurricanes. No. 2 Washington and No. 4 Michigan would meet in the Rose Bowl’s annual Pac-10 vs. Big Ten showdown. No. 3 Florida, the SEC champion, would face No. 18 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl; No. 5 Florida State would go up against No. 9Texas A&M, the SWC winner, in theCotton Bowl; and theFiesta Bowl would feature No. 6 Penn State against No. 10 Tennessee.

Italics denotes I-AA teams.

In the pre-season poll,Florida State was ranked No. 1 with 54 of the 59 votes cast,Michigan was 2nd, andMiami 3rd. As of the September 10th poll, Florida State remained the overwhelming choice for No. 1 and Miami reached No. 2. Those two Sunshine State teams would continue to be 1 and 2 as their November 16 meeting approached. On November 16 inTallahassee, the long-awaited No. 1 & No. 2 showdown had the 10–0 Seminoles hosting the 8–0 Hurricanes. Visiting Miami won, 17–16 to take the top spot. In thePacific Northwest,Washington won itsApple Cup game by 35 points on November 23 and finished the regular season at 11–0; the Huskies took over the No. 2 spot in the final two polls of the regular season.

In the coaches poll, Florida State and Miami opened up the season 1–2 and remained that way until Miami's win on November 16 put the Hurricanes No. 1 and allowed the Huskies to move to No. 2. After the end of the regular season, the coaches moved the Washington Huskies to the No. 1 ranking. They would keep the top spot after theirRose Bowl win over Michigan to split the National Title.

New Year's Day Bowls:

• Orange Bowl: No. 1Miami (FL) 22, No. 11Nebraska 0
• Rose Bowl: No. 2Washington 34, No. 4Michigan 14
• Sugar Bowl: No. 18Notre Dame 39, No. 3Florida 28
• Cotton Bowl: No. 5Florida State 10, No. 9Texas A&M 2
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 6Penn State 42, No. 10Tennessee 17
• Peach Bowl: No. 12East Carolina 37, No. 21NC State 34
• Florida Citrus Bowl: No. 14California 37, No. 13Clemson 13
• Hall of Fame Bowl: No. 16Syracuse 24, No. 25Ohio State 17

Other Bowls:

• Gator Bowl: No. 20Oklahoma 48, No. 19Virginia 14
• John Hancock Bowl: No. 22UCLA 6,Illinois 3
• Copper Bowl:Indiana 24,Baylor 0
• Holiday Bowl:BYU 13, No. 7Iowa 13
• Freedom Bowl: No. 22Tulsa 28,San Diego State 17
• Blockbuster Bowl: No. 8Alabama 30, No. 15Colorado 25
• Liberty Bowl:Air Force 38,Mississippi State 15
• Aloha Bowl:Georgia Tech 18, No. 17Stanford 17
• Independence Bowl: No. 24Georgia 24,Arkansas 15
• California Bowl:Bowling Green 28,Fresno State 21

1. Miami (FL) (32)
2. Washington (28)
3. Penn State
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. Florida
8. California
9. East Carolina
10. Iowa
11. Syracuse
12. Texas A&M
13. Notre Dame
14. Tennessee
15. Nebraska
16. Oklahoma
17. Georgia
18. Clemson
19. UCLA
20. Colorado
21. Tulsa
22. Stanford
23. Brigham Young
24. North Carolina State
25. Air Force

1. Washington (331⁄2)
2. Miami (FL) (251⁄2)
3. Penn State
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. California
8. Florida
9. East Carolina
10. Iowa
11. Syracuse
12. Notre Dame
13. Texas A&M
14. Oklahoma
15. Tennessee
16. Nebraska
17. Clemson
18. UCLA
19. Georgia
20. Colorado
21. Tulsa
22. Stanford
23. Brigham Young
24. Air Force
25. North Carolina State

TheHeisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

• Maxwell (MVP) -Desmond Howard, Michigan
• Camp (College Player of the Year) - Desmond Howard, Michigan
• Butkus (Linebacker) -Erick Anderson, Michigan
• Lombardi (Lineman) -Steve Emtman, Washington
• Outland (Interior lineman) - Steve Emtman, Washington
• AFCA Coach of the Year -Bill Lewis, East Carolina
• FWAA Coach of the Year -Don James, Washington

• 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023