Probably. Probably. Not a sure thing, and you'd have to believe that taking the easy way out in a bowl game would've weighed on the voters' minds. Making this gamble was never easy ("manhood" issues or no), but in this case it was definitely justifiable.
The voting was such in '84 that had they tied, at worst, Nebraska splits the championship with Miami. Voters had a "knock out the champ" mentality when it came to championships, so the tie was the safer, sensible play. Osborne gambled unnecessarily and lost.
Removed this from the 1984 Orange Bowl entry:
The voting was such in '84 that had they tied, at worst, Nebraska splits the championship with Miami. Voters had a "knock out the champ" mentality when it came to championships, so the tie was the safer, sensible play. Osborne gambled unnecessarily and lost.
My name is Freezer and my anti-drug is porn.