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Final rankings: add Coaches Poll trophy image

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{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I FBS season
| year = 1991
| image = File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg
| image_caption =
| number_of_teams = 106<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1991.htm|title=1991 NCAA Division IA Football Power Ratings}}</ref>
| preseason_ap = [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=687 | title=1991 Preseason AP Football Poll |work=College Poll Archive |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref>
| regular_season = 
| number_of_bowls = 18
| bowl_start = 
| bowl_end = 
| champions = [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]] (AP)<br>[[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
| ap_poll = [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]]
| coaches_poll = [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]]
| heisman = [[Desmond Howard]] ([[Wide receiver]], [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]])
}}

The '''1991 NCAA Division I-A football season''' was the main [[college football]] season sanctioned by the [[National 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 split [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|national championship]]. Both the [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami Hurricanes]] and the [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington 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 the [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]] as the [[Pacific-10 Conference|Pac-10]] champions, and the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]] champions (in 1991, that was [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]]). The Rose Bowl's selection terms later thwarted potential title matchups of undefeated teams following the 1994 and 1997 seasons. Following the 1998 [[Bowl 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 the [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State Buckeyes]] in [[2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|2002]], [[2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|2006]] and [[2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|2007]], the [[USC Trojans football|USC Trojans]] in [[2004 USC Trojans football team|2004]] and [[2005 USC Trojans football team|2005]] and the [[Oregon Ducks Football|Oregon Ducks]] in [[2010 Oregon Ducks football team|2010]].

Miami closed the 1991 season with a 22–0 shutout over No. 11 [[1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] in the [[1992 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]], but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then No. 1 ranked and perennial rival [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]. That game ended with the FSU [[place kicker]] missing a field goal, wide right, which would become a theme in the [[Florida 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. 7 [[1991 California Golden Bears football team|California]] in October, and repeated as Pac-10 champions. They went on to win the [[1992 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]] by 20 points over No. 4 [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]], the Big Ten champions who featured [[Heisman Trophy]] winner [[Desmond Howard]]; it was Washington's second consecutive Rose Bowl win. Michigan finished at 10–2, ranked at No. 6 in both polls.

The [[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida Gators]] captured their first official [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] title in school history (they had previously won the [[1984 NCAA Division I-A football season|1984]] SEC title, but it was later vacated) in dominating fashion. [[1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|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 the [[1992 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]], as No. 18 [[1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] powered their way to a 39–28 win.

==Conference and program changes==
*Independent [[Florida State Seminoles football|Florida State]] joined the [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] 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.
*The '''[[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big 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.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! School !! 1990 Conference !! 1991 Conference
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Boston College]] [[Boston College Eagles football|Eagles]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[University of Miami|Miami (FL)]] [[Miami Hurricanes football|Hurricanes]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[University of Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh]] [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Panthers]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Rutgers University|Rutgers]] [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights football|Scarlet Knights]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Syracuse University|Syracuse]] [[Syracuse Orange football|Orangemen]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Temple University|Temple]] [[Temple Owls football|Owls]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Virginia Tech]] [[Virginia Tech Hokies football|Hokies]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[West Virginia University|West Virginia]] [[West Virginia Mountaineers football|Mountaineers]] || [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|I-A Independent]] || [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]
|}

==Rule changes==
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 the [[National Football League|NFL]] 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 a [[1982 NCAA Division I-A football season|1982]] 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 in [[1979 NFL season|1979]] after the "[[Holy Roller (American football)|Holy Roller]]" game.
* After numerous taunting incidents in the [[1991 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.

==Regular season==

===August–September===
Neither of the 1990 champions, Colorado and Georgia Tech, cracked the top five in the preseason poll for 1991. The leading teams were No. 1 [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]], No. 2 [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]], No. 3 [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami]], No. 4 [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]], and No. 5 [[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida]].

'''August 29–31:''' No. 1 Florida State defeated No. 19 [[1991 Brigham Young Cougars football team|Brigham Young]] 44–28 in the [[Pigskin 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. 7 [[1991 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]], who defeated No. 8 [[1991 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech]] 34–22 in the [[Kickoff 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. 10 [[1991 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]] 40–10, and No. 3 Michigan won 24–14 over No. 7 [[1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre 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. 17 [[1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] 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. 9 [[1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] for a 36–21 win, but No. 5 Florida fell 38–21 at No. 18 [[1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]. No. 6 [[1991 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] won a 26–24 nailbiter against No. 23 [[1991 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi 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. 13 [[1991 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]] 30–21, and No. 6 [[1991 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] 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===
'''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. 9 [[1991 Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa]]: 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. 12 [[1991 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pittsburgh]] 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. 7 [[1991 California Golden Bears football team|California]] 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===
'''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. 23 [[1991 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]] to clinch the SEC title and a [[1992 Sugar Bowl|Sugar 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''' featured [[Wide Right I|a 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 coach [[Bobby 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. 25 [[1991 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois]] 20–0; by clinching their respective conference titles, the Huskies and Wolverines ensured that they would meet each other in the [[1992 Rose Bowl|Rose 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. 18 [[1991 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio 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 hometown [[1992 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]] as their postseason game. No. 11 Nebraska and No. 15 [[1991 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]] 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. 9 [[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]], the SWC winner, in the [[1992 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl]]; and the [[1992 Fiesta Bowl|Fiesta Bowl]] would feature No. 6 Penn State against No. 10 Tennessee.

==Conference standings==
{| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Big East Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Big Eight Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Big Ten Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Big West Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Mid-American Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Pacific-10 Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Southeastern Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Southwest Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 Western Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1991 NCAA Division I-A independents football records}}
|}

==No. 1 and No. 2 progress==
In the pre-season poll, [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]] was ranked No. 1 with 54 of the 59 votes cast, [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] was 2nd, and [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami]] 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 in [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]], 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 the [[Pacific Northwest]], [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] won its [[Apple 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 their [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]] win over Michigan to split the National Title.

==Bowl games==
{{main|1991–92 NCAA football bowl games}}
'''New Year's Day Bowls:'''
*{{alternate links|1992 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl (game)|title=Orange Bowl}}: No. 1 [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]] 22, No. 11 [[1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] 0
*[[1992 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]]: No. 2 [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] 34, No. 4 [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] 14
*[[1992 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]: No. 18 [[1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] 39, No. 3 [[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida]] 28
*[[1992 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl]]: No. 5 [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]] 10, No. 9 [[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] 2
*{{alternate links|1992 Fiesta Bowl|Fiesta Bowl|title=Fiesta Bowl}}: No. 6 [[1991 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]] 42, No. 10 [[1991 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] 17
*{{alternate links|1992 Peach Bowl|Peach Bowl|title=Peach Bowl}}: No. 12 [[1991 East Carolina Pirates football team|East Carolina]] 37, No. 21 [[1991 NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]] 34
*{{alternate links|1992 Florida Citrus Bowl|Florida Citrus Bowl|title=Florida Citrus Bowl}}: No. 14 [[1991 California Golden Bears football team|California]] 37, No. 13 [[1991 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]] 13
*[[1992 Hall of Fame Bowl|Hall of Fame Bowl]]: No. 16 [[1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]] 24, No. 25 [[1991 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] 17

'''Other Bowls:'''
*{{alternate links|1991 Gator Bowl (December)|Gator Bowl|title=Gator Bowl}}: No. 20 [[1991 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] 48, No. 19 [[1991 Virginia Cavaliers football team|Virginia]] 14
*{{alternate links|1991 John Hancock Bowl|John Hancock Bowl|title=John Hancock Bowl}}: No. 22 [[1991 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]] 6, [[1991 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois]] 3
*[[1991 Copper Bowl|Copper Bowl]]: [[1991 Indiana Hoosiers football team|Indiana]] 24, [[1991 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]] 0
*[[1991 Holiday Bowl|Holiday Bowl]]: [[1991 BYU Cougars football team|BYU]] 13, No. 7 [[1991 Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa]] 13
*{{alternate links|1991 Freedom Bowl|Freedom Bowl|title=Freedom Bowl}}: No. 22 [[1991 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team|Tulsa]] 28, [[1991 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]] 17
*{{alternate links|1991 Blockbuster Bowl|Blockbuster Bowl|title=Blockbuster Bowl}}: No. 8 [[1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] 30, No. 15 [[1991 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]] 25
*{{alternate links|1991 Liberty Bowl|Liberty Bowl|title=Liberty Bowl}}: [[1991 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]] 38, [[1991 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]] 15
*[[1991 Aloha Bowl|Aloha Bowl]]: [[1991 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech]] 18, No. 17 [[1991 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]] 17
*{{alternate links|1991 Independence Bowl|Independence Bowl|title=Independence Bowl}}: No. 24 [[1991 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]] 24, [[1991 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] 15
*{{alternate links|1991 California Bowl|California Bowl|title=California Bowl}}: [[1991 Bowling Green Falcons football team|Bowling Green]] 28, [[1991 Fresno State Bulldogs football team|Fresno State]] 21

==Final rankings==
{{main|1991 NCAA Division I-A football rankings}}

===AP Poll===
#[[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]] (32)
#[[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] (28)
#[[1991 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]
#[[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]
#[[1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]
#[[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]]
#[[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
#[[1991 California Golden Bears football team|California]]
#[[1991 East Carolina Pirates football team|East Carolina]]
#[[1991 Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa]]
#[[1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]
#[[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
#[[1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]
#[[1991 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]]
#[[1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]]
#[[1991 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]
#[[1991 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]]
#[[1991 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]]
#[[1991 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]]
#[[1991 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]]
# [[1991 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team|Tulsa]]
# [[1991 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]]
# [[1991 BYU Cougars football team|Brigham Young]]
# [[1991 NC State Wolfpack football team|North Carolina State]]
# [[1991 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]]

===Coaches Poll===
[[File:UW 1991 Coaches Poll national championship trophy.jpg|thumb|1991 [[Coaches Poll]] national championship trophy on display inside [[Husky Stadium]]]]

# [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] (33 {{frac|1|2}})
# [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]] (25 {{frac|1|2}})
# [[1991 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]
# [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]
# [[1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]
# [[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]]
# [[1991 California Golden Bears football team|California]]
# [[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
# [[1991 East Carolina Pirates football team|East Carolina]]
# [[1991 Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa]]
# [[1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]
# [[1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]
# [[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
# [[1991 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]
# [[1991 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]]
# [[1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]]
# [[1991 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]]
# [[1991 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]]
# [[1991 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]]
# [[1991 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]]
# [[1991 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team|Tulsa]]
# [[1991 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]]
# [[1991 BYU Cougars football team|Brigham Young]]
# [[1991 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]]
# [[1991 NC State Wolfpack football team|North Carolina State]]

==Heisman Trophy voting==
''The [[Heisman Trophy]] is given to the year's most outstanding player''

{| class="wikitable"
! Player !! School !! Position !! 1st !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Total
|-
| '''[[Desmond Howard]]''' || '''[[1991 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]]''' || '''WR''' || '''640''' || '''68''' || '''21''' || '''2,077'''
|-
| [[Casey Weldon]] || [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]] || QB || 19 || 175 || 96 || 503
|-
| [[Ty Detmer]] || [[1991 BYU Cougars football team|BYU]] || QB || 19 || 129 || 130 || 445
|-
| [[Steve Emtman]] || [[1991 Washington Huskies football team|Washington]] || DT || 29 || 100 || 70 || 357
|-
| [[Shane Matthews]] || [[1991 Florida Gators football team|Florida]] || QB || 11 || 72 || 69 || 246
|-
| [[Vaughn Dunbar]] || [[1991 Indiana Hoosiers football team|Indiana]] || RB || 6 || 51 || 53 || 173
|-
| [[Jeff Blake]] || [[1991 East Carolina Pirates football team|East Carolina]] || QB || 7 || 29 || 35 || 114
|-
| [[Terrell Buckley]] || Florida State || CB || 1 || 24 || 51 || 102
|-
| [[Marshall Faulk]] || [[1991 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]] || RB || 0 || 10 || 32 || 52
|-
| [[Bucky Richardson]] || [[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || QB || 6 || 9 || 9 || 43
|}

==Other major awards==
*[[Maxwell Award|Maxwell]] (MVP) - [[Desmond Howard]], Michigan
*[[Walter Camp Award|Camp]] (College Player of the Year) - Desmond Howard, Michigan
*[[Dick Butkus Award|Butkus]] (Linebacker) - [[Erick Anderson]], Michigan
*[[Lombardi Award|Lombardi]] (Lineman) - [[Steve Emtman]], Washington
*[[Outland Trophy|Outland]] (Interior lineman) - Steve Emtman, Washington
*AFCA Coach of the Year - [[Bill Lewis (American football coach)|Bill Lewis]], East Carolina
*FWAA Coach of the Year - [[Don James (American football)|Don James]], Washington

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{NCAA football season navbox}}

[[Category:1991 NCAA Division I-A football season| ]]

1991 NCAA Division I-A football season - Revision history

imported>PK-WIKI: /* Final rankings */ add Coaches Poll trophy image