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1981 Year Summary

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National Champion: Clemson (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)

Heisman Memorial Trophy: Marcus Allen (Southern California)
FWAA Coach of the Year Award: Danny Ford (Clemson)

AP Preseason #1: Michigan ▪ AP Final #1: Clemson

Conference Summary

Sorted by SRS
Overall Bowls SRS Polls
Rk Conference Schs G W L T Pct G W L T Pct SRS SOS Pre Final Champion
1 Southwest Conference 9 103 54 44 5 .549 4 2 2 0 .500 7.54 5.87 1 2 Southern Methodist
2 Southeastern Conference 10 115 61 51 3 .543 5 2 3 0 .400 7.49 6.25 4 2 Alabama
Georgia
3 Big Eight Conference 8 93 49 42 2 .538 5 2 3 0 .400 7.02 6.10 2 3 Nebraska
4 Atlantic Coast Conference 7 79 41 37 1 .525 2 2 0 0 1.000 6.87 6.16 1 2 Clemson
5 Pacific-10 Conference 10 114 58 54 2 .518 4 1 3 0 .250 5.38 4.37 5 3 Washington
6 Big Ten Conference 10 114 59 55 0 .518 4 2 2 0 .500 4.53 4.92 2 3 Iowa
Ohio State
7 Independent 28 313 160 149 4 .518 5 3 2 0 .600 2.81 2.15 4 4
8 Western Athletic Conference 9 103 51 50 2 .505 1 1 0 0 1.000 -0.18 -0.65 1 1 Brigham Young
9 Missouri Valley Conference 8 87 45 40 2 .529 0 0 0 0 -3.88 -5.06 0 0 Drake
Tulsa
10 Southland Conference 6 66 28 34 4 .455 0 0 0 0 -4.21 -3.45 0 0 Texas-Arlington
11 Pacific Coast Athletic Association 6 66 29 36 1 .447 1 0 1 0 .000 -5.72 -3.21 0 0 San Jose State
12 Southern Conference 8 87 43 40 4 .517 0 0 0 0 -6.84 -6.91 0 0 Furman
13 Mid-American Conference 10 111 51 58 2 .468 1 1 0 0 1.000 -8.60 -7.57 0 0 Toledo
14 Ivy Group 8 80 33 45 2 .425 0 0 0 0 -19.01 -16.08 0 0 Dartmouth
Yale

AP Poll Summary

School Conf Pre 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/19 10/26 11/2 11/9 11/16 11/23 11/30 Final
Clemson ACC       19 14 9 6 4 3 2 2 2 2 1 1
Texas SWC 9 8 6 4 3 3 1 10 6 5 10 8 7 6 2
Penn State Ind 7 9 5 3 2 2 2 1 1 6 5 13 11 7 3
Pittsburgh Ind 8 10 7 5 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 10 4
Southern Methodist SWC       20 15 14 10 8 13 10 8 6 6 5 5
Georgia SEC 10 6 4 17 13 11 9 7 5 4 4 3 3 2 6
Alabama SEC 4 2 12 10 11 7 15 11 8 7 6 4 4 3 7
Miami (FL) Ind   16 16 14 17 16 13     13 12 11 9 9 8
North Carolina ACC 12 13 10 9 6 5 4 3 9 8 13 12 10 11 9
Washington Pac-10 15 17 15 16 12       18 16   17 12 12 10
Nebraska Big 8 6 7 17 15     19 15 12 11 7 5 5 4 11
Michigan Big Ten 1 1 11 7 8 6 5 18 15 12 11 7 16 16 12
Brigham Young WAC 16 15 13 11 10 8 17 13       18 14 14 13
Southern California Pac-10 5 5 2 1 1 1 7 5 4 3 3 10 8 8 14
Ohio State Big Ten 11 11 8 8 7 18       18     15 15 15
Arizona State Pac-10 20 20 18 18     20 17 10 9 9 20 18 17 16
West Virginia Ind                             17
Iowa Big Ten         18 15 12 6 16     19 13 13 18
Missouri Big 8           13 8 19             19
Oklahoma Big 8 2 3 3 2 5 10     19 17 15       20
School Conf Pre 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/19 10/26 11/2 11/9 11/16 11/23 11/30 Final
Arkansas SWC         19     12 20 19 16 16      
Florida SEC 17                            
Florida State Ind 19 18 19     20 11 20 17 14 20        
Hawaii WAC                     19        
Iowa State Big 8         20 12   14 11            
Mississippi State SEC 14 14 14 12 9 19 16 9 7 15          
Notre Dame Ind 3 4 1 13                      
Southern Mississippi Ind                   20 14 9 17 18  
Stanford Pac-10 18 19                          
UCLA Pac-10 13 12 9 6 16 17         18 15 19 19  
Washington State Pac-10             18 16 14   17 14 20 20  
Wisconsin Big Ten     20       14                

Year Leaders

Read more about our data coverage. ▪ An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.
Pass Completions
1. Jim McMahon (BYU) 272
2. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 262
3. Sam King (NVLV) 255
4. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 249
5. Tony Eason (IL) 248
6. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 241
7. Dan Marino* (PITT) 226
8. Oliver Luck* (WV) 216
9. John Elway (STAN) 214
10. Whit Taylor (VAND) 209
Pass Attempts
1. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 464
2. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 436
3. Sam King (NVLV) 433
4. Jim McMahon (BYU) 423
5. Tony Eason (IL) 406
6. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 404
7. Oliver Luck* (WV) 394
8. Dan Marino* (PITT) 380
9. John Elway (STAN) 366
10. Fred Hessen (LAMAR) 365
Pass Completion Percentage
1. Jim McMahon (BYU) 64.3
2. Alan Risher (LAST) 63.0
3. Tony Eason (IL) 61.1
4. Bob Holly (PRIN) 60.9
5. Buck Belue (GA) 60.6
6. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 60.1
7. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 59.7
8. Dan Marino* (PITT) 59.5
9. Chris Garrity (WMMARY) 59.0
10. Jim Kelly (MIAFL) 58.9
Passing Yards
1. Sam King (NVLV) 3778
2. Jim McMahon (BYU) 3555
3. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 3373
4. Tony Eason (IL) 3360
5. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 3337
6. Dan Marino* (PITT) 2876
7. Scott Campbell (PUR) 2686
8. John Elway (STAN) 2674
9. Bob Holly (PRIN) 2622
10. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 2572
Passing Yards Per Attempt
1. Sam King (NVLV) 8.7
2. Gary Kubiak (TXAM) 8.7
3. Doug Flutie (BC) 8.6
4. Steve Stamp (TXX) 8.6
5. Buck Belue (GA) 8.5
6. Jim Kelly (MIAFL) 8.4
7. Jim McMahon (BYU) 8.4
8. Scott Campbell (PUR) 8.4
9. Homer Jordan* (CLEM) 8.3
10. Jay Jeffrey (BAY) 8.3
Adjusted Passing Yards Per Attempt
1. Jim McMahon (BYU) 9.1
2. Doug Flutie (BC) 7.8
3. Tony Eason (IL) 7.7
4. Scott Campbell (PUR) 7.7
5. Buck Belue (GA) 7.6
6. Mike Pagel (AZST) 7.6
7. Sam King (NVLV) 7.6
8. Bob Holly (PRIN) 7.5
9. Jim Kelly (MIAFL) 7.2
10. Homer Jordan* (CLEM) 7.2
Passing Touchdowns
1. Dan Marino* (PITT) 37
2. Jim McMahon (BYU) 30
3. Mike Pagel (AZST) 29
4. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 28
5. Michael Calhoun (RICE) 21
  Matt Kofler (SDGST) 21
7. Tony Eason (IL) 20
  Mike Hohensee (MN) 20
  John Elway (STAN) 20
10. Sam King (NVLV) 18
  Gary Schofield (WAKE) 18
  Scott Campbell (PUR) 18
Passing Interceptions
1. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 24
2. Dan Marino* (PITT) 23
3. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 22
4. Chris Garrity (WMMARY) 19
  Sam King (NVLV) 19
6. John Witkowski (COLMB) 18
7. Steve Stamp (TXX) 17
  Tom Tunnicliffe (AZ) 17
  Ronnie Mixon (WCAR) 17
  Sammy Shon (OH) 17
Passing Efficiency Rating
1. Jim McMahon (BYU) 155.0
2. Buck Belue (GA) 143.8
3. Dan Marino* (PITT) 143.1
4. Tony Eason (IL) 140.0
5. Mike Pagel (AZST) 139.4
6. Scott Campbell (PUR) 138.3
7. Sam King (NVLV) 137.1
8. Bob Holly (PRIN) 136.4
9. Jim Kelly (MIAFL) 136.2
10. Doug Flutie (BC) 135.8
Rush Attempts
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 433
2. Herschel Walker (GA) 385
3. Barry Redden (RICH) 335
4. Cyrus Lawrence (VATECH) 325
5. Dwayne Crutchfield (IAST) 307
6. Gerald Willhite* (SJST) 297
7. Rich Diana (YALE) 293
8. Amero Ware (DRAKE) 290
9. Eddie Meyers (NAVY) 277
10. Floyd Allen (VAMI) 264
Rushing Yards
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 2427
2. Herschel Walker (GA) 1891
3. Barry Redden (RICH) 1629
4. Butch Woolfolk* (MI) 1459
5. Rich Diana (YALE) 1442
6. Eric Dickerson (SMETH) 1428
7. Cyrus Lawrence (VATECH) 1403
8. Amero Ware (DRAKE) 1353
9. Eddie Meyers (NAVY) 1318
10. Munchie Jordon (MCNST) 1267
Rushing Yards Per Attempt
1. Tim Martin (APPST) 6.8
2. Kelvin Bryant (NC) 6.7
3. Del Rodgers (UT) 6.6
4. Stanley Wilson (OK) 6.5
5. Greg Allen (FLST) 6.4
6. Darrell Shepard (OK) 6.3
7. Greg Boone (DUKE) 6.3
8. Mike Rozier (NE) 6.2
9. Brett White (TLS) 6.2
10. Munchie Jordon (MCNST) 6.2
Rushing Touchdowns
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 22
2. Eric Dickerson (SMETH) 19
3. Munchie Jordon (MCNST) 18
  Herschel Walker (GA) 18
5. Dwayne Crutchfield (IAST) 17
  Kelvin Bryant (NC) 17
7. Waymon Hamilton (BYU) 14
  Rich Diana (YALE) 14
9. Del Rodgers (UT) 13
  Darrell Shepard (OK) 13
  Sammy Winder* (SMS) 13
Receptions
1. Tim Kearse* (SJST) 71
2. Gerald Willhite* (SJST) 70
3. Jim Sandusky (NVLV) 68
4. Gordon Hudson (BYU) 67
  Darrin Nelson (STAN) 67
6. Jeff Champine (COST) 66
7. Darius Durham (SDGST) 65
8. Mark Raugh* (WV) 64
9. Dan Plater (BYU) 62
10. Herbert Harris (LAMAR) 61
Receiving Yards
1. Jim Sandusky (NVLV) 1346
2. Chester Cooper (MN) 1012
3. Darius Durham (SDGST) 988
4. Steve Bryant (PUR) 971
5. Gordon Hudson (BYU) 960
6. Anthony Carter* (MI) 952
7. Tim Kearse* (SJST) 946
8. Gary Williams* (OHST) 941
9. Herbert Harris (LAMAR) 911
10. Jeff Spek (NVLV) 895
Receiving Yards Per Reception
1. Mike Whitwell (TXAM) 27.1
2. Mark Barousse (MCNST) 26.5
3. Mark Clayton (LOU) 22.1
4. Willie Gault (TN) 21.8
5. Tracy Hall (TEMP) 21.6
6. Duane Gunn (IN) 21.2
7. Daryl Turner (MIST) 21.1
8. Henry Ellard (FREST) 20.7
9. Phillip Epps (TXX) 20.6
10. Rich Hollins* (WV) 20.4
Receiving Touchdowns
1. Julius Dawkins* (PITT) 16
2. Curtis Grieve (YALE) 12
3. Steve Bryant (PUR) 11
4. Cedric Jones (DUKE) 10
  Jeff Champine (COST) 10
  Gordon Hudson (BYU) 10
7. Alfred Kinney (LAMON) 9
8. Anthony Carter* (MI) 8
  John Brown* (PITT) 8
  Bob Phillips (WMI) 8
  Bernard Henry (AZST) 8
  Perry Tuttle* (CLEM) 8
Plays From Scrimmage
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 467
2. Herschel Walker (GA) 399
3. Gerald Willhite* (SJST) 367
4. Barry Redden (RICH) 350
5. Dwayne Crutchfield (IAST) 331
6. Cyrus Lawrence (VATECH) 329
7. Amero Ware (DRAKE) 322
8. Rich Diana (YALE) 308
9. Eddie Meyers (NAVY) 290
10. Joe Morris (SYR) 281
Yards From Scrimmage
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 2683
2. Herschel Walker (GA) 1975
3. Darrin Nelson (STAN) 1860
4. Gerald Willhite* (SJST) 1752
5. Barry Redden (RICH) 1736
6. Amero Ware (DRAKE) 1683
7. Rich Diana (YALE) 1589
8. Bryan Thomas* (PITT) 1583
9. Butch Woolfolk* (MI) 1514
10. Cyrus Lawrence (VATECH) 1440
Touchdowns From Scrimmage
1. Marcus Allen (SCA) 23
2. Herschel Walker (GA) 20
3. Eric Dickerson (SMETH) 19
4. Munchie Jordon (MCNST) 18
  Kelvin Bryant (NC) 18
6. Dwayne Crutchfield (IAST) 17
7. Julius Dawkins* (PITT) 16
  Waymon Hamilton (BYU) 16
  Darrin Nelson (STAN) 16
10. Rich Diana (YALE) 15
Total Plays
1. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 594
2. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 527
3. Sam King (NVLV) 507
4. Tony Eason (IL) 493
5. Jim McMahon (BYU) 487
6. Sammy Shon (OH) 473
7. Gary Schofield (WAKE) 461
8. Scott Campbell (PUR) 444
9. John Elway (STAN) 440
10. J Torchio (CA) 435
Total Yards
1. Sam King (NVLV) 3562
2. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 3528
3. Jim McMahon (BYU) 3458
4. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 3411
5. Tony Eason (IL) 3331
6. Scott Campbell (PUR) 2809
7. Dan Marino* (PITT) 2781
8. Sammy Shon (OH) 2643
9. John Elway (STAN) 2516
10. Mike Pagel (AZST) 2511
Total Yards Per Play
1. Jim McMahon (BYU) 7.1
2. Sam King (NVLV) 7.0
3. Tony Eason (IL) 6.8
4. Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 6.5
5. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 5.9
Total Touchdowns
1. Dan Marino* (PITT) 39
2. Mike Pagel (AZST) 33
  Steve Clarkson* (SJST) 33
4. Jim McMahon (BYU) 30
5. Matt Kofler (SDGST) 28
6. Steve Smith* (MI) 27
7. Tony Eason (IL) 25
8. Art Schlichter* (OHST) 23
  Mike Hohensee (MN) 23
10. Michael Calhoun (RICE) 22
  Marcus Allen (SCA) 22