After the 1960 Sugar Bowl (1959 Season), Ole Miss (10-1) finished ranked number 2 in AP and UPI Coaches polls. Bowl results did not factor into polls. Syracuse finished number 1 in both polls and played and beat #4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Georgia (10-1) and (7-0) SEC record won the SEC Championship. LSU and Ole Miss finished tied for second with a (5-1) SEC record. LSU finished ranked #3 in the AP/UPI polls and Georgia finished number 5. Georgia beat #18 Missouri 14-0 in the Orange Bowl. Ole Miss played #3 LSU in the Sugar Bowl. I was ten years old and watched the game at my uncle’s house.
 
Syracuse finished the season at 11-0 with Ernie Davis, Heisman Trophy winner in 1961. Syracuse beat Kansas 35-21, Maryland 29-0, Navy 32-6, Holy Cross 42-6, West Virginia 44-0, Pittsburg 35-0, #7 Penn State 20-18, Colgate 71-0, Boston University 46-0, #17 UCLA 36-8, and # 4 Texas 23-14.
 
Ole Miss finished the season at 10-1 and had the following results: Houston 16-0, Kentucky 16-0, Memphis State 43-0, Vanderbilt 33-0, Tulane 53-7, #10 Arkansas 28-0, #1 LSU 3-7, Chattanooga 58-0, Tennessee 37-7 (Tennessee beat LSU the week prior 14-13), Mississippi State 42-0, #3 LSU 21-0. Ole Miss gave up only 21 points all season, and were crowned national champions by Berryman, Billingsley, Dunkel and Sargarin.
 
I have often wondered if Ole Miss had played Syracuse instead of LSU, what the outcome may have been. Ole Miss held LSU to 74 yards offense with Billy Cannon and Jim Taylor rushing for negative 15 yards. Ole Miss had 373 yards total offense. Syracuse held Texas to 244 yards offense and had 314 yards total offense. Ole Miss averaged 31.8 points per game whereas Syracuse averaged 37.5 per game. Ole Miss gave up 1.9 points per game whereas Syracuse gave up 6.6 points per game. Bobby Franklin and Jake Gibbs were the Ole Miss quarterbacks. Charlie Flowers was our primary running back.
 
I have always believed that Ole Miss defense would have stymied Ernie Davis just like it stymied Billy Cannon and Jim Taylor.   Ole Miss was the better team in 1959 and should have been named AP/UPI NCAA Champions at the end of the 1959 football and bowl season.