11:45 AM ET John Wilmhoff As our countdown to the first full week of college football turns to five days, we salute the five teams that have bounced back from September losses to win the national championship outright in the poll era. One loss can be devastating for teams with national title hopes, but Ohio State and Alabama have proved that it’s better to lose early than to lose late in the College Football Playoff era. The 2014 Buckeyes and 2015 Crimson Tide are two of five teams to win the national championship outright after losing in September. Urban Meyer’s 2008 Florida Gators also accomplished the feat, as did Miami in 1983 and Notre Dame in 1977. After the Gators’ 31-30 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 27, 2008, Tim Tebow made “the promise” that no one in the nation would work harder than him and his teammates the rest of the year. The team responded by running the table and beating Oklahoma 24-14 to win the national title. Six years later, coach Urban Meyer’s Ohio State squad fell to Virginia Tech 35-21 on Sept. 6, 2014. The Buckeyes would also lose quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett to injury,…
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