1954 Orange Bowl - Post-game Effects

Post-game Effects

At the time, the final rankings were declared before postseason games. Therefore, Maryland had been declared the national championship team by the Associated Press, United Press, and International News Service, and remained the consensus national champions despite the loss. Some selectors have retroactively named Notre Dame and Oklahoma the national champions. With a 10–1 finish, Maryland possessed the best record in the nation. It was the first time Maryland had suffered a shutout in 51 games, the last being in 1948 at the hands of Vanderbilt.

For Oklahoma, it was their ninth-straight win, and the team finished the 1953 season with a 9–1–1 record. The game was part of a streak that, under head coach Wilkinson, would last 47 games. To date, that winning streak is the longest compiled by any NCAA major college football team.

Oklahoma head coach Wilkinson declined to declare his team the national champions. He addressed his team in the locker room, saying, "It was a helluva ball game. Desire, spirit, effort—anything you want to call it—won for us today." Maryland head coach Tatum said at the post-game party, "Bud outcoached me."