About 'rocky mountain college ranking'|Rocky Mountain Moon
First of all, let's get something straight. The 21st Century started on January 1st, 2001. The year 2000 was the last year of the 20th Century. So you might wonder why I've included several teams from the 2000 season on this list. Well, because I'm interested in compiling a ranking of the best teams from this particular decade, which includes the year 2000 -- just as the 1990s includes the year 1990 and so on and so forth. The 2000 teams also played their last games after January 1, 2001. So, even though these teams played their regular seasons in the last year of the 20th Century, their bowl games technically qualify as the first college football games to be played in the 21st Century. Another good reason to have them here. Now on to the list. It was hard to cut this compilation to just 21 teams. There were some teams which came close, but didn't quite make the cut. The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners had the best scoring offense ever. Until they played Florida in the BCS Championship. Oklahoma had a hand in helping the Gators shut down their high-octane offense, but still, the "best offense ever" should be able to muster more than two touchdowns against even the best defenses. A dud of a finale puts the Sooners outside the new millenium's top 21. The 2008 Texas Longhorns were another Big 12 South team which disappointed in the bowls. Texas was supposed to manhandle Big 10 rep, Ohio State, which had developed the bad habit of regular maulings in BCS bowls. But the Longhorns needed the last 16 seconds to eek out a come-from-behind win over the Buckeyes. The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs went on a seven-game end-of-the-year tear beating Florida, Georgia Tech and previously undefeated Hawaii by healthy margins. But when the dust settled, the second-ranked Bulldogs had played no team to finish in the AP Top 10 and featured losses to its highest ranked foe (#12 Tennessee) and an unranked 6-6 South Carolina. The 2006 LSU Tigers also finished their season strong. An impressive domination of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl put an exclamation point on it as LSU pounded the Irish for 577 total yards and 41 points. It was a telling prelude to the Tiger's 2007 National Title run. But not enough to make the Top 21. The 2006 Boise State Broncos went 13-0, capping the season with a 43-42 stunner over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. While their creampuff schedule prevents them from cracking the Top 21, the Broncos, along with Utah, BYU and TCU are doing a fine job of arguing for a BCS overhaul. The 2006 USC Trojans seem to typify Pete Carroll's men of Troy since the departure of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. Lose one or two games to the lesser teams on the schedule -- and destroy the really good ones. Oregon State and UCLA had combined records of 17-10 in 2006, but two of those losses were by the Trojans. Meanwhile, 2006 USC blasted highly ranked Cal, Notre Dame and Michigan with double-digit wins each. But it wasn't quite enough to make the list. 2002 Georgia, 2004 Texas, 2005 Penn State and 2005 West Virginia were also considered, but ultimately fell short. So then, which teams did make the cut? Read on. #21. 2006 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (12-1) (Coach: Jim Tressel - 2 teams on the list) The Buckeyes really did look like the best team in the land in 2006. Until they met up with the Florida Gators. Troy Smith's Heisman romp was a fun thing to watch. But when the post-season dust settled, maybe the Buckeyes' shellacking at the hands of Florida wasn't such a surprise. Ohio State's two quality wins over Texas and Michigan didn't shine so brightly after multiple regular-season losses by Texas and a tolchock of the Wolverines by USC in the Rose Bowl. All of Ohio State's other opponents ended the season unranked. So a deceptively soft schedule and a Fiesta Bowl drubbing leave the 2006 runner-up with barely one foot in the door of the 21 best list. Signature moment -- a 29 yard touchdown pass to end the first half against defending national champion, Texas. It put the Buckeyes up for good in Austin and solidified Ohio State's preseason #1 ranking. #20. 2004 UTAH UTES (12-0) (Coach: Urban Meyer -- 3 teams on the list) In 2004 Urban Meyer did something he can't yet claim as head of the mighty University of Florida. He coached an undefeated team. The only problem was, except for Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl, the Utes didn't play a single team that finished ranked in the polls. But it wasn't for a lack of trying by the scheduling gods who lined up such poll luminaries as Texas A&M, Arizona and BYU for the offing. Unfortunately those three teams combined for just 15 wins and 19 losses that year. But given what Utah got by way of competition in 2004, they pounded their opponents into pancakes winning all of their games by no less than 14 points and winning most by four or five touchdowns. The Utes were never challenged in 2004. Not even in the Fiesta Bowl. Not to knock Pitt too much, but it would've been nice to see the Utes against USC, Auburn or Oklahoma that year. With a coach like Urban Meyer and the 2009 Sugar Bowl as a sort of pilot light on the Utes' gridiron motor, it's hard to write Utah off as a mere benefactor of a soft schedule. Signature moment -- in the second quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, the Ute defense nailed Pittsburgh quarterback, Tyler Palko, for an 11 yard sack effectively ending an early Panther scoring threat. It was one of nine sacks on that night and the second drop in a row on that particular drive. Utah went up 14 to nothing on the next possession. In the biggest game to that point in Utah football history, the Utes needed to prove they belonged where they were. That sack set the tone for the game and, by extension, the entire season. #19. 2002 USC TROJANS (11-2) (Coach: Pete Carroll - 5 teams on the list) The 2002 Trojans, led by Heisman winner Carson Palmer, was a harbinger of USC's domination of mid-decade. With just two respectable losses to Top 10 teams, Kansas State and Washington State, the '02 Trojans pounded their way through a tough schedule, ending the season with a 44-13 drubbing of Notre Dame and a 38-17 runaway over #3 Iowa in the Orange Bowl. Signature moment -- on USC's second play of the second half of its match versus arch-nemesis Notre Dame, Carson Palmer tossed a pass to Grant Mattos that ate up half the football field. Two plays later, the Trojans were in the end zone, blowing open what had previously been a tight football game. The 31-point win proved to be the exclamation point on Palmer's Heisman campaign and a taste of the sort of domination Trojan fans would grow accustomed to in the seasons to come. #18. 2007 LSU TIGERS (12-2) (Coach: Les Miles - 1 team on the list) The 2007 National Champs have the dubious distinction of being the first college football team to wear a crown with two lumps in it. But that doesn't mean the 2007 Tigers weren't still a very formidable football team. Just ask Virginia Tech and Ohio State -- two Top 10 teams whom the Tigers managed to dispatch with remarkable ease. LSU powered through a tough SEC schedule that included wins over Florida, Auburn and Tennessee in the conference title game. And those two losses (to Kentucky and Arkansas) came after a combined total of 6 overtimes. Prior to 1996, LSU would have been an undefeated team. Still, Arkansas and Kentucky were both 8-5 teams in 2007 and losing to them (albeit after three overtimes a piece) is no badge of honor. The 2007 Tigers were a formidable football team, but among the National Champions so far this century, they were the least impressive. Signature moment - With the score tied 10-10 in the BCS championship game, LSU defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois smashed through the Ohio State offensive line and batted down a field goal attempt. From there it was all down hill for Ohio State as LSU's offense and defense simply dominated the top ranked Buckeyes. Blocked field goal. #17. 2008 UTAH UTES (13-0) (Coach: Kyle Whittingham - 1 team on the list) Those pesky interlopers from Utah and Idaho just won't go away. For the third time in the last five seasons, the BCS begrudgingly invited undefeated teams from either the University of Utah or Boise State to the BCS table. And three times the Mountain West/WAC representatives have come away with victories over automatic bid teams. The most impressive of these victories was in the 2009 Sugar Bowl as undefeated #6 Utah took on #4 Alabama -- an 11-point favorite. The Utes manhandled the Crimson Tide, holding the SEC runner-up to 208 yards of total offense and just 10 points. (Another Alabama touchdown was added by special teams play.) All in all, it was a more impressive victory than the eventual National Champion Florida Gators laid upon Alabama and good enough to earn Utah a #2 ranking in the final AP poll. So why aren't they ranked higher on this list? The Utes beat four ranked teams, but they also occasionally struggled against lesser teams including 3-9 Michigan and 4-8 New Mexico. One misstep against either of those teams and Utah's perfect season and BCS invite would have been out the door. I actually think the 2004 team with the complete domination of its schedule and Urban Meyer under the headphones was probably a better team than this one. But the 2008 Utes' Sugar Bowl was a victory like no other in school history. And that's what ultimately gives Whittingham's squad the advantage on this list. Signature moment - Third and 10 from the Alabama 28. After Utah jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, Alabama slowly eeked its way back into the game by capitalizing on a third quarter Utah fumble and a second quarter Javier Arenas punt return. Utah's response to the Crimson Tide's third unanswered score was 43 yards in 6 plays leading up to a third and 10 from the 28. Brian Johnson dumped it off to David Reed near the first down marker. Reed slipped a single tackle and raced into the endzone twenty yards untouched. And Bama was beaten. #16. 2002 MIAMI HURRICANES (12-1) (Coach: Larry Coker - 2 teams on the list) The 2002 Hurricanes looked like a continuation of their juggernaut selves of the previous year. They put up a lot of points during their undefeated run through the regular season, but traditional powers Florida, Florida State and Tennessee all had down years that season, mitigating otherwise impressive victories. Ohio State would prove in the Fiesta Bowl that the 2002 Canes were only a shadow of their previous selves. Still, the Canes were dominant enough to earn a place among the best of the decade. Signature moment -- Wide left. It was a 21st Century take on a 1990s tradition. Florida State lost to Miami three times in the previous decade when kickers booted game winning field goals to the right of the goal posts. Other than this ball sailing to the other side of the uprights, it must have seemed like old times to the Hurricanes. The final score was 28-27 which was enough to preserve Miami's march to Tempe for a shot at back-to-back National Titles. But there was something other than wide left that was not quite like the 1990s. Florida State was no longer the titan it was during the "wide right" years. And that game between fierce interstate rivals, was the first sign that perhaps the Fiesta Bowl was not about to be another Rose Parade. #15. 2003 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (12-2) (Coach: Bob Stoops - 2 teams on the list) It might have been after the 65-13 demolition of the Longhorns or the 77-0 annihilation of Texas A&M but, at some point during the 2003 college football season, I turned to one of my buddies and said, "This may be the best college football team ever." Then came the Big 12 championship game. It wasn't the first time a Big 12 also-ran overturned a conference opponent's national title run. But Kansas State's 35-7 domination of the Sooners was nothing short of a shocker. Oklahoma would still end up in the title match against LSU, but it was clear that the F-5 tornado that ravished the plains during the regular season was nowhere to be seen in New Orleans. With regular season stampedes of Alabama, Fresno State, UCLA, Colorado and Texas Tech, in addition to the Longhorns and Aggies, if it weren't for the north division Wildcats, the 2003 Sooners would have likely been a Top 5 team of the 21st Century, win or lose against LSU. Signature moment - Epic failure. Normally I like to pinpoint a team's most pivotal or most spectacular or best defining moment of the season. Something positive. But in the case of the 2003 Sooners, all those gaudy blow-outs in the regular season were overshadowed immensely by the one-man highlight reel which Darren Sproles and the Wildcats produced for the Big 12 Championship. Sproles had runs of 55, 60 and 63 yards against the Sooners (in amassing 323 total yards individually), but it was a 60-yard touchdown reception to the undersized speed demon that ultimately provided the snapshot on Oklahoma's 2003 season. The score put the Wildcats up 21-7 shortly before the half. And left Sooner Nation scratching its collective helmets. #14. 2006 FLORIDA GATORS (13-1) (Coach: Urban Meyer - 3 teams on the list) For much of the season, 2006 looked to belong to the Big 10, but the post-season took the veil off what was -- until then -- the most parity-laden season of the decade. (2007's carousel of teams at the top beats it.) Thanks to their domination of Ohio State, the Florida Gators showed they were slightly better than everybody else. While they saved the best for their last two games, Florida often struggled during the season, most notably when they went to Auburn. A mildly tough schedule and a lack of regular season dominance keeps the 2006 national champion from cracking the Top 10. Signature moment -- Chris Leak to Dallas Baker, 14 yard touchdown pass on the Gators' opening possession of the BCS championship. You might think Ohio State's 97 yard kick-off return to open the game would have had the Gators reeling. And maybe it did the bench-warmers. But Urban Meyers starting unit answered the Buckeye's opening salvo with a fine kick return of its own that, with the aid of a face mask penalty, put Florida at midfield. As if nothing had gone wrong just minutes before, Leak took his team 46 yards in 7 plays capping it with a toss to a wide-open Baker from 14 yards out. The Buckeyes probably didn't know it at the time, but they were cooked. #13. 2008 USC TROJANS (12-1) (Coach: Pete Carroll - 5 teams on the list) Uh-oh. There she goes again. On a brisk September night in Corvallis, the USC Trojans found themselves on the wrong end of yet another epic upset. It was fourth such upset for USC in the last three seasons and, as was the case with the others, it was enough to keep the Trojans out of the National Title match. But 2008's USC team was a little different than the others of this decade. Whereas Pete Carroll's teams usual blast away the opposition with ten yards and cloud of dust, this team achieved its 12 win record by stuffing opposing offenses into the dirt. Some wondered if perhaps this was the best college football defense to ever take the field. Maybe, maybe not. But ten of USC's 13 opponents could muster no more than 10 points against the Trojans and three were shut out completely. In all, only 14 touchdowns were scored against the Trojan defense the entire season. And four of those happened with the games well out of hand. If only USC had an offense in 2008 to match. The Trojan offense, led by Mark Sanchez, was no slouch. Virtually any team in America would have loved to have had it. But, by Southern Cal's standards, the 2008 scoring machine was in dire need of an oil change. Turnovers and lack of a ground game cost USC the game in Corvallis. Same thing in Tucson nearly produced the same result. But a stop on 4th and inches with just 6 minutes left -- followed by a three-and-out just two minutes later, preserved the win for USC. USC's offense did show signs of life at some points during the season. Most notably against Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State. But lack of consistency kept the 2008 Trojans from going undefeated, playing for the National Title and cracking my Top 10 list for the 21st Century. Signature moment -- that 4th and inches stop against Arizona. This was one of the stingiest defenses of all time and that stop was a text book instance of how so. #12. 2002 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (14-0) (Coach Jim Tressel - 2 teams on the list) 2002's national champs put together a solid run, with victories over four ranked opponents including in what was arguably the most spectacular national championship game ever played, defeating defending champs Miami 31-24 in double overtime. But you'd be hard pressed to call the 2002 Buckeyes dominant. Or, at least, not on par with some of the juggernauts of the Top 10. With the exception of Washington State, their victories over ranked opponents were narrow wins. A blown opportunity here and there could have spelled a different track for each team involved. Additionally, the Buckeyes squeaked by several unranked opponents including, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois, beating those five teams by an average of only 6 points. Buckeye fans may argue that a win is a win and Ohio State had a rarely precedented 14 of them in 2002 and that the gaudy scores put up by other powerhouses are nothing more than "running up the score" and that Ohio State is too classy and respectful to do that. That might be. But I don't believe for a second Ohio State wouldn't love to hang 50 points on a Florida or LSU or USC. The issue is can they? Great teams win all their games, true. But juggernauts don't blast formidable opponents with 40, 50, 60 points just to show off. They do it because they can't help themselves. That just wasn't the case for the 2002 Buckeyes who needed a bad second quarter by Ken Dorsey to pull off a National Title upset. Signature moment -- The last play of the game. After a controversial first overtime, the Buckeyes found the endzone in the second extended period with remarkable ease. Down 31-24, the Hurricanes needed to answer. A pair of Buckeye penalties almost escorted Miami over the goal line, setting Coker's team up with a first and goal at the two. But a goal line stand was the order of the day and a fierce pass rush on 4th and 1 left the most indelible image of the evening. Goal line stand. #11. 2003 USC TROJANS (12-1) (Coach: Pete Carroll - 5 teams on the list) When it came to blasting opponents for 40 or 50 points, it seemed like the 2003 co-champion Trojans couldn't help themselves. USC scored 40 points or more eight times during the 2003 season including lop-sided victories over Notre Dame, Washington State and UCLA. USC dominated every team it played that year except for a 34-31 loss to Cal. Aside from that one overtime loss, the 2003 Trojans were darn near perfect. Signature moment -- a 5 yard touchdown pass from Matt Leinart to Mike Williams against Auburn. Sound not so spectacular? Well, consider that USC went to Alabama to face the sixth-ranked team in the country on the Tigers' home turf. Thanks to an interception and penalty, USC found itself on the Auburn five yard line when Matt Leinart attempted his first pass as starting quarterback for the Trojans. The pass across the middle for an easy six was an auspicious start for both Leinart and USC. The Trojan's glory days were only then truly beginning. #10. 2003 LSU TIGERS (13-1) (Coach: Nick Saban - 1 team on the list) 2003 was a tumultuous and confusing year in college football. Who were the most deserving one-loss teams to play for the national title? USC, Oklahoma or LSU? The polls would never fully decide, splitting the title between the Tigers and Trojans. A hypothetical match-up between that year's co-champs would've been an exciting game and a tough one to call. I give a slight edge to LSU. Both teams dominated their schedules, but LSU's was tougher, facing 5 foes ranked in the final poll, including 4 in the top 10. LSU lost to Top 25 finisher, Florida, while USC's loss came at the hands of unranked Cal. Signature moment - First play from scrimmage in the Sugar Bowl. Justin Vincent breaks free in the secondary for a 64 yard gain. The butterflies had to be circling Bob Stoops' stomach after seeing this run. While LSU did not score on the opening drive (quarterback Matt Mauck fumbled on the OU 1), Vincent's run was a prelude to the rushing success LSU used to set up a balanced run-pass attack against the Sooners. Something the vaunted Oklahoma offense could not do itself against the Tigers. Balance, a stingy defense and clock control put LSU atop the BCS standings in a performance that was more dominant than the 7-point margin would suggest. Vincent breaks free. #9. 2004 AUBURN TIGERS (13-0) (Coach: Tommy Tuberville - 1 team on the list) This team got no respect in 2004. Even after scorching Tennessee - twice! With four teams undefeated in 2004, Utah and Auburn found themselves on the outside looking in for the national title. USC and Oklahoma hogged the spotlight. And then, eventually, just USC. Fans cried foul of the BCS after the Trojans flogged the Sooners and left a total of three teams unblemished when all was said and done. Would the Auburn Tigers have been a better opponent for USC than the Sooners? I think probably, although I just don't see a victory in the cards against Leinart and Bush. Still, 2004 Auburn was an impressive team, beating five ranked opponents and dominating nearly every team they played. Signature moment -- A 53 yard pass from Jason Campbell to Anthony Mix in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. It was the longest play of the night for Auburn in what turned out to be a tight defensive struggle. The play led to the Tigers' only touchdown which put them up 16-0. Auburn needed that cushion as Virginia Tech caught fire in the 4th quarter, finding the endzone twice, including an 80-yard pass play with two minutes left in the game. The 16-point cushion and an onside kick recovery was enough to preserve Auburn's undefeated season. Which is why this, to me, is the signature play. The Tigers had a more spectacular game against Tennessee in the SEC championship, but the close-call against the Hokies on the night before USC's demolition of Oklahoma showed why the BCS snub may have produced the best outcome for Auburn after all. #8. 2008 FLORIDA GATORS (13-1) (Coach: Urban Meyer - 3 teams on the list) Darn those special teams! As head coach at Utah, Urban Meyer had one undefeated team and zero National Championships. As coach of the Florida Gators, Meyers has two one-loss teams and two National Titles. Which do you think Meyers prefers? Well, the two National Titles, of course, but an undefeated champion would undoubtedly be nice, too. And the 2008 Gators came so close to giving one to him. A blocked extra point was all that stood between Florida and shaking off a pesky Ole Miss team which Florida had dominated in all statistical categories except turnovers and points. In a press conference afterward, Tim Tebow vowed that nothing like that would happen again while he was the quarterback at Florida. And, for 2008 at least, he was a man of his word. Behind Tebow's firey leadership, the Gators were never again challenged in ten straight games, until they met up with #1 Oklahoma in the BCS title game. The 2008 National Champions pulverized all comers with an 11-point win over then #1 Alabama, a 30-point win over #20 Florida State and a 39-point victory over #6 Georgia. The BCS Championship went differently than the high-scoring affair many expected. Oklahoma brought in the highest scoring offense of all time. Florida claimed that it had a defense that could slow it down and an offense good enough to keep up. They were right on both counts, holding the Sooners to just 14 points -- OU's lowest total of the season by three full touchdowns. Oklahoma helped the Gators some by blowing two first-half drives inside the Florida 5 yard line. But, to Florida's full credit, the Gators proved to be the only defense against which Sam Branford and the Sooners could never find traction. Oklahoma was averaging 54 points going into the BCS title match and brought in an NCAA record 5 consecutive 60-plus point game streak to boot. But when the Gators held the Sooners to a mere 14 points, that 54-point average dropped by nearly three full points. No small feat. Signature moment -- the 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty against Tebow after scrambling for 13 yards, a first down and the official win against Oklahoma. Tebow's exuberance in that moment was a manifestation of the 2007 Heisman winner's fire in a bottle that is impossible to replicate through anything but natural propensity. And that, ultimately, is what won Florida its second National Title in three seasons. #7. 2005 USC TROJANS (12-1) (Coach: Pete Carroll - 5 teams on the list) Matt Leinart made the astonishing announcement shortly after USC's pounding of Oklahoma to end 2004. He would forgo the NFL draft and stay his senior season to lead his team to a third straight national title. And into the history books. It looked like his plan would work, too. If Vince Young hadn't been born. Before the 38-41 loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl, USC laid waste to defenses up and down the West Coast. The high-octane offense never scored fewer than 34 points and, in fact, scored 50 or more in an astounding 7 of their 12 regular season games. But the chink in USC's armor was their own defense. Arizona State, Notre Dame and Fresno State showed that it was possible to put some points on the Trojan D. Something Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns would do with remarkable ease. Leinart complained after the loss that the best team had not won that night. With scores like 70-17 over Arkansas and 66-19 over UCLA, I can see why he might think that. 2005 USC was one of the ten best teams of the decade. But they were only the second best of 2005. Signature moment - there are two possibilities. And they both came on the same drive against Notre Dame. Down 28 to 31 with less than 90 seconds left in the game, USC was facing a 4th and 9 on their own 26 yard line. Leinart took the snap from under center, stepped back and rifled a precision pass to Dwayne Jarrett near the 50 who then very nearly beat two Irish defenders to the endzone. But a touchdown saving lunge put the Trojans on the Notre Dame 13. The other possibility came 5 plays later. The last play of the game. The "Bush Push". With just 7 seconds left on the clock, USC lined up on the 1 yard line. Matt Leinart took the ball straight up the center and got stuffed. He spun toward the left and, with a push from Reggie Bush, sort of careened across the goal line. The first play showed the incredible poise with which 2005 USC handled itself when pushed against a wall. The second play showed a little chink in the armor. While some sportcasters had taken to calling them "possibly the best college football team ever", the Bush Push illuminated something that would become clearer by the end of the season. A little unorthodoxy can get you over the hump a lot of times. But sooner or later, you're going to trip up. This clip starts with Jarrett catch (15 seconds in) and ends with the Bush Push. Last drive Trojans. #6. 2000 MIAMI HURRICANES (11-1) (Coach: Butch Davis - 1 team on the list) If it weren't for those awful scoundrels in Tallahassee stealing their rightful place in the 2001 Orange Bowl, the Miami Hurricanes would've been the 2000 National Champions. Or so it goes among Miami fans. Is that just a bunch of tropical bluster or is there something to back that sentiment? Miami blasted through a schedule that included three teams that would finish the season among the top 6 teams in the nation: #3 Washington, #5 Florida State and #6 Virginia Tech. Along with #10 Florida in the Sugar Bowl, Miami faced a tough schedule indeed. If it were not for a narrow loss to Washington (the only team the Hurricanes did not dominate), Miami would have found itself in the title game against the Sooners. A match that would mark the resurgence of two 80s powerhouses. Signature moment - Ken Dorsey to Jeremy Shockey for a 13-yard touchdown in the waning seconds against Florida State. This was the end to a game in which Miami had blanked the Seminoles in the first half for a 17-0 lead. Florida State came back furiously to take a 24-20 lead in the 4th quarter. But the pass to Shockey gave the Hurricanes the head-to-head in what should probably have been the deciding factor in who played Oklahoma. #5. 2000 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (13-0) (Coach: Bob Stoops - 2 teams on the list) The only problem with Cane backers' indignation over the post 2000 bowl match-ups and claims to having been robbed by the bowl schedulers of a National Title is that their would-be opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners, were every bit as good as they were. The Sooners clobbered four ranked opponents on their way to nearly blanking Florida State in the Orange Bowl, including an impressive 31-14 win over then top-ranked Nebraska. Oklahoma scored gaudy points over the likes of Texas and Kansas State, beating the Big 12 north champs twice with a combined total of nine touchdowns. Who was better that year? Miami or Oklahoma? We'll never know. But they were both two of the best teams of the decade. Signature moment -- Oklahoma linebacker Rocky Calmus knocked lose the football as Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke tried to scramble away. The fumble recovery set the Sooners up on the Seminole 15 yard line allowing Oklahoma to score the only touchdown of the night. Oklahoma's spectacular defensive play heralded the return of a dormant superpower. #4. 2001 FLORIDA GATORS (10-2) (Coach: Steve Spurrier - 1 team on the list) Who? A two-loss Gator team was better than six of the last nine national champions? Well, if college football has such a thing as an idiot savant, it's gotta be the 2001 Florida Gators. "Savants" because this squad managed to not just beat five Top 25 finishers, they destroyed them. Among their victims, #7 LSU (44-15), #22 Georgia (24-10), #13 South Carolina (54-17), #15 Florida State (37-13) and #11 Maryland (56-23). And "idiots" because these knuckleheads also managed to lose two games. One to unranked Auburn and the other to #4 Tennessee. Both losses were squeakers that the Gators could have just as easily won. With the 2001 Hurricanes an undeniable juggernaut, had Florida gone the regular season undefeated, it might have set up a Rose Bowl to rival the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game in which an immovable object met an irresistible force. Signature moment -- Not a fond one for Florida. A few minutes into the 4th quarter, after completing a 52 yard field goal to pull within one point of the Tennessee Volunteers, special teams put up decent coverage, tackling the Vol return man on his own 23 yard line. The very next play, Tennessee running back Travis Stephens blasted up the middle and nearly covered the length of the field. The 68-yard run gave Tennessee the ball on the Florida 9. They needed just three plays to take an 8 point lead. Florida managed one more touchdown six minutes later, but could not convert a two-point attempt to force a tie. With Stephens' run, the turnover-prone Gators saw their chance at meeting the team of the decade for all the marbles slip away. #3. 2005 TEXAS LONGHORNS (13-0) (Coach: Mack Brown -- 1 team on the list) Some say the 2005 Longhorns were all Vince Young. I say one man alone, no matter how gifted, could put up the kind of points this team did, outscoring their opponents 652 to 203 in 13 games. In that onslaught were four ranked teams, including top 5 finishers Ohio State and USC. Indeed, none of the Longhorn's Big 12 rivals proved worthy including Oklahoma which lost 45-12 and the north division champion Colorado which had 16 touchdowns scored upon them in two games. Texas scored 40 points or more in all but one game (a win against Ohio State) and scored 60 or more points five times. Even though it was a close game, 2005 Texas' most remarkable achievement was handing defending National Champion USC (the seventh best team of the decade) its only loss of the season. Few teams this decade could have handled the two-headed Heisman Trophy beast of Southern California. But this one could. And did. Signature moment -- 4th and five. Vince Young #2. 2004 USC TROJANS (13-0) (Coach: Pete Carroll - 5 teams on the list) The 2000s clearly belong to the USC Trojans. But you probably already knew that. Five USC teams make my Top 20, three of those residing in the Top 10. And the 2004 team would've mopped the floor with any of those other Trojan squads. The list of victims on USC's 2004 schedule include such worthy opponents as Virginia Tech, Cal, Arizona State and Notre Dame. But the 2004 Trojans would take on legendary status by manhandling second-ranked Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl, blasting its way to a 38-10 halftime lead. Along with Oklahoma, USC beat three top 10 teams in all. Like other USC teams, the 2004 team often let less worthy opponents hang on, only to demolish them in the second half. But even in these games, the threats rarely looked serious. It was as if the Trojans were merely toying with their opponents. And they probably were. Signature moment -- There's a lot to choose from here. One of the many Leinart to Jarrett touchdowns. Maybe a run by LenDale White or Reggie Bush. Or possibly a defensive stop in close games against Cal or UCLA. The 2004 season was filled with spectacular moments for the Trojans. But the most seminal moment, in my opinion, came off-field ten days after the Orange Bowl. Heisman winner, Matt Leinart announced his return to USC for his senior season and a chance to help the Trojans become the first team ever to win three consecutive National Titles. The news chilled the spines of opponents up and down the 2005 USC docket. While it has since become fashionable for undergrad stars to stick around for their senior seasons, Leinart's decision came as a surprise to many. That a Heisman-winning quarterback on the heels of a blow-out National Title victory and an undefeated season would postpone millions of dollars to come back to help his University make history speaks to the kind of supercharged atmosphere that enveloped the program at mid-decade. #1. 2001 MIAMI HURRICANES (12-0) (Coach: Larry Coker -- 2 teams on the list) Are the 2001 Hurricanes the best college football team in the history of the Universe? That's for another article, but there's no denying that they are the best of the current decade. I'm sure the USC fans who were captivated by Leinhart and Bush will object, but the stats speak for themselves. Miami played six teams that finished ranked in the Top 25 of 2001. #8 Nebraska, #18 Virginia Tech, #19 Washington, #14 Syracuse, #21 Boston College and #15 Florida State. Tough schedule? Well for just about any other team, it would be, but Miami bulldozed those teams by a combined score of 254 to 79. Or a 42-13 average. Miami made some of these top tier opponents look no better than the Rutgers and Troy States of their schedule, slamming Syracuse and Washington for a combined 17 touchdowns while allowing them only one. The culmination of the 2001 season came on January 3rd, 2002 in Pasadena when Miami shot to a 34-0 half-time lead over then #4 Nebraska. The 2001 Huskers were themselves no creampuffs, having lead the nation in rushing offense steered by the explosive Heisman winner, Eric Crouch. But Miami dominated their opponent from the opening series on. A tough fight from Nebraska in the second half kept the game from being a total debacle, but the final outcome was never in doubt. A direct comparison of the decade's top two teams shows why 2001 Miami beats 2004 USC. Both teams demolished their schedules up and down except for two games a piece. Miami nudged past Virginia Tech 26-24 and beat Boston College handily but not spectacularly 18-7. But both VT and BC were ranked opponents and were reasonably tight games. USC, on the other hand, had close calls against two unranked opponents. Stanford 31-28 and UCLA 29-24. Edge Miami. Both teams demolished formidable bowl opponents. But USC's opponent was tougher and they won by a wider margin than the Canes. Edge USC. USC played four teams ranked in the final poll. They beat two soundly and demolished two. Miami played six teams ranked in the final poll. Edged one. Beat another soundly. They destroyed the other four and had no close calls against unranked opponents (unlike USC). Big edge to Miami. While some may argue that the domination level of USC and Miami are too close to call, I just don't see it. To sum. An undefeated season, a loaded schedule (matched only by the 2001 Florida schedule) and an unequivocal domination of opponents makes the 2001 Miami Hurricanes the best college football team of the 21st Century. So far. Signature moment -- Up 14-0 in the second quarter of the 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami's James Lewis stepped in front of an Eric Crouch pass and bolted, untouched, 47 yards for a touchdown. This was the precise moment at which college football of the 20th Century was over. Why? Because the team that pick came against was arguably the face of college football over the course of nearly the last 40 years of the 20th Century. Consider this of the University of Nebraska. From 1962 to 2001, the Cornhuskers won 433 games. They appeared in 10 National Title games (winning five of them). They produced not a single losing season in 40 consecutive years. They had a minimum of 9 wins in 38 of those seasons and finished ranked in 37 out of 40 AP polls. They appeared in 33 consecutive bowl games. They produced (by wide opinion) the two best college football teams of the 20th Century in 1971 and 1995 and established the last true college football dynasty in a 60-3 stretch from 1993 to 1997. Other schools had some superlatives - Miami won as many titles over the same period and Alabama won six. Florida State produced an impressive stretch of 14 consecutive 10-win seasons to finish out the century. But no other team maintained such a high level of consistency at the top. Miami and Florida State emerged from college gridiron obscurity in the mid-1980s and Alabama had long stretches of down periods after the Bear Bryant era ended. So there it was, just two minutes into the second quarter on January, 3 2002. A pick and nearly 50 yards of natural turf and the 20th Century was over. Nobody in the stadium expected a comeback at that point and, indeed, the rout was officially on as the Hurricane defense swarmed Nebraska, holding it to nearly half its total offensive average. The Huskers needed a 71 yard punt return in the 4th quarter just to make the score look respectable. Sort of, anyway. The first team to play an entire season in the 21st Century also happens to be its best to date. Fitting that the 2001 Hurricanes achieved its pinnacle by turning the lights out on the 20th Century. This list is an update of a previously published article written before the 2007 season. You can view it here. Other college football articles by Mark Albracht: True College Football National Champions How to calculate the greatest college football team ever. 2005 Texas 2004 USC 2001 Miami 1995 Nebraska |
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