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Best college team ever?


GrecoRoman

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1 hour ago, maxchoboian said:

They were damn good. Won at #4 Arkansas 31-10, at #15 Stanford 30-21, at #14 UCLA 24-7; also beat #18 Washington 34-7, #10 Notre Dame 45-23, and finished the year beating #3 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl 42-17.

#3, #4, #10, #14, #15, #18 all went down to the hands of this team. I’d like to see a more impressive resume.....

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30 minutes ago, ChimpGrip said:

Miami was the most talented team ever, not the best.

Nebraska was better coached and was machine. Also, more dominant than Miami (not a single victory of less than 14). 

Talent is an important component of quantifying greatness of past teams, but it’s not everything. 

Yea this - well said.  Football is just one of those games where because you have 11 guys on the field at once individual talent can be beat.  The way those 11 flow together is key.

I would still say I would never bet against 01 Miami because of the level of talent (i.e. - no one here can present a team that ,matches up on paper by a longshot) but as this man says that's not everything and maybe not even the main qualifier.  

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3 hours ago, The Colonel said:

Different era, but the 1972 USC Trojans were absolutely dominant. All 1st place votes in every single poll. 13 All-Americans and 33 future NFL players on that roster!

 

That's the thing with any 'greatest' of all time discussion. It really should be broken up into eras. It's unfair to compare leagues/teams/players/coaches to those 50 years before or after them. There are so many circumstances and factors that make it an apples to oranges comparison. Evolution aside, one great example that immediately comes to mind are all the rule changes that have occurred over the past 20 years. NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, etc just aren't the same games they used to be. So it has become impossible to compare eras.

The 50's-60's Boston Celtics probably couldn't hang with the teams of today, but they dominated their era like nobody before or after them. Therefore they still deserve recognition as one of the greatest, most dominant teams of all time. Same goes for the 60's-70's era UCLA Bruins men's basketball team.

 

With regard to the greatest college football team of the current era -- which a separate argument can be had on what that time span should even be -- it's very hard for me to say.

The most popular choices tend to be 1995 Nebraska and/or 2001 Miami. Great choices, of course. But I feel that 2001 Miami often gets overblown due to hindsight and how many players ended up playing and succeeding in the NFL -- which really plays no factor in how good that team was at that time. They were a phenomenal team, no doubt. They may or may not be the greatest, but if they are it has nothing to do with how many players they sent to the NFL.

Beyond Nebraska and Miami, there are lots of other worthwhile teams to consider. Pick your favorite Nick Saban Alabama team. And both teams from the 2005 Championship game, Texas or USC, could hang with anybody (yes, I realize USC lost). While most won't agree, I feel my 2014 Buckeyes -- once they got rolling with twelve gauge Cardale Jones at the helm -- could have held their own with any of the aforementioned teams and should be considered as well.

However, if I had to pick one team. It'd be hard not to go with 1995 Nebraska. That'd be my choice today. But my answer might change tomorrow and the next day and the day after that....

 

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1 hour ago, Blueliner said:

#3, #4, #10, #14, #15, #18 all went down to the hands of this team. I’d like to see a more impressive resume.....

Easy. 

2011 LSU defeated -

#3 (Rose Bowl Winner)

#25

#16 (Orange Bowl Winner) 

#17  

#19 

#2 (on the road)

#3 (Cotton Bowl Winner)

#12

2016 Bama - defeated

#20 (Rose Bowl winner)

#19

#16

#9

#6

#15

#16

#15

#4

#2 * (Should have won, but lost. A win here would have given this team 10 victories over ranked teams.)

 

 

 

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17 minutes ago, ThunderRam said:

 

That's the thing with any 'greatest' of all time discussion. It really should be broken up into eras. It's unfair to compare leagues/teams/players/coaches to those 50 years before or after them. There are so many circumstances and factors that make it an apples to oranges comparison. Evolution aside, one great example that immediately comes to mind are all the rule changes that have occurred over the past 20 years. NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, etc just aren't the same games they used to be. So it has become impossible to compare eras.

The 50's-60's Boston Celtics probably couldn't hang with the teams of today, but they dominated their era like nobody before or after them. Therefore they still deserve recognition as one of the greatest, most dominant teams of all time. Same goes for the 60's-70's era UCLA Bruins men's basketball team.

 

With regard to the greatest college football team of the current era -- which a separate argument can be had on what that time span should even be -- it's very hard for me to say.

The most popular choices tend to be 1995 Nebraska and/or 2001 Miami. Great choices, of course. But I feel that 2001 Miami often gets overblown due to hindsight and how many players ended up playing and succeeding in the NFL -- which really plays no factor in how good that team was at that time. They were a phenomenal team, no doubt. They may or may not be the greatest, but if they are it has nothing to do with how many players they sent to the NFL.

Beyond Nebraska and Miami, there are lots of other worthwhile teams to consider. Pick your favorite Nick Saban Alabama team. And both teams from the 2005 Championship game, Texas or USC, could hang with anybody (yes, I realize USC lost). While most won't agree, I feel my 2014 Buckeyes -- once they got rolling with twelve gauge Cardale Jones at the helm -- could have held their own with any of the aforementioned teams and should be considered as well.

However, if I had to pick one team. It'd be hard not to go with 1995 Nebraska. That'd be my choice today. But my answer might change tomorrow and the next day and the day after that....

 

2011 Bama!

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2 hours ago, ChimpGrip said:

Easy. 

2011 LSU defeated -

#3 (Rose Bowl Winner)

#25

#16 (Orange Bowl Winner) 

#17  

#19 

#2 (on the road)

#3 (Cotton Bowl Winner)

#12

2016 Bama - defeated

#20 (Rose Bowl winner)

#19

#16

#9

#6

#15

#16

#15

#4

#2 * (Should have won, but lost. A win here would have given this team 10 victories over ranked teams.)

 

 

 

There ya go! I figured there would be some pretty good resumes out there. That ‘11 LSU team was pretty sick. Half of that team played in the NFL. They haven’t really been the same since then, though. 

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2005 HookEm Horns. 20 of 22 starters from Texas.

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Texas-Longhorns-2005-national-championship-team-ranked-college-footballs-best-in-20-years-by-ESPN-120113899/
The numbers revealed the 2005 Longhorns topped the charts as the best team over the last 20 years of college football. Texas edged out some of the great teams to play the sport, including No. 2 Urban Meyer's 2008 Florida Gators, followed by the 2001 Miami Hurricanes at No. 3, the 2013 Florida State Seminoles at No. 4 and rounding out the Top 5 is the 2004 USC Trojans.

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5 minutes ago, DevilDog said:

2005 HookEm Horns. 20 of 22 starters from Texas.

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Texas-Longhorns-2005-national-championship-team-ranked-college-footballs-best-in-20-years-by-ESPN-120113899/
The numbers revealed the 2005 Longhorns topped the charts as the best team over the last 20 years of college football. Texas edged out some of the great teams to play the sport, including No. 2 Urban Meyer's 2008 Florida Gators, followed by the 2001 Miami Hurricanes at No. 3, the 2013 Florida State Seminoles at No. 4 and rounding out the Top 5 is the 2004 USC Trojans.

Another piss poor coached game by Pete Carroll. 

Reggie Bush was on the sidelines on the 4th and 3 or so to win the game. Lendale white got the handoff and was short of the first that would of iced the game. 

Bush had a big blunder too lateraling the ball on long run and tx recovered. 

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10 minutes ago, Mjd33 said:

Another piss poor coached game by Pete Carroll. 

Reggie Bush was on the sidelines on the 4th and 3 or so to win the game. Lendale white got the handoff and was short of the first that would of iced the game. 

Bush had a big blunder too lateraling the ball on long run and tx recovered. 

They lost. But that was a Helluva game.  I read somewhere that like 33 kids combined went to the league.  Hell Jamaal Charles was a freshman on that team.  All 4 players in the backfield including him went to the NFL as did the USC group.  

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11 minutes ago, DevilDog said:

They lost. But that was a Helluva game.  I read somewhere that like 33 kids combined went to the league.  Hell Jamaal Charles was a freshman on that team.  All 4 players in the backfield including him went to the NFL as did the USC group.  

Fantastic game and I had no rooting interest... just another example of Pete Carroll fu**ing up in big games. 

Crazy how VY and leinert both had such minimal success in nfl after incredible college careers. 

What did Vince only lose one game as the starter? 

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36 minutes ago, Blueliner said:

There ya go! I figured there would be some pretty good resumes out there. That ‘11 LSU team was pretty sick. Half of that team played in the NFL. They haven’t really been the same since then, though. 

When LSU and Bama took the field against each other that year, they had a combined 52 future NFL players I think*. The only game that had more was Ohio State vs Miami 2002. 

I know I’m in the minority on this belief, but I think 2011 Bama is a top 5 team of all time. And a top three Saban era Bama team. 

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Going way back...the 1901 and 1902 Michigan teams deserve mention.

In 1901, the Wolverines went undefeated and were not scored on. They out scored their opponents 555-0! Ironically, they shared the national title with Harvard that year.

In 1902, they went 11-0 and out scored their opponents 644-12, averaging 58.6 points per game.

And this was all before the forward pass was a thing.

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2 hours ago, Mjd33 said:

Fantastic game and I had no rooting interest... just another example of Pete Carroll fu**ing up in big games. 

Crazy how VY and leinert both had such minimal success in nfl after incredible college careers. 

What did Vince only lose one game as the starter? 

Leinart had exceptional talent around him at MD and even more while at USC... allowing him to excel. When surrounded with talent that did not stand out in the NFL, he proved to be average at best unlike Warner who was able to connect and prove to be a better leader.

VY just did not have the discipline that needed to translate in the NFL. Like USC, Texas overflowed with talent making it easier for VY to excel at the level.

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14 hours ago, DevilDog said:

They lost. But that was a Helluva game.  I read somewhere that like 33 kids combined went to the league.  Hell Jamaal Charles was a freshman on that team.  All 4 players in the backfield including him went to the NFL as did the USC group.  

That Texas was team was great & the game was the best I've seen.  USC's defense was suspect and Texas proved it.  Earlier in the year, Ohio State did a much better job against Vince with Hawk, Carpenter and Schalegel.  

Would have been interesting to see that TX offense vs the Miami defense.  Again, to me the difference maker is Sean Taylor end Ed Reed at the safety spots .....they might be the only guys who I would say could neutralize Vince and they were both on the same team.  However, unlike the '95 Huskers  that Texas offense was very well balanced and I'm not sure they were stoppable only maybe containable - then they had a good defense as well so you have to outscore them.  Good addition to the mix here!

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14 hours ago, DevilDog said:

They lost. But that was a Helluva game.  I read somewhere that like 33 kids combined went to the league.  Hell Jamaal Charles was a freshman on that team.  All 4 players in the backfield including him went to the NFL as did the USC group.  

Texas had a great TE that year also - I cant remember his name.  I would bet the farm 2001 Miami would have shut down Nebraska '95 however Texas would be much harder for them to stop IMO as they were so balanced.   I'd deploy a nickel with a backfield of Sean Taylor, Ed Reed, Antrell Rolle, Phillip Buchancon and Mike Rumph - 3 pro bowlers and 5 NFL long time starters with  two more pro bowlers at the LB spot in Vilma and Williams.  Lol that nickel package might be better than any individual NFL teams in history

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20 minutes ago, GrecoRoman said:

Texas had a great TE that year also - I cant remember his name.  I would bet the farm 2001 Miami would have shut down Nebraska '95 however Texas would be much harder for them to stop IMO as they were so balanced.   I'd deploy a nickel with a backfield of Sean Taylor, Ed Reed, Antrell Rolle, Phillip Buchancon and Mike Rumph - 3 pro bowlers and 5 NFL long time starters with  two more pro bowlers at the LB spot in Vilma and Williams.  Lol that nickel package might be better than any individual NFL teams in history

Despite the name game of Miami’s personnel, I believe Bama has fielded even better defenses during Saban’s time at Bama. 

I am on the other side of the 95 NU vs 01 Miami debate. I think Nebraska would win because they were tougher, grittier, better coached, and always crushed any doubt people had about them (e.g., how their offense would adapt to playing on a grass field against a fast Florida team).

 

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11 minutes ago, ChimpGrip said:

Despite the name game of Miami’s personnel, I believe Bama has fielded even better defenses during Saban’s time at Bama. 

I am on the other side of the 95 NU vs 01 Miami debate. I think Nebraska would win because they were tougher, grittier, better coached, and always crushed any doubt people had about them (e.g., how their offense would adapt to playing on a grass field against a fast Florida team).

 

Yea you might be right.  The tougher & grittier is all relative I think though - success in the NFL means you have toughness and grit.  I do concede Miami was susceptible to letdowns however they would be up for a championship type game.  A big part of the FL game was Spurrier running Wuerfel from under center opposed to the gun.  When he was able to get the ball off Florida's receivers were getting separation.  More important, that game prompted him to after Stoops and focus on defense where they got much better in the following years (James Bates was the MLB on that UF team - no offense to him but he was the size of a HS MLB).....the SEC wasnt the "SEC" at that time.

 

Do you think Nebraska would have been able to sustain a ground game on that Miami team?  I'm a Husker fan but I just don't see it.  I also think the black shirts would have major problems blitzing their LB's (McBride loved to do this) with Shockey at tight end and a WR with the power inside of Andre Johnson. I think Roscoe Parrish was the other WR  (plus Miami had a great oline and running game.  I just don't see a good matchup for Nebraska here  

 

The Florida team was so different than Miami

Florida =   

Offense: Small deep threat WR's,  always in 5 WR sets , no tight end, no running game + tailor made for black shirts.   

Defense:  defense that I dont think had one NFL player and if it did they didnt sustain any kind of career

Miami =

Offense: NFL set - good luck blitzing and not being roasted.  Think of the  screen  and draw game with Portis, McGahee and Gore

Defense: nothing to even say here.  The defense had more pro bowlers on it than Nebraska might have in it's entire history

 

The bottom line is MIami would beat anyone assuming the coach didn'f F it up - I hate to say it but this is the reality.   I'm not sure your taking into account to the type of talent on that defense - they are far, far  beyond anything Nebraska saw.   Sean Taylor and Ed Reed are just in a different world at the safety spots - having them alone in run support presents major problems for an option attack let alone the rest of the defense.  Think of trying to move Wilfork on the FB dive - aint gonna happen.  That great NU line was shit in the NFL - they were  great but not against NFL type dlineman.   Th

 And I hate the U lol - just a football fan willing to give credit if it's a due and can look back after seeing what these guys did to NFL offenses 

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