In 2005, the University of Southern California Trojans were trying to win their third straight national championship. Heisman-winning quarterback Matt Leinart, all-everything tailback Reggie Bush and a bevy of talent on both sides of the ball earned them a preseason #1 ranking. The Trojans dashed through the regular season undefeated, surviving a scare from Notre Dame in South Bend and a feisty Fresno State team along the way. Bush went on to win the Heisman and helped lead the Trojans to the BCS National Championship game where they faced the Texas Longhorns and quarterback Vince Young, the Heisman runner-up. In an epic game that highlighted one of the great personal performances of all-time by Young, the Trojans were upset in the Rose Bowl, 41-38. While this loss forever kept them from being included in the pantheon of all-time greats, the Trojans did enjoy a run of success that included back-to-back national championships in 2003 (which they split with LSU) and 2004. This season's Florida team, much like USC previously, will be shooting for their third national title in the decade.
Why the 2009 Gators Could Be Great
It all starts with the man under center - Tim Tebow. CNNSI.com college football writer Stewart Mandel recently published an article about Tebow's place in history, and his numbers stack up to anyone's. A true dual threat, the 6'3" 245 lbs. Tebow can lower his shoulder and run over a linebacker or step up in the pocket and deliver a downfield strike. His leadership abilities have become the stuff of legend. Last season he threw 30 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions. He passed for 2,746 yards while rushing for 673 and 12 more scores en route to being the Heisman runner-up. The previous season, in which he became the first underclassmen to win the Heisman, he rushed for 23 TDs, threw for 32 and passed for over 3,000 yards. He is joined by a stellar offensive line and some of the speediest (albeit undersized) tailbacks in the nation with Chris Rainey (652 yards, 4 TDs last season) and Jeff Demps (605 yards, 7 TDs).The receiving corps lost Percy Harvin to the Minnesota Vikings but returns stellar tight end Aaron Hernandez (34 receptions, 5 TDs). Riley Cooper, Deonte Thompson and a cast of former blue chip recruits will be on the receiving end of Tebow's tosses. The offensive line returns twin brothers Maurkice and Mike Pouncey at the guard spots and LT Carl Johnson.
The defense returns all 11 starters from last season, most notably MLB Brandon Spikes. Return man Brandon James, a diminutive scatback at 5'7", is a constant threat as well to take every return to the endzone.
The Gators will likely be favored in every game on their schedule, although there are some potential setbacks in the always brutal SEC. October 10th is a night game at LSU, which promises to be a tough, physical battle. On Halloween the Gators square off against the Georgia Bulldogs in one of the most heated rivalries in college sports. However, this year's Gators will be seen as a dissapointment if they are not playing in the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010.
Who is the Greatest of All-Time?
Recent teams that are currently up for the crown have to start with the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. With safety Ed Reed, running back Clinton Portis, tight end Jeremy Shockey, wide receiver Andre Johnson, two-time All-American offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, and Maxwell Award-winning quarterback Ken Dorsey leading the way, the Hurricanes steamrolled through much of college football. Their only true challenge came against #14 Virginia Tech, which they defeated 26-24. They claimed the national championship by defeating 4th-ranked Nebraska in the Rose Bowl 37-14. Their explosive offense averaged 42.6 ppg while the defense allowed a stingy 9.7. This team produced an astounding 16 first-round NFL draft picks.
The 2004 USC Trojans were the second team in college football history to go "wire-to-wire", meaning that they entered the season ranked #1 and never faltered en route to a 13-0 season. Leinart won the Heisman and the world was introduced to Reggie Bush and his elusive moves in the open field. He was joined in the backfield by the bruising LenDale White. They averaged 38.2 ppg and allowed a paltry 13.0 ppg. They defeated #2 Oklahoma 55-19 in the Sugar Bowl, dominating the game from start to finish and leaving little doubt as to who the best team in the country was.
The 1999 Florida State team became the first team in college football history to go "wire-to-wire" in going 12-0. Quarterback Chris Weinke, who won the Heisman Trophy, passed for 25 TDs, many of which went to two-time All-American Peter Warrick. The Seminoles survived a few close calls against #10 Georgia Tech, #19 Miami, and unranked Clemson in the first ever meeting between father and son head coaches when Bobby Bowden narrowly beat son Tommy. They also defeated #3 Florida 30-23 at The Swamp to close out the regular season. The Seminoles offense averaged 38.2 ppg and the defense gave up 16.9.
The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers and their triple option running attack pummelled the college football landscape despite being ranked #2 for most of the season. Heisman-winning quarterback Tommie Frazier rushed for 803 yards and 16 TDs while passing for 1,467 and 18 more scores against only 6 INTs. He was joined in the backfield by future NFL running backs Ahman Green (1,086, 13 TDs) and Lawrence Phillips. The defense was highlighted by defensive back Mike Minter, and defensive linemen Mike Rucker, Christian Peter and Grant Wistrom. This team averaged an unbelievable 52. 4 ppg and allowed only 12.1 ppg. Perhaps most impressively, the Huskers embarrassed the #2-ranked Florida Gators, 62 - 24. Their closest contest was a 35-21 win over Washington State. They defeated four top ten teams as well, the closest of which was a 44-21 win over #7 Colorado. This was their second consecutive national title.
Who Is the "Greatest"?
While it is pretty unimportant and impossible to prove, I believe that the greatest college football team ever (or at least in the past 25 years) is the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. While the 2001 Miami team may have been more talented, no team has dominated their opponents the way that Husker team did. Coached by the venerable Tom Osborne, the Huskers ran the option with surgical precision. Frazier was a better runner than passer, but he did both with aplomb. Ahman Green and Lawrence Phillips were bullish runners with speed, and the way their defense absolutely shut down the Gators and the vaunted Steve Spurrier offense in the Fiesta Bowl was shocking. By the numbers this team was incomparable. Offensively, they averaged 556.3 yards per game while giving up only 294. They averaged a shade under 400 on the ground per game and allowed only 78.3. They forced 20 interceptions.
The 2001 Hurricanes are a close - and a very close - second. They may have had the greatest defense college football has ever seen. However, in my opinion, physically this Nebraska team was just more dominant. They didn't beat teams, as the other contenders for this crown did, they beat them up. Their offensive line was a punishing group of Midwesterners that left a collection of bodies in their wake. Ahman Green and Lawrence Phillips were lethal whether was running to the outside or up the middle. The only weakness of that Huskers team was their receivers, which was largely due to their lack of use - not talent. Likewise, Miami had a fantastic offensive line in 2001 that rarely allowed Dorsey to be touched while looking downfield. However, one big factor is that Osborne was a far better coach than Larry Coker of Miami. Should these two teams meet in some mythical, winner-take-all game for the ages, look for Osborne's team to be better prepared and win a bruiser over the 2001 'Canes.
