To start, we need to figure out what goes into being one of the best college teams ever. First you need to have won the national championship, you can’t be one of the best ever without not even being the best that season. Second, you have to have very good players. If you have bad players you won’t be considered on this list. You also had to have had a wide margin of victory. If you win every game by 1 point then you’re not really the greatest, even if you fit everything else on this list.
So let me start with it!!!!
1.) 2001 Miami Hurricanes- this team was completely stacked and had 5 first rounds picks in the NFL draft. with a roster that had 4 NFL RBs, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor and Bryant McKinney and All American Ken Dorsey at QB they were hard to topple that season. with a average margin of victory of 34 points per game. They showed how great they really were in back to back games vs. ranked Washington and ranked Syracuse where they outscored them by a combined 116-7 (an NCAA record).
2.) 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers- This wasn’t a flashy team, but they were totally sound with fundamentals and very hard to beat. by scoring 39 points per game and only giving up 8.2 they showed they could beat you anyway they wanted. 2ith the 1972 Heisman winner in Johnny Rodgers who may be the greatest return man we have ever seen, they proved that they were great at every spot on the field. It was a close one between Miami and Nebraska, but in the end, the star power Miami has gives them the edge
3.) 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers- The fact that Nebraska can have 2 teams in the top 3 of this list shows how much of a traditional power they are. With an O that put up 50 plus points per game, and one of the hardest schedules in college history that included 4 top 10 teams, and they STILL beat everybody by more than 23 points. Beating Florida 64-24 cemented their status as one of the greatest teams in college history
4.) 1945 Army- This one goes way back to a time when WW2 was still going on. They had one of the best RB duos in FB Felix Blanchard and RB Glenn Davis. They split the Heisman 2 years in a row with Blanchard winning in 45 and Davis winning in 46. They were also EXTREMLY dominant going 9-0, including a 48-0 trouncing of Notre Dame in front of 75,000 at Yankee Stadium. They capped off their amazing season with a 32-12 win over rival Navy in front of 102,000 fans
5.) 1956 Oklahoma Sooners- At the time of this season Oklahoma was in the middle of a 47 game winning streak. They finished 10-0 with an average of 47 points per game. They also had a superior defense, as they held 6 opponents scoreless. RB Tommy McDonald finished 3rd in the Heisman voting that year but even more impressive was the fact that a lineman finished right behind McDonald at 4th in the Heisman voting
There you have it folks. The great thing about a list is that no matter what, people are going to disagree with it at some point for some reason. There will always be that 6th or 10th team or person who is left out that people will say “well this team or that team should be number 5, not the one you put there.” Regardless of your personal preference, each and every one of these teams made a huge impact on the college game and all 5 of them showed they deserve a spot on this list.
Honorable Mention-
1972 USC
1947 Michigan
1947 Notre Dame
2005 USC
1961 Alabama
Written by MiamiXCanes
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The third criteria mentioned in the beginning of the article addressed the issue of margin of victory. I agree that when splitting hairs between two teams, this must be a factor. What I do not understand is how you come to the conclusion that '01 Miami who only beat Va Tech by 2 points and was in real danger at BC (saved by a fluke interception return) is still #1 on your list when you have two teams behind it that showed no such weakness.
'71 Nebraska was only pushed by #2 Oklahoma in one of the best games of the era and demolished everyone else.
"95 Nebraska was NEVER pushed. ZERO close games.
I could almost see the debate between '71 and '95 NE, but '01 Miami for all their talent did not display the same level of excellence throughout their season.
where is ohio state b4 da scandal
1995 Nebraska is the BEST team to ever put on pads. Not only do the stats prove it, but watching anyone of those games will leave you having no doubts. Tommie Frazier wasn't sacked the ENTIRE year, the O-Line never once had a holding penalty. Those are just some of the many outstanding stats. I mean really, I'm surprised this is actually in question. Watch the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, NU vs Florida and tell me there's a team from ANY year, that could of come close to stopping them. The only one that comes to mind for me, well what do you know, its either the '71 Nebraska team or the '83 Team. Debate over, 1995 Nebraska is and probably will always be the best college football team ever.
Miami had a great an talented team in 2001.
The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers had the best team in recent college football history. That team totally dismantled a previously undefeated Fun n Gun Florida Gators team who were averaging almost 50 points a game.
Nebraska easily scored 62 points on Florida because coach Osbourne called the offense off when they could have scored well over 70 points. This is the most dominating team in recent history.
The loaded Florida team they beat then went on to win the National Championship next year with Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel.