It's hard to pick the greatest college football team ever because the style of play has changed so much over the years. Could the '61 Alabama team or the '71 Nebraska team really compete with the Miami teams for earlier this decade? Could the Michigan teams form the 40's compete with the USC teams from the last few years? It's hard to judge, but we'll see what you think.
My pick for the best team in College Football history is the 1997 Michigan Wolverines. Lloyd Carr took this Michigan team and did something that Bo Schembechler was never able to do, and that is lead them to an undefeated season. The team finished 12-0 and defeated the Ryan Leaf led Washington State team in the Rose Bowl. This was pre BCS so they shared the National Championship with also undefeated Nebraska. Seven of their 12 wins came against teams that were in the 25. Three of those wins were on the road and one of the road wins was a 34-8 victory against then undefeated Penn State. They had the toughest schedule in the nation and if it wasn't for Nebraska's lucky catch off the feet against Missouri then they would have been the sole national champion.
Offensively the stats weren't impressive especially through the air, but they rarely turned the ball over and they got the job done. They were led by senior quarterback Brian Griese who threw only 5 interceptions all season long. At running back they had a great combination with the senior Chris Howard and freshmen "A-Train" Anthony Thomas. The two combined for 1400 yards and 12 touchdowns, both average over 4 yards per carry, and Howard averaged 4.8. They also had a great fullback in Chris Floyd who spent a few years in the NFL. Their offensive line was one of their best ever with Steve Hutchinson, Jon Jansen, and Jeff Backus. They also had NFL talent at wide receiver with Tai Streets and Marcus Knight. Even Charles Woodson played some receiver. And maybe the most important part of any Michigan offense they had a great tight end in Jerame Tuman.
Defensively is where this team really made their name. On the season opposing teams only averaged 9 points per game. That is almost unheard of. Seven times the defense held their opponents to under 10 points, and only once did an opposing team score more then 20. They held Washington States high powered spread offense to only 16 points in the Rose Bowl. It was the only game that WSU did not score over 20 points. The D line was led by future NFL players James Hall, Josh Williams, Glen Steele, and Rob Renes. The linebackers were just as good with guys like Dhani Jones, Ian Gold, and Sam Sword. Then the best part of their defense, the secondary, was led by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson. Woodson is the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He is the best corner in college football history and to this day is still one of the best in the NFL. He would completely shut down one side of the field and was always in one on one coverage no matter who the opposing receiver was.
Even Michigan's special teams was great. They had a very good kicker in Jay Feely who is in the NFL to this today, and Charles Woodson was always a threat to return a punt to the house.
Who do you think is the greatest college football team ever?
My pick for the best team in College Football history is the 1997 Michigan Wolverines. Lloyd Carr took this Michigan team and did something that Bo Schembechler was never able to do, and that is lead them to an undefeated season. The team finished 12-0 and defeated the Ryan Leaf led Washington State team in the Rose Bowl. This was pre BCS so they shared the National Championship with also undefeated Nebraska. Seven of their 12 wins came against teams that were in the 25. Three of those wins were on the road and one of the road wins was a 34-8 victory against then undefeated Penn State. They had the toughest schedule in the nation and if it wasn't for Nebraska's lucky catch off the feet against Missouri then they would have been the sole national champion.
Offensively the stats weren't impressive especially through the air, but they rarely turned the ball over and they got the job done. They were led by senior quarterback Brian Griese who threw only 5 interceptions all season long. At running back they had a great combination with the senior Chris Howard and freshmen "A-Train" Anthony Thomas. The two combined for 1400 yards and 12 touchdowns, both average over 4 yards per carry, and Howard averaged 4.8. They also had a great fullback in Chris Floyd who spent a few years in the NFL. Their offensive line was one of their best ever with Steve Hutchinson, Jon Jansen, and Jeff Backus. They also had NFL talent at wide receiver with Tai Streets and Marcus Knight. Even Charles Woodson played some receiver. And maybe the most important part of any Michigan offense they had a great tight end in Jerame Tuman.
Defensively is where this team really made their name. On the season opposing teams only averaged 9 points per game. That is almost unheard of. Seven times the defense held their opponents to under 10 points, and only once did an opposing team score more then 20. They held Washington States high powered spread offense to only 16 points in the Rose Bowl. It was the only game that WSU did not score over 20 points. The D line was led by future NFL players James Hall, Josh Williams, Glen Steele, and Rob Renes. The linebackers were just as good with guys like Dhani Jones, Ian Gold, and Sam Sword. Then the best part of their defense, the secondary, was led by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson. Woodson is the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He is the best corner in college football history and to this day is still one of the best in the NFL. He would completely shut down one side of the field and was always in one on one coverage no matter who the opposing receiver was.
Even Michigan's special teams was great. They had a very good kicker in Jay Feely who is in the NFL to this today, and Charles Woodson was always a threat to return a punt to the house.
Who do you think is the greatest college football team ever?