Best of the BCS Champions: Ranking the 14 BCS National Champions
Published by Nicholas Greiner (Guest Contributor, Columnist for The Penn Sport Report), Edited by Daniel Lewis (Featured Contributor) on November 10, 2012 in The Penn Sport Report.
Click to read article in The Penn Sport Report.
With only two more years of computers and polls deciding the top two teams in the country, it seems to be an appropriate time to look back on the 14 previous BCS National Championships.
With eight title winners and only one title game loss, the SEC has clearly been the most dominant conference in recent memory. However, does the SEC boast the best team ever to win a BCS title? Where does USC’s vacated national title rank among the group?
Fans of each school with a ring will tell you that their team was the best of bunch. Using a mixture of statistics and analysis, we will settle this debate once and for all.
No. 14 - 2007 LSU Tigers
Record: 12-2
Best Regular Season Win: 48-7 vs. #9 Virginia Tech
The only national champion to lose multiple games, LSU fell to Kentucky and Arkansas in two triple overtime games. Matt Flynn led the offense while Glenn Dorsey led the defense. The Tigers had seven players drafted that following year as Les Miles became the second coach to win a championship at LSU in a five-year span.
No. 13 - 2006 Florida Gators
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 23-10 vs. #9 LSU
Heisman winner Troy Smith was held to only four completions by the Gator defense in the championship game. Ohio State totaled only 82 yards of offense in the 41-14 loss. Tim Tebow threw for two touchdowns in the title game. Three All-America defensive players led the charge behind coach Urban Meyer.
No. 12 - 1998 Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 22-3 @ #7 Georgia
This team featured 16 NFL players. The running back stable included Travis Henry and Jamal Lewis. Peerless Price amassed almost half of Tennessee’s passing yards and touchdowns. The defense gave up more than 20 points just three times. But with three games decided by four or fewer points including an overtime game against Florida, this championship almost never was.
No. 11 - 2000 Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 31-14 vs. #1 Nebraska
The Sooners cruised to a national championship, only winning by single digits three times. The road was difficult, as Heisman runner-up quarterback Josh Heupel faced teams ranked in the top eight on four different occasions. A dominant performance in the championship game to deny Florida State a second straight title capped off a great season for Bob Stoops and company.
No. 10 - 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 14-9 vs. #12 Michigan
One of the most controversial calls in college football history helped Ohio State defeat Miami in Tempe. First year coach Jim Tressel guided an offense featuring running back Maurice Clarett and the number two scoring defense to the Big Ten’s only BCS title. An NFL record 14 players from this team were drafted in 2004.
No. 9 - 2010 Auburn Tigers
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 56-17 vs. #18 South Carolina
Superman Cam Newton helped the Tigers win seven games by single digits en route to Auburn’s second national title. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley anchored the defense that held a speedy Oregon offense to just 19 points in the championship game. It took six wins over top 25 teams for the high-powered Auburn offense to navigate through their 2010 schedule.
No. 8 - 2003 LSU Tigers
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 34-13 vs. #5 Georgia
The first BCS national champion to lose a game, LSU fielded a defense that led the way for team. Allowing 11 points per game and only once giving up more than 14 points, Nick Saban’s first national championship team featured four quarterbacks that would play in the NFL. Matt Flynn, JaMarcus Russell, Joseph Addai, and Dwayne Bowe were all backups on a deep LSU offense.
No. 7 - 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 12-1
Best Regular Season Win: 31-10 @ #12 Florida
Last year’s national champions never came in number one in the rankings. Five of the top 35 selections in the 2012 draft came from this team, and even more are projected to be drafted in May. The only time quarterback A.J. McCarron and the Crimson Tide offense scored less than 20 points was in their loss to #1 LSU. Nick Saban earned revenge against his former team in the BCS title game, earning his third title in eight seasons. Alabama set a BCS-era season record allowing just 8.2 points per game.
No. 6 - 1999 Florida State Seminoles
Record: 12-0
Best Regular Season Win: 30-23 @ #4 Florida
Todd Bowden earned his second national championship for coaching an incredibly balanced team. With four defensive starters that would become first day draft picks and coordinator Mark Richt’s offense scoring 37.5 points per game, the first team in NCAA history to hold the #1 spot from preseason to the national championship in all three polls rolled through the competition.
No. 5 - 2008 Florida Gators
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 51-21 vs. #4 LSU
Both offensive coordinator Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong went on to become head coaches. Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer earned their second national championship in three years. Four AP All-SEC First Teamers helped the Gators outscore opponents by 30.7 points per game.
No. 4 - 2005 Texas Longhorns
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 25-22 @ #4 Ohio State
A 70-3 Big 12 Championship win over Colorado perfectly explains the season Vince Young’s Longhorns had in 2005. Texas averaged 50.2 points per game on their way to victory over the defending national champion USC Trojans. It took a touchdown with 19 seconds left to down the Trojans. A total of 24 future NFL draft picks were on Mack Brown’s championship roster.
No. 3 - 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 32-13 vs. #1 Florida
Nick Saban earned his second national championship with as many teams. One of the more dominant teams in recent memory, the Crimson Tide won as Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram and future Heisman winner Trent Richardson took pressure off quarterback Greg McElroy. Rolando McClain, Mark Barron, and Javier Arenas anchored an Alabama defense that held opponents under ten points on six different occasions.
No. 2 - 2004 USC Trojans (Officially no champion)
Record: 13-0 (Officially 11-0)
Best Regular Season Win: 23-17 vs. #7 California
The only vacated championship used to belong to Pete Carroll and the Trojans. Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart and future Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush led the team’s high-powered offense. This team also contained 18 future first day draft picks including Clay Matthews, Steve Smith, Winston Justice, and Lofa Tatupu.
No. 1 - 2001 Miami Hurricanes
Record: 12-0
Best Regular Season Win: 49-27 @ #14 Florida State
Beating opponents by 32.9 points per game and defeating ranked opponents consecutively by a score of 124-7 were only a couple of this team’s accomplishments. 13 first-round draft picks came from this Hurricanes team. Frank Gore was the third string running back behind Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee. By halftime of the championship game, Miami led 34-0.
Click to read article in The Penn Sport Report.
With only two more years of computers and polls deciding the top two teams in the country, it seems to be an appropriate time to look back on the 14 previous BCS National Championships.
With eight title winners and only one title game loss, the SEC has clearly been the most dominant conference in recent memory. However, does the SEC boast the best team ever to win a BCS title? Where does USC’s vacated national title rank among the group?
Fans of each school with a ring will tell you that their team was the best of bunch. Using a mixture of statistics and analysis, we will settle this debate once and for all.
No. 14 - 2007 LSU Tigers
Record: 12-2
Best Regular Season Win: 48-7 vs. #9 Virginia Tech
The only national champion to lose multiple games, LSU fell to Kentucky and Arkansas in two triple overtime games. Matt Flynn led the offense while Glenn Dorsey led the defense. The Tigers had seven players drafted that following year as Les Miles became the second coach to win a championship at LSU in a five-year span.
No. 13 - 2006 Florida Gators
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 23-10 vs. #9 LSU
Heisman winner Troy Smith was held to only four completions by the Gator defense in the championship game. Ohio State totaled only 82 yards of offense in the 41-14 loss. Tim Tebow threw for two touchdowns in the title game. Three All-America defensive players led the charge behind coach Urban Meyer.
No. 12 - 1998 Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 22-3 @ #7 Georgia
This team featured 16 NFL players. The running back stable included Travis Henry and Jamal Lewis. Peerless Price amassed almost half of Tennessee’s passing yards and touchdowns. The defense gave up more than 20 points just three times. But with three games decided by four or fewer points including an overtime game against Florida, this championship almost never was.
No. 11 - 2000 Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 31-14 vs. #1 Nebraska
The Sooners cruised to a national championship, only winning by single digits three times. The road was difficult, as Heisman runner-up quarterback Josh Heupel faced teams ranked in the top eight on four different occasions. A dominant performance in the championship game to deny Florida State a second straight title capped off a great season for Bob Stoops and company.
No. 10 - 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 14-9 vs. #12 Michigan
One of the most controversial calls in college football history helped Ohio State defeat Miami in Tempe. First year coach Jim Tressel guided an offense featuring running back Maurice Clarett and the number two scoring defense to the Big Ten’s only BCS title. An NFL record 14 players from this team were drafted in 2004.
No. 9 - 2010 Auburn Tigers
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 56-17 vs. #18 South Carolina
Superman Cam Newton helped the Tigers win seven games by single digits en route to Auburn’s second national title. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley anchored the defense that held a speedy Oregon offense to just 19 points in the championship game. It took six wins over top 25 teams for the high-powered Auburn offense to navigate through their 2010 schedule.
No. 8 - 2003 LSU Tigers
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 34-13 vs. #5 Georgia
The first BCS national champion to lose a game, LSU fielded a defense that led the way for team. Allowing 11 points per game and only once giving up more than 14 points, Nick Saban’s first national championship team featured four quarterbacks that would play in the NFL. Matt Flynn, JaMarcus Russell, Joseph Addai, and Dwayne Bowe were all backups on a deep LSU offense.
No. 7 - 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 12-1
Best Regular Season Win: 31-10 @ #12 Florida
Last year’s national champions never came in number one in the rankings. Five of the top 35 selections in the 2012 draft came from this team, and even more are projected to be drafted in May. The only time quarterback A.J. McCarron and the Crimson Tide offense scored less than 20 points was in their loss to #1 LSU. Nick Saban earned revenge against his former team in the BCS title game, earning his third title in eight seasons. Alabama set a BCS-era season record allowing just 8.2 points per game.
No. 6 - 1999 Florida State Seminoles
Record: 12-0
Best Regular Season Win: 30-23 @ #4 Florida
Todd Bowden earned his second national championship for coaching an incredibly balanced team. With four defensive starters that would become first day draft picks and coordinator Mark Richt’s offense scoring 37.5 points per game, the first team in NCAA history to hold the #1 spot from preseason to the national championship in all three polls rolled through the competition.
No. 5 - 2008 Florida Gators
Record: 13-1
Best Regular Season Win: 51-21 vs. #4 LSU
Both offensive coordinator Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong went on to become head coaches. Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer earned their second national championship in three years. Four AP All-SEC First Teamers helped the Gators outscore opponents by 30.7 points per game.
No. 4 - 2005 Texas Longhorns
Record: 13-0
Best Regular Season Win: 25-22 @ #4 Ohio State
A 70-3 Big 12 Championship win over Colorado perfectly explains the season Vince Young’s Longhorns had in 2005. Texas averaged 50.2 points per game on their way to victory over the defending national champion USC Trojans. It took a touchdown with 19 seconds left to down the Trojans. A total of 24 future NFL draft picks were on Mack Brown’s championship roster.
No. 3 - 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 14-0
Best Regular Season Win: 32-13 vs. #1 Florida
Nick Saban earned his second national championship with as many teams. One of the more dominant teams in recent memory, the Crimson Tide won as Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram and future Heisman winner Trent Richardson took pressure off quarterback Greg McElroy. Rolando McClain, Mark Barron, and Javier Arenas anchored an Alabama defense that held opponents under ten points on six different occasions.
No. 2 - 2004 USC Trojans (Officially no champion)
Record: 13-0 (Officially 11-0)
Best Regular Season Win: 23-17 vs. #7 California
The only vacated championship used to belong to Pete Carroll and the Trojans. Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart and future Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush led the team’s high-powered offense. This team also contained 18 future first day draft picks including Clay Matthews, Steve Smith, Winston Justice, and Lofa Tatupu.
No. 1 - 2001 Miami Hurricanes
Record: 12-0
Best Regular Season Win: 49-27 @ #14 Florida State
Beating opponents by 32.9 points per game and defeating ranked opponents consecutively by a score of 124-7 were only a couple of this team’s accomplishments. 13 first-round draft picks came from this Hurricanes team. Frank Gore was the third string running back behind Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee. By halftime of the championship game, Miami led 34-0.