This article is littered with recency bias as the “Championship Era” refers to the BCS era (1998-2013) and the College Football Playoff era (2014-present). It is impossible to compare teams of different eras playing different teams and styles. Trust me, I won’t bore you with that. With all respect to the greats of the past, the teams in the running are:
2001 Miami
2004 USC
2008 Gators
2013 FSU
2019 LSU?
LSU has prevailed 42-25 over a dominant Clemson dynasty and should also be mentioned in this conversation. Recency bias strikes again but their incredible run should not be overlooked. For now, let’s dive into the most dominant teams of this era listed above. During this journey, specific metrics will be observed. These include NFL Talent/draft picks, star power, point differential, strength of schedule, and coach who roamed the sidelines.
2001 Miami
In all honesty, I do not believe there will ever be a more talented team fielded than that of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. Their roster contained an absurd 17 1st round picks and this does not include Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor or Frank Gore. In fact, they accumulated an unprecedented 38 total draft picks in the subsequent draft. All their draft classes from 2001-2004 are among the best of all-time. All these 1st round picks equate to stars playing all over the field for this team. Let’s start with Ed Reed on defense(who started in front of Sean Taylor) that was complemented with Vince Wilfork and Jonathan Vilma up the middle. The offense was led by 4 future NFL running backs and Jeremy Shockey who is arguably one of the best tight ends of all-time. Just for good measure, Philip Buchanon was an All-American returner for the U. Led by these stars, the boys out of South Beach had a wide 395-point differential for the season and outscored opponents by an average of 33 points per game. Their strength of schedule was ranked 25th that year and when they were challenged they outscored five ranked teams 236-72. Behind all of this was the figurehead Larry Coker who inherited a talented young roster and guided a steady ship for this program. The true needle-mover was Coker’s predecessor, Butch Jones and his recruiting prowess.
2004 USC
Pete Carroll operated in a similar manner in recruiting. The mid-2000 Trojan dynasty featured some of the most explosive players the game has ever seen. 2004, in specific, was a season for the ages. They were extremely young, talented, and featured five draft picks that season including two 1st rounders. It must also be noted that the 2006 draft was the cream of the crop for this squad as Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were top-5 picks. The stars on this SC team led to arguably the most prolific offenses of the modern era. The attack was spearheaded by Leinart, Bush, LenDale White, and Dwayne Jarrett. The running back tandem of White and Bush changed the definition of running back as we know it. They were a pioneering speed, power punch that could not be contained. The Trojans outscored opponents 496-169 over the course of the 2004 season to an average winning margin of 26.5 points per game. Their strength of schedule that year was 5th out of 120 schools and their most impressive win came in a 55-19 thrashing of Oklahoma in the vacated 04 title. USC’s era of dominance cannot be discounted and this specific team was incredible and led by a future Super Bowl championship winning coach.
2013 FSU
The 13’ Seminoles were the pinnacle of an era of dominance similar to that of the mid-2000 Trojans. The youthful team was led by Jameis Winston and was one of the best mix of elder statesman and freshman the college game has ever seen. On offense the Seminoles had a dominant big bodied one-on-one receiver in Kelvin Benjamin, to complement a three-pronged attack at running back. With Winston playing at a Heisman level these weapons were electric. On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles featured star players in the secondary that essentially thwarted any consistent passing offense. Jalen Ramsey teamed up with Lamarcus Joyner to be just as talented to complement their offensive firepower. This specific team racked up 7 draft picks, including one 1st rounder in Benjamin. To really appreciate the greatness though, it is the 2015 draft class that was headlined by Winston and Ramsey. Both top 5 picks. The Seminoles’ average margin of victory during the regular season was about 42 points and just one time during the regular season was FSU held under 40 points (37 vs. Florida). The biggest critique of just how good this team was, is its strength of schedule, which was rated 53rd in the nation. They did outscore ranked opponents Clemson, Maryland, Miami, and Duke 200-35. The last team mentioned, Duke, won the ACC Coastal division that year. Manning the sidelines was an elite recruiter and offensive tactician in Jimbo Fisher. His ability to bring in Winston and hone his talent ensured their 2014 National Title.
2008 Florida
Urban Meyer worked in similar fashion with stud QB Tim Tebow, constructing his offense brilliantly to fit Tebow’s strengths. The whole offense was tailored to his dominant short yardage ability and accuracy on short quick throws. The Gators also had a plethora of offense weapons highlighted by one skill. Speed, speed and more speed. Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Aaron Hernandez highlighted maybe the fastest offense in college football history. The defense was just as formidable behind DE Carlos Dunlap, and two elite corners Janoris Jenkins, and Joe Haden. All in all, this team produced 19 overall draft picks along with 6 first round selections. The Gators outscored opponents 611-181 that season but unlike the previous teams mentioned in this article, they lost. To Ole Miss. I had a difficult time leaving the 2005 Texas team out of this article due to this one loss. Top to bottom, this roster was better overall. The Gators played the 2nd toughest schedule that season that included playing number one Alabama in the SEC championship game. The team was dominant in every phase. This included preparation and game-planning. Half of that 10-man staff went on to their own head coaching opportunities.
Conclusion
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are the greatest college football team of the championship era because of their unbelievable NFL talent and their perceived bad boy stamp on all of America. All of these teams could beat the other on any given day and that shows just how good each were. In each case teams formed their own mini dynasties by dominating on the field and winning recruiting battles off the field. Does LSU belong in this conversation? Let the debate rage on