Ranking the 21 best college football championship teams in BCS/CFP era | ESPN

from Alabama's epic walk-off td2 Ohio State's double-overtime upset of Miami the last two decades have been full of big-name champions ESPN sports analytics developed a metric that connects every team over the last 20 seasons and rates them using points above average from that comes this countdown of major college football's 21 national champions since the start of the BCS era at number 21 the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes Jim Tressel's team won by a touchdown or less in six of its last seven games including an escape at Purdue in a now legendary moment a stingy defense and freshman running back Maurice Clarett carried the Bucks down the stretch capping it with a Fiesta Bowl victory against heavily favored Miami on a controversial pass interference call number 20 the 2006 Florida Gators Urban Meyer's group was led by quarterback Chris Leak and featured freshman sensation Tim Tebow the Gators got into the BCS title game by a narrow margin over Michigan and then upset the Wolverines chief rival Ohio State with a dominant second-half performance starting a streak of seven straight championships for the SEC the next in that streak was the 2007 LSU Tigers at number 19 on our list the Mad Hatter's boys live dangerously winning a few nail-biters and even losing a couple in multiple over times ultimately they took down number one Ohio State in the BCS title game and became the only team in modern college football to be named National Champion with more than one loss number 18 the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers the season after Peyton Manning graduated Phillip Fulmer turned to T Martin to lead the balls after an epic survival against Arkansas in November Tennessee closed out an undefeated campaign with a win over Florida State in the inaugural BCS Championship game number 17 the 2003 LSU Tigers the Bayou Bengals lifted the championship trophy for the first time in 45 years after a Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma a menacing defense led the way for Nick Saban to get the first of his six national championships although LSU would share top honors with USC which finished number one in the AP poll speaking of which that 2003 Trojans team comes in at number 16 the 20 the 15 the 10 [Applause] USC was led by scintillating freshmen Reggie Bush and QB Matt Leinart with all of its wins that season coming by 14 points or more including the Rose Bowl victory over Michigan that clinched a share of the title for the Trojans at number 15 Cam Newton and his 2010 Auburn Tigers five or six months ago nobody would have bet they lad to say that Newton won the Heisman and led his team to its first national title in 53 years he passed for over 2800 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 1500 yards and another 20 scores and one of the greatest QB seasons ever recorded War Eagle eventually bested Oregon in the title game with a field goal on the final play number 14 the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes OSU took home the first college football playoff championship as backup QB Cardale Jones filled in Abele for the injured JT Barrett and led the bucks to convincing wins over Alabama and Oregon Ezekiel Elliott torched both of those defenses including almost 250 yards against the Ducks in the championship game at number 13 the 2000 Oklahoma Sooners Bob Stoops wrote a stout defense to an unlikely title as oh you took down a trio of top three teams on its path to glory that d kept heavily favorite Florida State out of the end zone as Heisman runner-up Josh Highfill led boomer sooner to its first championship in 15 years number 12 the 2016 clemson tigers deshaun Watson led his team to a few comeback wins along the way to a championship game shot at redemption against Alabama down 10 in the fourth quarter one more clutch drive by Watson led to a legendary game-winning pass with just a second remaining number 11 Nick Saban's 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide Bama won its first 11 games before losing to archrival Auburn but the tide still got the final spot in the college football playoff made the most of it in the title game against sec foe Georgia Sabin went to the bench in the second half and freshman to atong of Aloha delivered in overtime number 10 the 1999 Florida State Seminoles Bobby Bowden's only undefeated team was led by star receiver Peter Warrick and quarterback Chris Winky the Knowles beat Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the BCS Championship game to complete that perfect run a remarkable 31 players from that team would play in the NFL now get ready for a bunch of Bama number 9 is the tides 2019 Nick Saban's first title in Tuscaloosa included a huge win over Tim Tebow and number one Florida in the SEC title game Mark Ingram became the first Crimson Tide player to win the Heisman and the tide then rolled over Texas in the BCS title game in Pasadena let's stick with Saban and Bama for number eight this time the 2015 team another Heisman winner led the tide as Derek Henry rushed for over 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns Alabama beat Clemson in a memorable 45 40 shootout in the national title game which included some fourth-quarter heroics from the tide special teams number seven is 2012's version of roll tide Saban's most balanced team ranked top 2 and both offensive and defensive efficiency on its way to a third title in four years AJ McCarron provided steady leadership the entire season and the tide eventually crushed Notre Dame 42 14 in the title game number six Alabama's 2011 team an incredible defense held all 12 FBS opponents 214 points or fewer Bama lost 2-1 vs. 2 showdown to LSU in November but after edging Oklahoma State and the final BCS standings the tide shut out the Tigers in a game rematch number five the 2004 USC Trojans Matt Leinart won the Heisman while Reggie Bush and lyndale white pummeled opposing defenses all season USC destroyed Oklahoma in the BCS title game 55 19 to win its second straight AP championship at number four the 2013 Florida State Seminoles Jameis Winston won the Heisman as a redshirt freshman and the Noles won their first 13 games by an average of more than 42 points FSU trailed late in the title game against Auburn but Winston found Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and ended the SE C's run of seven straight titles number three the 2001 Miami Hurricanes although it's not our top ranked team it's probably the best roster of all time with an incredible 17 first rounders including edy Reed Andre Johnson and Vince Wilfork the youth throttled nebraska in the title game at the Rose Bowl for its first championship in a decade number two the 2008 Florida Gators after Tim Tebow's famous promise I promise you one thing you have never seen any player you f rolled off eight straight wins by 28 points or more in the national championship game the Gators corralled Heisman winner Sam Bradford's record-setting offense to win their second national title in three years and the top team of the last two decades the 2005 Texas Longhorns Vence Young's dynamic play making ability took the horns to the title game against heavily favored USC the national championship [Music] and in what is widely considered the best college football game ever young with the brightest star leading UT to a thrilling comeback when in the closing moments

Channel: ESPN College Football

Views: 252,953

Keywords: best cfb teams, best football team, best college football teams of all time, BCS champions, college football playoffs, college football playoff hype, best college football, espn college football, 2005 texas, texas football 2005, alabama football, best alabama team, 2001 miami, espn, best college football championships, best college football moments, best college football playoff moments, college football alabama, bcs championship, cfp title game, CFP, brad edwards, espn cfb

Id: Eg2BtJo_ZbU

Length: 8min 45sec (525 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 10 2018