BCS

By Tim Cottrell
Sports Writer/Designer
Published: May 22, 2008

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has an interesting column up ranking the 10 BCS national champions.

I wish I’d thought of it first, because I’d have it virtually the same. Here were his rankings:

1. 2001 Miami
2. 2004 USC
3. 1999 Florida State
4. 2005 Texas
5. 2000 Oklahoma
6. 1998 Tennessee
7. 2003 LSU
8. 2006 Florida
9. 2002 Ohio State
10. 2007 LSU

I guess the only question you could have would be his criteria. If we’re going by sheer dominance, the only real change I might make would be moving Texas (who destroyed everyone in the regular season except Ohio State and a mini-scare at Oklahoma State) ahead of Florida State (who had close calls against Georgia Tech and Clemson, plus tough games with good Miami and Florida teams). My main changes would be from 5-10 (and I apologize to fans of 2003 LSU and 2006 Florida, I was in situations those years that prevented me from paying close attention to what they were doing, so I could be a little off on them).

1. Miami (this is the best team ever, or at least the second best)
2. USC (probably the third best team ever)
3. Texas (the funny thing is if Vince Young had played as well the year before that might’ve been the best team of all-time)
4. Florida State (a superb team that kind of left a bitter taste in your mouth for some reason or other, maybe the fact that so many Seminole teams before them should’ve gone undefeated)
5. Tennessee (I still dislike this team immensely, and they wouldn’t have beaten Ohio State that year - or Florida State if they had had Chris Weinke in the game - but that was a very good team that knew how to win close games, and got some luck along the way)
6. Oklahoma (they had probably the most impressive three-game run of wins in the history of college football during October of that season (over top 10 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, at Top 5 Kansas State and at home over No. 1 Nebraska, but they coasted to the finish line, nearly losing to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State and won an obscenely boring title game over Florida State - when they should have been playing Miami)
7. Ohio State (Say what you will, but that team played defense and ran the ball as well as anyone, save for maybe the 98 Vols)
8. 2007 LSU (I don’t like the fact that they won the title with two losses, but this team was as talented as any on this list and won in spite of bad coaching)
9. 2003 LSU (Underwhelming offensively, but their defense was fantastic. Without that weird home loss to Florida in midseason would’ve avoided at least some of the controversy that season)
10. 2006 Florida (Would put them higher, but as far as I’m concerned they were only the third best team in the SEC - behind LSU and Auburn - and benefitted from an Ohio State team that hadn’t played anyone that could run and came into the game overconfident)

Disagree? Let me know.