The Best To Never Do It
Throughout the history of college football, there have been a countless number of great teams, consisting of teams that overachieved with little talent and teams loaded with future NFL stars. However, the defining moment for most truly great teams is winning the national championship. Staking your claim as the best in the land is typically the validation of greatness. But, there are some historically great teams that did not cap off their season with a title. Some teams were one of, if not the best team in the country, but did not capture the title for whatever reason. Their roadblock may have been a historic performance, a crazy play, or any number of causes.
Here we will highlight some of the greatest teams that fell just short of a championship. For clarity purposes, we will only be examining the BCS era and after (1998-present). Prior to this era of college football, there was not a true national championship game to be played annually. Teams could claim a championship if only a single poll ranked them number one. This leads to modern day confusion as to who was the true champion in each year.
2010 Oregon Ducks
The 2010 Oregon team was Chip Kelly’s best squad from his historic tenure in Eugene. Kelly’s implementation of the hurry up offense as a full-time attack changed the college football landscape forever. This scheme alone won them many games. The opposing defenses at the time were not made to be able to play that many plays per game at such a high frequency. This idea of not huddling has spread to all levels of football. Even great coaches like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban have learned and adopted ideas from Kelly’s revolutionary offense.
The 2010 team, like most Kelly-led teams, trailed the opposition in time of possession, but surpassed them in total plays run. This insane tempo paired with an offense that was built on speed led to opposing defenses getting worn down quickly. This potent attack was led by running back LaMichael James. The small, speedy back was arguably the best in the country over his time at Oregon. James became the first Pac-10 running back to rush for over 1,500 yards in three consecutive seasons (2009–11). During his 2010 campaign, he took on his greatest workload of his career, touching the ball over 300 times. This prolific season earned James a third-place finish in the Heisman vote, the highest finish ever by an Oregon player until Marcus Mariota won the award in 2014.
Along with James, the offense was spearheaded by quarterback Darron Thomas and wide receivers Jeff Maehl and Josh Huff. Thomas was an athletic quarterback who was a threat in the run game. This made the read option attack with James and Barner nearly unstoppable. While his biggest threat was his legs, Thomas was also a competent passer. Having Maehl as a dependable veteran and Huff as an athletic freshman helped provide a nuanced passing attack. As a receiver, James was also a solid threat out of the backfield.
The defense was often overlooked, but they were more than the offense’s little brother. The tackling leader was linebacker Casey Matthews, younger brother of Super Bowl champion linebacker Clay Matthews. The secondary was led by stud corner-back Cliff Harris. His natural ball skills made throwing in his area a risk. He tallied a mark of 6 interceptions on the year. The defensive line was led by athletic freak Dion Jordan. Jordan’s natural agility paired with his great size made him a task to block. He would go on to be drafted third overall. While the defense was living in the offense’s shadow, most teams in the country would have loved to have that group.
The Ducks rolled through most of their regular season games. The offense was usually dominant, scoring over 40 points in 10 of their 12 games, while the defense played down to their competition at times. In several games, the opposition had no business scoring as much as they did, but some of the numbers were inflated due to backups getting late game playing time in blowouts. Oregon’s best win was a dominant performance against Andrew Luck’s Stanford team. Their worst was when they almost got tripped up in a late road game against California, escaping 15–13 in a defensive struggle that showed the defenses ability to dig in. However, this game also showed that the nearly mythical offense could be reined in. They maintained the number one spot in the country at the end of the regular season, but Auburn passed them after the SEC Championship game.
So, the matchup was set. The Ducks would face the Auburn team led by Heisman winner Cam Newton in a battle of unbeatens. Auburn was also having a historic season of success led by the superhuman efforts of Cam Newton. Newton was like a created player on a video game. He stood at 6’6 and weighed 250 pounds. Oh, and he also ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. This combination of size and speed hadn’t been seen since Vince Young. Newton was a dual-threat quarterback in every sense. Like Oregon, the Tiger’s offense got most of the praise, but their defense was a solid bunch led by future first rounder Nick Fairly. Even with decent defenses on both sides, the game was expected to be a high scoring affair.
Most were surprised at the low scoring struggle they saw in the title game. Both defenses played exceptionally. The potent running attacks of both teams were neutralized as defense became the story. Oregon seemed to have a slight edge until LaMichael James was tackled for a two point safety late in the first half. This swung momentum Auburn’s way, as they went into the break with a lead. Oregon battled back in the second half to tie the game with a little over two minutes remaining, leaving Auburn with a chance to go on a game winning drive. This drive looked to be going nowhere due to the stout Duck defense. Then, the play happened…
Freshman running back Michael Dyer was handed the ball on a simple run to the right. It appeared that he was brought down for a short gain. However, he had rolled over the tackler and popped up without hitting the ground. Everyone, including Dyer, stopped. Dyer then realized that he hadn’t been brought down and scampered past a confused defense for a crucial 30-yard gain. This took Auburn deep into Oregon territory. From here they ran out the clock and booted a short field goal for a 22–19 win.
One busted play kept the 2010 Ducks from capturing a national title, something that still eludes them to this day. Even though they didn’t quite get it done, this team will be remembered for ushering in the new era of college football. The influence of the Chip Kelly system cannot be understated. His most successful form of that system is this nearly perfect team.
2002 Miami Hurricanes
Miami football, simply known as “the U”, first rose to prominence in the early 80’s under Howard Schnellenberger, and reached the peak of their dynasty in the late 80’s and early 90’s. At the time, they had the persona as being the bad boys of college football, as most of their recruiting was done in inner-city Miami. The dynasty won four national titles over a 10-year span of dominance. Had it not been for a couple of questionable calls and bad performances, the Canes could have won six or seven championships in this time.
Most great things come to an end, as the dynasty came crashing down amid NCAA allegations. The program was humiliated and relegated to mediocrity due to reductions in scholarships for much of the 90’s. Coach Butch Davis was crucial in a relatively quick climb back to prominence. He cleaned up the negative attitudes and actions that led to the downfall of the first dynasty. While he was improving upon the old teams, he was also drawing upon their style. He followed the recruiting style Schnellenberger first started, believing that there was a championship roster that could be made from mostly Floridians. Just like the first time, it worked.
In 2001, offensive coordinator Larry Coker took over for Butch Davis, having possibly the best first season of any coach in college football history. The Hurricanes went undefeated and won the title in a rout. Perhaps the most talented roster in history, the U had 37 players from this team drafted, meaning that even the backups were NFL caliber players. The 2002 team lost experience to the draft. Players like Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, and Bryant McKinnie were lost, but stars would take their place in the most seamless reload the sport has ever seen.
The 2002 offense was a deadly and balanced attack led by three-year starting quarterback Ken Dorsey, who was 38–2 as a starter and amassed nearly 10,000 passing yards. Dorsey had no shortage of targets to throw to. His main target was future Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, but Kellen Winslow Jr. was great second option at tight end. Willis McGahee had an insane year running the ball too. He gained valuable experience learning from Clinton Portis and finally got to show his full potential in the 2002 season, rushing for over 1,750 yards and 28 touchdowns. This offense had outstanding balance between rushing and passing, which caused opposing defenses to be constantly ready for anything. Even if defenses were ready, Miami’s pure athleticism could overpower them.
Similar to the offense, the defense was also a star-studded unit. Returning seven starters from the championship team, Miami had great players step into 4 vacant starting roles. Future NFL stars Sean Taylor and Jonathan Vilma started at free safety and middle linebacker, respectively. Super Bowl champion Vince Wilfork was a second string defensive tackle as well. This was a physical defense that was reminiscent of the hard-nosed teams of the 80’s and 90’s. Not only were they tougher, they were just flat out better. Their athleticism and skill was unmatched by anybody in college football.
The Hurricanes rolled through their regular season, beating most teams handily. Fittingly, their greatest test of the season came against in-state rival Florida State. The original Miami dynasty had faced the Seminoles in many tightly contested matchups. In their 2002 matchup, Miami erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 28–27 lead. Florida State drove down the field, and in very typical fashion, missed a game winning field goal. After this game, Miami closed out the season as expected with a 12–0 record. They were set up with undefeated Ohio State to play for the National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl.
On January 3, 2003, the juggernauts met in a battle for the ages. The Hurricanes were looking to repeat and cement themselves as a dynasty in the young decade. Ohio State was looking to reclaim their spot at the top of the college football world. The Hurricanes struck first, but the Buckeyes were not far behind. The Buckeyes took a 14–7 lead into halftime behind freshman sensation Maurice Clarett at running back. Clarett had some struggles, but his biggest play was as a defender. Early in the second half, the tide seemed to turn when Sean Taylor intercepted an Ohio State pass. Clarett proceeded to strip and recover the ball from Taylor, keeping the momentum and taking a 17–7 lead.
The Hurricanes battled back from the deficit and kicked a game tying field goal at the end of regulation. For the first and only time in the BCS era, a championship game went to overtime. Miami received the ball first. However, McGahee was lost to a catastrophic knee injury in the fourth quarter. Relying heavily on the passing attack, Dorsey found Winslow for a touchdown. Ohio State was under pressure quickly on offense, but miraculously converted a 4th and 14 to keep their championship hopes alive. Later, the Buckeyes found themselves in another do or die situation with a fourth down at the 5-yard line. This is where controversy came in. Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a fade route to Chris Gamble in the right side of the end zone. Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe played tight defense and the ball fell to the ground. Miami charged the field and began the celebration. Many players had already started getting their championship hats and shirts. It was pure joy for the team. That was until the yellow flag came out.
A late, and I mean very late in football terms, penalty flag was thrown by a field judge. Sharpe was called for pass interference. The game was to continue, and a first down was given to the Buckeyes. This call has been debated for many years. Personally, I think it was a bad call. The Buckeyes soon scored, sending game to a second overtime where Clarett scored his second touchdown of the day to put Ohio State up 31–24. Miami overcame a 4th and 3 and got down to the 2-yard line. However, the Buckeyes stood tough and forced a 4th and goal. On this play Dorsey was pressured and barely got off a weak pass. The ball hit the ground, but there were no flags on this play. Ohio State had won the championship, leaving the Hurricanes in pure shock.
The Hurricanes were left with so many what questions. What if Taylor wasn’t stripped? Would they have pounded the ball in for a score when they were at the 2-yard line if McGahee had not gone down with injury? Above all, they were upset because of the highly controversial pass interference call that will live in infamy. There were several plays that could have won the game for Miami, but had the late pass interference not been called, Miami would have been champions for a second straight year. It’s unfortunate that this team’s legacy is defined by a questionable call rather than their immense talent and success. Before this loss, Miami had won 34 straight. One would be hard pressed to find a more talented bunch ever in the sport. Hopefully, their successes will become more memorable than a decision by a referee.
2005 USC Trojans
Miami may have missed out on dynasty in the early 2000’s, but USC did not. They followed up the peak Hurricane years with a tear of their own. The Trojan empire was led by head coach Pete Carroll, who took over the program in 2000 when the greatness of USC was a thing of the past. He quickly made the team a national power. In 2002, Carroll and Heisman winner and future number one draft pick Carson Palmer led the Trojans to an Orange Bowl. Things would only get better from here. In 2003, USC would split the national title with LSU in a controversial decision. Due to some inherent flaws in the BCS system, a one-loss USC team was not given the opportunity to play for the BCS championship. Instead, they were made to play in the Rose Bowl that they easily won, while LSU would defeat Oklahoma to claim the BCS title. The controversy came when the Associated Press ranked USC number one in the final polls, causing a shared or split title between USC and LSU.
The following year the Trojans battled through some tough games on their schedule and went undefeated. They capped off their impressive season with a 55–19 beatdown of Oklahoma. This made them the back to back champions of college football (kind of). They had won 20 straight games and were returning most of their key players for the 2005 season. Things aligned to have this team three-peat, which would have established them as one of the greatest teams of all time.
The Trojan’s offense in 2005 was absolutely menacing. Matt Leinart, 2004 Heisman winner, decided to return to school rather than enter the draft. With a 37–2 record as a starter, Leinart is one of the winning-est quarterbacks in college football history. He also threw for over 10,000 yards and 99 touchdowns. His accolades speak for themselves. Leinart was flat out dominating in his three years as a starter, but did have some help from his electric receiving core. Dwayne Jarrett emerged as a star to supplement the established Steve Smith. The combo gave opposing secondaries nightmares due to their ability to burn you deep.
If the passing game in 2005 was deadly, the run game was murderous. This Trojan team had perhaps the best combination of running backs in college football history. Reggie Bush was the leading man in the backfield, and with good reason. He was arguably the most exciting and dynamic player of all time. Bush boasted speed and agility that could not be matched. His spectacular 2005 campaign earned him the Heisman Trophy (which has since been vacated due to NCAA violations). Bush was joined in the backfield by the bruising Lendale White. Where Bush was quick and agile, White was powerful and aggressive. Together they provided a perfectly balanced attack of speed and power. This allowed them to be put in ideal situations to succeed and they took full advantage of them. Together, the duo amassed over 3,000 yards rushing, which is the best mark in history. It goes without saying, USC’s offense was a complete juggernaut.
The Trojan’s defense was clearly not on par with the legendary offense, but they proved to be a capable group who had undoubtable talent. Linebackers Brian Cushing and Ray Maualuga, who still play in the NFL to this day, were mere backups on this defense. They were led by linebacker Oscar Lua and sack specialist Lawrence Jackson. This defense held their opponents, many of whom were high level offenses, to around 22 points per game. A respectable number to say the least, but defense would be a major cause of the team’s overall collapse.
Just like the year before, USC rolled through most of the regular season. Remarkably, the offense eclipsed 50 points in 7 of their 12 games. But this streak was not without some small scares, as the Trojan’s win streak almost came to an end in South Bend. Trailing late in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame, Leinart scrambled to the sidelines and fumbled the ball out of bounds. This led to some confusion and the stadium clock incorrectly going to double zeros, resulting in Notre Dame fans rushing the field and a celebration commencing. However, things were straightened out and the game continued. USC decided to go for the win from the 1-yard line rather than tie it with a field goal. The ball was snapped to Leinart under center, where he pushed himself forward to lay out just one yard. Reggie Bush proceeded to push Leinart into the end zone in the controversial incident that’s known as the “Bush Push.” Many claimed that this assistance by Bush was illegal and should have been flagged. Regardless, USC lived on.
The Trojans wrapped up the 2005 regular season the same way they did the year before, finishing undefeated and with a Heisman winner. This marked the first time two Heisman winners were teammates at the same time. The team was riding high as they maintained their perfect record and number one spot all season. They were locked into a championship game that pitted them against the undefeated Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns returned to the Rose Bowl that they won the year before, but this time with much more at stake. Texas had put up big numbers all season, but people didn’t believe them to be on par with the USC Trojans. USC was expected to emerge as a three-time defending national champions, but Vince Young and company had something to say about that. Young had finished second in the Heisman race behind the Reggie Bush. With his weapons like Limas Sweed and Jamaal Charles, Young was ready to prove the world wrong.
With these sentiments in mind, many were shocked after one half of play. USC looked shaken, as they played uncharacteristically sloppy. This is most clear in Reggie Bush’s blunder. On a long gain for Bush, he tried to make it longer by suddenly lateraling the ball to an unsuspecting teammate. The Longhorns ended up falling on the ball and USC missed out on a minimum of three points. This mistake seemed to hinder Bush’s performance for the rest of the game. The Longhorns led 16–10.
The Trojans bounced right back in the second half. As they gained a lead, many Trojan fans sighed in relief. Even Matt Leinart has said he thought that their second half performance was going to get them the win like usual. What they had not accounted for was Vince Young. He had provided a difficult task for USC’s defense all night because of his deadly running ability, but his greatest quality was his composure. Just as he had all season, Vince Young stayed quiet and emotionless when the Longhorns went down 38–26. With under seven minutes to play, Young led the Longhorns down the field to close the gap. Young scrambled for a touchdown to bring the game to 38–33. Rather than attempting an onside kick, Mack Brown decided to trust his defense.
USC got the ball with around four minutes to play, needing just a few first downs to run the clock out. Facing a pivitol 4th and short around midfield, Carroll decided to go for the first down rather than punt. In what would become another scrutinized decision, Lendale White was put in the game instead of Reggie Bush. White was stopped short on his rush attempt due to a spiking defensive end for Texas. While most people believe Bush should have been on the field, I believe Carroll did the right thing by putting in White. He was having a better game than Bush who never mentally recovered from his bonehead lateral. Also, White was the more bruising back made for short yardage situations like they were facing. Regardless, the Trojans were stopped short and Texas took over. Everyone watching had a feeling as to what would happen next.
Vince Young led the offense back on the field with 2:09 to play. They drove down into the red zone through a combination of Young’s arm and legs, where they faced a fourth down on the nine yard line. Young dropped back and could not find a receiver, although some will argue he never intended on throwing the ball. He decided to run and managed to beat the defense to the right pylon for his third rushing touchdown. On the two-point conversion Young scored again, giving Texas a 41–38 lead. He did all of this while keeping the same stoic demeanor that he had all night and all season. Young let his actions make his case for the Heisman trophy that many think should’ve gone to him. Texas held onto this lead and were crowned national champions.
The USC team, coaches, and fans were stunned by what had happened. Their three-peat, 34-game win streak, and season were all simultaneously over. Like the others on this list, there were several plays to point to as the reason for losing. Bush’s lateral in the first half cost them at least three points in a game decided by that margin. Many also question Carroll’s decision to go for it on fourth down with two minutes left. There’s a strong possibility that Texas, even with the incredible Vince Young, would not have been able to travel 80 yards in such a short time. Perhaps it was hubris that caused Carroll to decline punting. These are a lot of unknowns, but there is one thing that is not. The reason for this loss can be narrowed down to a heroic performance by Vince Young. In what many, including myself, claim to be the best football game of all time, Vince Young rose to the occasion like no one ever has. The accomplishments of this Trojan dynasty should not be understated because they fell on their sword in their final outing. Their run of dominance ranks them among the greatest dynasties in college football history. The memory of this team is marred by Reggie Bush’s scandal that led to the team being vacated of many wins and national titles. Even with issues off the field, the Trojans were undeniably great.
