The SEC's dominance has showed very strongly in the past few years. In the BCS era, the SEC won 9 of 16* National Championships in the now extinct BCS era. This list is to commemorate that era and rank those 9 teams. RIP BCS
9. 2007 LSU Tigers
The 2007 LSU Tigers was the only team of the BCS era to lose two games and win the BCS national championship. While that is pretty impressive, it is also a reason to put them in this slot. For an SEC schedule, this one was moderate. I don't care if Kentucky is ranked, you have to beat them.
8. 2010 Auburn Tigers
The 2010 Auburn Tigers had a great team and probably one of the best athletes of all time in Cam Newton who has gone on to be a solid NFL quarterback. They managed to stop Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks high speed run at the title. However, it did help that there despised nemesis Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide were on an off year.
7. 2003 LSU Tigers
The 2003 LSU Tigers were coached by the infamous Nick Saban who would go on to dominate the BCS era with his simple, no nonsense coaching style which would win him three more BCS National Championship trophies with the Alabama Crimson Tide giving him a grand total of 4 BCS National Championship trophies the most by any coach in the BCS era, no contest. The Tigers went 13-1 that year and aside from a loss to Florida, it was a smooth roll to the championship where they would defeat Florida 21-14 with possibly the best Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Coordinator in Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp who would go on to get prestigious coaching jobs of their own at FSU for Jimbo and Florida for Muschamp.
6. 2008 Florida Gators
The 2008 Florida Gators went 13-1 and beat the Oklahoma Sooners led by the talented 2007 heisman winner Sam Bradford. However, the Gators had a heisman winner of their own, Tim Tebow, winning the trophy the year before with the Florida Gators being the first sophmore to win the Heisman. After losing to Ole Miss in The Swamp on a fourth quarter drive. Then Tim Tebow took his fame to a new level with a speech that would go down as one of the most legendary speeches in college football history "You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4VxVoYvqOw Inspired the team would go on to win the Title from #1 Oklahoma.
5. 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide are one of the winningest college football teams in history and before 2009 had won 12 National Championships with the likes of Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas (5 titles between), Gene Stallings (1992) and the infamous Paul "Bear" Bryant (6 Titles). After Gene Stallings title in '92 The team went through a time of struggle. Then a man by the name of Nick Saban came along in 2007 leaving his NFL job to create a title in his third year controlling the Tide, bringing the first Heisman to Bama in Mark Ingram a solid running back and ended it's Championship dry spell with a win against Texas in the BCS National Championship which would re-spur a contender in the Crimson Tide.
4. 1998 Tennessee Volunteers
The 1998-99 season was the first season of the BCS era. After losing a Knoxville legend and now NFL superstar Peyton Manning due to graduation, the Volunteers were expected to have an off year in 98. After edging Florida and Arkansas, then defeating Ole Miss in the SEC Championship Game; The Vols were set to tussle with Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles and their star receiver Peter Warrick. Tennessee held Peter Warrick to just one reception for seven yards while Vol's receiver Peerless Price had a 79 yard touchdown pass from Tee Martin to put the Vols up 20-9 and cruise to a 23-16 win over the Seminoles. This was the first SEC National Championship in the BCS era which was the beginning of an era dominated by the SEC.
3. 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide
I have never seen a more lopsided game than the 2012 BCS National Championship. The Undefeated Irish went into Miami on top But were rolled over by the tide in a 42-14 routing to lead the Tide safely to shore. Dominating the run game with Eddie Lacey and TJ Yeldon. This would also be the second consecutive title for Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron. Had they not lost to Johnny Football's Texas A&M Aggies, they might have been number one on this list.
2. 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide
It is amazing they even lost a game. With the likes of Trent Richardson and company. They rolled in to New Orleans and crushed LSU (the only team to beat them that year) 21-0. This would be sweet revenge after losing the "game of the century(AP 1 vs 2)" to Les Miles' LSU Tigers. They went into the game playing zero mistake football, and earning the BCS title with excellence.
1. 2006 Florida Gators
In only his second year as head coach, Urban Meyer led the Florida Gators to a 11-1 record with the hardest schedule in the nation that year to beat Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game which led them demolishing Ohio State, the #1 team in the country to win the BCS National Championship. With a 1-2 punch of Chris Leake and the future gator legend Tim Tebow at quarterback it was very hard to stop them from winning. While this team was not the most glamorous of the teams on this list, they were the first of a 7 year SEC BCS title retention until broken by the 2013 Florida State Seminoles who barely squeezed by Gus Malzahn's Auburn Tigers.
Note: * The 2004 BCS National Title was voided from the USC Trojans due to the NCAA requiring it removal due to the failed appeal of an investigation involving Reggie Bush a former USC running back.
No comments:
Post a Comment