Scanning the dial this morning on the daily commute and listened to Bill King on WNSR 95.9. He was talking about various fan bases' favorite college football teams that were really good, but didn't win it all. He used the 2016 Alabama team as an Alabama fan's best team to not win it all. He used the 2001 Tennessee team, as a Vol fan's best team not to win it all. Etc.
Despite the spring games, we are mired in the dead zone of college football with several months to go before the real games start, but this might be something to help us pass the time. What was your college football favorite team's best team that didn't win it all?
For me, it's a choice between the 1969, 1975, or 2015 Ohio State teams. The 1969 team was undefeated and looking at back-to-back national championship games heading into The Game only to lose to Michigan. Interesting thing about that team and year, had the Buckeyes beat Michigan, they couldn't go to the Rose Bowl (and the Big Ten, like most conferences in those years, only sent its conference champion to a bowl game back then). Having gone to the Rose Bowl in 1968 and beating OJ's USC Trojans, Ohio State was ineligible to go in 1969 even if it had beaten Michigan. Big Ten and I think Pac 8 (in those years) rules were that the most recent conf champion to have gone to the Rose Bowl was ineligible to go. (I also believe this is why the AP awarded its college football national champion prior to the bowl games back in those years.) The 1975 team was 11-0 heading into the Rose Bowl. Having blown out UCLA 41-20 in the Coliseum earlier that year, Richard Vermeil and the Bruins got the better of the Buckeyes in the 1975 Rose Bowl (Archie's second Heisman year). But I think the best Ohio State team to not win it all was the 2015 team, given the 15 NFL draft picks and 5 first rounders on that team.
What say you?
Despite the spring games, we are mired in the dead zone of college football with several months to go before the real games start, but this might be something to help us pass the time. What was your college football favorite team's best team that didn't win it all?
For me, it's a choice between the 1969, 1975, or 2015 Ohio State teams. The 1969 team was undefeated and looking at back-to-back national championship games heading into The Game only to lose to Michigan. Interesting thing about that team and year, had the Buckeyes beat Michigan, they couldn't go to the Rose Bowl (and the Big Ten, like most conferences in those years, only sent its conference champion to a bowl game back then). Having gone to the Rose Bowl in 1968 and beating OJ's USC Trojans, Ohio State was ineligible to go in 1969 even if it had beaten Michigan. Big Ten and I think Pac 8 (in those years) rules were that the most recent conf champion to have gone to the Rose Bowl was ineligible to go. (I also believe this is why the AP awarded its college football national champion prior to the bowl games back in those years.) The 1975 team was 11-0 heading into the Rose Bowl. Having blown out UCLA 41-20 in the Coliseum earlier that year, Richard Vermeil and the Bruins got the better of the Buckeyes in the 1975 Rose Bowl (Archie's second Heisman year). But I think the best Ohio State team to not win it all was the 2015 team, given the 15 NFL draft picks and 5 first rounders on that team.
What say you?
