Best College Team Ever

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

OK DB I have seen your new sig and I know you are not old enough to remember, but the 1966 Michigan State team would have kicked either of your Bugeater teams butts. Four of the top eight NFL draft choices (Bubba Smith, Clinton Jones, George Webster and Gene Washington (Vikings- not the 49ers wimp) plus Bob Brown, George Apisa, Ed Mc Cloed, Jimmy Raye, Steve Juday, Don Highsmith Sr.

[SoCalBronco]

I know everyone is going to be a homer so i might as well continue with that. I think the following should be in the discussion somewhere, 2001 Miami, 1986 Miami (even though they didnt win it).

[Saulbadguy]

95 Nebraska.

[FADERPROOF]

I know everyone is going to be a homer so i might as well continue with that. I think the following should be in the discussion somewhere, 2001 Miami, 1986 Miami (even though they didnt win it).

Hell why not? I know we're not but I'll make a case for 2002 Ohio State anyway since its homer time.

A record 14 players sent to 1 draft from that team, that's talent :)

[DBroncos4life]

Tell that to these guys, or the poll that ESPN did that voted the 95 Husker team as the greatest team ever. I can't say lots of those players were drafted real high but many are still pretty good in the NFL. Green being the best.


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2004/01/05/perfect.seasons/index.html

[DBroncos4life]

Heres a case for the 71 Huskers

'71 TEAM PHOTO

Were the '71 Husker's the best college football team ever?That's a tough call considering all the great teams that have played over the years,including the '95 Husker's,but many(and they are not all from Nebraska) still believe it to be true calling them the greatest collection of talent ever assembled. The Huskers started the season as the team to beat and ranked #1 by everyone ,including Sports Illistrated.Whatever their rank among the great college teams the fact remains they were an awsome mix of great football players,for instance 4 out of 5starting offensive linemen(Johnson,White,Wortman,and Dumler) played in the pro's ,and many consider the one that didn't(Ruppert) the best lineman of the bunch.

They finished the season by beating undefeated and ranked #2 in the country Oklahoma 35-31 in the Game of the Century on Thanksgiving day in Norman.A game considered one of the greatest games ever, pitting the number 1 and 2 teams in the country,both undefeated and the Big 8 title on the line.Then the Huskers demolished Alabama in Miami 38-6 after jumping to a 28-0 lead at the half.Hall of Famer Johnny Rogers uncorked a 77 yard punt return for a TD that broke the game wide open.The victory sealed the Huskers Second undeafeated season in a row and second National championship in as many years.You be the judge!!

Team:1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 13-0, National Champions
Coach: Bob Devaney
Notes: Won every game by at least 24 points,(except 35-31 victory over Oklahoma)defeated Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl to clinch national title. Scored at least 31 points every game.Allowed more than seven points just three times,and posted three shutouts.



Pretty good team as well. This just isn't a NU fans view on these teams either.

[DBroncos4life]

Heres ESPN's top 10.


http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/colfootball/teams/best.html

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

They are just a bunch of gen x kids. They have never seen a great team. Add Dick Kinney ( the first barefoot kicker), Jay Breslin( Romo's Hero), Alan Brennan (led Big Ten in receptions the next two years), Gail Clark, Alan Alderson, etc and you have a real team. George Webster may have been the most instinctive defensive player ever.

[DBroncos4life]

They are just a bunch of gen x kids. They have never seen a great team. Add Dick Kinney ( the first barefoot kicker), Jay Breslin( Romo's Hero), Alan Brennan (led Big Ten in receptions the next two years), Gail Clark, Alan Alderson, etc and you have a real team. George Webster may have been the most instinctive defensive player ever.



Ok that would explain the 95 huskers but what about the 71 Huskers? Also I didn't see the 66 MSU team on any list. Not saying they blow but why is that?

[Breck Bronc]

I'd be very confident with either the '86 or '01 Miami teams against the '71 or '95 Cornhuskers. Miami is a bad matchup for Nebraska no matter how good the Huskers are in any particular year. Just look at the 1984 and 1995 Orange Bowls (and even a similar team to Nebraska back then like the '85-'87 Oklahoma Sooners who only lost three games in those three years, all to Miami.)

The 1994 Miami team that lost to Nebraska 24-17 wasn't even remotely close to being as good as the '86, '87, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '00, '01, and '02 Canes squads and still had the lead going into the fourth quarter against a great Cornhusker team led by Tommie Frazier.

I really wish Larry Coker wouldn't have called off the dogs in the 2002 Rose Bowl when the game was 34-0 at halftime. Many people look back at the Husker Fiesta Bowl thrashing of Florida and that cements the '95 Nebraska team as the best of all-time in their mind. Miami could have easily put an even worse than 62-24 spanking on that inferior Nebraska squad but for some reason Coker doesn't let his team play 100% when they have a big lead, which has cost us games in the past season. Just look at how Pete Carroll had his team playing against Oklahoma when the game was already a blowout. I like that when you're playing a good opponent; never take the foot off the pedal (not when you're playing a Western Illinois or McNeese State type pushovers).

I don't think you can rank great college teams of all-time. I'd just group the '87 & '01 Canes, '72 & '04 Trojans, '95 Cornhuskers, '94 Nittany Lions (talk about getting screwed), '99 Seminoles, '74 Sooners, and a few others I'm forgetting off the top of my head together and leave it at that. The '95 Cornhuskers are not the best team of all-time, they're one of the best teams of all-time.

[DBroncos4life]

I'd be very confident with either the '86 or '01 Miami teams against the '71 or '95 Cornhuskers. Miami is a bad matchup for Nebraska no matter how good the Huskers are in any particular year. Just look at the 1984 and 1995 Orange Bowls (and even a similar team to Nebraska back then like the '85-'87 Oklahoma Sooners who only lost three games in those three years, all to Miami.)

The 1994 Miami team that lost to Nebraska 24-17 wasn't even remotely close to being as good as the '86, '87, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '00, '01, and '02 Canes squads and still had the lead going into the fourth quarter against a great Cornhusker team led by Tommie Frazier.

I really wish Larry Coker wouldn't have called off the dogs in the 2002 Rose Bowl when the game was 34-0 at halftime. Many people look back at the Husker Fiesta Bowl thrashing of Florida and that cements the '95 Nebraska team as the best of all-time in their mind. Miami could have easily put an even worse than 62-24 spanking on that inferior Nebraska squad but for some reason Coker doesn't let his team play 100% when they have a big lead, which has cost us games in the past season. Just look at how Pete Carroll had his team playing against Oklahoma when the game was already a blowout. I like that when you're playing a good opponent; never take the foot off the pedal (not when you're playing a Western Illinois or McNeese State type pushovers).

I don't think you can rank great college teams of all-time. I'd just group the '87 & '01 Canes, '72 & '04 Trojans, '95 Cornhuskers, '94 Nittany Lions (talk about getting screwed), '99 Seminoles, '74 Sooners, and a few others I'm forgetting off the top of my head together and leave it at that. The '95 Cornhuskers are not the best team of all-time, they're one of the best teams of all-time.



You say that like NU didn't have to go to Miami to play. Also Touchdown Tommy was playing with a bad leg. The 95 Huskers wore teams down. They had a very good line and two great running backs, not just one and that doesn't even count Frazier. NU rushed for 524 yards against the number two team in the nation! That is why NU beat teams they way they did that year. No teams D would be up to the task of slowing them down for 4 quarters.

[Breck Bronc]

You say that like NU didn't have to go to Miami to play. Also Touchdown Tommy was playing with a bad leg. The 95 Huskers wore teams down. They had a very good line and two great running backs, not just one and that doesn't even count Frazier. NU rushed for 524 yards against the number two team in the nation! That is why NU beat teams they way they did that year. No teams D would be up to the task of slowing them down for 4 quarters.How about a D that had 8 NFL first round picks on it? That '95 Florida defense wasn't very good.

[SoCalBronco]

The 95 Florida front seven wasnt that good. Great post above Breck on Coker and the Rose Bowl. That could have been like 60-10 if we really tried in the second half and i think Nebraska fans know that. Only thing where i disagree with you Breck is 04 USC. This USC team played a super title game but during the season they didnt impress me. Virginia Tech had them almost on the ropes until the Refs got involved. Cal outplayed them in Los Angeles. UCLA without their top offensive player came very close to beating them. USC struggled mightily in the first half against scrubs like BYU and Washington this year. I think the 2003 and 2002 versions of USC were clearly superior to this team. This team was a mediocre national champion who excelled in the title game itself. Now that i think about it, i think USC was probably the best team in 2002. We played like **** against O$U, FSU, Rutgers, UConn, BC and Pittsburgh. O$U played like **** pretty much all season dominating nobody outside of the first game. USC after that loss to Cal was absolutely dominant the rest of the way.

[TheManeMan]

The 2005 USC Trojans...

[MajikMan7]

2004-2005 Colorado Buffaloes.

[Breck Bronc]

The 95 Florida front seven wasnt that good. Great post above Breck on Coker and the Rose Bowl. That could have been like 60-10 if we really tried in the second half and i think Nebraska fans know that. Only thing where i disagree with you Breck is 04 USC. This USC team played a super title game but during the season they didnt impress me. Virginia Tech had them almost on the ropes until the Refs got involved. Cal outplayed them in Los Angeles. UCLA without their top offensive player came very close to beating them. USC struggled mightily in the first half against scrubs like BYU and Washington this year. I think the 2003 and 2002 versions of USC were clearly superior to this team. This team was a mediocre national champion who excelled in the title game itself. Now that i think about it, i think USC was probably the best team in 2002. We played like **** against O$U, FSU, Rutgers, UConn, BC and Pittsburgh. O$U played like **** pretty much all season dominating nobody outside of the first game. USC after that loss to Cal was absolutely dominant the rest of the way.You're probably right about the '04 Trojans. I guess I'm kind of only remembering the last game of the season since it's so fresh in my memory.

Didn't the '02 USC team lose two games? That should eliminate them right there.

I think defending national champions like the '02 Canes and '04 Trojans don't play as hungry as their MNC seasons and also take the best shot from each team they face. Maybe that's why they looked so ho-hum in many of their games. They still took care of business and ended up in another BCS title game.

[Kid A]

I'll agree that the 2002 Rose Bowl could have been much, much uglier if Coker didn't call off the dogs. Still, that wouldn't have been as impressive as NU's demolishing of Florida or USC's or OU. 95 Florida and 2004 OU were legitimate title threats heading into their games. Even Nebraska fans will aknowledge that the Huskers had no business being in the Rose Bowl. Oregon might have been a more legitimate opponent, though Miami was the only team that looked like title material that year.

In ranking the best teams you have to take into account the entire season too. There have been many Championship blowouts, but 95 Nebraska destroyed every opponent they played. Looking back at some of the scores from that season (64-21, 50-10, 77-28, 57-0, 73-14, 62-24) I can understand why the rest of the country has taken such joy in NU's recent seasons. Teams that throw the ball a lot don't put up those types of scores very often, let alone in almost 10 games by running the ball. To put those points up on the ground means complete domination on almost every drive.

Comparing teams from different eras in nearly impossible. The game ahs changed so much over the years. Still, it is fun to argue about.

[DBroncos4life]

I'll agree that the 2002 Rose Bowl could have been much, much uglier if Coker didn't call off the dogs. Still, that wouldn't have been as impressive as NU's demolishing of Florida or USC's or OU. 95 Florida and 2004 OU were legitimate title threats heading into their games. Even Nebraska fans will aknowledge that the Huskers had no business being in the Rose Bowl. Oregon might have been a more legitimate opponent, though Miami was the only team that looked like title material that year.

In ranking the best teams you have to take into account the entire season too. There have been many Championship blowouts, but 95 Nebraska destroyed every opponent they played. Looking back at some of the scores from that season (64-21, 50-10, 77-28, 57-0, 73-14, 62-24) I can understand why the rest of the country has taken such joy in NU's recent seasons. Teams that throw the ball a lot don't put up those types of scores very often, let alone in almost 10 games by running the ball. To put those points up on the ground means complete domination on almost every drive.

Comparing teams from different eras in nearly impossible. The game ahs changed so much over the years. Still, it is fun to argue about.



The thing that bothers me about people being upset about us running up the score is this. We did take the starters out teams just didn't stop us. Our plays went run right, run left, and run up the middle. Phillips was the starter for most of the time that year and his backup was Ahman Green. Thats a pretty good backup. Brook was a very good backup as well. I think he would have been drafted had he not suddenly died in that plane crash. That team was very good from top to bottom. They just ran the ball and teams didnt stop them.

[FADERPROOF]

98 Tennessee Volunteers, 3rd best team right behind the 2002 and 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes.

[Northman]

well, i want to be a homer but its just not in my cards for my Cavs. but, i would have to say either OU ( cant remember the year but its when they beat FSU ), USC of this year was really impressive, and god do i say it? OSU 2002 ( mainly for their defense as offensively they offensive ) but they do get consideration.

[Raider Bill]

That 88 Notre Dame team was pretty good. They played and beat teams ranked #1 2 and 3 that year.


95 Huskers were good, but they played what 2 ranked opponents? KS and K State.

[Raider Bill]

Come on.. look at the Turkeys on that schedule


8/31 @ *Oklahoma State (4-8) W 64 21
9/9 @ Michigan State (6-5-1) W 50 10
9/16 vs. Arizona State (6-5) W 77 28
9/23 vs. Pacific (3-8) W 49 7
9/30 vs. Washington State (3-8) W 35 21
10/14 vs. *Missouri (3-8) W 57 0 10/21 vs. *Kansas State (10-2) W 49 25
10/28 @ *Colorado (10-2) W 44 21
11/4 vs. *Iowa State (3-8) W 73 14
11/11 @ *Kansas (10-2) W 41 3
11/24 vs. *Oklahoma (5-5-1) W 37 0
1/2 vs. Florida (12-1) W 62 24 @ Tempe, AZ Fiesta Bowl
12-0-0
638 174

[The Big E]

You're probably right about the '04 Trojans. I guess I'm kind of only remembering the last game of the season since it's so fresh in my memory.

Didn't the '02 USC team lose two games? That should eliminate them right there.

I think defending national champions like the '02 Canes and '04 Trojans don't play as hungry as their MNC seasons and also take the best shot from each team they face. Maybe that's why they looked so ho-hum in many of their games. They still took care of business and ended up in another BCS title game.
I agree that the 02 USC team losing two games would eliminate them, but in reality I think that team was probably the best they've had over the past three seasons even though they lost twice early. Nonetheless, I hate SC and they can't lose enough for me.

[TexanBob]

'46 Army. You can look it up.

[DBroncos4life]

'46 Army. You can look it up.



That team was 4th on espns and 3rd on SI's

[SoCalBronco]

im still not sure how the Nebraska offense would have moved the ball against 8 future first rounders on the other side of the ball.

[DBroncos4life]

im still not sure how the Nebraska offense would have moved the ball against 8 future first rounders on the other side of the ball.


Just because a team has players go to the NFL via first round doesn't mean that they are the best of all-time. NU didn't run a NFL system at the time so its safe to say that besides the line they were not going to get many players drafted on O. But Phillips was a top 10 pick and was very good if he was a head case. Back up to Phillips was Ahman Green. Last time I checked he was doing pretty good in the NFL as well. Kris Brown, Wistrom, Rucker, Minter, Both Peters boys went to the NFL as well. There are others that I can't think of right now also. Granted they were not all in the first round but still. NU slowed a VERY good Gators O down so I think the same goes for Miami how would they score on NU? Like I said before Miami would stop NU for awhile but I doubt they stop Frazier, Phillips, and Green for four quarters. No D can stay that fresh. Oh our FB went pro that year as well and he had something like a 5 yard per carry as well. I think it was Cory Schlesinger but Im not sure.

[DBroncos4life]

The Miami Hurricanes conclusive 37-14 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers put a quick end to the doubts swirling in the minds of every college football fan and BCS hater alike. There is no question that Miami is the #1 team in the land of college football. This after the Hurricanes dominated the Cornhuskers for most of the allotted 60 minutes in last Thursday's Rose Bowl. Miami was quite simply bigger, faster and stronger than their Big 12 counterparts, a point driven home by Miami Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Vilma as he drove through Nebraska back up tight end Ben Zajicek in the closing seconds of Thursday's nation championship game. Vilma's big hit put the explanation point on what might have been the most dominating big game Bowl performance since the Cornhuskers, themselves, dusted off a pretty good team from Florida in 1996's Fiesta Bowl. This is no small feat for the Hurricanes, considering how elite the company of comparison is.

The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers may be the best college football team ever. This according to longtime computer sports analyst Jeff Sagrin, who ranked the 95' Nebraska team #1 on a list of the top major college teams since 1956. Sagrin's case is hard to argue, especially when you take a look at the names of players on Cornhuskers roster that season. Names like (Tommie) Frasier, (Lawrence) Phillips, (Jared) Tomich and (Grant) Wistrom head a list which includes 27 future NFL players like Michael Booker, Kris Brown, Scott Frost, Aaron Graham, Ahman Green, Joel Makovicka, Mike Minter, Christian and Jason Peter, Mike Rucker, Aaron Taylor, Adam Treu, Eric Warfield, and Tyrone Williams.

The Cornhuskers were truly a "Big Red Machine" during the 95' season, particularly on offense where the team averaged 399 rushing yards, 52.4 points, and 556.3 total yards per game. Nebraska rolled through a 12 game season that included match ups against three top ten teams (#8 Kansas State, #7 Colorado, and #2 Florida). Nebraska won each of those games by an average score of 52-23. In fact, the closest any opponent got to Nebraska all season was 14 points (Washington State).

Opponents of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes weren't getting too close either. The Hurricanes outscored the opposition 42-10 in 12 games this season, by using a mix of potent defense and rapid offense.The offense, led by Junior Ken Dorsey, was a well balanced and quick striking one at that. Miami averaged 250 passing yards and just over 200 rushing yards per game this season. On average Miami controlled the ball 2 ½ less minutes than their opponents, and yet they scored 4 times as many touchdowns. This dominance took place predominantly in the second and third quarters, where the Canes' outscored the opposition 296-41 in 11 regular season games.

Like the 95' Cornhuskers, the strength of Miami's offense was their line, a unit which allowed only 4 sacks all season. Seniors Bryant McKinnie, Joaquin Gonzalez, and Martin Bibla led the way and took three of the five spots on the All Big East 1st team offensive line. (McKinnie and Gonzalez were also 1st team All-Americans.) Similarly in 95' Nebraska placed four lineman (Dishman, Eric Anderson, Graham, and Taylor) on the All-Big Eight 1st team. (Graham was also a 1st team All-American.)
Similarities like this aren't few and far between the 01' Canes and 95' Huskers. The teams are very alike, in fact. On such resemblance is at quarterback. Both teams had quarterbacks with gaudy win-loss records. Dorsey, the 2002 Rose Bowl co-MVP, is 26-1 in three seasons with Miami, while Frasier, the 1996 Fiesta Bowl MVP, posted a 33-3 mark during five seasons at Nebraska.

Each quarterback also had very productive duos in the backfield at tailback. Nebraska had Phillips and Green, the latter of which rushed for a freshman record 1,086 yards and 12 TDs in 1995. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have or had the talented underclassmen Clinton (Portis) and (Frank) Gore. Portis, in his first year as a starter, rushed for 1,200 and 10 touchdowns. Gore, who's only a sophomore, gained a modest 506 yards on the season, but his 9.1 average per run led the team.
That average should drop significantly next season, however, as Gore will most likely take over as the starter at tailback in 2002. This is because Portis has already made himself draft eligible in 2002 . Ironically enough, Green did the exact same in 1996 after Phillips left for the pros.

Portis early enlistment came along with two other Canes' underclassmen, juniors Phillip Buchanon (CB) and Jeremy Shockey (TE), who both declared for the 2002 draft earlier in the week. Those three may soon be joined by junior (DT) William Joseph, whom many NFL scouts expect will come out early to the NFL. If Joseph does indeed declare early, it could be a Miami party early and often on draft day, April 20th.
As many as 7 Hurricanes (Buchanon, Joseph, McKinnie, Portis, Edward Reed, Mike Rumph, and Shockey) could be taken in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Comparatively, Nebraska had only one first round draft pick (Phillips) following their championship victory in early 1996.

How history will judge these 2001 Miami Hurricanes is anyone's guess. You can judge them on the dominance from which they displayed while playing top competition (Miami outscored ranked teams 236-72). You can judge them by the number of of NFL players their roster produced (as many as 14 Canes' could be drafted this year). Or finally, you can judge them by the symbol, #1, which will forever accompany the words 2001 Miami Hurricanes in the pages of history.


Pretty good article here. 27 Huskers from that year played in the NFL so that does say a lot for that team and the best player on the team didn't because he wasn't a "pro style" qb.

[SoCalBronco]

The Miami Hurricanes conclusive 37-14 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers put a quick end to the doubts swirling in the minds of every college football fan and BCS hater alike. There is no question that Miami is the #1 team in the land of college football. This after the Hurricanes dominated the Cornhuskers for most of the allotted 60 minutes in last Thursday's Rose Bowl. Miami was quite simply bigger, faster and stronger than their Big 12 counterparts, a point driven home by Miami Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Vilma as he drove through Nebraska back up tight end Ben Zajicek in the closing seconds of Thursday's nation championship game. Vilma's big hit put the explanation point on what might have been the most dominating big game Bowl performance since the Cornhuskers, themselves, dusted off a pretty good team from Florida in 1996's Fiesta Bowl. This is no small feat for the Hurricanes, considering how elite the company of comparison is.

The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers may be the best college football team ever. This according to longtime computer sports analyst Jeff Sagrin, who ranked the 95' Nebraska team #1 on a list of the top major college teams since 1956. Sagrin's case is hard to argue, especially when you take a look at the names of players on Cornhuskers roster that season. Names like (Tommie) Frasier, (Lawrence) Phillips, (Jared) Tomich and (Grant) Wistrom head a list which includes 27 future NFL players like Michael Booker, Kris Brown, Scott Frost, Aaron Graham, Ahman Green, Joel Makovicka, Mike Minter, Christian and Jason Peter, Mike Rucker, Aaron Taylor, Adam Treu, Eric Warfield, and Tyrone Williams.

The Cornhuskers were truly a "Big Red Machine" during the 95' season, particularly on offense where the team averaged 399 rushing yards, 52.4 points, and 556.3 total yards per game. Nebraska rolled through a 12 game season that included match ups against three top ten teams (#8 Kansas State, #7 Colorado, and #2 Florida). Nebraska won each of those games by an average score of 52-23. In fact, the closest any opponent got to Nebraska all season was 14 points (Washington State).

Opponents of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes weren't getting too close either. The Hurricanes outscored the opposition 42-10 in 12 games this season, by using a mix of potent defense and rapid offense.The offense, led by Junior Ken Dorsey, was a well balanced and quick striking one at that. Miami averaged 250 passing yards and just over 200 rushing yards per game this season. On average Miami controlled the ball 2 ½ less minutes than their opponents, and yet they scored 4 times as many touchdowns. This dominance took place predominantly in the second and third quarters, where the Canes' outscored the opposition 296-41 in 11 regular season games.

Like the 95' Cornhuskers, the strength of Miami's offense was their line, a unit which allowed only 4 sacks all season. Seniors Bryant McKinnie, Joaquin Gonzalez, and Martin Bibla led the way and took three of the five spots on the All Big East 1st team offensive line. (McKinnie and Gonzalez were also 1st team All-Americans.) Similarly in 95' Nebraska placed four lineman (Dishman, Eric Anderson, Graham, and Taylor) on the All-Big Eight 1st team. (Graham was also a 1st team All-American.)
Similarities like this aren't few and far between the 01' Canes and 95' Huskers. The teams are very alike, in fact. On such resemblance is at quarterback. Both teams had quarterbacks with gaudy win-loss records. Dorsey, the 2002 Rose Bowl co-MVP, is 26-1 in three seasons with Miami, while Frasier, the 1996 Fiesta Bowl MVP, posted a 33-3 mark during five seasons at Nebraska.

Each quarterback also had very productive duos in the backfield at tailback. Nebraska had Phillips and Green, the latter of which rushed for a freshman record 1,086 yards and 12 TDs in 1995. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have or had the talented underclassmen Clinton (Portis) and (Frank) Gore. Portis, in his first year as a starter, rushed for 1,200 and 10 touchdowns. Gore, who's only a sophomore, gained a modest 506 yards on the season, but his 9.1 average per run led the team.
That average should drop significantly next season, however, as Gore will most likely take over as the starter at tailback in 2002. This is because Portis has already made himself draft eligible in 2002 . Ironically enough, Green did the exact same in 1996 after Phillips left for the pros.

Portis early enlistment came along with two other Canes' underclassmen, juniors Phillip Buchanon (CB) and Jeremy Shockey (TE), who both declared for the 2002 draft earlier in the week. Those three may soon be joined by junior (DT) William Joseph, whom many NFL scouts expect will come out early to the NFL. If Joseph does indeed declare early, it could be a Miami party early and often on draft day, April 20th.
As many as 7 Hurricanes (Buchanon, Joseph, McKinnie, Portis, Edward Reed, Mike Rumph, and Shockey) could be taken in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Comparatively, Nebraska had only one first round draft pick (Phillips) following their championship victory in early 1996.

How history will judge these 2001 Miami Hurricanes is anyone's guess. You can judge them on the dominance from which they displayed while playing top competition (Miami outscored ranked teams 236-72). You can judge them by the number of of NFL players their roster produced (as many as 14 Canes' could be drafted this year). Or finally, you can judge them by the symbol, #1, which will forever accompany the words 2001 Miami Hurricanes in the pages of history.


Pretty good article here. 27 Huskers from that year played in the NFL so that does say a lot for that team and the best player on the team didn't because he wasn't a "pro style" qb.

im not sure how this argument helps your case. If we are to look at the point differentials as one piece of evidence, that would favor Miami by a very slight margin. Taking into account that Nebraska's opponents that year had a much weaker W-L record, the point differential becomes more probative. I agree with you that a total number of NFL talent isnt necessarily relevant here but you pointed out that 27 Huskers from that team played in the league. Perhaps that goes to overall talent. Contrast that with Miami's roster and i have boldened the players who played in the NFL.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes
2001 Football Roster
Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Team Page Schedule Team Stats Game-by-Game Roster Conference Page Standings 2001 Team Preview Miami, FL Message Board
Record: (11-0) Rankings: AP: 1 Coaches' Poll: 1
No Name Position Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
1 Daryl Jones WR 5-10 190 Sr Dallas, TX
2 Willis McGahee RB 6-1 220 Fr Miami, FL
3 Jason Geathers WR 6-3 215 So Boca Raton, FL
4 Najeh Davenport RB 6-2 235 Sr Miami, FL
5 Andre Johnson WR 6-3 220 So Miami, FL
6 Antrel Rolle CB 6-1 205 Fr Homestead, FL
7 Ethenic Sands WR 6-0 180 Jr Carol City, FL
8 Mike Rumph CB 6-2 200 Sr Delray Beach, FL
9 Kevin Beard WR 6-2 175 So Plantation, FL
11 Ken Dorsey QB 6-5 200 Jr Orinda, CA
12 Jair Clarke CB 5-11 173 Fr Newport News, VA
12 Nate Smith WR 6-0 205 So Elizabethtown, PA
13 Freddie Capshaw P 5-11 180 Jr Rock Springs, WY
15 Dan Lundy K 6-0 191 So Daytona Beach, FL
15 Buck Ortega QB 6-5 213 Fr Miami, FL
16 Todd Sievers K 6-3 215 Jr Ankeny, IA
17 DJ Williams LB 6-2 235 So Concord, CA
18 Derrick Crudup QB 6-1 202 Fr Deerfield Beach, FL
19 Troy Prasek QB 6-2 193 Jr Mims, FL
20 Edward Reed S 6-0 190 Sr Saint Rose, LA
21 Jermell Weaver S 6-2 190 So Miami, FL
22 Kelly Jennings CB 6-0 170 Fr Live Oak, FL
23 James Lewis CB 5-11 190 Sr Piscataway, NJ
24 Marcus Maxey CB 6-3 190 Fr Navasota, TX
25 Alphonso Marshall CB 6-1 180 Fr Clewiston, FL
26 Sean Taylor CB 6-3 220 Fr Miami, FL
27 Markese Fitzgerald CB 5-11 180 Sr Saint Petersburg, FL
28 Clinton Portis RB 5-11 190 Jr Gainesville, FL
29 James Scott CB 6-2 195 Jr Crescent City, FL
30 Alex Duk WR 6-2 205 Fr San Diego, CA
30 Jeff Malley DB 6-1 190 Fr St Petersburg, FL
30 Jovonny Ward DB 6-0 195 Fr Miami, FL
31 Phillip Buchanon CB 5-11 175 Jr Lehigh, FL
32 Frank Gore RB 5-10 190 Fr Coral Gables, FL
33 Mark Gent K 6-1 203 Fr Fort Lauderdale, FL
34 Jarrett Payton RB 6-2 205 So Arlington, IL
35 Quadtrine Hill RB 6-2 210 Fr Sunrise, FL
36 Maurice Sikes CB 5-11 194 So Miami, FL
37 Jean Leone DB 6-0 170 Fr Miami, FL
38 Carl Walker CB 6-3 190 So Jacksonville, FL
39 LaVaar Scott LB 6-3 253 Jr Sebring, FL
40 Kyle Cobia RB 6-2 231 Fr Lakeland, FL
41 Frank Bayless FB 6-0 240 So Akron, OH
43 Jarvis Gray DT 5-10 264 So Hawthorne, FL
44 Leon Williams LB 6-4 220 Fr Brooklyn, NY
45 Howard Clark LB 6-1 220 Jr Pennsauken, NJ
46 Michael Langley CB 6-0 188 Fr Machipongo, VA
47 Ken Dangerfiel LB 6-2 225 Jr Patterson, LA
48 Chris Campbell LB 6-2 225 Sr Mount Pleasant, TX
49 Darrell McClover LB 6-2 215 So Coconut Creek, FL
50 Roger McIntosh LB 6-3 220 Fr Gaffney, SC
51 Jonathan Vilma LB 6-2 215 So Coral Gables, FL
52 Steve Adzima OL 6-2 255 Fr Wallington, NJ
52 Tariq Vlaun OL 6-2 300 So Houston, TX
53 James Sikora G 6-5 260 So Marathon, FL
54 Alex Garcia OL 6-1 275 Fr Miami, FL
55 Jamal Green DE 6-3 257 Jr Camden, NJ
56 Santonio Thomas DE 6-4 296 So South Bay, FL
57 Javon Nanton LB 6-2 215 Fr Miami, FL
58 Jerrell Weaver LB 6-3 210 So Miami, FL
59 Brad Kunz G 6-7 315 Fr Carlyle, IL
60 Vernon Carey T 6-5 363 So Miami, FL
61 Toney Tella G 6-5 265 Fr Houston, TX
62 Chris Harvey S 6-3 303 So Accoville, WV
63 Scott Puckett G 6-3 283 Sr Duncanville, TX
64 Rashad Butler G 6-5 290 Fr Palm Beach Gardens, FL
65 Martin Bibla T 6-4 300 Sr Mountain Top, PA
66 Brett Romberg G 6-3 290 Jr Windsor,
67 Joe McGrath T 6-5 285 So Moose Jaw,
68 Joe Fantigrass T 6-4 270 Jr Fort Lauderdale, FL
69 Kyle Morgan DL 6-4 245 Fr San Francisco, CA
70 Joel Rodriguez G 6-3 275 Fr Miami, FL
71 Jim Wilson G 6-5 245 Jr Hollywood, FL
72 Ed Wilkins T 6-4 318 Jr Plainfield, NJ
73 Joaquin Gonzalez G 6-5 290 Sr Miami, FL
74 Sherko Haji-Rasou T 6-6 326 Jr Toronto,
75 Vince Wilfork DE 6-2 338 Fr Lantana, FL
76 Carlos Joseph G 6-6 322 So Miami, FL
77 Chris Myers G 6-5 280 Fr Miami, FL
78 Bryant McKinnie G 6-9 330 Sr Woodbury, NJ
79 Robert Bergman OL 6-5 275 Fr Bakersfield, CA
80 Robert Williams TE 6-4 240 Sr Dallas, TX
81 Kellen Winslow WR 6-5 210 Fr San Diego, CA
82 David Williams TE 6-3 230 Fr Miami, FL
83 Aaron Greeno TE 6-4 241 So Denver, CO
84 Roscoe Parrish WR 5-9 165 Fr Miami, FL
85 Ennis Crafton TE 6-3 225 Jr Cypress Creek, FL
86 Brandon Sebald TE 6-6 240 Fr Accord, NY
87 Kevin Everett TE 6-5 235 Fr Port Arthur, TX
88 Jeremy Shockey TE 6-6 236 Jr Ada, OK
90 Thomas Carroll DE 6-5 220 Fr Lakewood, NJ
91 Matt Walters DT 6-5 260 Jr Melbourne, FL
92 Orien Harris DE 6-4 280 Fr Newark, DE
93 John Square DE 6-5 203 Fr Houston, TX
94 William Joseph DE 6-5 290 Jr Miami, FL
95 Jerome McDougle DE 6-4 270 Jr Pompano, FL
96 Miguel Robede DE 6-5 261 Fr Quebec, PQ
97 Larry Anderson DT 6-4 260 So Kissimmee, FL
98 Cornelius Green DE 6-4 250 Sr Kilgore, TX
99 Andrew Williams DE 6-4 260 Jr Tampa, FL

There are 31 players who are either playing or played in the NFL from this roster. Mind you, this does not include various prospects that are coming out this year or next year that are a lock to be drafted somewhere: Antrel Rolle, Orien Harris, Chris Myers, Roscoe Parrish, Kevin Everett, Santonio Thomas, Roger McIntosh. This also doesnt include Chris Campbell who was a likely mid to late round pick in 2002 had he survived his accident. So thats about 38 or 39 guys.

[Garcia Bronco]

95 Nebraska.

I went to the Orange Bowl that year when they played Va Tech(95-96)...tough team