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Few events in the world of sports gets fans' collective limbs tingling and neck hair standing on end than does watching a dynasty unfold. For college football fanatics, this spectacle is made all the more dizzying thanks to our gridiron forefathers' wisdom in leaving Division I championships open to debate. While aficionados today still bicker over who rightly won National Titles 60 years ago, the advent of a single program's dominance over a particular era is no less breathtaking. Here is a recap of the ten greatest college football dynasties of all time. 10. Alabama Crimson Tide 1961 to 1966 Coach: Bear Bryant Record 68-6-3 National Titles: 3 Why not lower? Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide of the 1960s are what I consider the first dynasty of the "modern era" -- a term as contentious among college football fans as the tumultuous decade of the 1960s often was for society at large. Okay, that's probably pushing it, but fans tend to differ over when college football truly began to resemble the sport it is today. The 1960s featured a ubiquitousness of integrated teams, modern uniforms and helmets, a surge in the number of bowls and huge TV audiences. The Minnesota Golden Gophers of the 1930s and early 1940s had a similar dynasty in scope to the Alabama run in the 1960s. But I give the edge to Bryant's first empire because of a higher degree of difficulty in dominating a slate in this era than it was for the Gophers in the 1930s. The University of Texas in the same period was another contender for this list, but the Longhorns were done in by a trio of mediocre seasons mid-decade. Why not higher? While the first modern-era dynasty did come through Tuscaloosa, it was still "the beginning" of the modern era and there were some peculiar things left over from earlier periods. Such as voting for National Champions before the bowls were played. And even though two of Bryant's first three National Title teams stormed through undefeated seasons to claim their crowns, the 1964 Tide won a title despite getting beat by Texas in the Orange Bowl. That's just goofy. 9. Army Black Knights 1943 to 1950 Coach: Earl Blaik Record 73-5-5 National Titles: 2 Why not lower? The Army Black Knights of the World War 2 era were just as fearsome as their bad-ass mascot suggests. Coach Earl Blaik's teams of 1944 to 1946 featured a 29-game undefeated streak that produced some ungodly blowouts. Army outscored opponents 916 to 81 in back-to-back National Title seasons for a 51-5 average score over 18 games. Army's defense shut out 32 of the 83 offenses they encountered during this dynasty. Meanwhile, the offense put up 6 or more touchdowns in 31 contests. Army was spooky fierce as two Knights landed Heisman Trophies during the run (Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis). Why not higher? Much like the Golden Gophers of a decade earlier, it's hard to gauge how challenging Army's competition was at the time. The Black Knights split a series with Notre Dame (in the throes of their own dynasty) 2-2-1 but needed the peak of World War 2 (1944 and 1945) -- when the best athletes in the nation had enlisted -- to even the score with the Irish. While tough national programs such as Michigan, Penn State and Stanford did pepper Army's slate (the Knights went 7-0 versus those schools during their dynasty) the majority of the schedule featured hapless Ivy League teams. Fearsome though Army was, just about any team worth its salt could make the Columbias, Villanovas and Penns of the gridiron landscape quake in their cleats. 8. USC Trojans 2002 to 2008 Coach: Pete Carroll Record 82-9 National Titles: 2* Why not lower? Pete Carroll's USC Trojans had a certain mystique that only comes around every generation or so. Maybe it was endowed by the pageantry of a traditional college football power returned to greatness. Maybe an element of Hollywood glitz had rubbed off on the program. Or maybe it was USC's penchant for pounding the sport's best foes into the dirt with all the care-free ease of a lotioned tourist splayed out on the beach in Santa Monica. Whatever the case, the better the competition, the more exceptional the 2000s Trojans performed. USC particularly dominated opponents in BCS bowl games. The Trojans went 6-1 post-season during the Carroll Dynasty winning 4 Rose Bowls and 2 Orange Bowls by an average score of 40-18, the most stunning of those wins coming against #2 Oklahoma in a 55-19 thumping for the 2004 BCS Title. USC of the mid-2000s was so dominant, the school held the #1 slot in the AP poll for a stunning 32 consecutive weeks, produced three Heisman winners and fell just 3 points (and a spectacular performance by Vince Young) shy of becoming college football's only three-peat champion. Why not higher? Let's put aside a moment the recent scandal that vacated USC's 2004 National Title.* Once the Leinart/Bush era came to a close, USC displayed a few chinks in its seemingly impervious armor. While still dominating the best competition the nation had to offer, Pete Carroll's teams often inexplicably stumbled late in the Dynasty against lesser competition. The 2006 Trojans walloped Top 25 schools such as Arkansas, Notre Dame and Michigan only to gack it against Oregon State and UCLA. The Bruins were barely bowl eligible that year. In 2007, a 4-7 Stanford team upended USC. And, in 2008, after hammering Ohio State 35-3 in the Coliseum, the Trojans promptly went to Corvallis and tanked against the Beavers again. Spectacularly dominant early years in which USC played in three national title games (with two wins) gave way to an inconsistency that kept Southern Cal from getting even one single return to the BCS Championship. And then there's that scandal, too. 7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1941 to 1949 Coaches: Frank Leahy (1941-1943 and 1946-1949), Ed McKeever (1944), Hugh Devore (1945) Record 75-8-6 National Titles: 4 Why not lower? While eight decades later, Knute Rocke and the Four Horsemen are what many people think of as the glorious early days of Notre Dame football, it was really Frank Leahy's teams of the 1940s and the installation of the T Formation that defined the Irish as the epitome of college football to the nation at large. Notre Dame won four National Titles in the 1940s (tying Miami with the most in any one dynasty) and produced three Heisman winners. Leahy's Irish were the only team capable of beating Earl Blaik's Army teams (the other juggernaut of the decade) on a consistent basis. Why not higher? You've got to respect Frank Leahy's sense of duty as he left Notre Dame mid-decade to serve in the Navy. But his temporary replacements, Ed McKeever and Hugh Devore, barely kept the dynasty afloat, combining for a 15-4-1 record. Army took advantage of Leahy's absence, humiliating Notre Dame in back-to-back seasons by scores of 0-59 and 0-48. Those two games alone are nearly enough to drop the Irish Dynasty out of the top 10 altogether. But once Leahy returned to the sidelines, so did Notre Dame's domination over the cadets from West Point. 6. Oklahoma Sooners 1971-1980 Coaches: Chuck Fairbanks (1971-1972), Barry Switzer (1973-1980) Record 105-12-2 National Titles: 2 Why not lower? Marching lockstep with Alabama (another dynasty to cover the years of 1971 to 1980), the Oklahoma Sooners under Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer saw an impressive half-dozen 11-win seasons, back-to-back National Titles in 1974 and 1975, a 7-1 bowl record, six outright conference titles and three shared ones, 8 finishes in the AP Top 3 and a role in the 1971 "Game of the Century" versus Nebraska. Barry Switzer (both as head coach and offensive coordinator for Fairbanks) perfected the wishbone offense, developing the Sooners into the most formidable scoring machine of the era as OU scored five or more touchdowns in nearly half their contests while eclipsing 60 points 12 times. The Sooner defense, meanwhile, held 70 out of 119 opponents to just 14 points or fewer with the 1974 squad holding all 11 to no more than that sum. Why not higher? The beginning of the Fairbanks/Switzer Dynasty (1971-1975) produced a remarkable 53-3-1 record which resulted in back-to-back national titles -- a feat rarely done in college football. But when you look at the games played in this stretch, you'll notice something a little odd; Oklahoma had no post seasons in 1973 or 1974. This was due to NCAA sanctions that banned the Sooners from playing on television and accepting bowl invites. Now, the impropriety itself isn't reason enough to lower the Sooners' 1970s Dynasty, but the fact that Oklahoma didn't prove its mettle against top competition to claim the 1974 title does. Oklahoma's most formidable opponent that year (Nebraska) finished the season 9-3. Texas, Utah State and Baylor each had 8 wins, but that was as good as it got by way opposition in 1974. While #2 USC and #3 Ohio State were locked into a Rose Bowl commitment, Alabama, Notre Dame and Penn State all had 10 or more wins and could have provided a certification for OU as the best team of 1974. The following National Title year was no better as Oklahoma was allowed to return to the Orange Bowl, however the Sooners' championship (despite losing by 20 points to a mediocre Kansas team) was aided by the absence of any undefeated teams other than WAC champion Arizona State. (Yep, the mid-majors were maligned even then.) Oklahoma faced an 8-2-1 Michigan team in the Orange Bowl for a rather underwhelming 14-6 win. After these dubious back-to-back championships, the program never quite got its mojo back as Switzer's teams spent the second half of the Dynasty seeing several National Title berths derailed in the Red River Rivalry as Texas took a 3-1-1 advantage over OU to finish out the decade. 5. Alabama Crimson Tide 1971 to 1980 Coach: Bear Bryant Record 107-13 National Titles: 3 Why not lower? Paul Bryant is the only coach to appear with two dynasties on this top ten list and, while the first dynasty established Alabama as a national football power, it was this second dynasty less than a decade letter that carved Bryant's face into the Mount Rushmore of great coaches. Switching from a power offense to the wishbone, the Crimson Tide bounced back from an unexceptional period in the late 1960s to post an impressive 11-0 regular season run in 1971. With blowout wins over SEC powers Mississippi, Tennessee and Auburn, the stage was set for a decade of Tide dominance. Seven of the nine seasons of the dynasty featured no less than 11 wins (at a time when Division I football teams rarely played more than 12 game slates) as Alabama won 8 of 9 SEC championships, commanded a 63-4 record over its SEC competition and took home 3 National Titles. Why not higher? 63 wins and 4 losses vs. conference opponents. One has to wonder how demanding the Southeastern Conference actually was in the 1970s. Only 5 conference opponents during this run ever won 10 or more games in the season they played Alabama and no league rival was ever a consistent threat to the Tide's dominance. In fact, Georgia, Auburn and Florida combined for 10 losing seasons during the dynasty including a winless season perpetrated by the Gators in 1979. Nonconference opponents, on the other hand, managed to beat Bama nine times despite accounting for only a third of the games played. Notre Dame and Nebraska were particularly thorny for Alabama as the duo combined for six wins and just won loss against the Tide. And, outside the 1971 Cornhuskers and 1973 Irish, these teams were not among their respective program's best squads. To top it off Notre Dame claimed half of the 1973 National Championship when the AP awarded its title after the Sugar Bowl where the Irish beat Alabama 24-23, while the Crimson Tide had already been awarded the UPI title. Seeing 11-win season after 11-win season throughout a single decade is breathtaking, but one has to wonder what Bama's record might have been if 54 of its 120 opponents hadn't had losing records. 4. Miami Hurricanes 1983 to 1994 Coaches: Howard Schnellenberger (1983), Jimmy Johnson (1984-1988), Dennis Erickson (1989-1994) Record 126-19 National Titles: 4 Why not lower? Howard Schnellenberger laid the groundwork for this dynasty in short order, taking a football program on the brink of extinction (the University had conducted serious discussions about dropping football prior to his arrival) to the school's first ever National Title in just five years. Using a pro style offense (rare in college football at the time) and mining previously overlooked South Florida talent, Schnellenberger introduced the college football world to the dynastic Miami Hurricanes with a stunning 31-30 victory over a prolific Nebraska team in the 1984 Orange Bowl. The coach's departure for the USFL led to the hiring of Jimmy Johnson who continued Schnellenberger's formula for success (pro style offense plus South Florida talent) but added a 4-3 defense and fostered the "Miami Swagger". All elements that helped turn the Hurricanes into the most feared team of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Johnson compiled a 52-9 record in his five seasons at Miami which included a National Championship loss to Penn State in 1986 and a National Title win over Oklahoma in 1987. Dennis Erickson replaced Johnson (who left Miami for the NFL) and kept the dynasty rolling with another National Title in his first year and another just two years later. In all during this three-coach dynasty, the Hurricanes played in six National Title games (with four wins), conducted an NCAA record 58-game home win streak, finished in the AP Top 3 in 8 of the 12 seasons and dominated both Nebraska (3-1) and Florida State (9-3) (the Hurricane's contemporary elites). Why not higher? A lack of consistency, basically. The three dynasties ahead of the 1980s/1990s Hurricanes are marked by periods of sustained dominance, whereas Miami tended to be a little more spasmodic in its reign of terror. This likely stemmed from the U's inability to keep a head coach for longer than 5 seasons at a time. The Miami Dynasty included a pair of mediocre seasons in 1984 and 1993 and, while the U beats all other dynasties in total national titles, two championship teams were blemished (suggesting that the Hurricanes needed a little help to the top in those two seasons). Miami also got spanked in major bowls during the run, losing to Tennessee, Alabama and Arizona by two to three touchdowns in high-profile bowls. All this and the taint of impropriety by the end of Erickson's tenure which infamously prompted Sports Illustrated to call for an end to the Miami football program altogether. While that doesn't diminish the skill displayed on the field by Miami during its run at the top, there's a tendency to regard the program as one might a jockey who whips a competing derby horse. 3. Nebraska Cornhuskers 1993 to 2001 Coaches: Tom Osborne (1993-1997), Frank Solich (1998-2001) Record 102-12 National Titles: 3 Why not lower? The last five seasons of Tom Osborne's incredible 25-year coaching career featured 60 wins, just 3 losses and four National Title berths with three crowns won. Osborne's prolific offenses racked up 2694 points over this stretch while Charlie McBride's Blackshirts held opponents to just 918 total points for a 43-14 per-game average. The 1995 Cornhuskers are considered by many pundits and fans nationwide to be the greatest college football team of all time. The signature moment of this Dynasty came as Tommie Frazier barreled through a squad of strip-happy Gators en route to a 75- yard Fiesta Bowl touchdown. Nebraska football of the mid-1990s was simply staggering in its dominance and is, in my opinion, the single greatest five-season run in the history of the sport. Why not higher? Frank Solich, bless his heart, had been with the Cornhusker program for decades, first as a player in Bob Devaney's debut recruiting class and then throughout the 1980s and 1990s as an assistant coach before landing as Tom Osborne's heir to the top job in 1998. Things went bumpy right out of the gate for Solich who produced the Husker's first 4-loss season in 30 years. A repeat performance the following year might have been enough to kill the dynasty before the end of the decade, but a spark of energy from eventual Heisman-winner Eric Crouch (and bolstered by one of Charlie McBride's best defensive units) carried the 1999 Huskers to a 12-1 record and a #3 ranking. Solich and Crouch then guided Nebraska to a BCS Championship appearance at the end of 2001, but in one of the most dubious ways imaginable. After losing to Colorado in Boulder 36-62, Nebraska watched as four teams ranked ahead of them lost clearing a way to Pasadena to face the Miami Hurricanes -- who also clobbered the Huskers 14-37. Solich's 42-win, 9-loss contribution to this Dynasty are not bad, but that record pales in comparison to Osborne's half. A little more magic from his predecessor might have been enough to move this dynasty a notch or two higher on this list. As is, though, there are a pair of dynasties even greater than the Nebraska empire. A more detailed look at the Osborne Dynasty. 2. Florida State Seminoles 1987 to 2000 Coach: Bobby Bowden Record 152-19-1 National Titles: 2 Why not lower? Do you see that record? One hundred and fifty two freaking wins, people! Beginning in 1987, Bobby Bowden's Seminoles started a stunning streak of 14 consecutive 10-win campaigns in which Florida State never finished lower than 4th in the AP poll. In ten of those seasons the Seminoles won 11 or more games, an astonishing fact when you consider that college football teams rarely played more than 12 games (bowl included) in a single season during this era. Throughout the 14-year Bowden empire, Florida State boasted winning records against a "who's who" of college football programs -- 2-0 vs. USC, 2-1 vs. Notre Dame, 3-0 vs. LSU, 3-1 vs. Auburn, 4-0 vs. Nebraska, 5-0 vs. Virginia Tech, 10-1 vs. Clemson, and 11-4-1 vs. Florida. In all, Florida State appeared in 5 National Title games and won two of them. Why not higher? Do you notice who's missing from the "who's who" list above? Yep. The Miami Hurricanes. Bowden's Seminoles split the 14-game series with Miami, each program grabbing seven wins. But the early-going was particularly rough for FSU. Miami won 6 of the first 8 games at a time when both the Seminoles and Hurricanes were national powers. Florida State evened the score mainly by taking advantage of the U during a late-1990s slump. But Miami did more than just dominate an equal. The Hurricanes ruined National Title shot after National Title shot for FSU. 1987, 1988, and 1992 were all 11-1 seasons with the sole loss coming to Miami. The Hurricanes also dealt Florida State its only loss in 1994, but a tie vs. Florida would have kept the Seminoles out of the National Title picture anyway. Were it not for the constant usurpation out of Coral Gables, Florida State could have potentially been 4 National Titles richer. FSU's run of consecutive AP Top 4 finishes is amazing, but failure to land on top more than twice is just enough to deny the Seminoles a title as the greatest college football dynasty of all time. 1. Oklahoma Sooners 1948 to 1958 Coach: Bud Wilkinson Record 107-8-2 National Titles: 3 Why not lower? When compiling rankings such as this, I have something of a bias against teams that played before the invention of the face mask -- and the single bar across the nose doesn't count -- may be fine for a place kicker circa 1972, but on a defensive end it looks kind of sissy -- which ought to tell you just how impressive Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners were in the 1950s. Prior to Wilkinson's arrival in Norman, OU had been a solid but not a particularly standout football program. With just 3 undefeated seasons in the program's first 44 years and no national titles, Oklahoma would add four unblemished seasons and three National Titles in just the first ten years of Wilkinson's tenure. The young coach (who had cut his football teeth as a player on the great Minnesota teams of the 1930s) set the Sooners' on a course of dominance immediately upon arrival, wining conference titles in all of his first 13 seasons, steering OU to an 11-0 record in just his third year and winning the program's first National Title in his fourth. From 1948 to 1958, Oklahoma compiled an amazing 107-8-2 record that would include two of the longest win-streaks in the sport's history, including the longest ever -- a 47-game unbeaten cycle that stretched from 1953 to 1957. OU went 6-1 in bowl games, often blowing out post-season competition. At the height of the dynasty, Oklahoma outscored opponents 1788-317 over five seasons for a 33-6 per game average. In that period (from 1954 to 1958), the Sooner defense shut out 23 of 54 teams while only allowing 14 opponents to score double-digits and only one team more than 20 points (Colorado in a 56-21 losing effort). The 1955 Sooners are considered by many experts to be among the single greatest teams of all time. No dynasty (outside perhaps the Osborne portion of the Cornhusker Dynasty) can truly match the dominance of Oklahoma in the 1950s. Other programs in other eras had notable co-rulers in the collegiate gridiron roost -- Notre Dame had Army in the 1940s, Alabama had Texas in the 1960s, Nebraska had Miami and Florida State in the 1980s and 1990s, USC had Florida, Texas and Oklahoma in the 2000s. But, in the 1950s, one program stood alone above all others as no single program has done before or since. Why not higher? I would rank the Bud Wilkinson Dynasty higher, but where can you really go from all time #1? I'm open to suggestions. Biggest slumps by elite programs -- which top schools have sucked the most? Top 25 teams of the BCS era. Collegefootball preseason Top 25 |
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