Last night, I watched the best college football game ever. And I don't think its the euphoria talking. People are talking to strangers about this game. As I typed that last sentence, ABC4 news anchor Terry Wood walked by, and I overheard him saying: "Unbelievable. Best college football game I've ever seen." I'm talking about Boise State's incredible 43-42 overtime victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. What an amazing game, with an amazing finish.
But, now that the dust has settled, lets look at the Broncos place in history. Who is the best non-BCS team of all time? Here are your choices:
1984 BYU + Well, they did win the national championship, if that counts for anything in this crazy, mixed-up world. BYU got its signature win in week one of the year, when they went on the road and beat highly ranked Pittsburgh. The Cougars took on all comers, and got some help when the Oklahoma's of the world went down.
- The Cougars were in a slew of close games with not-so-great teams. BYU beat a Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl that finished the year with a 6-6 record. Robbie Bosco never really panned out in the NFL.
1998 Tulane + Shaun King leads the Green Wave to an undefeated season, and they beat BYU easily in the Liberty Bowl. King broke the NCAA record for passing efficiency. He became the first player to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 500 yards. The Green Wave shredded that Cougar defense that was ranked in the top ten in the nation.
- Where do I begin? No ranked opponents. Their cupcake schedule included Southwest Louisiana State and Rutgers(the old Rutgers, not the new one). Plus they had too many competitive games against that cupcake schedule. Even undefeated, Tulane could climb no higher than #7 in the rankings.
1999 Marshall + Chad Pennington led the Thundering Herd to a fabulous season, which they finished by crushing BYU in the Motor City Bowl. They beat an ACC team on the road(Clemson). Their defense went eight games without allowing a rushing touchdown. Their program finished the 1990's with the most wins in a decade in 1-A/1-AA history. Pennington turned out to be a pretty good pro.
- How's this for a recurring theme? Their schedule was too easy, no ranked opponents to be found. Opponents like Liberty and Buffalo, and they needed a touchdown pass on the last play of the game to beat Western Michigan. They scored just 21 points against a BYU team that was rotating between three quarterbacks.
2004 Utah + One of two teams in the modern era to beat every opponent on the schedule by at least 14 points. They boasted some legit pro prospects, including number one draft pick Alex Smith. They crushed a Texas A&M team that would take highly ranked Oklahoma to the brink. They were the first team to bust up the BCS, and prove that the little guys could play with the big boys.
- They didn't meet a ranked team all year long. They were favored in every game they played, usually by a bunch. It was a down year for the MWC. They bowl opponent was 7-4 Pittsburgh, not exactly a dominant program. The Utes got no higher than 4th in the polls, not even passing Oklahoma, after the Sooners got drilled by USC in the national title game.
2006 Boise State + The Broncos rolled their way through the schedule, including a 36-3 pasting of the Urban-Meyer-stocked Utes in SLC. They were the winners of the most entertaining college football game ever. They got a Flutie-like miracle to force OT, and converted two more tricky plays to win it. Unlike every other team on this list, they did get to play a big-time school in their bowl game. And they came through with a big-time win.
- For a big program, Oklahoma wasn't that great. The Sooners lost(more or less) to the same Oregon team that BYU destroyed. Boise almost lost to San Jose State. The Broncos escaped San Jose with a narrow 23-20 win. Call me crazy, but I think Boise State would have a lot of trouble if they met John Beck and the Cougars right now.
Agree/Disagree? Post below
