# Rivals Top 25 teams since 2001: Did they leave out a better team?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rivals-top-25-teams-since-2001-did-they-leave-out-a-better-team/589246>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 16, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rivals-top-25-teams-since-2001-did-they-leave-out-a-better-team/589246 "2011-07-16T15:00:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rivals-top-25-teams-since-2001-did-they-leave-out-a-better-team/589246/1 "2011-07-16T15:00:57Z")

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The full article at [http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1240853](http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1240853) can provide the thinking behind this summary list, but I’m wondering how SDMB thinking differs from the Rivals staff’s analysis.

Which team(s) on this list would you replace with the one(s) that you feel were substantially better that year or that need to be considered among the top 25 of the decade?

And if all you think is that the order is not right, how would you change that?

> [@](#):
>
> July 16, 2011
> 
> [Rivals.com](http://Rivals.com) Staff
> 
> On Friday, we wrote about how difficult it was to put together a list of the top 25 college players during the [Rivals.com](http://Rivals.com) era (2001 season through 2010 season).
> 
> Frankly, though, that was like doing first-grade math compared to picking the top 25 teams of the decade. (We did not rank programs; instead, it was best one-season teams). It took a week or so - and a ton of e-mail strings - but we finally finished.
> 
> Let the arguments begin.
> 
> 1. UTAH 2004  
> RECORD: 12-0 overall, 7-0 conference  
> CONFERENCE: Mountain West
> 
> 2. PENN STATE 2005  
> RECORD: 11-1, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: Big Ten
> 
> 3. OKLAHOMA 2008  
> RECORD: 12-2, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: Big 12
> 
> 4. BOISE STATE 2009  
> RECORD: 14-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: WAC
> 
> 5. OHIO STATE 2006  
> RECORD: 12-1, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big Ten
> 
> 6. FLORIDA 2009  
> RECORD: 13-1, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 7. USC 2008  
> RECORD: 12-1, 8-1  
> CONFERENCE: Pac-10
> 
> 8. LSU 2007  
> RECORD: 12-2, 6-2  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 9. TCU 2010  
> RECORD: 13-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Mountain West
> 
> 10. UTAH 2008  
> RECORD: 13-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Mountain West
> 
> 11. TEXAS 2009  
> RECORD: 13-1, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big 12
> 
> 12. OREGON 2010  
> RECORD: 12-1, 9-0  
> CONFERENCE: Pac-10
> 
> 13. FLORIDA 2006  
> RECORD: 13-1, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 14. USC 2003  
> RECORD: 12-1, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: Pac-10
> 
> 15. LSU 2003  
> RECORD: 13-1, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 16. MIAMI 2002  
> RECORD: 12-1, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big East
> 
> 17. OHIO STATE 2002  
> RECORD: 14-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big Ten
> 
> 18. FLORIDA 2008  
> RECORD: 13-1, 7-1  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 19. AUBURN 2004  
> RECORD: 13-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 20. AUBURN 2010  
> RECORD: 14-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 21. ALABAMA 2009  
> RECORD: 14-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: SEC
> 
> 22. USC 2005  
> RECORD: 12-1, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Pac-10
> 
> 23. TEXAS 2005  
> RECORD: 13-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big 12
> 
> 24. USC 2004  
> RECORD: 13-0, 8-0  
> CONFERENCE: Pac-10
> 
> 25. MIAMI 2001  
> RECORD: 12-0, 7-0  
> CONFERENCE: Big East
> 
> NOTE: Rankings and team capsules by staff writers Olin Buchanan, Tom Dienhart, David Fox, Mike Huguenin and Steve Megargee.

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**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rivals-top-25-teams-since-2001-did-they-leave-out-a-better-team/589246/2 "2011-07-16T15:13:18Z")

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obviously flawed. No SEC team in the top 4. Funny a team that did win the Nat’l championship is #7.

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rivals-top-25-teams-since-2001-did-they-leave-out-a-better-team/589246/3 "2011-07-16T15:20:43Z")

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> [@notfrommensa](#):
>
> obviously flawed. No SEC team in the top 4. Funny a team that did win the Nat’l championship is #7.

Indeed! The fact that they have the best two Auburn teams of the decade on the list is a small measure of compensation. I would just love to see a playoff of these teams and settle all that on the field.