College Football: The 10 Best non-BCS Teams of the BCS Era

Taking an in-depth look at the best "Mid-Major" teams in College Football since the BCS began (2009-1998)...

Accounting for more than just win-loss records... Weighing Strength of Schedule; quality of wins vs scoring margin... Considering individual greatness within the context of a team sport...

These are the Top 10 Best non-BCS Teams in the BCS Era.

Debate it.

This list will be updated after Boise State wins the 2010 National Championship.

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Keys & Notes:

Strength of Schedule (SOS) - This is an approximate average ranking of teams' SOS based on the BCS rating systems: Sagarin, Anderson & Hester (A&H), Colley, Billingsley (Bills), Massey -- (some rankings not available)

All-Conference Teams - Players' selection to future years' All-Conference Teams are not noted, only current and past selections (in parenthesis) are noted. Players' seleciton to future All-America Teams are noted [in brackets] along with current and past selections .

Consideration is limited to College Football. The NFL/Pro Football carries no weight in this deliberation.

Check out this article: Greatest Players in USC Football History: The All-Time All-Trojans Team

No. 1 - 2008 Utah Utes (13-0)

2008 Utah - Mountain West Conference Champions (8-0)

Utah destroyed Alabama (12-2) in the Sugar Bowl, 31-17... which was a nice way to cap a great season. However, not all of Utah's wins came that easily.

Utah had a handful of close, hard-fought games throughout the season. Though their margin of victory (MOV) was not the most impressive, they did play one of the toughest schedules of any non-BCS AQ team in the era. Coached by Kyle Whittingham, Utah beat a collection of quality opponents better than any other team. A true leader on and off the the field, Brian Johnson did a masterful job as Quarterback (currently the QB Coach at Utah). All things considered, Utah 2008 is my pick as the Best Non-BCS AQ Team of the BCS Era.
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Ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 4 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+19.6 (36.9 - 17.3)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
54th - (56, 54, 73, 50, 36)

2008 Utah 13-0 record:
31-17 vs Bama (12-2)... Ranked # 6/6 in the Polls (Sugar Bowl)
13-10 - TCU (11-2)..... Ranked # 7/7 in the Polls
31-28 - Oregon St (9-4)... Ranked # 18/19 in the Polls
48-21 - BYU (10-3)..... Ranked # 25/21 in the Polls
30-23 @ Air Force (8-5)
49-16 - Colorado St (7-6)
42-21 - UNLV (5-7)
25-23 @ Michigan (3-9)
13-10 @ New Mexico (4-8)
40-7 @ Wyoming (4-8)
58-10 @ Utah St (3-9)
63-14 @ San Diego St (2-10)
37-21 - Weber St** (10-4)

AFCA National Coach of the Year - Kyle Whittingham
Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year - Kyle Whittingham
Mtn West Coach of the Year - Kyle Whittingham

2008 All-Mtn West Team selections:
1st QB - Brian Johnson, Sr. --- Mtn West Off POY
1st OL - Zane Beadles, Jr.
1st OL - Robert Conley, Sr.
1st DL - Paul Kruger, So.
1st DB - Brice McCain, Sr.
1st DB - Sean Smith, Jr.
1st K - Louie Sakoda, Sr.
1st P - Louie Sakoda*, Sr.
2nd WR - Freddy Brown, Sr.
2nd DL - Koa Misi, Jr.
2nd LB - Jason Beauchamp, Jr.
HM DL - Greg Newman, Sr.
HM KR - David Reed, Jr.
HM OL - Zane Taylor, So.
HM LB - Mike Wright, Jr.
*-- Two-time 1st Tm selection

Unanimous 1st Tm All-America - Louie Sakoda (Kicker)
(2007 1st Tm All-America - Louie Sakoda (Punter))

No. 2 - 2006 Boise State Broncos (13-0)

2006 Boise State - Western Athletic Conference Champions (8-0)

In his first year as head coach, Chris Peteresen did an outstanding job of leading this team of under-appreciated, blue-collar kids to an undefeated season--the only undefeated team that year. But winning the Fiesta Bowl with the greatest finish in College Football history is what the 2006 Boise St team will be remembered by.

The Hook-n-Ladder.
The Halfback Pass.
The Statue of Liberty.

The play-calling, the execution, the style... Truely Awesome. That team, that game, that collection of three plays will live on forever in College Football lore.

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Ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 6 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+22.1 (39.7 - 17.6 )

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
79th - (90, 61, 81, 84, --, --)

Boise State 13-0 record:
43-42 vs Oklahoma (11-3)... Ranked # 11/11 in the Polls (Fiesta Bowl)
42-14 @ Oregon St (10-4)... Ranked # 21/22 in the Polls
41-34 - Hawaii (11-3)... Ranked # 26/24 in the Polls
36-3 @ Utah (8-5)
23-20 - San Jose St (9-4)
38-7 @ Reno (8-5)
17-10 @ Wyoming (6-6)
45-21 @ Fresno St (4-8)
40-28 @ New Mexico St (4-8)
42-26 @ Idaho (4-8)
55-14 - L Tech (3-10)
49-10 - Utah St (1-11)

Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year - Chris Petersen

2006 All-WAC Team selections:
1st RB - Ian Johnson, So. --- [2007 WAC 1st Tm]
1st WR - Legedu Naanee, Sr.
1st TE - Derek Schouman, Sr.
1st OL - Ryan Clady, So.
1st DL - Andrew Browning, Sr.
1st LB - Korey Hall**, Sr. --- WAC Defensive POY
1st PK - Anthony Montgomery, Sr.
2nd OL - Jeff Cavender, Jr.
2nd QB - Jared Zabransky, Sr.
2nd LB - Colt Brooks, Sr.
2nd DB - Marty Tadman, Jr.
2nd P - Kyle Stringer, Sr.
**-- Three-time 1st Tm selection

[2007 1st Tm All-America - Ryan Clady (OL)]

No. 3 - 2009 Boise State Broncos (14-0)

2009 Boise State - Western Athletic Conference Champions (8-0)

This team might end-up being remembered as the pre-quel to the 2010 National Championship team. Virtually the entire 2009 Boise St team will be retuning for the 2010 season... and it was such a strong team that it earned an at-large BCS Bowl bid, a first for non-BCS teams.

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Ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 4 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+25.1 (42.2 - 17.1)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
87th - (96, 68, 101, 84, --)

Boise State 14-0 record:
17-10 vs TCU (12-1)... Ranked # 6/6 in the Polls (Fiesta Bowl)
19-8 - Oregon (10-3)... Ranked # 11/11 in the Polls
51-34 @ Fresno St (8-5)
44-33 - Reno (8-5)
63-25 - Idaho (8-5)
49-14 @ Bowling Green (7-6)
54-9 @ Hawaii (6-7)
28-21 @ Tulsa (5-7)
45-35 @ L Tech (4-8)
52-21 @ Utah St (4-8)
42-7 - New Mexico St (3-10)
45-7 - San Jose St (2-10)
48-0 - Miami-Oh (1-11)
34-16 - UC Davis** (6-5)

Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year - Chris Petersen
WAC Coach of the Year - Chris Petersen

2009 All-WAC Team selections:
1st QB - Kellen Moore, So. ----- WAC Offensive POY
1st WR - Austin Pettis, Jr.
1st WR - Titus Young, Jr.
1st OL - Nate Potter, So.
1st DL - Ryan Winterswyk*, Jr.
1st DB - Kyle Wilson**, Sr.
1st ST - Titus Young, Jr.
2nd RB - Jeremy Avery, Jr.
2nd DL - Billy Winn, So.
2nd LB - Winston Venable, Jr.
2nd DB - Jeron Johnson, Jr.
*-- Two-time 1st Tm selection
**-- Three-time 1st Tm selection

No. 4 - 2009 TCU Horned Frogs (12-1)

2009 TCU - Mountain West Conference Champions (8-0)

The TCU 2009 team was on track for the top spot before being derailed by Boise St in the Fiesta Bowl. This team had the players (Jerry Hughes was the best DE in the Country, along with QB Andy Dalton they had 9 all-Conf 1st teamers)... they had the Coach (Gary Patterson was the consensus national Coach of the Year)... they had the schedule (Clemson and the ever-improving Mtn West provided solid competition)... but they didnt get that final "win".
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Ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 6 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+25.5 (38.3 - 12.8)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
62nd - (60, 53, 65, 71, --)

TCU 12-1 record:
10-17 vs Boise St (14-0)... Ranked # 4/4 in the Polls (Fiesta Bowl)
38-7 @ BYU (11-2)..... Ranked # 12/12 in the Polls
55-28 - Utah (10-3)... Ranked # 18/18 in the Polls
14-10 @ Clemson (9-5)... Ranked # 24/28 in the Polls
20-17 @ Air Force (8-5)
39-14 - SMU (8-5)
45-10 @ Wyoming (7-6)
41-0 - UNLV (5-7)
55-12 @ San Diego St (4-8)
30-14 @ Virginia (3-9)
44-6 - Colorodo St (3-9)
51-10 - New Mexico (1-11)
56-21 - Texas St** (7-4)

AFCA National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Sporting News National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Walter Camp National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Woody Hayes National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
AP National Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson
Mtn West Coach of the Year - Gary Patterson

2009 All-Mtn West Team selections:
1st QB - Andy Dalton Jr. --- Mtn West Off POY
1st OL - Marshall Newhouse Sr.
1st OL - Ross Evans So.
1st DL - Jerry Hughes*# Sr. --- Mtn West Def POY (2008 Mtn West Def POY)
1st LB - Daryl Washington Sr.
1st DB - Rafael Priest Sr.
1st DB - Nick Sanders Sr.
1st PK - Ross Evans So.
1st PR/KR - Jeremy Kerley*# Jr.
2nd RB - Joseph Turner Sr.
2nd OL - Jake Kirkpatrick Jr.
2nd DL - Wayne Daniels Jr.
2nd DL - Cory Grant Jr.
2nd LB - Tank Carder So.
2nd DB - Tejay Johnson Jr.
HM TE - Evan Frosch, Jr.
HM WR - Antoine Hicks, So.
HM WR - Jeremy Kerley, Jr.
HM RB - Ed Wesley, Fr.
HM WR - Jimmy Young, Jr.
*--Two-time 1st Tm selection
#--Unanimous Selection

Ted Hendricks Award winner (Top DE) - Jerry Hughes (DE)
Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy winner (Top Def Player) - Jerry Hughes (DE)
Unanimous 1st Tm All-America - Jerry Hughes (DE)
(2008 1st Tm CAA - Jerry Hughes (DE))

No. 5 - 2004 Utah Utes (12-0)

2004 Utah - Mountain West Conference Champions (8-0)

The first "BCS Bowl Buster" did it with style. Quarterback Alex Smith was a Heisman finalist, Urban Meyer was national Coach of the Year, they beat every opponent by at least two touchdowns. However, the best opponent they faced was a marginal top-25 Pitt team (8-4).

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Ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 5 in the CA Poll

.

Margin of Victory:
+25.8 (45.3 - 19.5)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
72nd - (67, 67, 82, --, --)

Utah 12-0 record:
35-7 vs Pitt (8-4)... Ranked # 25/28 in the Polls (Fiesta Bowl)
41-21 - aTm (7-5)
28-7 @ New Mexico (7-5)
45-28 @ Wyoming (7-5)
46-16 - N Carolina (6-6)
49-35 - Air Force (5-6)
52-21 - BYU (5-6)
23-6 @ Arizona (3-9)
51-28 @ San Diego St (4-7)
63-31 - Colorado St (4-7)
48-6 @ Utah St (3-8)
63-31 - UNLV (2-9)

Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year - Urban Meyer
Woody Hayes National Coach of the Year - Urban Meyer
ESPN/Home Depot National Coach of the Year - Urban Meyer
Mtn West Coach of the Year - Urban Meyer

2004 All-Mtn West Team selections:
1st QB- Alex Smith# Sr. --- Mtn West Off POY
1st WR - Steve Savoy Sr.
1st OL - Chris Kemoeatu Sr.
1st DL - Steve Fifita Jr.
1st DL - Sione Pouha Sr.
1st DB - Morgan Scalley# Sr. --- Mtn West co-Def POY
2nd WR - Paris Warren Sr. Utah
2nd RB - Marty Johnson Sr. Utah
2nd OL - Jesse Boone Jr. Utah
2nd DB - Eric Weddle So. Utah --- [2005 & 2006 Mtn West Def POY]
2nd OL - Makai Aalona
HM RB - Quinton Ganther
HM LB - Tommy Hackenbruck
HM P - Matt Kovacevich
HM LB - Spencer Toone
#--Unanimous Selection

Sporting News Player of the Year - Alex Smith (QB)
Sports Illustrated Player of the Year - Alex Smith (QB)
1st Tm All-America - Alex Smith (QB)
[2006 1st Tm All-America - Eric Weddle (DB)]

No. 6 - 2004 Louisville Cardinals (11-1)

2004 Louisville - Conference-USA Champions (8-0)

Michael Bush and Brian Brohm were backups on this 2004 Louisville team, which gives you a little insight as to how solid this team was. This is the only team with an average scoring margin of over 30 points. If not for a dropped interception against Miami-FL (9-3), it's possible that Louisville would have receive the BCS Bowl berth over Utah that year.
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Ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 7 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+30.1 (49.8 - 19.7)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
79th - (82, 68, 86, --, --)

Louisville 11-1 record:
38-41 @ Miami-FL (9-3)... Ranked # 11/11 in the Polls
44-40 vs Boise St (11-1)... Ranked # 12/13 in the Polls (Liberty Bowl)
56-49 @ Memphis (8-4)
34-0 @ N Carolina (6-6)
70-7 - Cincinnati (7-5)
55-7 @ Tulane (5-6)
55-28 - TCU (5-6)
41-9 - S Florida (4-7)
28-0 - Kentucky (2-9)
65-27 @ Houston (3-8)
52-21 @ Army (2-9)
59-7 - E Carolina (2-9)

CUSA Coach of the Year - Bobby Petrino

2004 All-CUSA Team selections:
1st QB - Stephan LeFors*, Sr. --- CUSA co-Off POY
1st WR - J.R. Russell, Sr.
1st OL - Travis Leffew, Jr.
1st DL - Marcus Jones, Sr.
1st LB - Robert McCune, Sr.
1st DB - Kerry Rhodes, Sr.
2nd RB - Eric Shelton, Jr.
2nd OL - Will Rabatin, Sr.
2nd OL - Jason Spitz, Jr.
3rd TE - Adam McCauley, Sr.

No. 7 - 2008 TCU Horned Frogs (11-2)

2008 TCU - Mountain West Conference Runnerup (7-1)

Besides maybe the 2008 Utah team, this TCU team may have played the toughest SOS among any of the teams even considered for this list. They faced No. 2 Utah on the Road, No. 5 Oklahoma on the Road, No. 11 Boise St at a neutral Bowl, and No. 25 BYU at home. That's why, despite their 2-loss record, I ranked them ahead of some teams who went undefeated.
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Ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 7 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+22.3 (33.6 - 11.3)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
51st - (41, 69, 30, 69, 45)

TCU 11-2 Record:
10-13 @ Utah (13-0)... Ranked # 2/4
10-35 @ Oklahoma (12-2)... Ranked # 5/5
17-16 vs Boise St (12-1)... Ranked # 11/13 (Poinsettia/6th BCS Bowl)
32-7 - BYU (10-3)... Ranked # 25/21
44-10 - Air Force (8-5)
31-14 - Stanford (5-9)
13-7 @ Colorado St (7-6)
44-14 @ UNLV (5-7)
26-3 @ New Mexcio (4-8)
54-7 - Wyoming (4-8)

2008 All-Mtn West Team selections:
1st OL - Blake Schlueter Sr.
1st DL - Jerry Hughes# Jr. --- Mtn West Def POY
1st LB - Robert Henson Sr.
1st LB - Jason Phillips* Sr.
1st DB - Stephen Hodge Sr.
1st PR/KR - Jeremy Kerley So.
2nd OL - Marshall Newhouse Jr. TCU
2nd DL - Cody Moore Sr. TCU
2nd DL - Matt Panfil Sr. TCU
2nd DB - Steven Coleman Sr. TCU
2nd DB - Rafael Priest Jr. TCU
HM KR - Aaron Brown, Sr.
HM OL - Marcus Cannon, So.
HM QB - Andy Dalton, So.
HM P - Anson Kelton, Fr.
HM - CB - Nick Sanders, Jr.
HM NT - James Vess, Sr.
HM WR - Jimmy Young, So.
*--Two-Time First-Team Selection
#--Unanimous Selection

Consensus 1st Tm All-America - Jerry Hughes (DE)
[2009 Unanimous 1st Tm All-America - Jerry Hughes (DE)]
[2009 Hendrick & Lott winner - Jerry Hughes (DE)]

No. 8 - 1999 Marshall Thundering Herd (13-0)

1999 Marshall - Mid-American Conference Champions (9-0)

Marshall did not have Randy Moss in 1999, but they still had the Sammy Baugh Trophy winner, QB Chad Pennington leading the team and setting records. Pennington was 5th in Heisman voting.
The Defense was outstanding, espcially considering the program was in Div-1AA just a few years earlier. They held opponents to average of 10.5 points--as far as I know, its statistically the best scoring defense of them all (non-BCS teams).
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Ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 10 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+25.1 (35.6 - 10.5)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
108th - (111, 109, 105, --, --)

Marshall 13-0 record:
21-3 vs BYU (8-4)... (Motor City Bowl)
31-17 @ W Michigan (7-5)
34-30 - W Michigan (7-5)... (MAC CG)
13-10 @ Clemson (6-6)
31-14 @ Miami-OH (7-4)
38-13 - Toledo (6-5)
41-9 - N Illinois (5-6)
34-3 - Ohio (5-6)
35-16 - Bowling Green (5-6)
28-16 @ Kent St (2-9)
34-0 - Temple (2-9)
59-3 @ Buffalo (0-11)
63-3 - Liberty**

MAC Coach of the Year - Bob Pruett

1999 All-MAC Team selections:
1st QB - Chad Pennington**, Sr. --- MAC Off POY
1st WR - Nate Poole, Jr.
1st WR - James Williams, Sr.
1st RB - Doug Chapman*, Sr.
1st OL - Jason Starkey, Sr.
1st OL - Mike Guilliams*, Sr.
1st OL - Jimmy Cabellos, Jr.
1st LB - John Grace, Sr.
1st DL - Giradie Mercer*, Sr.
1st DL - Paul Toviessi, Jr.
1st DB - Rogers Beckett, Sr.
1st DB - Daninelle Derricott*, Jr.
1st DB - Maurice Hines, Jr.
2nd LB - Andre O'Neal, Sr.
2nd LB - Max Yates, So.
2nd DL - Jimmy Parker, Jr.
2nd DL - Ron Puggi, Sr.
2nd P - Curtis Head, Fr.
*--Two-time 1st Tm selection
**--Three-time 1st Tm selection

Sammy Baugh Trophy winner (Top Passer) - Chad Pennington (QB)

No. 9 - 2008 Boise State Broncos (12-1)

2008 Boise State - Western Athletic Conference Champions (8-0)

The third best non-BCS team of the 2008 season comes in at number nine on the list... which makes 2008 the best year for elite-level non-BCS teams. A familiar story for Boise St, the team faced a fairly weak schedule, but did beat a top-10 Oregon team (10-3) on the road. In their defacto BCS Bowl (Poinsettia) they simply ran into a stronger team in TCU.
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Ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 12 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+25.0 (37.6 - 12.6)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
88th - (82, 94, 82, 99, 85)

Boise State 12-1 record:
16-17 vs TCU (11-2)... Ranked # 7/7 in the Polls (Poinsettia/6th BCS Bowl)
37-32 @ Oregon (10-3)... Ranked # 10/9 in the Polls
38-3 - L Tech (8-5)
61-10 - Fresno St (7-6)
24-7 @ S Miss (7-6)
41-34 @ Reno (7-6)
27-7 - Hawaii (7-7)
37-16 @ San Jose St (6-6)
20-7 - Bowling Green (6-6)
49-0 @ New Mexico St (3-9)
49-14 - Utah St (3-9)
45-10 @ Idaho (2-10)
49-7 - Idaho St**

WAC Coach of the Year – Chris Petersen

2008 All-WAC Team selections:
1st WR - Jeremy Childs*, Jr.
1st OL - Andrew Woodruff, Sr.
1st DL - Ryan Winterswyk, So.
1st LB - Ellis Powers, Sr.
1st DB - Kyle Wilson, Jr.
2nd QB - Kellen Moore, Fr.
2nd RB - Ian Johnson**, Sr.
2nd WR - Austin Pettis, So.
2nd DL - Mike T. Williams, Sr.
2nd DB - Jeron Johnson, So.
2nd ST - Kyle Wilson, Jr.
*-- Two-time 1st Tm selection
**-- Three-time 1st Tm selection

No. 10 - 2003 Miami-Oh Redhawks (13-1)

2003 Miami-Oh - Mid-American Conference Champions (9-0)

Ben Roethlisberger (QB) lead the nation's highest scoring team in 2003. Miami-Oh was the best team in the MAC in a season that was somewhat of a "banner year". The MAC had three different teams ranked in the top-25 at some point during the season (Miami, Bowling G, N Illinois), as well as a couple of others with respectable 8-wins season (Toledo and Marshall).

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Ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll
Ranked No. 12 in the CA Poll

Margin of Victory:
+23.6 (43.0 - 19.4)

SOS Ranking appx. avg.:
76th - (72, 64, 91, --, --)

Miami-OH 12-1 record:
3-21 @ Iowa (10-3)... Ranked # 8/8 in the Polls
49-27 vs Bowling Green (11-3)... Ranked # 23/23 in the Polls (MAC CG)
33-10 - Bowling Green (11-3)... Ranked # 23/23 in the Polls
45-6 - Marshall (8-4)
44-14 @ Northwestern (6-7)
41-21 @ Colorado St (7-6)
45-20 - Akron (7-5)
42-37 - Cincinnati (5-7)
38-30 @ Kent St (5-7)
49-3 @ Ball St (4-8)
56-21 @ UCF (3-9)
49-31 @ Ohio (2-10)
59-3 - Buffalo (1-11)

MAC Coach of the Year - Terry Hoeppner

2003 All-MAC Team selections:
1st QB - Ben Roethlisberger, Jr. --- MAC Off POY
1st OL - Jacob Bell, Sr.
1st DL - Phil Smith, Sr
1st LB - Terrell Jones, Sr.
2nd OL - Todd Londot, So.
2nd OL - Ben Herrell, Jr.
2nd TE - Matt Brandt, Sr.
2nd WR - Martin Nance, So.
2nd LB - Terna Nande, So.

Other Notable "Mid-Majors" in the BCS Era

BYU 2001 (12-2) -
Luke Staley was the best Runningback in the country (Doak Walker winner), and BYU was poised to ride the nation's top scorer to an undefeated season. Ranked in the Top 10, and 11-0, in BYU's second to last game of the regular season, Staley suffered a broken leg. BYU won that game, but went on to lose the next two. Injuries happen. We could only speculate on what "coulda been".

Tulane 1998 (12-0) -
In the first year of the BCS Tulane made an immediate statement, finishing undefeated and ranked No. 7 in both Polls. QB Shaun King (2x CUSA Off-POY) and Coach Tommy Bowden (CUSA Coach of the Year) really caught lightning-in-a-bottle that season.

Hawaii 2007 (12-1) -
Though undefeated in the regular season, there was pleanty of doubt about how good that Hawaii team really was. They faced a very weak Strength of Schedule. They ended-up being destroyed in the Sugar Bowl, 10-41. Despite the "record", that team was not much better than the 3-loss Hawaii team (w/tougher SOS) of the year before.

TCU 2000 (10-2) -
This was an exceptionally talented team that didn't quite fullfill it's true potential "as a team" in terms of wins an losses. TCU had nine 1st teamers on the All-WAC team including Doak Walker winner, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Boise St 2002 (12-1), 2003 (13-1), 2004 (11-1) -
These wre a bunch of really good teams from a program that was building up to producing great teams. Its tough to differentiate between these three.

Southern Miss 1999 (9-3) -
That team was the best 3-loss team of all. They also faced a really tough schedule--road games against No. 2 Nebraska (12-1), No. 8 Bama (10-3), No. 20 aTm (8-4). For those that allow "NFL influence" into their assessment, it's arguable that 1999 Southern Miss was the most "talented" team of all.

Check out this article: Greatest Players in USC Football History: The All-Time All-Trojans Team

Prospective No. 1 - 2010 Boise St: 2010 National Champs

2010 Boise St - National Champions (13-0)... prospectively

This is it. This is the non-BCS team that wins the first National Title since 1984 BYU.

They essentially return everyone from the 2009's 14-0 team. There hasn't been another "mid-major" with this level of expectations heading into a season. Boise St 2010 is a legitimate National Championship contenders.

If the team fulfill its potential, 2010 Boise St will undoubtedly take the No. 1 spot among non-BCS teams.

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2010 Boise St Schedule:
[vs Alabama (1-11-10)... (BCS CG)]
@ Virginia Tech (9-6-10)... (@ FedEx Field)
-- Oregon St (9-25-10)
-- Fresno St (11-19-10)
@ Nevada (11-26-10)
@ Wyoming (9-18-10)
-- Hawaii (11-6-10)
@ Idaho (11-12-10)
-- L Tech (10-26-10)
@ New Mexico State (10-2-10)
-- Utah St (12-4-10)
-- Toledo (10-9-10)
@ San Jose State (10-16-10)

Check out this article: Greatest Players in USC Football History: The All-Time All-Trojans Team