LSU vs. Alabama: How LSU Would Rank Among College Football's 50 Greatest Champs

Lists such as this are always tricky for a multitude of reasons.

The main problem lies in a total inability to compare teams from different eras. Can we definitively say that the low-scoring, run-heavy team from the 1980s was better than the pass-happy, high-scoring team from the 2000s? We can never really know.

Plus, athletes have gotten bigger, stronger and faster, so naturally the more recent teams are going to be more physically dominant than teams of the past. It’s safe to say that the 2001 Miami Hurricanes would beat the 1889 Princeton team should they line up across from each other...especially since Princeton had 11 players total, less than the total number of Hurricanes taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Given those problems, we are going to examine this topic with one main criterion in mind: How good were the teams in relation to the other teams that year?

This isn’t a list of how many future NFL players a team had or who would win a Madden-esque simulation between the two. It is simply a comparison of how good each team was to their counterparts.

After all, we’re talking about national championships for a given year. It’s only fair, then, that you compare the teams to the teams they had to play that year. The 1981 Clemson Tigers may not have beaten the 2010 Auburn Tigers…but they weren’t asked to. Therefore we cannot hold it against them.

Assuming LSU beats Alabama on Monday night, where would the Tigers fall in to the top 50 champions of all time? Read on....

50. 1985 Oklahoma

I'll offer up an early spoiler: Oklahoma's 1985 squad is the only team on this list that lost a game in the regular season.

The Sooners lost to unranked Miami in mid-October, causing them to fall from No. 3 to No. 10 (a game in which Troy Aikman was lost for the season). They responded by winning eight straight games in dominating fashion, including wins against No. 2 Nebraska, No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 1 Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

The loss to Miami was the only time the Sooners gave up more than 14 points on the season. Brian Bosworth, Tony Casilas and Kevin Murphy were all named to the all-American team from the defensive side of the ball.

49. 1986 Penn State

Penn State only played one ranked team prior to the championship game, but it was a 23-3 trouncing of No. 2 Alabama at Legion Field. Therefore, it shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise that they eventually forced seven turnovers and beat heavily-favored No. 1 Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions averaged 29.1 points per game and gave up only 11.1 points per game. They never gave up more than 20 points in a single game all season.

48. 1981 Clemson

The 1981 Tigers weren't even ranked until the month of October. As we'll see with some other teams on this list, it isn't how you start, it's how you finish.

Clemson beat No. 4 Georgia, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 4 Nebraska en route to an undisputed national championship.

Their motto might as well have been "winning ugly" as they beat the Tar Heels 10-8 and the Bulldogs 13-3. Only once did they allow more than 15 points in a game, in an 82-24 match versus Wake Forest (only thing ugly about that was the final). Seven times they gave up eight points or less.

47. 1998 Tennessee

Tennessee figured to be good but not great with the departure of Peyton Manning the year prior. The Vols were ranked No. 10 in the preseason. All they did was win every game en route to the first ever BCS title game.

It wasn't easy early, as they beat Syracuse 34-33 in the opener and then No. 2 Florida 20-17 in overtime the second week. Two games decided by four points soon turned into more lopsided defeats, beating No. 7 Georgia in Athens by 25 and Alabama by 17.

The Vols later survived a scare against No. 10, undefeated Arkansas and would beat No. 23 Mississippi State in the SEC title game. They entered the title game against FSU as 5.5-point favorites and won, 23-16.

46. 2010 Auburn

Auburn beat six ranked opponents (all in the top 18) en route to a 14-0 season and a national championship.

The Tigers were beneficiaries of five wins by three points or less, but a win is a win. The closest margin came in comeback fashion on the road against rival Alabama, a game in which Auburn won 28-27.

The Tigers would have two players taken in the top 13 of the draft. QB and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton would go No. 1 overall, with defensive tackle Nick Fairley going No. 13 to the Lions.

45. 1915 Oklahoma

The 1915 Sooners outscored their opponents by a margin of 370 - 54. They had narrow one point wins over Tulsa and Texas, but beat NW Oklahoma 102-0!

All in all, the Sooners defense posted five shutouts and allowed points in only four games.

43. 1997 Michigan (tie)

The 1997 Wolverines' defense was incredible, allowing only 9.5 points per game. Offensively they were consistent, scoring less than 21 points only once, a 20-14 win over rival Ohio State.

Seven of the 12 teams Michigan faced were ranked in the top 25, with six of those ranked in the top 15. This includes four straight ranked opponents to finish the season: No. 2 Penn State, No 23 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 8 Washington State in the Rose Bowl.

43. Nebraska (tie)

Nebraska finished their 1990s dynasty with a 13-0 record in the 1997 season.

They were ranked No. 1 in the middle of October but subsequently fell to No. 2 despite not losing a game. After they defeated No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 3 Tennessee in consecutive games by a combined 96-32 score, the Huskers were given half of the national championship.

Their closest call was of course the Flea-Kicker game, seen here. On the strength of a kicked ball the Huskers forced overtime and subsequently won (it was after this game in which they fell from No. 1 to No. 3).

42. 1980 Georgia

Georgia narrowly beat Tennessee in the season opener, 16-15. After that they had an easier time winning games as they went 12-0 and won the national championship.

Led by freshman Herschel Walker, Georgia averaged 27 points per game and allowed only 55 points in the first five games.

They would defeat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, 17-10, to secure the national championship as the only undefeated team in the land.

41. 2009 Alabama

Alabama failed to win only three games by less than 10 points: a two point win over Tennessee, a five point win over rival Auburn and No. 9 LSU by nine points.

The Tide played six ranked teams and beat five of them by double digits. This included a 32-13 trouncing of No. 1 Florida in the SEC Title game and a 37-21 beating of No. 2 Texas in the championship game.

40. 1966 Notre Dame

The 1966 Irish are a mixed bag when it comes to the rankings. On one hand, they allowed only 38 points all season, an average of 3.8 points per game. On the other hand, they played for a tie against Michigan State in the "Game of the Century" and it could be argued that they didn't deserve to win the title at all.

In the marquee game against Michigan State, Notre Dame had a chance for a late drive to win the game. Instead, they decided to run the ball to run out the clock and settle for a tie. Many criticized coach Ara Parseghian's end game strategy, but he has stood by his decision for the years following the game.

Additionally, Notre Dame finished No. 1 in the polls with Michigan State No. 2. Undefeated and two-time defending champion Alabama finished No. 3. Alabama beat No. 6 Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl 34-7. The seven points they allowed in the Sugar Bowl were the only points they allowed in five games. Therefore, many have argued that Alabama should have won the championship.

Still, Notre Dame was declared the champion, and they were a very good team. In addition to allowing only 3.8 points per game, the Irish averaged 36.2 points offensively.

39. 1963 Texas

Texas beat the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the nation, the only two ranked teams they played all season. First was No. 1 Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, 28-7. Then, in the Cotton Bowl, they defeated Navy 28-6.

The Horns had a solid defense which allowed only 71 points all season, holding opponents to seven points or less in eight of their 11 games.

38. 1958 LSU

The Tigers started the season unranked, but two quick wins at Rice and No. 5 Alabama quickly changed that.

They would defeat No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 20 Mississippi State and eventually, No. 12 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

The Tigers allowed only 53 points on the year. Only once did they give up more than seven points, which came in a 50-18 win over Duke.

The team is famous for their substitution patterns which included a unit called the "Chinese Bandits." Basically, the Bandits unit was comprised of mostly reserve players who played only defense. Coach Paul Dietzel gave them the moniker Chinese Bandits to fire them up to overcome their physical shortcomings.

The substitutions and motivation worked, as Dietzel called on the bandits unit in a goal line situation against Alabama. The Tide had a first and goal from the five yard line and Dietzel put in the bandits, who held the Tide to a field goal.

37. 1962 USC

The Trojans beat three top ten teams throughout the 1962 season to become undisputed national champions. First up was No. 8 Duke in the season opener. Halfway through the season they defeated No. 9 Washington and they finished with a 42-37 win over No. 2 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Prior to the Rose Bowl the Trojans had allowed only 55 points in 10 games. The Trojans held opponents to less than seven points in eight of those ten games.

36. 1925 Alabama

The 1925 Crimson Tide team allowed points in only two games: seven points to Birmingham-Southern and 19 points to Washington in the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl was the first ever bowl game for the Tide. Washington was as good as Alabama and heavily favored with an 11-0-1 record. Alabama narrowly won, 20-19.

The Tide scored 277 points in the regular season compared to the seven in which they gave up.

35. 1973 Notre Dame

Notre Dame only gave up 66 points in the regular season (before giving up 23 in the Sugar Bowl) and scored 358.

The Irish defeated No. 6 USC in the regular season 23-14, the only ranked team they faced. Then, in the Sugar Bowl, the Irish upset No. 1 Alabama 24-23.

33. 1954 UCLA (tie)

UCLA went 9-0 as they easily outscored opponents 367-40. They were ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the second-to-last game against Oregon, a game in which they won 41-0. Inexplicably, they fell to No. 2 following the win and then defeated USC 34-0.

An old rule existed where two Pac-8 teams could not go to consecutive Rose Bowls. Since UCLA had been to the Rose Bowl in 1953, they were prohibited from going in 1954.

It's a shame, because UCLA would have ended up playing the 1954 Ohio State Buckeyes, a team they split the national championship with.......

33. 1954 Ohio State (tie)

The Buckeyes were a force in Woody Hayes' fourth season as head coach. They defeated six ranked teams in their 10 games by an average margin of 23.2 - 9.1.

Ohio State did go on to the Rose Bowl to defeat USC 20-7.

The great irony is that the Rose Bowl is one of the few games which has maintained it's tradition of pitting Big 10 and Pac 10 teams together, even through the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance, yet it failed to pit UCLA and Ohio State against each other in the 1954 season. The two ended up splitting the national championship.

32. 1904 Minnesota

The 1904 Golden Gophers gave up points in only one game all year: 12 to Nebraska.

You're not impressed, right? You think that everyone gave up a paltry amount of points back in the early 20th century, right?

Consider this then. In the 1904 season, Minnesota scored over 100 points in a game...twice! They scored 107 against Twin Cities Central High (which I suppose is a high school) and 146 against Grinnell. Four more times they scored more than 65 points.

The Gophers cooled off a bit once they got into Big Ten play. They played only three conference games, all on the road, against Wisconsin, Northwestern and Iowa. Still, they won by a combined scored of 56-0.

31. 1969 Texas

The 1969 Longhorns beat three ranked teams in their campaign, but they were all big ones.

They first defeated rival Oklahoma 27-17 in the Red River Rivalry. Then, they defeated No. 2 Arkansas in comeback fashion, on the road in the "Game of the Century." They followed it up with a win over No. 9 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to finish 11-0.

30. 2000 Oklahoma

The Sooners were a surprise champion, coming off a 7-5 season in Bob Stoops' second season. It doesn't matter where you start, it only matters where you finish.

Oklahoma beat No. 11 Texas, No. 2 Kansas State, No. 1 Nebraska, No. 23 Texas A&M, No. 8 Kansas State and No. 3 FSU in the title game. The Sooners allowed less than 15 points per game and allowed only two to the Seminoles (on a late, self-induced safety).

The team scored less than 27 points only twice all year; a late season win over Oklahoma State 12-7, and the national championship, 13-2.

29. 1988 Notre Dame

There was no doubt as to who the best team in the 1988 season was as Notre Dame defeated the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 9 team throughout the season.

The Irish easily handled unranked teams and narrowly escaped Michigan and Miami, two and one point wins, respectively. Then, they defeated No. 2 USC 27-10 at the Coliseum and then beat No. 3 West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl.

28. 1999 Florida State

FSU was No. 1 wire-to-wire in the 1999 season. Along the way they defeated No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 20 NC State, No. 19 Miami, No. 4 Florida and No. 2 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

Only twice did the Noles win by less than 10 points; a three point win at Clemson and a seven point win at the Swamp. Seven times the Noles scored over 40 points, and seven times the Noles held their opponents to 14 points or less.

You also have the famous Brent Musburger call here: "Hello Mr. Warrick. Hello endzone."

27. 1938 TCU

The 1938 TCU team was only in their second season post-Sammy Baugh. How did the Frogs manage to replace the Hall of Fame quarterback? By putting in some guy named Davey O'Brien, who currently has a trophy named after him for the best quarterback.

So we know that TCU was set offensively. Defensively, the Frogs gave up only 60 points in 11 games. Only once did they give up more than seven points in a given game (14 to Arkansas).

The Frogs would have three players taken in the top ten of the NFL Draft. Center Ki Aldrich went No. 1 to the Chicago Cardinals, O'Brien No. 4 to Philadelphia and Tackle I.B. Hale went No. 8 to the Redskins.

26. 2005 Texas

The Longhorns set an NCAA record for points scored in a season with 652 (50.2 per game). Defensively they allowed only 16.4 points per game, 38 of those coming in the national championship game.

Only twice did they win a game by less than 10 points: against No. 4 Ohio State in the Horseshoe, and against No. 1 USC in the Rose Bowl (both by three points).

It was the ultimate game which finally gave the Horns respect. Touchdown underdogs against a team many considered to be the greatest of all time, Texas prevailed, 41-38, in an all-time classic.

25. 1968 Ohio State

Woody Hayes' 1968 team was one of his best, as the Buckeyes easily went 10-0 and won the national championship. This included a 27-16 win over USC in the Rose Bowl and a 50-14 trouncing of the "team up North."

This was also the first year in which OSU included pride stickers on their helmets, given out for good play. They were the first program to institute such a tradition and while other programs have tried out the program and subsequently disbanded it, the Buckeyes stickers live on to this day.

24. 1994 Nebraska

Overshadowed by their 1995 successors, many forget how strong of a team the 1994 Huskers were.

It could be argued that Nebraska played a tougher schedule in 1994, beating No. 24 West Virginia, No. 13 UCLA, No 16 Kansas State, No. 2 Colorado and No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl.

Their offense wasn't as dominant but the defense was still very strong. They allowed only 12.5 points per game, but did not allow more than 17 points in a game after the first of October.

23. 1955 Oklahoma

Oklahoma won 47 straight games from 1954-1957. They won two national championships in that time span. This is the first entry of those two.

Oklahoma allowed 13 points over the last six games of the 1955 season. Over the same timespan, the Sooners averaged 37.6 points per game. They beat No. 12 Pitt and won at No. 14 Colorado before beating No. 3 Maryland in the Orange Bowl.

22. 1992 Alabama

Alabama's defense was simply lights out in 1992. Only once did they allow more than 13 points (21 at No. 16 Mississippi State) and they notched three shutouts.

They defeated No. 13 Tennessee at Rocky Top, No. 16 Mississippi State in Starkville, No. 12 Florida in the inaugural SEC Title game and then defending champion and No. 1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl.

The Tide were eight point underdogs entering the game against the Canes but thoroughly dismantled them. The game is famous for George Teagues strip from behind on the sidelines (which was only a few plays after he recorded a pick-six).

In the end, three players from the Tide defense were taken in the first round of the NFL draft. John Copeland No. 5 overall, Eric Curry No.6 overall and Teague No. 29 overall.

21. 1949 Notre Dame

The 1949 Irish were the third Irish team in four years to win the National Championship. They were led by eventual Heisman trophy winner Leon Hart and outscored their opponents 360-86.

Only once did they beat a team by less than 10 points, seven points against SMU in the Cotton Bowl. They beat No. 17 USC 32-0 and No. 4 Tulane 46-7.

20. 1991 Washington

Only once did the Huskies fail to win by more than 10 points:  a 24-17 midseason win at No. 7 California. More often than not they were blowing out opponents.

Consider the 36-21 win over No. 9 Nebraska, in Lincoln. Or their 34-14 win over No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl. All in all, the Huskies outscored opponents by an average of 41.3 - 9.6.

19. 1924 Notre Dame

The team that has become famous for it's "Four Horsemen" backfield of Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden, the 1924 Irish were a force all around.

They allowed only 50 points during the 10 game season and averaged 27.1 points per game. They defeated Army, Princeton, Carnegie Tech and Northwestern, all on the road. They then topped it off with a 13-6 win over Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

18. 1987 Miami

The U fielded several great teams in the 1980s and could have won more than the three national titles they eventually took home. The 1987 team was the most complete of any Canes team.

Only once did they give up more than 16 points, which came in a 26-25 win over No. 4 FSU in Tallahassee. They beat six ranked teams on the year, five of which were in the top ten.

They gave up four points to No. 20 Florida, seven points on the road to No. 10 Arkansas, shutout No. 10 Notre Dame and then gave up 16 points to No. 8 South Carolina and 14 points to No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

17. 1932 USC

The 1932 Trojans were coached by legendary Howard Jones. With his help, USC became the household name they are today.

USC allowed 13 points all season. Six points allowed at Husky Stadium in Washington, seven allowed at home against Cal, and eight shutouts.

Offensively they averaged 20.1 points per game. Only twice they did win by less than 10 points. They finished their season with a 35-0 win over Pittsburgh in the Rose Bowl.

16. 1919 Texas A&M

We know that teams gave up fewer points in the past than they do today, but what Texas A&M did in 1919 is still impressive.

Through 10 games, the Aggies allowed zero points. Zero. Zilch. None.

On the flip side, they scored 275 points, a 27.5 average, so it isn't as if every game was 3-0.

For a further illustration of how much things have changed, consider that A&M started their season with a doubleheader! On October 3, 1919, they beat both Sam Houston State and Texas State by a combined score of 105-0.

15. 1979 Alabama

The Tide allowed only 67 points in their 12 games, 35 of those coming in two games against Tennessee and rival Auburn. Offensively, the Tide averaged 31.9 points per game.

The Tide won at LSU, Georgia Tech and Florida. They capped off their great season with a convincing 24-9 win over No. 6 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl to become the only undefeated, untied team in the nation.

14. 1944 Army

Army was a force in the mid-1940s (both on the football field and in Europe and Japan), and the 1944 team is one of three national championship teams from the decade.

The 1944 Knights allowed only 35 points all year. Five different games they allowed seven points, and four times they shutout opponents.

Despite giving up so few points defensively, Army could not be stopped offensively. Only twice did they score less than 46 points. Six times they scored more than 59 points.

13. 1901 Michigan

If you thought the current version of the Oregon Ducks played fast and scored a lot, take a look at the early 20th century Michigan teams.

Coached by Fielding "Hurry Up" Yost, the Wolverines earned a moniker of a "point a minute" from 1901-1904. While the Wolverines "only" scored 550 points in 10 games, games varied in length instead of the standard 60 minutes, and the Wolverines did in fact score a point a minute.

Additionally, just like the 1919 Aggies, the Wolverines did not allow a single point all season. That's right. Average score of a 1901 Michigan game, 55-0.

On top of it all, Michigan played in the first ever bowl game at the conclusion of the 1901 season. They were invited out west to play in the Rose Bowl against Stanford (then known as Tournament East-West Football game and played in Tournament Park in Pasadena). There they beat the then-Warriors 49-0 in 52 minutes before Stanford forfeited.

12. 1976 Pittsburgh

Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett rushed for 181 yards in the opening week 31-10 win over Notre Dame and the Panthers never looked back.

The Panthers allowed only 11.1 points per game and averaged 31.75. They beat Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Miami, West Virginia and Penn State in the regular season and then capped it all off with a 27-3 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

11. 1945 Army

The Black Knights gave up only 46 points in nine games and posted shutouts in more games than games in which they gave up points.

Offensively, the Knights averaged 45.7 points per game. They defeated Michigan 28-7 and Notre Dame 48-0.

More importantly, the Army won World War II in the Summer of 1945, which is something no other program on this list can lay claim to.

10. 1974 Oklahoma

The 1974 Sooners team never gave up more than 14 points and never scored less than 16 (with their second lowest being 28).

They beat No. 16 Texas 16-13 and No. 6 Nebraska 28-14. All in all, they won by an average of 34.64 points per game.

They finished as the only undefeated team in the 1974 season.

9. 1947 Michigan

The 1947 Michigan team was known as the "Mad Magicians" and was selected as the best team in Michigan history.

The Wolverines only gave up 53 points on the year but were known better for their single-wing offense which produced 39.4 points per game.

Michigan and Notre Dame shuffled in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots over the last couple of weeks of the season. Michigan was No. 2 entering the Rose Bowl but beat USC 49-0, a much wider margin than Notre Dame's 38-7 victory (albeit at the Coliseum). Therefore, Michigan was voted No. 1 and national champions (ND didn't play in bowl games then).

Michigan gave up only 20 points over the last six games.

8. 1961 Alabama

The 1961 Alabama team may have the best defense of any modern team. While only three other SEC teams allowed less than 120 points, Alabama allowed 22 on the entire season, posting six shutouts along the way. They only beat two teams by less than 10 points.

That said, they only played one ranked team on the season. This came in the Sugar Bowl against No. 9 Arkansas, which they beat 10-3.

7. 2004 USC

The Trojans opened up 2004 with a bang, beating Virginia Tech in Landover, MD. They followed it up with wins in Provo and Pasadena, all the while beating Notre Dame, No. 7 Cal and No. 15 Arizona State at the Coliseum.

Still, they were just one point favorites against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. There, they trounced the Sooners 55-19.

Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Shaun Cody, Matt Grootegoed, Mike Patterson and Lofa Tatupu were all named First team all-Americans.

6. 1956 Oklahoma

Earlier we saw the tale of the 1955 Oklahoma team. Now, we finish the anthology.

The Sooners averaged 46.6 points per game and allowed only 5.1 points per game. Despite such a low point per game average, they were actually a boom or bust defense; shutting out opponents six of 10 games, but allowing 19 points to Colorado (a season high).

Their smallest margin of victory was in Boulder, a game in which they won 27-9. Other than that, their closest win was 34-12 over Kansas. Their next closest, a win 36-0 win over North Carolina. In short, the Sooners only beat two teams by less than 35 points.

5. 2001 Miami

The Hurricanes were known as a team of future NFL stars, but before they made strides on Sundays, they dominated on Saturdays.

The Canes allowed only 9.7 points per game while scoring an average of 42.6. They defeated No. 14 Florida State on the road, No. 14 Syracuse, No. 12 Washington, No. 14 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and No. 2 Nebraska in the Rose Bowl, 37-14.

We didn't want to focus on future NFL stars, but Miami's bear mentioning. Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Ed Reed, Najeh Davenport, Frank Gore, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow II, Andre Johnson, Vince Wilfork, D.J. Williams, Bryant McKinnie, Phillip Buchannan and Sean Taylor were all on the 2001 squad.

In the end, 17 players on the squad were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft (albeit over several years).

4. 2011 LSU

LSU may not be full of future NFL stars the way some other teams were (or maybe they will be), but they will have a resume that can go toe-to-toe with any team in the history of football.

If LSU were to beat Alabama again, they will have beaten the No. 2 team twice, the No. 3 team twice, and the No. 12, 16, 17, 19 and 25 ranked teams. Nine of their 14 games came against ranked opponents, and six of those nine games came at road or neutral sites.

Additionally, LSU will have beaten the Pac-12 champion and the Big East champion, neither team at home.

It seems to get lost in the shuffle, but LSU's margin of victory is as impressive as the teams previously listed. LSU's closest margin was the three points against Alabama, then 13 against Oregon and Mississippi State and then 24 against No. 3 Arkansas.

LSU has allowed more than 10 points or more in less than half of their games this season (6). Other than the game against Alabama, LSU has scored 35 points or more in every game since September 24.

3. 1971 Nebraska

Nebraska steamrolled all of their competition, a lone exception being the Game of the Century in which the beat No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31. Outside of that game, the Huskers won by an average of 39.3 - 6.1.

This included some tough competition too. They beat No. 9 Colorado 31-7 (who would later finish No. 3) and Iowa State 37-0. They would beat No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl 38-6.

2. 1972 USC

Half of USC's 12 wins were against ranked opponents, and really, none were very close.

The Trojans beat No. 4 Arkansas 31-10, No. 15 Stanford 30-21, No. 18 Washington 38-7, No. 14 UCLA 24-7, No. 10 Notre Dame 45-23 and in the Rose Bowl, No. 3 Ohio State 42-17.

Their nine point win in Palo Alto was the closest margin of the season. Their next closest was an 18 point win at Autzen, 18-0 against the Ducks.

1. 1995 Nebraska

The 1995 Huskers were a total machine both offensively and defensively. They averaged 52.4 points on offense and gave up an average of 14.5 points.

They trailed only once all season and their smallest margin of victory was 14. They beat No. 8 Kansas State by 24, No. 7 Colorado by 23, No. 10 Kansas 38 and No. 2 Florida in the Fiesta Bowl by a whopping 62-24 final.

Want more? They allowed only 12 punt return yards all season, while averaging seven yards per rush, an NCAA record. They allowed zero sacks all season and averaged 29.8 points in the first half. That total is more than the 1992 Crimson Tide, 2006 Gators and 2002 Buckeyes averaged all game.