College Football: Power Ranking Every Perfect Season in Recent History
Throughout the course of history, college football has seen its share of great teams that have been perfect. Teams have fought their way through their conference schedule, conference opponents and then finally capped it off with a bowl victory or national championship.
While teams have achieved this feat throughout history, here is a look at the teams that have successfully completed a perfect season and how they stack up against each other.
No. 31: 1998 Tulane
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In 1998, Tulane pulled off an undefeated season, going 12-0. While Tulane did have an outstanding offense that averaged 45 points per game, they too fell into the category of a good team playing an awful schedule.
Tulane was led by quarterback Shaun King, a future NFL player who had marginal success on Sundays.
Throughout the entire 1998 schedule, Tulane never matched up with a Top 25 team and went almost unnoticed throughout the year.
No. 30: 1999 Marshall
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While Marshall did run the table and go 13-0, the two things missing from their season were a shot at the National Championship and quality victories.
In 1999, Marshall went the entire regular season without beating a Top 25 team. It wasn't until the Motor City Bowl that Marshall faced a ranked team in BYU.
Despite having an impressive offense, led by Chad Pennington, Marshall was never even considered a contender in 1999.
No. 29: 1984 BYU
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The 1984 BYU Cougars are a historic 13-0 team. Not because of their opening week victory over No. 1 Pittsburgh and not because of the other 12 victories that saw them remain perfect, but because they are the only champion to date to play in a bowl game that was before New Year's Day.
BYU got through their schedule without a loss and were sent to play Michigan in the Holiday Bowl, a game they won 24-17.
Many argued that this team had not played a schedule that warranted a national title. This is an argument that until this day is still used for teams that are not in the six BCS conferences.
No. 28: 1993 Auburn
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The 1993 Auburn Tigers had an interesting year. They went 11-0 during the regular season, but due to NCAA probation issues, Auburn had been suspended from being involved with postseason play.
The ban placed on the program prevented them from playing in both the SEC title game and a bowl game. Along with their bowl ban was a television ban as well.
They would end up finishing No. 4 in the AP Poll.
No. 27: 2004 Utah
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2004 saw three teams go undefeated and one of those teams was Utah. Utah went 12-0 but only defeated one ranked team. This victory came against No. 20 Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.
Despite not having a lot of quality victories, Utah beat everyone on their schedule and went from No. 20 to No. 4 in the rankings.
During this season, Urban Meyer would begin the politicking for mid-majors to be allowed into the National Championship.
No. 26: 2006 Boise State
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While their 2006 schedule saw them beat up on lesser opponents, the way that Boise State finished off their 2006 season is something that people still talk about today.
After going 12-0 in the regular season, Boise State met up with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. After seeing a late lead disappear, the Broncos pulled out trick play after trick play until they finally outlasted the Sooners with a two-point conversion in overtime.
No. 25: 2008 Utah
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Throughout the 2008 season, Utah continued to win and win all the way to the Fiesta Bowl. Utah went 13-0 including a Week 1 victory at Michigan.
Utah finished the year off with an impressive 31-17 victory over Alabama, one which saw them start the season at No. 22 and end the year at No. 2.
No. 24: 1981 Clemson
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in 1981, Clemson pulled off the perfect season finishing 12-0 and being named the national champion.
Behind a strong defensive unit, Clemson got past the few strong opponents they faced including No. 4 Georgia and No. 9 North Carolina.
At the end of the year, Clemson faced off against No. 4 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. After finishing off the Cornhuskers 22-15, the Tigers were named national champions for 1981.
No. 23: 2010 TCU
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TCU was able to accomplish quite a feat in 2010. They went 12-0 in the regular season and then went on to beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
More impressive then the season was the fact that TCU ended the year undefeated, along with Auburn, and left more doubt in people's minds about the current method used to decide the national champion.
No. 22: 2009 Boise State
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The missing component from every mid-major's undefeated season has been the ability to finish off the season with a national championship victory.
Boise State went 14-0 in 2009 and had impressive victories over Oregon to start the year and TCU to finish it.
No. 21: 1991 Miami
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1991 saw two teams go undefeated and share the national championship. Miami went 12-0 in 1991 and was crowned national champions by the AP Poll.
Led by a dominate defense, Miami rolled through the season until they had a road date with Florida State. The two teams battled it out, but at the end of the day, Miami defeated the No. 1 Seminoles and took over their spot on top of the polls.
No. 20: 1991 Washington
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The other half of the 1991 championship went to the Washington Huskies as they finished No. 1 in the coaches poll.
Washington's 1991 team featured 11 future NFL players and a strong defense that held seven opponents under 10 points.
After coming back at Nebraska to defeat the Cornhuskers on the road, the only other major hurdle to their title that the Huskies faced was Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Behind a strong offensive performance, Washington capped off their 12-0 season with a 34-14 victory.
No. 19: 2004 USC
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Despite the fact that this National Championship has now been vacated, USC was able to go 13-0 in 2004 and reached the summit of the college football world with a victory over Oklahoma.
With Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart in their backfield, USC was able to start and finish the season as the No. 1 team in the land.
No. 18: 1992 Alabama
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The 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide went 13-0 and were named both the AP and coach's national champion.
On the back of their solid defense and strong running game, led by Derrick Lassic, Alabama beat four ranked teams. Most impressive about those victories were the road victories over Tennessee and Mississippi State.
Alabama finished their season be beating the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama won big, capitalizing off of three interceptions by their defense and a strong running performance by the offense.
No. 17: 1994 Penn State
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Though not the only undefeated team in 1994, Penn State did roll through their schedule going 12-0. During the season, Penn State defeated four ranked teams and won the Rose Bowl over Oregon.
One of the most impressive parts of this team was they had three players drafted in the first nine selection of the NFL draft. Ki-Jana Carter, Kerry Collins and Kyle Brady were the three Nittany Lions selected.
No. 16: 1987 Miami
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In 1987, Miami went 12-0 and was named the national champion. Led by head coach Jimmy Johnson and with stars like Michael Irvin, Miami got through a difficult schedule flawlessly.
The Hurricanes started and ended the season the same by winning three straight games over ranked opponents. Most impressive was their back-to-back road victories over No. 10 Arkansas, 51-7 and No. 4 Florida State, 26-25.
Their season was complete when they defeated the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners 20-14 in the Orange Bowl.
No. 15: 1986 Penn State
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In 1986, Penn State ran the table, going 12-0, and was named the consensus national champion. While not playing an extremely difficult schedule, Penn State still faced some big tests, having to play both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.
Midway through the season, Penn State headed down south for a road game at No. 2 Alabama. Despite playing on the road, the Nittany Lions dominated play and defeated Alabama 23-3.
At the end of the season, Penn State received an invite to the Fiesta Bowl to take on No. 1 Miami. In a hard fought defensive battle, Penn State came out victorious 14-10.
No. 14: 1997 Nebraska
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1997 was a very interesting year for college football. Both Nebraska and Michigan finished the year undefeated and ended up sharing the national championship.
Under Tom Osborne, Nebraska went 13-0 and had a tremendous offense, led by quarterback Scott Frost.
Nebraska had big wins over No. 2 Washington on the road, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.
They ended the year No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 1 in the coaches poll.
No. 13: 1998 Tennessee
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With Peyton Manning now in the NFL, Tennessee was still expecting a good season but not a 13-0 National Championship season.
In 1997, the Vols had lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and had still yet to figure out a way to beat the Gators. In 1998, that all changed as they dropped Florida in the second game of the season and also defeated Mississippi State to win the SEC.
Tennessee finished off an amazing year with a win over Florida State to give them a perfect season and a National Championship.
No. 12: 1994 Nebraska
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Besides Penn State, the national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers also went undefeated, going 13-0.
Not nearly as potent offensively as the 95th ranked team, they still defeated five ranked teams including No. 2 Colorado, No. 13 UCLA and No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl.
While the offense did carry Nebraska in 1995, the defense had its time in the spotlight in 1994, holding six teams to under 10 points.
No. 11: 2010 Auburn
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In 2010, Auburn pulled off an impressive season in today's college football landscape, going undefeated through the SEC schedule.
They defeated six ranked teams, had Cam Newton win the Heisman trophy and capped the season off with a last second field goal victory over No. 2 Oregon to win the National Championship.
No. 10: 2000 Oklahoma
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In 2000, Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners added another National Championship to the school's legacy, but it did not come easy.
During the 2000 season, the Sooners faced many tests including having to beat No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Kansas State on the road and No. 3 Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
In a year that their defense played well, they truly saved the best for last by holding FSU to zero points. Florida State's only points came off of a safety.
No. 9: 1999 Florida State
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Another team to go the entire season with the No. 1 label was the 1999 Florida State Seminoles. While not many paid attention to the other undefeated team in 1999, Marshall, all eyes were on this 12-0 team.
Florida State put up impressive numbers on offense, only scoring under 30 points one time and also beating four Top 20 teams during the regular season.
The Seminoles stormed through their conference schedule and faced Virginia Tech for the National Championship. FSU jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning 46-29.
No. 8: 1997 Michigan
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The other team to go undefeated in 1997 was the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan had a solid offense that found ways to get the job done, but the strength of the team was its defense.
During its 12-0 season, Michigan held opponents to single digits seven times and only allowed Iowa to score more than 20 points.
The undefeated season earned Michigan a share of the national title as they finished No. 1 in the AP Poll and No. 2 in the coaches poll.
To add to the perfect season, dual threat Charles Woodson won the Heisman trophy.
No. 7: 2002 Ohio State
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In 2002 Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes put together an impressive season going 14-0. The season included victories over four ranked teams and was punctuated by a victory over Michigan.
Going into the national title game, Ohio State took on Miami, who had won 34 straight games and was looking for back-to-back titles.
These two teams battled in one of the more memorable games, which eventually saw Ohio State outlast Miami in double overtime.
No. 6: 2004 Auburn
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2004 was an impressive season for Auburn but ended without them getting a chance at the National Championship.
Auburn defeated LSU, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia Tech, all of which were Top 15 teams and had plenty of future NFL stars, including Ronnie Brown.
No. 5: 2001 Miami
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If you are looking for a team that was full of NFL star power look no further then the 2001, 12-0 Miami Hurricanes. This team included Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Sean Taylor and Bryant McKinnie.
This team breezed through their schedule, only facing one test, which was a late season showdown on the road against Virginia Tech. Despite putting up their second fewest point total of the season, the Hurricanes still won 26-24.
No. 4: 2009 Alabama
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During their championship run in 2009, Alabama racked up six victories over ranked teams and was able to get through the SEC schedule without a loss.
In the SEC title game, the Crimson Tide defeated the No. 1 Florida Gators, denying Tim Tebow's chance at one last National Championship.
Alabama finished up their season with a victory over Texas and a Heisman trophy for Mark Ingram
No. 3: 2005 Texas
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Besides a narrow three point victory on the road in Columbus against Ohio State, Texas rolled through their 2005 schedule with an average margin of 38 points.
Oklahoma put up some impressive wins including a 45-12 victory over Oklahoma, a 52-17 victory over Texas Tech and a 70-3 victory over Colorado in the Big 12 championship.
The dream season ended in victory as a last minute drive, led by Vince Young, finished off USC 41-38.
No. 2: 1995 Nebraska
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The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers may be one of the best teams of all time and had a season that fit that billing. Led by Tommie Frazier, scoreboard operators are still catching up with them.
In 1995, Nebraska went 12-0 and broke the 50-point barrier six times. One of these performances occurred at the end of the year against Florida in the Fiesta Bowl. Nebraska dominated this game from the opening kickoff and won 62-24.
No.1: 1988 Notre Dame
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1988 saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish go 12-0 and do so in impressive fashion. From the start of the year until the end, Notre Dame faced many tests and passed them all.
The Irish not only defeated four ranked teams but beat teams that were ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 at the time.
After a season opening victory over No. 9 Michigan, Notre Dame would go to 5-0 before facing No. 1 Miami, who had currently won 36 straight regular season games. The Irish would pull out a victory 31-30.
At the end of the year, Notre Dame defeated No. 2 USC and No. 3 West Virginia to clinch the National Championship.
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