College Football: Enshrining the First Class of the BCS Hall of Fame
It's time to recognize the guys who have shined on college football's biggest stage—the BCS.
Hate it or not, the BCS has provided us with some of the greatest games and individual performances in college football history.
This list runs down the 10 guys who should be in the first class of the BCS Hall of Fame.
All but one of these players is on the offensive side of the ball and provided plenty of fireworks to lead his team to victory in at least one significant BCS game, many of them in multiple games.
While you may not remember these performances, after you watch these videos, they will be hard to forget again.
10. Steve Slaton, RB (West Virginia)
1 of 10In a game that was all but a home game and was expected to be an "easy contest" for the opposing Georgia Bulldogs, Slaton wowed crowds with his speed and elusiveness in the 2006 Sugar Bowl.
He had a pair of 52-yard scoring scampers and finished the day with 204 yards rushing.
Slaton left the field having scored three times and set a record for rushing in the Mountaineers' 38-35 victory.
Did I mention was a freshman at the time?
Slaton missed the Fiesta Bowl in 2008 after being injured in the first quarter, or he would have added to his BCS legacy.
9. Troy Smith, QB (Ohio State)
2 of 10Lost in the disaster that was Ohio State's no-show against Florida in the 2007 BCS Championship is the fact the Troy Smith earned a BCS Bowl Offensive MVP the year before.
Smith's dual-threat ability caused all kinds of problems for defenses, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were no exception in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
Smith completed 19 of his 28 attempts and gained 342 yards to go along with two touchdowns and no picks.
8. Ed Reed, DB (University of Miami)
3 of 10Reed led the stout Miami defense that beat Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl.
Nebraska and its vaunted option offense led by Heisman-winner Eric Crouch, was held to 239 total yards, the Huskers' lowest total of the season.
Reed led the Hurricane defense that stifled the Huskers and gave Miami the edge in this one.
While this video is not of the Rose Bowl, it's the play that sealed a berth for the 'Canes.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Tom Brady, QB (Michigan)
4 of 10Before Tom Brady was the successful NFL guy he is today, he played some college ball at U of M.
in the 2000 Orange Bowl, Brady staked his claim to a spot in the BCS Hall of Fame with a great performance in a wild overtime victory over Alabama.
Brady completed 34 of his 46 attempted and threw four touchdowns while accumulating 369 yards.
Not bad for a guy who considered transferring to another school the season before.
6. Pat White, QB (West Virginia)
5 of 10White took over starting chores partway through the season and led the Mountaineers to their 2006 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.
In that game, White rushed for 77 yards and threw for a score in the 38-35 thriller over the Dawgs, teaming up with fellow freshman Steve Slaton to provide fireworks in that one.
White threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for another buck fifty in the Mountaineers Jan. 2, 2008 Fiesta Bowl pounding of Oklahoma.
The final score read 48-28, and White won MVP for his stellar performance.
5. Ron Dayne, RB (Wisconsin)
6 of 10Forget about the fact that Ron Dayne was a huge NFL bust, and check out his stats from back-to-back Rose Bowls in 1999 and 2000.
In the 1999 game against UCLA, the Badgers were predicted to lose, as the only game UCLA lost all season was thought to be an aberration of subpar play against a mediocre Miami team.
Ron Dayne had other ideas though.
He rushed for four touchdowns on 246 yards, one short of the Rose Bowl record set by USC's Charles White.
In 2000, Dayne earned his second straight Rose Bowl MVP honors after rushing for 200 yards and one touchdown.
4. Peter Warrick, WR (Florida State)
7 of 10This explosive wide receiver is one of the more memorable characters in BCS history.
After being held to only one catch in the 'Noles' loss to Tennessee in 1999, Warrick returned to the 2000 National Championship game at the Sugar Bowl.
Warrick finished with three touchdowns, two through the air and one punt return, en route to a Florida State victory over Michael Vick's Virginia Tech team. Warrick accounted for 20 of the Seminoles' 46 points.
Quite a performance for the man who disappeared the year before in the championship game.
3. Matt Leinart, QB (USC)
8 of 10If there is anyone on this list who even approaches Vince Young's level of BCS greatness, it's Leinart.
He went 2-1 in BCS games, throwing for 1,024 yards, split one National Championship and won another.
Yeah, he had a great team around him, but Leinart holds two of the top three spots for most passing yards gained in a BCS game.
Life is good for a USC quarterback when they are winning.
2. Tim Tebow, QB (Florida)
9 of 10Tebow was a freak.
Although he scored two touchdowns in the epic beatdown the Gators handed Ohio State in the 2007 BCS National Championship, he saved his best for later.
In the 2009 National Championship against Oklahoma he passed for two touchdowns and rushed for more than 100 yards.
He capped off his BCS career in the 2010 Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati, where he accumulated a staggering 533 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns.
It's been rumored Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas...
1. Vince Young, QB (Texas)
10 of 10Michigan and Texas met for the first time in history in the 2005 Rose Bowl, and Young instantly began to etch his place in history.
He accounted for five touchdowns in the 'Horns squeaker over the Wolverines, four on the ground and one rushing.
The following season, the Longhorns made it to the Rose Bowl again, this time to compete with USC for the National title.
In that game, he accounted for 467 yards total offense and three touchdowns on the ground. His final score came with just 19 seconds left in the game on fourth-and-five, and Texas scraped by USC 41-38.
The Trojans had been riding a 34-game winning streak, and boasted not one, but two Heisman winners in the backfield in Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.
Young proved to be the better man and won his second straight Rose Bowl MVP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
