2001 Miami Hurricanes-Best College Football Team Ever

by Ed Talerico
(West Palm Beach, FL)

In my opinion, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes were the greatest college football team of all time. One may argue this, of course, but I don't know if one can argue against them being the most talented squad ever.

Not only 16 1st round draft picks but at least 6 Pro Bowlers(Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Ed Reed, a former N.F.L. Defensive Player of the year, and Sean Taylor, R.I.P.). There may be more I'm not aware of and more on the way.

Their offensive line led by All Americans, Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez, was dominant and considered the best in the nation. McKinnie never allowed a sack in his career. In fact, Ken Dorsey, who finished 3rd in the Heisman voting and winner of the Maxwell Award was sacked only 5 times the entire season.

The running backs featured not only Portis and Gore, but also included Nadje Davenport and Willis McGahee. Andre Johnson was an exceptional pass reciever and tight end Jeremy Shockey was backed up by Kellen Winslow Jr. Miami averaged 43.2 points per game.

The defense was extremely fast and hard hitting. They allowed only 9.4 points per game and also led the nation with a remarkable 45 takeaways. The defensive line featured Jerome McDougle, Vince Wilfork, William Joseph, and Andrew Johnson, all N.F.L. players.

The linebackers, John Vilma, D.J. Williams, and Chris Campbell were among the best in the nation. The secondary, led by Ed Reed, was one of the best of all time and numbered at least 6 N.F.L. players on its roster.

The Canes special teams were also exceptional and possessed great speed. Phillip Bucannon was one of the most dangerous punt returners in the nation that year and Miami could block kicks as well. Their place kicker, Todd Sievers was an All American and connected on 21 of 26 field goals attempts.

Miami was a very dominant and complete football team. On successive weeks they decimated 13th ranked Syracuse and 11th ranked Washington by scores of 59-0 and 65-7 respectively. This was an NCAA record for margin of victory over consecutive ranked opponents.

The Canes crushed their opposition at the Orange Bowl that year by an average score of 51-3. They led Nebraska in the B.C.S. Championship Game played at the Rose Bowl 34-0 at halftime and cruised to victory 37- 14.

A remarkable stat about the 2001 Canes is the fact that they scored 11 non-offensive touchdowns while their defense allowed only 13. It was a truly amazing display of dominance for a team to score within a couple of touchdowns of what their defense allowed FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON without their explosive and very talented offense ever taking the field.

In conclusion, I have to pay my respects to 1995 Nebraska and 2004 U.S.C. since they were great teams as well. Also, the 1992 Crimson tide which destroyed Miami 34-13 in the 93' Sugar Bowl under Coach Stallings. They were not regarded as one of the best teams ever but possessed one of the greatest defenses I've ever seen.

Wish the Miami championship teams of the 80's and early 90's handled themselves with as much class as the great Alabama teams of the past, especially those under Coach Bryant. And all this from a Florida Gator fan.

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2001 Miami Hurricanes-Best College Football Team Ever

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Dec 27, 2007
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2 of the best
by: Anonymous

R.I.P. Chris Campbell and Sean Taylor

Apr 08, 2008
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95 Huskers are best college team ever
by: MWesty

Yes, they had a lot of talent and were a very good team, but not the best. The 95 Huskers were the best college team of all time

May 16, 2008
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Miami super talented/the best????
by: Anonymous

The 2001 Miami Hurricanes WERE as talented as any team...however

they play ZERO elite opponents all yr---NONE and they were tested on the road at Boston College (who played without their best player William Green) and at Virginia Tech who dropped a 2 pt conversion that would have tied the game

Then they faced a Nebraska team that had given up 62 points in their previous game One could argue that Nebraska team was the worst team to play in a NC game this decade

I will not argue with their talent level but given the games with BC and VT I believe Miami would have had ALL they wanted had they played an elite team on the road that yr

Hats off to the Oklahoma Sooners of 1974---that team never gave up more than 14 points in an unbeaten season led by the Selmon brothers and Joe Washington It certainly was better than the 80's OU teams that fell to Miami for three straight yrs

Jul 02, 2008
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Schedule can be a bit overrated with great teams
by: Anonymous

The argument that Miami played zero elite opponents in 2001 would hold some weight if they struggled against the ranked opponents they did play. But they were as dominant against ranked teams as they were against unranked opponents. They ended the 'Noles 54 game home winning streak in Tallahassee convincingly, 49-27. Against Boston College, Ken Dorsey may have had the worst game of his career throwing in the wind at B.C., yet the Canes still won by 12. They proceeded to outscore #14 Syracuse and #11 Washington by a combined score of 124-7 the next two weeks before taking the field at Blacksburg. Miami led 20-3 at halftime and controlled most of the game but had to hold on to win. It is admitted Nebraska was not a strong opponent having been blown out by Colorado in the Big Twelve Championship. But who else would have led the Huskers 34-0 at halftime? Miami had no control over who they played in the title game. The question is: Would it have mattered? Do you think Oregon, Colorado, or anyone else would have beaten the Canes that year?
Every once in awhile a college football season will produce a team we may call transcendent. In 1961 there was Alabama. Then there was everyone else. I do not doubt that the same was true for the great Sooner team of '74. Certainly in '95 there was Nebraska and then it was merely a question of who was number #2. In '01 the transcendent team, the dominant team was Miami. I really don't believe it made a difference who they played for the title that year any more than it would have mattered for '61 Alabama,'74 Oklahoma, or '95 Nebraska; the same with some other great teams of the past. Strength of schedule has less meaning here, though the Canes, to my knowledge, did defeat 6 ranked teams in '01. I believe '01 Miami was the best ever. But my point is, I can't think of any teams in the nation that would have caused major problems, match ups, or otherwise, for any of the great teams mentioned above during their transcendent seasons. Therefore, whether these teams played #2 or #6, or #3 rather than #10 doesn't make a great deal of difference. Great teams such as the ones mentioned above would leave no doubt who the better team was regardless of who they played during their dominant seasons. Regardless of who the greatest team ever truly is, it sure makes for a very interesting debate.

Sep 01, 2008
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Best article ever written on the subject.
by: Anonymous

How to calculate the greatest college football team ever:

How To Calculate Greatest College Football Team Ever.

Sep 18, 2008
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2001 canes
by: Anonymous

how can you say they played no elite teams not only did they destroy ranked syracuse and washington but they also killed the number 2 team in the nation 37-14 for the national championship.

Oct 20, 2008
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they were the best
by: Anonymous

Just to add some notes to those who think the hurricanes had no historical impact that year on big college teams. The Washinton Huskies have NEVER been the same program since the 2001 Miami Hurricanes decimated them. If we all remember, the Huskies were a team to be reckoned with back then.

You can't deny that the 2001 Hurricanes team will always be remembered as one of the best college football teams to ever have assembled. As a former hurricane alumni myself..I guess I'm biased??

Go Canes!!

Nov 08, 2008
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i was there
by: football fan

i was at the national championship game, and i remember every time it looked like the huskers were going to hold the canes with a 3rd and 7 or 3rd and 5...... you'd see dorsey to shockey, dorsey to johnson, dorsey to shockey.. i never looked at the stats after the game, but i'd bet they converted a very, very high percentage of their third downs.

they looked unstoppable.

Dec 08, 2008
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Name another team that put that many into the NFL...also pro-bowl
by: Anonymous

Bryant McKinnie and Vince Wilfork are also pro-bowlers. On top of that, DJ Williams will be a shoe in for the pro-bowl.

May 17, 2009
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01 canes the g.o.a.t.
by: Anonymous

the 01' canes were the best period.

the 95 huskers were great but the problem is is that they were a one dimensional team and they never seen athletes like the 01' canes so when the going gets tough what are they going to do throw the ball? if so to who??

plus if you look at the huskers schedule in 95' they played 5 straight at home!! and only 4 road games period. kansas, k-st and colorado is the only teams they played that were worth anything other than that the rest of the teams were 3-8 teams. plus just like we always beat fsu when it counts we ALWAYS beat NU when it counts.

May 20, 2009
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Canes rock
by: Anonymous

The are the greatest team ever. Who is in the Big 12 or what ever you call it. Three of the national champs came from the hand of this so called great conference. The would roll over 95 Nebraska. How many of these so called great teams that would have beat them had this many first rounders. They played the schedule that was sent to them. The 2004 Trojans played in another weak conference. 2001 the best ever

Jun 22, 2009
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2000 Hurricanes
by: Anonymous

The most talented team of all-time actually is not the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. It is the 2000 Miami Hurricanes. Take that 2001 team and add both Reggie Wayne AND Santana Moss. I have no idea how they managed to lose a game.

Jul 30, 2009
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nope
by: Anonymous

The 1995 Nebraska team would ****** smash 2001 Miami into the ****** ground with ease
NUFFSAID

Aug 09, 2009
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Big Thank You
by: Anonymous

Saw every game that year, even the Rose Bowl, we (Miami) truly possessed the best team of all time with that 2001 squad.

Aug 09, 2009
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Jab
by: Anonymous

You throw a jab in there at the end of your story

Aug 10, 2009
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Virginia Tech, Boston College and Colorado
by: Anonymous

The 2001 Virginia Tech, Boston College and Colorado teams disagree with 2001 Canes being the greatest of all time.

Aug 10, 2009
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#1
by: Anonymous

Miami definitely played elite competition that year.

Actually they set a record for beating top 15 teams back to back by the highest margin (Syracuse and Washington) something like 135-9

They were the best team of all time and had the voters gotten it right should have played in the Championship game in 2000, 2001, and 2002 and probably would have won all 3 (02 UM was robbed by the ref on the other end of the field)

Aug 11, 2009
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THE 2OOO-2002 UM TEAMS WERE THE BEST
by: Anonymous

No doubt the 2000-2002 UM teams were the best. Just look at the NFL players they produced were the best make it. 10+pro bowlers and how many first round picks from those years. No team comes close. 95 nebraska would have nothing close to competing with the those UM teams. Just compare the players one on one. Not even close. How did the 95 team players make in the NFL were the best play each other and not some sissy high plains team.

Aug 22, 2009
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Huskers Could Pass in '95
by: Anonymous

People always say that the Huskers in 1995 could only run. "One dimensional?" They averaged 7.5 yds per passing play and 14 yds per completion. The reason why they didn't have to throw is because they averaged 400 RUSHING YARDS A GAME. Their quarterback was a 3-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MVP who got cheated out of the Heisman, their running backs were Laurence Philips who averaged over 100 yds a game and Ahman Green who we all know.
They could do what they wanted, whenever they wanted. That is why they won every game by an average of 39 points and no team came within two touchdowns of them. Their lowest point total in a game was 35 points. 35!!!! Their LOW! How could they be one-dimensional? The fact is that they had a triple-option that involved the best running quarterback of our time (possibly all time given his stats even with his injuries), two of the best running backs of the 90's and enormous fullbacks. However, when they threw the ball it was just as easy for them to get first downs. They averaged more yards per catch than their opponents. READ THE FACTS!

Aug 22, 2009
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Cane Dominance
by: Anonymous

Here is the order: 2001 Canes, 1986 Canes, 2000 Canes. Sorry Huskers. NCAA did not want us in the 2000 season BCS championship game, and stole the 2002 season championship game. Should have been a threepeat. Forget the #1 picks, just look at the quality picks. Be aware college football, there is another storm on the way, and you know what is going to happen!!!

Aug 23, 2009
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2000 or 2001 UM would have destroyed 95 Nebraska
by: Anonymous

What was the name of that QB from Nebraska? Did he even make it to the pros? Not that good was he. What happened to Phillips? He did not do to well in the NFL. He was lost. It seems the 2000-2002 Miami team's players moved on and did great in the NFL were the best are judged against the best. Not weak prairie teams. The 94 Nebraska team almost the same as the 95 team barely got but an injury depleted Miami team in 94. That 94 Miami team was not even in the top ten of Miami teams. 2001 Miami would have destroyed any Nebraska team ever. Any other team that night in 2001 would have been blown of the field as well.

Aug 23, 2009
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2001 Miami? Yeah, right
by: Clem

They were lucky to beat BC, and they won over VaTech by just a deuce. Sorry, but it doesn't matter how many guys end up in the NFL, it's what they do on the field in college that matters in this discussion.

Aug 23, 2009
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They blew that Nebraska team of the field.
by: Anonymous

They blew that Nebraska team of the field.
What was the score in the first half?

Aug 23, 2009
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Not even close
by: Salvadore

2001 Miami played ONE team that finished in the top 10. (And that one team had just lost 62-36.)

1995 Nebraska played FOUR teams that finished in the top 10, and beat them by an average of 31 points.

Case closed.

Aug 23, 2009
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Sour Grapes by Nebraska, VT, BC & Others
by: Canes 11

They were simply the best for 3 years straight. The BSC sucks and the refs must have been paid off in 2002. Enough said, SIMPLY THE BEST!

Aug 27, 2009
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1995 nebraska?
by: Anonymous

1995 Nebraska better than this squad? are you retarded?

Sep 05, 2009
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scored at will
by: Anonymous

The 2001 Canes team scored at will against all opponents. Emphasis being on "at will". Some games they were laid back, the score got close, and then they just switched gears. They were a precocious pro team playing against college kids. The list of stars on that team, and their success in the NFL, speaks for itself.

Sep 07, 2009
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Don't forget JV
by: Hurricane Pro

Jonathan Vilma is also a pro bowler, and I think Antrel Rolle just might be on his way to one. Kellan Winslow should ease into one also eventually

Sep 12, 2009
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The Best
by: Anonymous

There are no teams better. 16 First Rounders, multiple pro bowlers.

QB: Ken Dorsey
RB: Clinton Portis (Pro Bowl), Frank Gore (Pro Bowl), Willis Mcgahee (Pro Bowl), Najeh Davenport (NFL)
TE: Jeremy Shockey (Pro Bowl), Kellen Winslow (Pro Bowl)
WR: Andre Johnson (Pro Bowl), Roscoe Parrish (NFL)
O-line: Bryant McKinnie (Pro Bowl), Martin Bilba (NFL)

Defense: Vince Wilfork (Pro Bowl), Ed Reed (Pro Bowl), Sean Taylor (Pro Bowl - RIP), Jonathan Vilma (Pro Bowl), Antrel Rolle (NFL), DJ Williams (NFL), Mike Rumph (NFL), Phillip Buchanon (NFL), Jerome McDougle (NFL), William Joseph (NFL).

And to think that in the previous seasons they were even more loaded with Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James, Bubba Franks, Dan Morgan.

Canes talent way too much for the 95 Huskers.

Sep 12, 2009
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2000 or 2001 UM would have destroyed 95 Nebraska
by: Anonymous

It is to bad the UM got screwed by the BCS out of the 2000 NC game. They would have run over OK.

Nov 29, 2009
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miami hurricanes
by: J McB

the 2001 miami hurricanes had the best roster ever hand down. you cant argue the talent they had. If you think other wise u can go *****. the 2001 hurricanes would crush the ******* 95 huskers no problem.

Dec 15, 2009
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The 95 Huskers would have been blanked
by: Anonymous

by the 2001 Hurricanes

Dec 15, 2009
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95 huskers, best ever
by: Anonymous

Im not a fan of either but the 95 husker team was by far the best. im 34yo and seen them all. closest win was 35-21 but fumbed inside the 10 twice and ended game on opp. 1 yrd line. played at jake plummer and arizona st. and had more than 500yds at halftime and 63 points. thats just a small sample but go to wikpedta type in 95 nebraska football and they have a summary of every game they played. also remember florida the team they beat in the title game 62-24 was awesome. florida beat no. 3 tennesse by 32 points and their closest game all year was 35-24 vs. number 8 florida st. there is no doubt in my mind the huskers would have beat miami by 2-3 touchdowns and i seen most of those games by both teams. but i think 01 miami was the 2nd best team i've ever seen.

Dec 15, 2009
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Canes were the best
by: Anonymous

There are four Canes teams that would have beaten the 95 Huskers. Florida had a weak D line against the run.

Again for you retards the 94 Canes team that was missing two starting D line almost beat the 94 Huskers. There were ten Canes teams better than the 94 Canes teams that were better than the team that almost beat almost the same 95 Husker team.

The 2000 or 2001 Canes would trash the 95 huskers by at least four TDs.

Dec 21, 2009
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The Unspoken Truth
by: Anonymous

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the most convincing factor in the whole '95 Nebraska vs. '01 Miami. Everybody has been sweating over Tommie Frazier, Lawrence Phillips, and Ahmad Green, who ran behind big ole Aaron Taylor, a solid pro.

However, no one has mentioned who was defending the other side of the ball. The Huskers had some pretty good pro players - Grant Wistrom (All Pro), Mike Rucker (solid pro) and - and that's it for impact pros. Jason Peter was a sad flame out in Carolina, Jason Tomich didn't accomplish anything, and Michael Booker was exposed as a terrible DB in Atlanta (to be fair, much like Mike Rumph in SF).

The BACK UPS on that Miami team were more talented than any Nebraska player besides Rucker and Wistrom, and those two, along with Tomich, may have been the only guys to start on the '01 Miami team. That means 8 players on that side of the ball were better Nebraska's guys. The only other defensive pro from that Nebraska team was their 3rd string quarterback Scott Frost, who hung around with the Jets for a while.

All this while non starters Antrel Rolle and Sean Taylor, two future top 8 picks, hung out on the bench.

Tommie Frazier was better than Dorsey, but not for the offense that Miami ran. Besides him and Aaron Taylor. EVERY SINGLE MIAMI STARTER was better than their Nebraska counterpart. In terms of running the ball, I think Frazier, Phillips and Green compared to Portis, McGahee and Gore is too close to call - and fair since Gore and Green were young and not quite the players they would become. Besides that argument, the only other quasi debate would be Joel Mackovicka vs. Najeh Davenport at Fullback.

Free donuts for anyone who can name a starting WR for the Huskers? In the meantime, let's watch Andre Johnson (perhaps the game's best WR) and Roscoe Parrish catch balls along with two All Pro caliber TE's in Shockey and Winslow. Their back up? Future pro Kevin Everett, you know, for good measure.

And for the record, that narrow win against Virginia Tech just happened to be against a team with a bunch of future pros on offense - Kevin Jones, Lee Suggs, Ernest Wilford, and Andre Davis - so forgive the Canes for giving up a few points.

Head to head - Miami had team speed that would've neutralized the Option attack in a way that Nebraska hasn't seen, and Miami's speed on offense would have torched the Huskers D.

Jan 28, 2010
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" EDWARD REED"
by: Anonymous

I love Miami so I will agree. Who is the guy that said NU 1995 would crush Miami. They are very good i think #2 but they have no pass game at all, nuff said. The level of competition these days is a huge step up. Vilma would have smashed Harris as he did Crouch with those 2 big hits!
I believe NU 1995 had one of the weakest schedules ever.

Jan 28, 2010
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everyone is just tired of hearing how good miami is, too bad!
by: Anonymous

Besides Florida, did any of the other teams they played beat anybody good? Not from what I remember! Who cares if you blow out a bunch of no ones!

Apr 01, 2010
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huskers would have probaly won
by: Anonymous

I love the canes but Nebraska would have won...Nebraska was very dicipline and hardly made mistakes...Miami on the other hand if you remember went down to the wire with BC and VT gave them a good game also becasue the players were so undicipline espeacialy on Defense. they had plent of speed and athleticism but in the end Nebraska dicipline would have won the game...In a rematch or best of 5 miami would probaly take the series though

Apr 02, 2010
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Miami would dominate Nebraska
by: HurricaneinLA

Miami would have blown out the 1995 UN more than Miami blew out the 2001 Husker team. Miami was Bigger, faster, stronger makes Miami unbeatable. Best team ever. Nebraska played nobody that year. How did everybody do in the the pros were everybody is good playing top competition every week?

Remember again for the slow people a very injured Miami team almost beat the 94 husker team in that title game. Almost the same 95 team. Two of Miami's defensive linemen missed the game because of injuries. Miami was winning by two scores in the fourth quarter and wore out. That 94 Miami team does not even make a top ten Cane team.

Jun 26, 2010
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Best Ever??
by: Anonymous

Lets see, 2001 Miami couldn't even score an offensive TD vs an 8-4 Boston College team, needing a late turnover by BC to pull that one out, and squeaked by another 8-4 V. Tech team by 2 pts., only played 1 top 10 team, and people actually think thats the best of all time?? LOL

1995 Nebraska destoyed 4 top 10 teams (only one of those games was in Lincoln) Closest game was 35-21, and that was the only final score within 23 pts. Average score for Nebraska 53.2-14.5
Husker reserves usually played most of the second half of games.

And anyone who thinks the Huskers were one dimentional on offense doesn't know what he is talking about.
NCAA regular season stats for-
Ken Dorsey had 23 TD passes, Tommie Frazier had 17
and Frazier did that with just over half as many attempts as Dorsey
Dorseys Ef.Rating 146.12, Frazier 156.14
Dorsey had 9 ints, Frazier only had 4

Miami had a good team, but the best of all time?? Give me a break. How the players do in the pros does not mean who had the best college team. Besides Nebraska sent over 2 dozen players from that team to the NFL.

Sep 13, 2010
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1995 Huskers Most Dominant To Date
by: I<3CollegeFootball

I've been a huge college football fan and I don't just watch "my" team either, I watch whatever top 25 matchups there are and that's been a Saturday ritual for 25 years now. While I've seen some truly remarkable teams over those years, I've never seen a team dominate it's opponents like the '95 Huskers. Nebraska and Miami homers aside, serious college football fans know exactly what I'm talking about. Miami had not one but two games where they squeaked out wins. That's not a slight against them because in my opinion that's what makes champions, their ability to battle through those tough games. It's the difference between the 12-0 team and the 11-1 team. You see it year in and year out, every team that wins the title had to step up and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in order to keep their undefeated season alive. That is except for one team...

...the 1995 Huskers. They never had to snatch victory from defeat, they never had any amazing comebacks, in fact their wasn't an ounce of drama to be had on their entire championship run. The simply killed everyone. Heck they never even trailed beyond the second quarter, not even in the national title game. In fact they only trailed after the first quarter once the entire season and even that game was 35-10 by halftime. Did I mention that game was the national title game that ended in a 62-24 drubbing?!

Let's also keep in mind this domination wasn't because the Huskers had an easy schedule. They beat 4 AP Final Top 10 teams that year by a combined score of 196-73. It's important to note that we're talking about the final poll, the one that ends the season. They didn't merely beat teams that were top 10 at the time, these were teams that at the end of the season were ranked in the top 10 and all of them won their bowl game too. Well except one and that's because they played...yep, the Huskers.

Before I decided to post this, I did a little research to make sure my memory wasn't failing me and turns out the 95 Nebraska team was even more dominant than I was remembering. The gaudy offensive and defensive stats are already well known but this little stat really stood out to me. Their opponents only returned 5 punts for a total of 12 yards for the entire season, FIVE?! It turns out their special teams were so good that the punters net average was greater than his gross. lol...that's just crazy!

Honestly this really isn't even a debate, Miami almost got beat twice in their "best team ever" season. That alone knocks them down into conversations with teams like the 2004 Trojans. Now if the debate was "Which college football teams players had the most success in the NFL" I would side with 2001 Canes but that's not the debate, it's which college football team was the best and there really is no contest here, it is the '95 Huskers.

Sep 13, 2010
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2000-2001 Canes best of all time
by: LAhurricane

You can talk all you want about your 95 huskers. Again for the ignorant people. Line up the 2001 against the 95 Huskers and Miami blows them out. It would not even be close. Again the 94 injury depleted Miami team almost beat the 94 Husker team. Almost the same team as the 95. That 94 UM team was not even a top ten UM team. So what if Miami had a few close games in a monsoon rain. The did not show up and still won. They let a team come back on them. The 2000 UM team would blow out the 95 Husker team as about 4 other UM teams.
Just look at the talent alone. Look how the Miami players have done in the NFL and what the the Husker team do in the NFL. The NFL has the best of the best playing each other and not some weak prairie teams. Miami did blow out Nebraska in 2001. What was the score in the first half?

Sep 13, 2010
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A comparison of teams.
by: Anonymous

Why do the pro miami ones say that the 2001 miami team, would have beaten the 1995 nebraska team? We go by how they played against their competition for that year. Plus I have never seen Miami 2001 ranked # 1 in any poll except for ones done by someone from florida

Sep 13, 2010
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2000-2001 Canes best of all time
by: Anonymous

I am from Los Angeles. You know, Southern California. UM has beaten the Huskers in three NC games and lost one with an average UM injury depleted team. Sapp was on his own. Line the teams up against each other and and three UM teams would eat up that 95 Husker team. That Husker team would have no answer for the UM offense or defense. Look at the players. The size, speed and ball hawking. Sean Taylor, 6'3" 230 pounds 4.3 40 speed and Ed Reed and a pair of all pro linebackers and some all pro D linemen. All pro wide receivers, Tight ends and running backs. Look what Andre Johnson is doing in the NFL against great DBs in the NFL. Who on the Husker team could stop him or Shockey. Bryant McKinney and co. would push any of the 95 Huskers D line out of the way. Only a fool who knows nothing about football would claim and Husker team would beat this UM team. UM did it all without a coach and average QB that was still better than any husker QB ever. Put Jim Kelly on that team in his prime and even better. How about Jerome Brown, Cortez Kennedy, Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis to that team. What college has had that many great players? A team that won 5 NCs and should have won more since 83. The other Floria teams have won 5 NCs as well. The state of Florida puts more All Pro players and first round picks than any state. That is a fact. How many in last years all pro from just UM. 8 or something?

Sep 14, 2010
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You do not compare teams from differnt years directly.
by: AnonymousPacific northwest husker fan.

LA hurricane, again you do not line uM 2001 against Nu 1995 directly. Like others have pointed out it is what those teams did against the competition they played that year, like take the 1971 Nu team and it gets a higher rating in every non florida poll on the computer. Where does 2001 um even get in the top 5 or 10 in every non florida poll?

Sep 14, 2010
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The polls.
by: pacifc northwest husker fan

Anonymous I am still waiting for the non florida polls that say 2001 miami is better.

Sep 15, 2010
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UM is better than Nebraska anytime.
by: Jackson Hole Gator

Florida polls count the most because that is were the best football players in the country come from. Where do you want to start? 1st round picks? Current players in the NFL. There are 44 just from Miami Dade high school area alone. How about All Pro NFL? National Champion teams from one state. The state of Florida has 10 since 83. The next state would be? The SEC the best conference has LSU, Alabama, Tennessee with some NCs in that time with 5. How many has the state of Nebraska put in the pros? Not to many that really come from Nebraska now is there? Just corn fields and Indian reservations.

The best QBs came from western Pennsylvania and they are now coming from CA.

Bottom line is that Miami is the best that ever played. Of course you line them up and UM blows out Nebraska every time. That is the whole point.

Sep 15, 2010
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Teams and not indviual players.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

We are talking about how the teams played and not where the best players come from. Tommie Frazier came from florida, but he was a member of the nebraska team.

Sep 15, 2010
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Polls?
by: LAcane

You must be talking about the old fart polls that do not mater. What polls are in Nebraska? If you are trying to argue who was the best sprinter of all time. Then answer would be who has run the fasted of all time. Not some sprinter years ago. Bolt is the best sprinter of all time and not Jesse Owens. Not taking anything away from Owens and his great accomplishments, but Bolt blows Owens of the track. Just like the best UM team blows out the 95 Husker team. Not taking anything away from any other championship team because it is a huge accomplishment. Eventually there might be someone better than Bolt and and 2001 Canes. But right know they are the best ever.

Sep 15, 2010
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The polls.
by: pacific northwest husker fan

That is where you are wrong. You have to take in their total accomplishments to see. Take Phelps the swimmer and he won as many medals as Spitz the swimmer did in 72, but all of the ones Spitz won were golds, which is better than Phelps. And the polls I am talking about are at your fingertips. Type "the greatest college football teams ever" on yahoo and go through the lists. Show me where miami 2001 gets more than 1 or 2 polls for the best team ever. Notice I do not add a certain teams name for the search on yahoo, so the computer does not pick up everything related to that team.

Sep 16, 2010
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Phelps blows out Spitz
by: HurricaneinLA

This is were you are way wrong again. Spitz got blown out in 68 Mexico City after bragging to everybody that he was going to win 6 golds. Spitz left with only 2 golds for relay teams and a silver and a bronze. Munich was Spitz's second time around. Spitz won 7 golds in Munich and Phelps 8 golds in Beijing. Phelps has been in three Olympics already, and will be in four unless he quits, injury or God forbid something else bad happens. Phelps has 14 gold medals and two bronze compared to Spitz' 9 gold medals a silver and a bronze. Tell me who was better? 2001 Canes.

Phelps has also had 38 world records to Spitz's 33. Spitz best time in the 200 free 1:52.78 and Phelps 1:42.96. Spitz best time in the 200 fly 2:00.0 and Phelps 1:51.51. Phelps set his first world record a 15 years old in this event at 1:54.92

Spitz in the 100 fly 54:27 to Phelps 49.82 which is faster than Spitz's best 100 free at 51.22 Phelps best 100 free is 47.51

What puts Phelps over the top is his world records in the 200 and 400 individual medleys. Phelps 400 IM time of 4:03.84 is faster than the 1960 Olympic US teams WR 400 meter Medley relay of 4:05.4

Now how can you compare Spitz to Phelps? Not to much really. Now how can you compare 95 Nebraska to 2001 Canes? Not to much either. Same thing, bigger, faster and stronger make the 2001 canes the best ever.

I swam on a national champion swim team with a several world champions and world record holders.

Sep 16, 2010
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Dominance.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

Okay then it was Eric Heiden in speeskating and he won gold medals in all the events he competed in,in 1980,that is no bronze or silver medals. Have you typed in "the greatest college footbal teams ever", on yahoo and went through the list?

The point being Heiden had dominance like nebraska did in 1995 and miami had two games they could have lost.

Sep 16, 2010
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UM 2001 best of all time like post says.
by: HurricaneinLA

Prior to the 2006 Rose Bowl, ESPN's SportsCenter ran a special in which the 2005 USC Trojans, led by stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White, were compared with the greatest college teams of the past 50 years, as picked by sports fans voting on ESPN.com, to determine their place in history. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes were the only team picked by fans to defeat the '05 Trojan squad, reflecting the esteem with which the 2001 Hurricanes are held in the college football world

Among the numerous stars on the 2001 Miami squad were: quarterback Ken Dorsey; running backs Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, and Frank Gore; tight end Jeremy Shockey; wide receiver Andre Johnson, and Kevin Beard; tackles Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez; defensive linemen Jerome McDougle, William Joseph, and Vince Wilfork; linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Rocky McIntosh. In all, an extraordinary 17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchanon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; 1 in 2005: Rolle; and 1 in 2006: Kelly Jennings

Sep 16, 2010
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You can not compare different years.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

Again we are comparing a team and the competition they played against that year, you can not compare teams from different years and say one from a later year is better. Take Ali and he is the greatest, but some young stud could easily beat him today. Show me who can match Ali and his record, then show me miami 2001 and how they did as good as nebraska in 1995.

Sep 16, 2010
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What hundreds of polls say.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

You are listing one espn poll and I am talking about hundreds of polls that are available on the computer if you type in "the greatest college football teams ever." And again out of those hundreds of polls I have not seen miami 2001 listed as number one in any non florida poll, as a matter of fact I do not believe they even get a top 5 or 10 ranking.

Sep 16, 2010
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UM best of all time.
by: HurricaneinLA

Times do not lie. Phelps would have no competition with Spitz. Bigger, faster stronger means a better team of the field. Spitz was great in his time but humans are getting better in some things like sports for sure. Getting real good at greed. Back to sports, Just like weight lifting, the weight keep going higher and higher.

If they played on the field UM would destroy the Huskers and that is what it comes down to. Huskers played against a bunch of nobodies in their own league. They only team UN played that was any good was Florida with a soft D line against the run.

UN was run run run. UM has always beaten teams against the run as everybody knows. UM has had the best d line men for years and that is why they played for so many NCs. Look at Sapp,Wilfork,J Brown, Maryland, Cortez Kennedy and many more.

YOu can look at all the speed in WR,DB, LB etc but with out the a good line you have nothing but sizzle. UM has not had this since 2001. They lost 3 O linemen to the NFL and it showed the next year against OSU. McGahee carried that team.

The 2000 team was probably better. They lost early against UW after losing starting QB to the pros in baseball. UW only lost one game that year at 11-1 and UM blew them out by around 60 points the next year.

UN has always had great lines over many decades but would not have an answer for the 2001 team. UM has always had great speed but when they have great and deep O and D lines they dominate. That is why they were so good in the 80s and early 90s. They had great linemen that were fun to watch destroying other teams.

I will give you points for being a great football fan. If you think UN was better good for you. The polls can say what ever they want if Spitz was better than Phelps but everybody knows Phelps would win in the pool, just like UM would beat UN on the field were it counts.

Sep 16, 2010
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If you compare teams?
by: pacificnorthwest husker fan.

Going by your reasoning that um is better because they had better training and so forth at the time, that means Alabama 2010 would run all over 2001 um correct? And the only poll I seen about a team from the 2000s against nebraska 95 directly was the 2004 or 2005 usc team and someone was saying how it could have beat 95 nebraska, anyway the one answeing the question told the usc suppoter that 95 nebraska would have eaten them alive. I may still have that poll somewhere.So usc had 3 to 4 years to imoprove on um 2001. Would um 2001 have lost or had trouble with usc 2004 or 2005?

Sep 16, 2010
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The NFL Pro Bowl: It's all about The U.
by: HurricaneinLA

The NFL Pro Bowl: It's all about The U.

A record 11 former University of Miami players will take the field Sunday night for the league's annual all-star game.

The previous high from one school for the AFC-NFC game was nine from Southern Cal in 1986.

"It shows the type of program we have that, year after year, we just keep reloading," said Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, an 11-time Pro Bowler and the godfather of the current crop of UM stars.

Seven Hurricanes were initially named to the team: Lewis and Baltimore teammate Ed Reed, a safety; New England defensive tackle Vince Wilfork; Houston receiver Andre Johnson; Indianapolis receiver Reggie Wayne; Minnesota offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie; and New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

When several players dropped out — including Reed, with an injury, and Wayne, who will be on the sideline because he is playing with the Colts in the Super Bowl — the Pro Bowl added San Francisco running back Frank Gore, Carolina linebacker Jon Beason, Arizona safety Antrel Rolle and New England safety Brandon Meriweather.

The Canes' heavy presence is no great surprise; 41 former UM players appeared on opening-day rosters, tied for most with Louisiana State.

How many more examples do you want? Sean Taylor would been part of the mix as well. There were other Pro Bowler players from that team that have played in the past few years. Some records last a long time. These are players that are the best in the world right now. The best on the planet. Name a team with more studs. There is none. The more you look at it the better the 2001 team looks. Do really think that 95 UN team would stand a chance against this team.

Just like your Spitz Phelps argument you were proved way wrong.

Sep 16, 2010
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The canes were better than us.
by: Highplainshusker

In the NFL you play the best players on the planet. Those teams are deep compared the college ranks where a lot of teams are weak in many places and easy to exploit like the teams on the high plains. (The big 12) Not so in the NFL were everybody is good. The best players make it to the NFL and the best of them make it to the pro-bowl. How many Husker players made it the NFL and did anything let alone be the best in the league and make it to the pro bowl?

Sep 17, 2010
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ollege years only.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

Why do you keep talking about the NFL and how many players made it there? We are talking about the 1995 and 2001 seasons and how they did as a team for each season and so far for their college days nebraska did better. Answer first which one did better during their respective college years, then you can ask a separate question about who produced more NFL talent.What they do on separate NFL teams has no bearing on what they did in college.

Sep 17, 2010
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Wake up.
by: HurricaneinLA

Unbelevable, What makes a better team? Think about it. Better players! How do you no how good a player is until they play against top compititon. Kansas, Kansas st, Colorado. Nobodies that year. When you play in the NFL every is good. No drop offs like in the big 12.

What team had better players makes a better team. That 2001 had some great leaders like NFL defensive player of the year Ed Reed. Bigger, faster and stronger. No comparison on who had the better team. Answer this question. Who do you think would win on the field?

Who did Nebraska play that year? Nobody but Florida with no d line. The big 12 only played each other that year. Weak teams all year long.

I was an undefeated boxer and knocked out everybody I fought. It really means nothing because I fought nobodies. A bunch of tomato cans. Just like Nebraska playing a bunch of tomato cans. Yeah anybody will look good when they play nobodies. The teams Nebraska beat only played nobodies. Florida was the only team that was good. Again they had no D- line. Steve Superior is all I have to say.

Sep 17, 2010
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Someone does not want to answer a direct question.
by: pacific northwest husker fan

Since you will not answer a direct question and only want to go on who had better pro players, it is not going to do any good to discuss it further. You do know that during their college days that they had not played a down of pro ball yet? Remember they also had to have had a supporting cast to make those eventual pro players good. Anyway thanks for the conversation.

Sep 17, 2010
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Toughrer competition
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

You ask. Who did nebraska play in 1995? They played 4 top ten teams and miami 2001 played one top ten team.

Sep 20, 2010
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Back to the 40's
by: Anonymous

I remember back when the good ol' gold helmets would decimate teams back in the 40's. Them Irish knew how to play!

Sep 22, 2010
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Again for the retard.
by: LAbaby

Again for retarded people. Nebraska did not play anybody worth anything. Look who those teams played that Nebraska played. They only played big 12 opponents. Strength of schedule of the teams they played. Look who they played all year. The better players made the NFL. That is why the NFL is brought up. Everybody is good in the NFL. IF you did not make to the NFL you were not that good to begin with. Bad players bad teams and bad teams in the big 12. That is the point. How good players play with each other. Only best make to the NFL. Very simple to see the difference. How many black teams would have beaten ND back in the 40s? They would not let them play each other. A couple of all black teams would have killed ND. Do not ever forget that. The best were not allowed to play in the NC games back then.

Sep 23, 2010
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Is the smog bad down south there?
by: pacific northwest husker fan

I do not know where you all get your information, but according to Wiki 27 1995 nebraska players went to the nfl and another six played semi pro ball for a total of 33 in pro ball, whereas miami had 11 who went to the nfl.You really need some fresh air down there.

Sep 24, 2010
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academics proves who has a superior football team.
by: pacific northwest husker fan

It takes brains to be a good football player. So if we count all the players on each team, I wonder which team put the most academically talented players out into the real world for work and that includes the nfl?

Oct 21, 2010
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2001 miami hurricanes
by: UM Fan

every one of those players went pro, and had successful careers, and also went undefeated two straight years, almost three with the national championship game loss at the end of the season.

Oct 22, 2010
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The most talented players all around.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

But who put the most academically talented players into all different fields of work? Going to college is to get an education and you can not just count football. Or all those other um players make up the majority who did not succeed as well.

Oct 23, 2010
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UM is better than Nebraska anytime.
by: LAhurricane

The UM players made a lot more money just playing in the NFL than the Nebraska players. Nobody knows how they will do after that. Some get married and their wives leave them as soon as there career is over and take half of their money. I bet the players are all better of going to college than not going to college at all. You go to school to better your life. Wish all the best to all the players to a great life after football. Thanks for all the great games.

Oct 25, 2010
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The programs all around.
by: northwest husker fan

The um players more than likely made more money in the nfl, but a nfl career lasts about 5 years on the average, so we have to count the 30 or so years all the other players have to go out and work at an average job. And yes hopefully both teams did well there.

Dec 05, 2010
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miami
by: Anonymous

i don't even think the great lsu 03' defense could stop this team. it was just amazing what that team had. unstoppable undeniable and unbeatable.

Jan 03, 2011
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Needing to look up the information.
by: pacific northwest husker fan.

All the computer polls do not agree with you about them being unbeatable.

Jan 04, 2011
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95 huskers blow
by: Alaska king crab

The 95 huskers would have been blown of the field by several football teams since the 2000. The Gators, LSU, USC and of coarse the best of them all the 2001 UM team would have all beaten any Nebraska team of the field. Nebraska played big 12 teams that only played each other. Not much competition. They look good with a couple of losses but still only played each other in that silly big 12 league. Put them on the field and play em up. This year Miami put 9 players in the NFL ALL Pro team. Sean Taylor would have been one more on that team. Year after year the 2001 team put out some great players that no other team in history has.

Jan 04, 2011
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You do not compare teams from different years directly.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

Again you rate what a team did against its competition from a certain year and not the two teams directly against each other. And again the vast majority of the polls on the computer say that either the 1971 or the 1995 Nebraska teams were the best ever. Type in "The greatest college football teams ever".

Jan 04, 2011
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UM 2001 best of all time like post says.
by: HurricaneinLA

Even a 4th grader knows the 2001 Miami team would blow out any Nebraska team. In 1983 supposedly the best team of all time got beat by Miami for the NC. Do you really think the 95 UN would even get within 3 tds against the 2001 Miami team? Line up the players and compare. Would any of those Nebraska players even be good enough to start on that Miami team? I doubt it. The NFL is always brought up because that is where the best college players go. Where all the talent is the best and not some big 12 league where you have weak players and some players with talent. How many players made to the NFL in that league? How many first round picks? 19 first round picks of Miami's team and look at all the all-pro players in the NFL. The best of the best. A truly amazing team.

Jan 04, 2011
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Different years.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

How many times do have to tell you all, to let the ones who kinow more decide it? hat is look the polls up on the computer and see which team gets the most first place votes. hy do you keep cmparing teams from different years against each other? You compare them by seeing how they did against their competituion.
And as for that 83 team the game was handed to Miami. They gave Miami the ball on Nebraskas 1 on a interference call, but on the next series or two Miami got the same interferene call , but the ref said that in his opinion he would just walk off 15 yards. The clincher came just before the 84 seaon started and they changed the rules on interference so it was an automatic 15 yards from then on. In other words they took the decision for that from the fef. I just wonder why the rule was changed so quickly after the 84 orange bowl?

Feb 15, 2011
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'95 Cornhuskers
by: Anonymous

They had the best roster of all time. The best TEAM of all time is the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. And it's not even close.

Sep 19, 2011
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Cheating.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

I know why you have all abandoned this comment section. That is because at least 2 of the 2001 miami players have been linked to that cheating scandal. If it deoes prove true, you know for a fact, that 2001 miami does not even qualify as being considered as being the best ever. And which number 1 team did miami play that year?

Sep 19, 2011
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Still yapping.
by: HurricaneinLA

Nobody cares what you think. The best team was the 2001 UM team and the next was the 2004 USC team. So what if some players take some pocket change money. The NCAA is a joke. How many billions of dollars does the NCAA make off these kids after they give them a college education. A college player cannot even sell his jersey. Something has to been done about that. A jock sniffer con man compulsive liar that stole almost a billion dollars from some very smart people gave a few thousand to some very poor kids says something. Big deal. Happens all the time with every college except nobody says anything about it.

UN played a bunch of nobodies all year. Nobodies. 5 of UM teams would blow that UN team of the field where it counts. On the field. What happened when UN players got to the NFL where every player is good? Very few did anything against the top competition. We all know what the UM players did. How many players in the All Pro teams over the years?

Sep 20, 2011
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Who is deserving.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

Taxpayers put in more time and money for those sports programs to exist. The point is, if the players get money it would have to be divided amongst all the taxpapayers too.If a um player made it to the nfl and is paying big money in taxes and some college player talks about the time he spends in practice etc., the um player would say he spends more time at work and pays so they can go to college.

Again you are talking about the nfl and not how they did as a college team in 1995 and 2001. I typed in yesterday "The greatest college football teams ever.", on yahoo and google and got either nebraska 1971 or nebraska 1995 as the best teams ever 99.9 percent of the time out of 3 or 4 pages of polls. Which number one team did um play that year?

Sep 20, 2011
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Top 10 teams played at game time.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

Hey cane fans. A lot of you have said that 2001 um played so many top 10 teams during the 2001 season. Show me where they played top 10 teams that were ranked in the top ten at game time? By that I mean when bc or vt played miami or any of the other teams they played, show me where they were in the top 10 on the day miami played them? Let me do it for you and it is not teams they played in the top ten at game time, but a team. Guess who? That would be number 4 Nebraska in the bowl game. So who played a stronger schedule and beat top ten ranked teams on game day? You can not say we beat top ten teams by an average of 50-20 unless it happened on game day. So your average margin of victory against a top ten team was 37-14.

That is like a boxer trying to claim he boxed some in the top 10, but the boxer was not ranked in the top ten until later that year.

Sep 20, 2011
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for the retard
by: Anonymous

UM blew out two ranked teams back to back by record points. They were not ranked after that UM beat down. Do you have a brain? Do you really think that any UN would have a chance against that UM team. The 94 UM team almost beat the 94 UN team which was almost the same a the 95 team. UM had two d lineman out for that game. UM was leading till the fourth quarter. That UM team was not even a top ten UM team. Do you not get it? LIne up those two teams on the field and UM blows out any UN team. What is so hard for you to figure that out? Did that 71 UN team have any black players on that team? Please 20 UM teams would blow out that team.

Sep 21, 2011
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I do not use names against fellow americans.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

Again you can not compare the 1995 un team against the 2001 um team directly, but you have to go on how they did against their opponents. That would be like comparing the 1971 un team against either the 1995 un team or the 2001 um team directly, although the 1971 un team might have done better against the opponents they played that year, than the other two teams did against their opponents.

Now you say they played two ranked teams and so far I have only seen one on game day that was ranked, but I will go back over it and also see how many of the teams were ranked on game day that the un team played.

Sep 21, 2011
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The tougher schedule.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

Cane fan. I just checked and 2001 um only played one team that was ranked in the top ten on game day, which as mentioned was #4 un. But un played 4 teams that were ranked in the top 10 on game day. When you check the schedule, look at the bottom where it says that the poll was released prior to the game. You can not count them as a top ten team if they became a top ten team a month or so before or after the game.

You can say they played 2 top ten teams over the course of a season, but it does not hold as much weight as playing top ten teams on game day.

Oct 22, 2011
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95 Nebraska, really?
by: Anonymous

Anyone who believes that Huskers team is more impressive than the 01 Canes is out of their mind. It's exactly the same way you find people who honestly try to rationalize Peyton Manning being better than Tom Brady It's so laughable it's almost disturbing.

Oct 24, 2011
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The more impressive team.
by: Pacific Northwest husker fan.

We have discussed this. UM had 2 close calls and UN had zero close calls. So what is the matter on who was the best team during those seasons? Again out of hundreds of polls UM gets a few florida polls and uN 1995 and 1971 get the great majority of the polls. The translation is that uN played against their opponents better that year than uM did during their year.

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