Editor’s note: As the World Cup continues in the United States for the first time since 1994, The Athletic is looking back at college sports in the 1990s and how much has changed since then. Join us for a couple of weeks of offseason football and basketball nostalgia.
In a decade that included the dying days of the pre-BCS era (it began in 1998), 13 teams were awarded either an AP or coaches poll national championship. But with the benefit of hindsight, several teams that didn’t finish No. 1 were clearly better than some of the teams that did.
I tackled this project similarly to when I ranked the 25 best teams of the 2000s last spring. I primarily weighed the following criteria:
- Season-long dominance (using average scoring margin)
- Big wins (using end-of-season AP poll rankings)
- Schedule strength (using College Football Reference’s ratings)
- Elite talent (using NFL Draft numbers over a three-year span)
- No bad losses (either a blowout or to a mediocre opponent)
No. 1 was easy. Most of the rest were not.
15. 1993 Notre Dame (11-1)
AP All-Americans: T Aaron Taylor, C Tim Ruddy, DE Bryant Young, CB Bobby Taylor, S Jeff Burris
Signature wins: vs. No. 1 Florida State (31-24), vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (24-21 in the Cotton Bowl), at No. 21 Michigan (27-23), vs. No. 25 (coaches) USC (31-13)
These were the days you could beat the No. 1 team, finish with the same record as them and still finish behind them in the polls because you lost more recently. After winning the Game of the Century against Florida State one week, the Irish fell at home to Boston College (which finished No. 12) on a walk-off field goal the next and ultimately finished No. 2. Lee Becton and Randy Kinder led a powerful rushing attack that averaged 260.7 yards per game.
14. 1994 Nebraska (13-0)
AP All-Americans: RB Lawrence Phillips, G Brendan Stai, T Zach Weigert, LB Ed Stewart, CB Barron Miles
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Colorado (24-7), vs. No. 6 Miami (24-17 in the Orange Bowl), at No. 19 Kansas State (17-6)
The savior of Osborne’s first national title team was backup QB Brook Berringer, who stepped in and started seven games after Tommie Frazier developed a blood clot in his leg and shared time with Frazier in the Orange Bowl. (Berringer tragically died in a plane crash two years later.) The Huskers racked up 4,080 rushing yards — 1,722 from Phillips — with their ever-befuddling option offense and were voted national champion in both major polls over unbeaten Penn State.
13. 1996 Florida State (11-1)
AP All-Americans: RB Warrick Dunn, T Walter Jones, DE Peter Boulware, DE Reinard Wilson
Signature wins: vs. No. 1 Florida (24-21), vs. No. 10 North Carolina (13-0), at No. 14 Miami (34-16)
With stud pass-rushers Boulware and Wilson, FSU notched a staggering 67 sacks in 12 games, including six in their No. 1 vs. 2 win over Florida on Nov. 30, after which Gators coach Steve Spurrier complained about repeated late hits by Noles defenders. Florida got its revenge when the teams rematched in the Sugar Bowl, costing Bobby Bowden’s team a national championship, but the Seminoles also blanked Mack Brown’s top-10 UNC team and ended a five-game road losing streak to Miami en route to finishing No. 3.
12. 1996 Ohio State (12-1)
AP All-Americans: T Orlando Pace, DE Mike Vrabel, LB Andy Katzenmoyer, CB Shawn Springs
Signature wins: vs. No. 4 Arizona State (20-17 in the Rose Bowl), vs. No. 7 Penn State (38-7), at No. 18 Iowa (38-26), at No. 19 Notre Dame (29-16)
This was the peak of John Cooper’s run of loaded teams (43-7 from 1995-98) that kept getting stymied by Michigan. Led by five future All-Pros, including Hall of Fame tackle Pace, the Buckeyes won their first 11 games, rising to No. 2 in the polls, before an inexplicable 13-9 home loss to an 8-4 Wolverines team. They rebounded in Pasadena, though, to ruin Jake Plummer-led Arizona State’s perfect season and finish No. 2.
11. 1998 Tennessee (13-0)
AP All-Americans: LB Al Wilson, LB Raynoch Thompson
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Florida State (23-16 in the Fiesta Bowl), vs. No. 5 Florida (20-17 in OT), at No. 14 Georgia (22-3), vs. No. 16 Arkansas (28-24), at No. 25 Syracuse (34-33)
That light list of All-Americans doesn’t do justice to the star power on the sport’s first BCS champions. After losing No. 1 pick Peyton Manning, the Vols’ 20 future draft picks on this team included All-Pro RBs Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry, WR Peerless Price, OT Chad Clifton and DE Shaun Ellis. Phillip Fulmer’s team wasn’t as dominant as others on this list — Arkansas QB Clint Stoerner’s unforced fumble may have saved the Vols’ season — but the Vols beat two of the decade’s preeminent powers in FSU and Florida.
10. 1992 Alabama (13-0)
AP All-Americans: DE Eric Curry, DE John Copeland, CB Antonio Langham, S George Teague
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Miami (34-13 in the Sugar Bowl), vs. No. 10 Florida (28-21), at No. 12 Tennessee (17-10), vs. No. 16 Ole Miss (31-10)
Gene Stallings’ Crimson Tide weren’t flashy — QB Jay Barker threw for just 1,647 yards — but they had a nasty defense that allowed just 9.4 points and 55 rushing yards per game. Despite winning the first SEC Championship Game, they were 8.5-point underdogs against a Miami team then on a 29-game winning streak. Bama intercepted Heisman winner Gino Torretta three times, one a pick six by Teague, who also had an epic strip of Miami receiver Lamar Thomas in a humbling rout of the Canes.
9. 1997 Michigan (12-0)
AP All-Americans: TE Jerame Tuman, DE Glen Steele, LB Sam Sword, CB Charles Woodson, S Marcus Ray
Signature wins: vs. No. 9 Washington State (21-16 in the Rose Bowl), No. 12 Ohio State (20-14), at No. 16 Penn State (34-8)
Led by Woodson, the first primarily defensive Heisman winner, Michigan stifled opposing offenses to the tune of 9.5 points per game. Lloyd Carr’s team flew under the radar until facing then second-ranked Penn State on Nov. 8 and thumping the Nittany Lions 34-8. Two weeks later, they humbled fourth-ranked Ohio State, with Woodson scoring both receiving and return touchdowns and picking off a pass in the end zone. He then intercepted No. 2 pick Ryan Leaf in the Rose Bowl.
8. 1999 Florida State (12-0)
AP All-Americans: WR Peter Warrick, G Jason Whitaker, DT Corey Simon, K Sebastian Janikowski
Signature wins: vs. No. 2 Virginia Tech (46-29 in the Sugar Bowl), at No. 12 Florida (30-23), vs. No. 15 Miami (31-21), vs. No. 20 Georgia Tech (41-35)
Bobby Bowden’s team became the first in history to go wire-to-wire at No. 1, though not without drama. Heisman contender Warrick was suspended for two games following a shoplifting arrest at Dillard’s, while Polish kicker Janikowski missed curfew in New Orleans. (Bowden declined to punish him, jokingly citing a made-up “international rule.”) QB Chris Weinke led a powerful offense, though Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick gave the defense fits in the bowl game.
7. 1997 Nebraska (13-0)
AP All-Americans: RB Ahman Green, G Aaron Taylor, T Eric Anderson, DE Grant Wistrom, DT Jason Peter
Signature wins: vs. No. 7 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl (42-17), vs. No. 8 Kansas State (56-26), at No. 18 Washington (27-14), vs. No. 20 Texas A&M (54-15), at No. 23 Missouri (45-38 in OT)
The defining image of Nebraska’s season was Matt Davison’s game-saving diving touchdown catch against Missouri on a ball kicked in the air, but QB Scott Frost and the Huskers spent the rest of the season beating opponents 77-14 (Iowa State), 69-7 (Oklahoma) and 54-15 (Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship). They finished the year holding Tennessee’s Peyton Manning to 134 yards in his last college game. The close call against Missouri allowed Michigan to finish No. 1 in the AP poll, but the coaches poll gave the retiring Osborne his third trophy.
6. 1996 Florida (12-1)
AP All-Americans: QB Danny Wuerffel, WRs Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony, C Jeff Mitchell
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Florida State (52-20 in the Sugar Bowl), at No. 9 Tennessee (35-29), vs. No. 11 Alabama (45-30), vs. No. 12 LSU (56-13), vs. No. 24 Auburn (51-10).
This season was the apex of Steve Spurrier’s swashbuckling Fun ‘n’ Gun offense, with Heisman winner Wuerffel throwing for 3,625 yards and 39 touchdowns. The Gators built a 35-0 first-half lead on rival Tennessee before Peyton Manning rallied to make it a respectable final score. Florida nearly cost itself a national title with a 24-21 loss to rival Florida State on Nov. 30, but the Gators avenged themselves in the Sugar Bowl by hanging 52 on Bobby Bowden’s Noles, their seventh game scoring 50-plus points.
5. 1994 Penn State (12-0)
AP All-Americans: QB Kerry Collins, RB Ki-Jana Carter, WR Bobby Engram, TE Kyle Brady, G Jeff Hartings
Signature wins: vs. No. 11 Oregon (38-20 in the Rose Bowl), at No. 12 Michigan (31-24), vs. No. 13 USC (38-14), vs. No. 14 Ohio State (63-14)
Heisman finalists Carter and Collins keyed one of the most explosive offenses of the decade, averaging 47 points per game. Penn State briefly rose to No. 1 in the AP poll but got passed by Nebraska after the Huskers beat then-No. 2 Colorado (the same week Penn State put up 63 on the Buckeyes), and it never got a shot at the natty because it drew 9-3 Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten finally relented and joined what would become the BCS roughly 18 months later.
Heisman runner-up Ki-Jana Carter and Penn State went 12-0 in 1994 but finished behind Nebraska in both major polls. (Mike Powell / AllSport via Getty Images)
4. 1993 Florida State (12-1)
AP All-Americans: QB Charlie Ward, DE Derrick Alexander, LB Derrick Brooks, CB Corey Sawyer
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Nebraska (18-16 in the Orange Bowl), at No. 5 Florida (33-21), vs. No. 15 Miami (28-10), at No. 19 North Carolina (33-7), vs. No. 23 Clemson (57-0)
Led by Heisman winner and two-sport star Ward, FSU outscored foes by an average margin of 41-10. Alexander and Brooks led a dominant front seven that allowed just seven rushing touchdowns. The Noles proved mortal when they fell 31-24 in the “Game of the Century” at No. 2 Notre Dame, but they moved right back up to No. 1 when the Irish lost to Boston College. Bobby Bowden wrapped up his first national championship when Nebraska missed a field goal with 1 second left in the Orange Bowl.
3. 1991 Miami (12-0)
AP All-Americans: T Leon Searcy, DE Rusty Medearis, LB Darrin Smith, DB Darryl Williams, K Carlos Huerta
Signature wins: vs. No. 3 Penn State (26-20), at No. 4 Florida State (17-16), vs. No. 15 Nebraska (22-0 in the Orange Bowl)
A stifling defensive team that allowed just 8.3 points per game, Miami made a statement in its second game by shutting down then 10th-ranked Houston’s run-and-shoot offense, 40-10. The Canes started the season No. 3 before moving to No. 1 in mid-November by toppling top-ranked Florida State in the first “Wide Right” game. Big Eight co-champ Nebraska managed just 171 yards in an Orange Bowl shutout. Future Heisman winner Gino Torretta led the Canes’ offense.
2. 1991 Washington (12-0)
AP All-Americans: WR Mario Bailey, OT Lincoln Kennedy, DL Steve Emtman, LB Dave Hoffman
Signature wins: vs. No. 6 Michigan (34-14 in the Rose Bowl), at No. 8 Cal (24-17), at No. 15 Nebraska (36-21), vs. No. 19 UCLA (21-10), at No. 22 Stanford (42-7)
There were two dominant teams in ’91: the Huskies, which finished No. 1 in the coaches poll, and Miami, the AP’s No. 1 team. Washington gets a slight edge here because it played a tougher schedule. Behind QB Billy Joe Hobert and No. 1 draft pick Emtman, Washington outscored opponents by an average of 31.7 points, with its suffocating defense allowing just 9.6 points and 67.1 rushing yards per game. The Huskies held Heisman winner Desmond Howard and Michigan to just 205 total yards in the Rose Bowl.
1. 1995 Nebraska (12-0)
AP All-Americans: QB Tommie Frazier, C Aaron Graham, DE Jared Tomich, DE Grant Wistrom, LB Terrell Farley
Signature wins: No. 2 Florida (62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl), at No. 5 Colorado (44-21), vs. No. 7 Kansas State (49-25), at No. 9 Kansas (41-3).
It’s long been a toss-up between this squad and 2001 Miami for the title of greatest team ever. The Huskers averaged 53.2 points and rushed for 400 yards per game while outscoring four final top-10 teams by an incredible average margin of 31 points. Only one of 12 opponents stayed within three touchdowns. In their defining performance, Frazier and running back Lawrence Phillips combined for 364 rushing yards, and the defense sacked Florida star Danny Wuerffel seven times in a 62-24 national championship rout.
Others that merited consideration: 1998 Ohio State (11-1), 1997 Florida State (11-1), 1990 Colorado (11-1-1), 1995 Ohio State (11-2), 1990 Georgia Tech (11-0-1)
