ESPN article about the best BCS era SEC teams

[TigerfanKM 37]

"In ESPN.com's rating of the best SEC teams during the BCS era, the 2004 Auburn team came out on top. That team had everything -- four of the first 25 picks in the ensuing NFL draft, the two best running backs in the league in Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Ronnie Brown, eye-popping speed up and down the roster and a nasty defense that yielded just 134 points all season long."

SEC's Top 10 Teams Of BCS Era...

1. 2004 Auburn: The 13-0 Tigers are living proof that you don't have to win a title to be considered the best, at least not in the BCS era. Auburn had Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and speed everywhere on defense. They were truly a national title team that never got a chance to play for one.

SEC's Top 10 Moments Of BCS Era

3. Unbeaten Auburn left out: Despite going a perfect 13-0 in 2004 with one of the best SEC teams years, Auburn never got a chance to play for the national title. The Tigers finished third in the BCS standings and could only watch helplessly as USC routed OU in the Orange Bowl for the national title.

Link --> http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3406757

[IslandTiger 0]

"In ESPN.com's rating of the best SEC teams during the BCS era, the 2004 Auburn team came out on top.

We probably got the nods from both Herbstreit and Corso to put us over edge...

Ego-driven

Short bus riding

Puke-10 spewing

Neanderthals

ESPN Gameday Crew = OSU, USC, OU, ND, Bobo Honking 's

Sorry for the outburst but any reference to the 2004 Team and ESPN in the same breath makes me bitter

P.S.

ESPN during Football season =

[OKieAuburnDoug 1]

How was the 2005 AU/Uga game not in their top 10 list for games????????

[SouthLink02 8]

How was the 2005 AU/Uga game not in their top 10 list for games????????

What game in 2005? I don't remember any game that year against AU. Let's just forget about any so-called AU/UGA game that year

As for the lists:

- Why is Eli that high? He was never great at OM, imo.

- Why is Glenn Dorsey ahead of Pollack? The list isn't for NFL potential with Tebow at #4 so it is about college, right? Pollack is a 3-Time All-American with all sorts of awards as well.

- Why is WVU/UGA put on there as one of the SEC's Top games?

- I would take LSU's 2003 team over UT's 1998 team

[cheap seats 40]

It is just coincidence or is it poor and lazy research? 3 of the top 4 players played last season. Four of the top ten games were played in 2006 or 2007 (I realize the 2006 Sugar Bowl was the end of the 2005 season).

Also, they are so obsessed with the past couple of years they try to claim that Tom Brady and Shaun Alexander played in the Orange Bowl in 2006.

Lastly, I agree with SLink. I would rate Pollack ahead of Dorsey. I would bet their thinking was that they already had Champ Bailey at #3, so they did not want to put another UGA player near the top. Only the Gators are worthy enough to have 2 players near the top.

[AUTiger1 0]

How was the 2005 AU/Uga game not in their top 10 list for games????????

What a game! I thought I was going to have a stroke, oh I was pissed and just knew it was over. Then all of a sudden Brandon Cox hit Aromashodu on 4th and 10 for 63 yrds. Man, what a game! WDE!!!!!!

[AUslug 1]

I would also put 2003 LSU over 1998 UT, the Vols were more lucky than good. That Tennessee team may be the only unbeaten BCS champion from the SEC but come on, they struggled against one of the worst Auburn teams ever, 17-9. The top games list is slanted to shootouts that have happened in the last two years, where are the 04-07 Auburn-LSU games?

[cheap seats 40]

I had the same thought about those Auburn/LSU games especially 2004. Also, what about the last 2 Auburn/Florida games? Even that 2000 Auburn/UGA overtime classic is as good or better than a couple that they listed (I guess they already had 1 Auburn/UGA game).

[OKieAuburnDoug 1]

I would also put 2003 LSU over 1998 UT, the Vols were more lucky than good. That Tennessee team may be the only unbeaten BCS champion from the SEC but come on, they struggled against one of the worst Auburn teams ever, 17-9. The top games list is slanted to shootouts that have happened in the last two years, where are the 04-07 Auburn-LSU games?

Don't remind me of the 1st and goal at the one game and NOT getting in!! Buster Brown at his worst!

[AUslug 1]

I would also put 2003 LSU over 1998 UT, the Vols were more lucky than good. That Tennessee team may be the only unbeaten BCS champion from the SEC but come on, they struggled against one of the worst Auburn teams ever, 17-9. The top games list is slanted to shootouts that have happened in the last two years, where are the 04-07 Auburn-LSU games?

Don't remind me of the 1st and goal at the one game and NOT getting in!! Buster Brown at his worst!

Ugh, I had forgotten about that one thanks. Those LSU/Auburn games actually meant something like who was going to win the West, not some shoot out between UT and UK.

[mcgufcm 4,109]

My random thoughts:

Players – It's ridiculous to say that no offensive lineman was in the top ten. Think of the GREAT ones we've seen in the last ten years, Chris Samuels and Marcus McNeil come to mind first for me.

No way Glenn Dorsey (a very good defensive tackle) should be that high. What makes him different than John Henderson or Chad Lavalais (other than pro prospects) or other SEC greats? Honestly, I'm asking. I would DEFINITELY move Pollack up the list b/c he was THE dominant player in the conference for most of his career.

Not to hate on Alabama, but I never thought Shaun Alexander was that good. I think Samuels deserves to be on this list a LOT more than he does. He just never scared me the way McFadden did (or Cadillac would have). Maybe that's just me.

Teams – I would slide the UT team down. I would move 2002 UGA up (they were a fluky loss to the Zookers away from a national title shot over OSU). That team was really, really good. That team was really solid.

I have no problem with Eli on the list, but I struggle to see how he was better than Rex Grossman (in college). Grossman's numbers were disgusting, he won an SEC title (2000), and was captain of a great team (2001). I dunno, I just have a hard time saying Eli was a lot better.

[AUslug 1]

I think the reason why Eli is that high is because he has just won a Super Bowl, while Rex Grossman is riding the pine in Chi town. Also, Eli is a Manning and that is first family of qbs of the SEC. Don't forget that Eli WAS Ole Miss while he was there, without him they wouldn't have won 10 games in 2003.

[SouthLink02 8]

I think the reason why Eli is that high is because he has just won a Super Bowl, while Rex Grossman is riding the pine in Chi town. Also, Eli is a Manning and that is first family of qbs of the SEC. Don't forget that Eli WAS Ole Miss while he was there, without him they wouldn't have won 10 games in 2003.

Slug, I thought the same thing too but isn't that list JUST COLLEGE? I mean, neither Dorsey or McFadden haven't even played in the pros yet and Tebow is already 4th so aren't they excluding the NFL?

[SouthLink02 8]

Teams – I would slide the UT team down. I would move 2002 UGA up (they were a fluky loss to the Zookers away from a national title shot over OSU). That team was really, really good. That team was really solid.

They were good but far from great

It is funny you see that too because just the other day a Moderator at UGASports.com made a long post about the 2002 team basically calling them over-rated and I somewhat agree

There were MANY times in 2002 that we got lucky

- Thank God Clemson's kicker had no leg or else we probably lose the opener

- What if David Pollack DOESN'T DO this? We didn't score an offensive TD that game

- What if Fred Gibson doesn't make a circus catch and/or Billy Bennett isn't MONEY against Alabama?

- What if Michael Johnson doesn't make the TD catch against AU?

That was just one of those years where everything that COULD go right DID go right....except for UF but that is just absolute ownage by them

FYI, I found the post by the Moderator

The thing that always gets me about the 2002 team

Think how close we were to being a 6-loss team that year.

Clemson - good thing that Clemson field goal came up just short

SC - great defensive execution on the final play of the game saved us

Bama - late INT nearly killed us...showed tremendous guts to drive for the gamewinner on the road

UT - what happens if Milton doesn't convert that 4th down?

Auburn - as close as it comes

Every single one of those games went our way, and so now it's one of the greatest teams Georgia has had in recent history. To the team's credit, they had to make plays in every instance to win those games, so I'm taking nothing from them...it's just a fine line in this game between a team for the ages and a team for Shreveport.

I have to say that as much as I enjoyed 2002 and the experience of finally winning the SEC, 2003 was a completely different kind of enjoyment. Take those same five games and look what happened in 2003...huge wins keyed by the defense. Shutting out Clemson on the road. That incredible second and third quarter in Knoxville. Odell trucking 100 yards down the sideline against Auburn. Making Bama QB after Bama QB go into the fetal position. The ultimate prize wasn't there in 2003, but the trip might have been more enjoyable for me that year.

[mcgufcm 4,109]

Given the amount of "luck" (I generally think of them as good teams refusing to die) wins that your eventual national champion (OSU) had, I don't think you can call that team overrated. They were hell defensively. They were clutch offensively. And they had a knack for pulling out close games. As a person who thoroughly enjoyed the 11-0 Auburn team from 1993, I have a hard time calling teams like that overrated or lucky.

Most folks thought the same thing about that OSU team, but look what happened in the national title game. The defense kept them in the game against the U. There were some fluky/tough plays (the Clarrett strip?). Then in the end, they made just enough plays to win.

I fully realize how close that UGA team was to being just a good team. If Horace Willis doesn't slip in the endzone, he bats the ball down, and Auburn wins that game. If we had won that game, we win the West (assuming we beat Bama the next week) and Florida wins the East. We would've beaten UF in the rematch, but UGA was a more consistent/tougher/more clutch team. I would move them up the list.