The 50 greatest college football teams throughout history

35. Best college football teams of all-time: 1974 Oklahoma

The Sooners dominated college football in 1973 and returned again in 1974 with even higher hopes. The main reason that this team gets the nod on the list ahead of the 1973 team is that they came back into the season and won their first national title under, the legend, head coach Barry Switzer.

The team, on the defensive side of the football, featured end Lee Roy Selmon, future No. 1 pick in 1976, as well as other stars like Dewey Selmon, the All-American nose guard and linebacker Rod Shoate, who was the defensive selection for both the AP and UPI for Defensive Player of the Year.

On the offensive side, the run game was the talk of the town for this Sooners’ team. Featuring halfback Joe Washington, who would be named both the AP and the UPI Offensive Player of the Year. The rushing attack, led by Washington, averaged a massive 74 rushes a game (the current most in Oklahoma history) and won two of their matchups by a score of 63-0 and another, against Utah State, by a score of 72-3.

This team beat opponents into the ground through stellar defensive play and a ground and pound offense that proved impossible for most teams to stop. The team, which punished most opponents by two or more touchdowns, defeated No. 6 Nebraska on the road by two touchdowns to almost completely seal their championship claim.