The 50 greatest college football teams throughout history

6. Best college football teams of all-time: 1972 USC

John McKay’s Trojans finished the season at a stellar 12-0 after destroying a very talented, tough Ohio State Buckeyes team in the Rose Bowl. Along the way, they made history when they became the first team to be named No. 1 on every single ballot of both major ranking polls.

The unanimous team was hailed by Keith Jackson, the incredible football intellectual, as being the best ever team.

McKay captured his third national championship with this 1972 team, leading an all-time great offense to an undefeated season. In the Rose Bowl, par for the course for most teams on top-part of this list, they blew out the opposition. For the Trojans, it was the Ohio State Buckeyes, whom they promptly defeated via a 42-17 route.

The stellar-performing team included some fantastic football players and athletes, including sophomore tailback Anthony Davis, All-American tight end Charles Young, Richard Wood, Sam “Bam” Cunningham, among others. 10 seniors from the team would be taken in the 1973 NFL Draft, including three first round selections in Young, Cunningham and offensive tackle Pete Adams.