College football rankings: 5 best college football teams this century

1. Best college football teams this century: 2001 Miami

There is a reason why Miami holds itself on a high pedestal, despite a lack of success in the past 15 years, they’ve often been No. 1 in the AP Poll for weeks on end.

The 2001 Hurricanes were as all-pro of a football team as any in the sport, producing big-name NFL players or others who held their own in the league. Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey and Vince Wilfork were just some of the star talent on this roster, so it’s no surprise they went 12-0.

This was a dominant unit, running over No. 13 Florida State, crushing Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions and putting up 65 points against a No. 11 Washington Huskies unit. With few scares in-between, head coach Larry Coker’s team ran past the ACC and non-conference competition, set up by a stout rushing unit and Ken Dorsey’s leadership at quarterback.

The destruction of Nebraska in the Rose Bowl, long before the College Football Playoff, was the icing on the cake and won the Hurricanes a championship. They had a difficult schedule on paper to reach this, but no matter who was in their way, they ceded to one of the most exciting, prolific college football teams ever.

Nearly 20 years later, this Miami team still holds up well, too. With multiple of the aforementioned names likely set for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Ed Reed was already inducted), this group has an unforgettable legacy from their dominance in the early 2000s. Few have approached replication.

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