Best Big Ten teams since 1993

[NittanyIllinois]

The blue blood thread got me thinking about the 1994 team and where it stands among all Big Ten teams since we joined the conference.

There have been four recognized national champions in that span: 1997 Michigan (shared), 2002 Ohio State, 2014 Ohio State, 2023 Michigan. I would presume 1994 Penn State rounds out the 5 champions -- declared or otherwise.

What's your top 5?

2023 Michigan is the only 15-0. 2002 Ohio State was the first to go 14-0 and beat a machine in Miami. 2014 Ohio State arguably was playing better at the end of the year than any team, and 1997 Michigan had the best defense. 1994 Penn State had the best offense of the bunch, and a good case to be the best overall.

(not including Nebraska until they officially joined. Otherwise, 1995 Nebraska runs away with the #1 spot)

 

[Jerry]

The blue blood thread got me thinking about the 1994 team and where it stands among all Big Ten teams since we joined the conference.

There have been four recognized national champions in that span: 1997 Michigan (shared), 2002 Ohio State, 2014 Ohio State, 2023 Michigan. I would presume 1994 Penn State rounds out the 5 champions -- declared or otherwise.

What's your top 5?

2023 Michigan is the only 15-0. 2002 Ohio State was the first to go 14-0 and beat a machine in Miami. 2014 Ohio State arguably was playing better at the end of the year than any team, and 1997 Michigan had the best defense. 1994 Penn State had the best offense of the bunch, and a good case to be the best overall.

(not including Nebraska until they officially joined. Otherwise, 1995 Nebraska runs away with the #1 spot)

Whatever the sport, it's hard to compare teams from different eras...for example our 1994 edition versus that of Michigan this year...but I'd still have to go with the first of your above options as the superior team of the five because it was arguably the best offense in the history of college football.

The fact we didn't win or share the MNC...and didn't even get a chance to play for it that year...was a harbinger right out of the gate of how things would go for us in the Big Suck. We joined the league 30 years too soon.

 

[LandoComando]

The blue blood thread got me thinking about the 1994 team and where it stands among all Big Ten teams since we joined the conference.

There have been four recognized national champions in that span: 1997 Michigan (shared), 2002 Ohio State, 2014 Ohio State, 2023 Michigan. I would presume 1994 Penn State rounds out the 5 champions -- declared or otherwise.

What's your top 5?

2023 Michigan is the only 15-0. 2002 Ohio State was the first to go 14-0 and beat a machine in Miami. 2014 Ohio State arguably was playing better at the end of the year than any team, and 1997 Michigan had the best defense. 1994 Penn State had the best offense of the bunch, and a good case to be the best overall.

(not including Nebraska until they officially joined. Otherwise, 1995 Nebraska runs away with the #1 spot)

I don't really think there's a wrong order for that. Our 94 offense is one of the best ever...very hard to compare teams 20-30 years apart though

 

[NOVABuck45]

Your 94 team was something special. I'd argue the best PSU team in modern times.

Funny how we fans immediately assume the champions were the best. While our 2002 team was a team of destiny and special in so many ways, you could say our 1998 and 2019 teams were better even though they didn't win titles. Our 98 team was #1 all year long and dominated everybody until that massive 4th quarter choke against Saban and Sparty. Our 2019 team was a well-balanced machine but some key calls and an Olave wrong route spoiled the season against Clemson.

I believe our 2019 offense was the highest scoring in the Big Ten since 94 Penn State. And it had a truly elite defense.

Our 2002 team = 1986 PSU. Elite defense, game manager QBs, lots of close calls during the regular season, HUGE underdogs to elite Miami teams in the title game. Great character teams even if not flashy or dominant.

94 PSU was dominant, though.

I'd honestly say the most dominant teams in the Big Ten during that era were 94 Penn State and 2019 Ohio State.

We probably each share one of the most disappointing teams during that era, too. Your 99 team and our 2015 team. What could/should have been.

 

[saturdaysarebetter2]

NOVA Buck, excellent summation. As for myself, I refuse to acknowledge Michigan's 2023 national championship. They cheated. As a kid growing up, I was always neutral when it came to Ohio State vs Michigan. Now, I want Day to put up 100 on the MeCheatAgain Cheaterines.

Ohio State 2014 at the end of the season was playing the best football in the country but let's not kid ourselves, they were protected by corrupt Big 10 officials so as not to have a second loss after the regular season loss to Virginia Tech in Columbus and be able to make the college football playoff. Big 10 video replay equipment not working? Riiiiight. Yet the broadcast and stadium showed instant replay working just fine.

https://www.sbnation.com/2014/10/25/7071291/ohio-state-interception-gif-penn-state

It is also amazing how many seasons Ohio State has come close to a national championship season.

Ohio State Buckeyes Close but no Cigar seasons

Former Boston Celtics head coach Red Auerbach was known for lighting up a victory cigar when the outcome of the game was well in hand. When it comes to college football national championships, perh…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

 

[NittanyIllinois]

NOVA Buck, excellent summation. As for myself, I refuse to acknowledge Michigan's 2023 national championship. They cheated. As a kid growing up, I was always neutral when it came to Ohio State vs Michigan. Now, I want Day to put up 100 on the MeCheatAgain Cheaterines.

Ohio State 2014 at the end of the season was playing the best football in the country but let's not kid ourselves, they were protected by corrupt Big 10 officials so as not to have a second loss after the regular season loss to Virginia Tech in Columbus and be able to make the college football playoff. Big 10 video replay equipment not working? Riiiiight. Yet the broadcast and stadium showed instant replay working just fine.

https://www.sbnation.com/2014/10/25/7071291/ohio-state-interception-gif-penn-state

It is also amazing how many seasons Ohio State has come close to a national championship season.

Ohio State Buckeyes Close but no Cigar seasons

Former Boston Celtics head coach Red Auerbach was known for lighting up a victory cigar when the outcome of the game was well in hand. When it comes to college football national championships, perh…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

OSU is basically the 49ers right now, or maybe Kentucky basketball. They're among the very best pretty much every year, but haven't gotten over the hump as much as their talent suggests they should.

I agree about Michigan, but Michigan did play their best ball after that scandal was exposed......and in the minds of historians, that will matter. Even still, I thought their 1997 team was better. The 2023 team really benefited from a ton of 5th year dudes benefiting from the COVID season and of course the momentum built from their cheating. Can't deny how good a team they were, but that asterisk should count for something.

I remember teams based on how they play in the truly big games. And unfortunately that '97 Michigan team showed up when it mattered most. That thumping they gave us in Happy Valley is still one of my worst Penn State memories.

Good point mentioned about re: 2019 Ohio State. Their offense was almost identical to '94 Penn State -- 47 points/game and 250+ yards/game both rushing and passing. They benefited from a better defense than '94 Penn State, but their playoff loss prevents them from being all-time.

 

[lazydave841]

Their offense was almost identical to '94 Penn State -- 47 points/game and 250+ yards/game both rushing and passing. They benefited from a better defense than '94 Penn State,

The '94 PSU also took their foot off opponents throats very early. Other than Michigan and Illinois, nobody really challenged them. Imagine if Paterno didn't call off the dogs. That offense would have averaged well over 50 ppg.

The defense also suffered from being on the field too much (our offense was scoring in 2 minutes, 10 seconds or less on average), injuries, and a coaching staff just trying to run out the clock. They weren't dominant, but they fit well.

'02 Buckeyes to '86 Lions is very good comp, even beating juggernaut labeled Miami teams. They will never get the love in any "best of" poll, but they just weren't a team you wanted to face.

'97 Michigan gets remembered better for beating an overhyped '97 PSU. That was the day the Dark Years began; we just didn't know it.

'23 Michigan (and any playoff era team) gets a great run credit for having 2 huge wins late, but pre-'14 teams didn't have that ability. They cheated. I don't think history will remember them kindly. And this is historical comparison.

Greatest teams ever don't lose in college. That DQs '14 OSU, but they were a buzzsaw late.

 

[NOVABuck45]

The '94 PSU also took their foot off opponents throats very early. Other than Michigan and Illinois, nobody really challenged them. Imagine if Paterno didn't call off the dogs. That offense would have averaged well over 50 ppg.

The defense also suffered from being on the field too much (our offense was scoring in 2 minutes, 10 seconds or less on average), injuries, and a coaching staff just trying to run out the clock. They weren't dominant, but they fit well.

'02 Buckeyes to '86 Lions is very good comp, even beating juggernaut labeled Miami teams. They will never get the love in any "best of" poll, but they just weren't a team you wanted to face.

'97 Michigan gets remembered better for beating an overhyped '97 PSU. That was the day the Dark Years began; we just didn't know it.

'23 Michigan (and any playoff era team) gets a great run credit for having 2 huge wins late, but pre-'14 teams didn't have that ability. They cheated. I don't think history will remember them kindly. And this is historical comparison.

Greatest teams ever don't lose in college. That DQs '14 OSU, but they were a buzzsaw late.

Great rundown. And a good point about not necessarily being able to judge a team's greatness by their stats -- some of the greatest offenses did most of their scoring in the first three quarters and then called off the dogs.

Offensively, 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 1994 Penn State, and 1995 Nebraska are the Mount Rushmore of offenses. Perhaps add 2006 Texas and USC. There were teams that scored more (some of the Oregon and Oklahoma teams put up video game numbers), but those teams just avalanched opponents. 1995 Nebraska was the most complete of those teams with a great defense to boot.

 

[Mufasa94]

I remember teams based on how they play in the truly big games. And unfortunately that '97 Michigan team showed up when it mattered most. That thumping they gave us in Happy Valley is still one of my worst Penn State memories

Just want to point out that the only thumping ‘97 UM did in a big game was to PSU. They won close hard fought games (to their credit) otherwise. To not as accomplished teams as the ‘23 edition team did.

My only knock of ‘02 tOSU is that they needed OT to win 2 of their games. No change in cfb has impacted how things are viewed as OT has. The fact is in a standard 60 min game, that tOSU team wasn’t better than their opponent. Previous era teams weren’t provided this safety net of not being that good. Think of ‘66 MSU-ND, ‘73 tOSU-UM, ‘83 NU, etc.

 

[ryoder1]

The '94 PSU also took their foot off opponents throats very early. Other than Michigan and Illinois, nobody really challenged them. Imagine if Paterno didn't call off the dogs. That offense would have averaged well over 50 ppg.

The defense also suffered from being on the field too much (our offense was scoring in 2 minutes, 10 seconds or less on average), injuries, and a coaching staff just trying to run out the clock. They weren't dominant, but they fit well.

'02 Buckeyes to '86 Lions is very good comp, even beating juggernaut labeled Miami teams. They will never get the love in any "best of" poll, but they just weren't a team you wanted to face.

'97 Michigan gets remembered better for beating an overhyped '97 PSU. That was the day the Dark Years began; we just didn't know it.

'23 Michigan (and any playoff era team) gets a great run credit for having 2 huge wins late, but pre-'14 teams didn't have that ability. They cheated. I don't think history will remember them kindly. And this is historical comparison.

Greatest teams ever don't lose in college. That DQs '14 OSU, but they were a buzzsaw late.

That '97 Michigan team almost lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl. Nebraska would have beaten them. Don't see them as the best B10 championship team since '93.

The '02 OSU team got a gift with the PI call against Miami.

In my opinion it comes down to '23 Michigan and '94 PSU. Both teams had epic comebacks in crunch time...PSU vs Illinois and Michigan vs Bama. I'll go with the '94 PSU team.

 

[rrdd2021]

That '97 Michigan team almost lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl. Nebraska would have beaten them. Don't see them as the best B10 championship team since '93.

The '02 OSU team got a gift with the PI call against Miami.

In my opinion it comes down to '23 Michigan and '94 PSU. Both teams had epic comebacks in crunch time...PSU vs Illinois and Michigan vs Bama. I'll go with the '94 PSU team.

It should have never come down to that as that 02 Miami team was super talented - maybe them and the 95 Nebraska team stands at the top of my all-time list. I still consider the 95 Nebraska team as the greatest ever (if there can be such a thing).

 

[ryoder1]

It should have never come down to that as that 02 Miami team was super talented - maybe them and the 95 Nebraska team stands at the top of my all-time list. I still consider the 95 Nebraska team as the greatest ever (if there can be such a thing).

No it shouldn't have but they were still robbed. The '95 Nebraska team was ridiculously good. Although '04 USC and one of Saban's Bama juggernauts like the 2020 version could challenge them. Even OSU 2014 was lethal at the end of the season.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

It should have never come down to that as that 02 Miami team was super talented - maybe them and the 95 Nebraska team stands at the top of my all-time list. I still consider the 95 Nebraska team as the greatest ever (if there can be such a thing).

In fairness, Miami got away with a blatant PI against Chris Gamble in the final minutes of regulation (on a 3rd down play) that would have sealed the game for OSU. OSU then punted and Miami scored to send the game to OT.

Honestly, it's like McCloskey's catch against Nebraska in '82. Probably the wrong call, but I remember Nebraska getting some calls in that game, too. It happens, but we proved resilient and pulled it out. gotta give that '02 OSU team the same credit, although they won like 7 games by a single possession.

The 2001 Miami team was better. The '02 team was a machine, but that '01 team with Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Ed Reed, etc. was perhaps the only team to rival '95 Nebraska.

 

[saturdaysarebetter2]

In fairness, Miami got away with a blatant PI against Chris Gamble in the final minutes of regulation (on a 3rd down play) that would have sealed the game for OSU. OSU then punted and Miami scored to send the game to OT.

Honestly, it's like McCloskey's catch against Nebraska in '82. Probably the wrong call, but I remember Nebraska getting some calls in that game, too. It happens, but we proved resilient and pulled it out. gotta give that '02 OSU team the same credit, although they won like 7 games by a single possession.

The 2001 Miami team was better. The '02 team was a machine, but that '01 team with Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Ed Reed, etc. was perhaps the only team to rival '95 Nebraska.

Should any team that could NOT score an offensive touchdown against an UNRANKED team, I repeat or retype as the case may be, could NOT score an offensive touchdown against an UNRANKED team, possibly be considered as the greatest cfb team of all-time? The notion is preposterous.

The greatest cfb teams score on everybody, often at will, especially against an UNRANKED opponent.

Well, Miami 2001 could NOT score an offensive touchdown against UNRANKED Boston College and barely survived that game as BC was driving for the winning score on the game's final drive only to be intercepted and Ed Reed returned it for a tv which made the score look not as close as it was.

Feel free to watch the "greatest" cfb team of all-time. Try not to fall asleep.


Anyone doubt Nebraska '95, LSU '19, Penn State '94, Alabama '20, wouldn't score PLENTY against unranked BC??? Nebraska '95's lowest offensive output was 35 points. Penn State '94's lowest offensive output was 31 points.

For those that might counter, well every team has an off day, blah blah blah. Miami 2001 also needed five Virginia Tech turnovers to overcome the #14 ranked Hokies by TWO points. Only ONE modern national champion won each of their games by 14 points or more. Only one. Not a close game all season. Total dominance. That was Nebraska '95.

The Flaw in Claiming the 2001 Miami Hurricanes are the Greatest College Football Team Ever

When the discussion comes up about which is the greatest college football team of all-time, some college football fans will say it was the 2001 Miami Hurricanes team. If you ask them why, invariabl…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Should any team that could NOT score an offensive touchdown against an UNRANKED team, I repeat or retype as the case may be, could NOT score an offensive touchdown against an UNRANKED team, possibly be considered as the greatest cfb team of all-time? The notion is preposterous.

The greatest cfb teams score on everybody, often at will, especially against an UNRANKED opponent.

Well, Miami 2001 could NOT score an offensive touchdown against UNRANKED Boston College and barely survived that game as BC was driving for the winning score on the game's final drive only to be intercepted and Ed Reed returned it for a tv which made the score look not as close as it was.

Feel free to watch the "greatest" cfb team of all-time. Try not to fall asleep.

View embedded media

Anyone doubt Nebraska '95, LSU '19, Penn State '94, Alabama '20, wouldn't score PLENTY against unranked BC??? Nebraska '95's lowest offensive output was 35 points. Penn State '94's lowest offensive output was 31 points.

For those that might counter, well every team has an off day, blah blah blah. Miami 2001 also needed five Virginia Tech turnovers to overcome the #14 ranked Hokies by TWO points. Only ONE modern national champion won each of their games by 14 points or more. Only one. Not a close game all season. Total dominance. That was Nebraska '95.

The Flaw in Claiming the 2001 Miami Hurricanes are the Greatest College Football Team Ever

When the discussion comes up about which is the greatest college football team of all-time, some college football fans will say it was the 2001 Miami Hurricanes team. If you ask them why, invariabl…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

That's your data point?

We needed a miracle to beat unranked Illinois in '94. It happens to elite teams. But look at how Miami played in big games. Greatness is at least in part measured by how you play against great teams. Miami demolished people.

They averaged 40 a game and surrendered 9 a game. Not even our '94 team had an average margin of victory that large. Their offense couldn't match our 1994 offense, but their defense was better than any we've had since 86.

 

[lions1995]

The '94 PSU also took their foot off opponents throats very early. Other than Michigan and Illinois, nobody really challenged them. Imagine if Paterno didn't call off the dogs. That offense would have averaged well over 50 ppg.

The defense also suffered from being on the field too much (our offense was scoring in 2 minutes, 10 seconds or less on average), injuries, and a coaching staff just trying to run out the clock. They weren't dominant, but they fit well.

'02 Buckeyes to '86 Lions is very good comp, even beating juggernaut labeled Miami teams. They will never get the love in any "best of" poll, but they just weren't a team you wanted to face.

'97 Michigan gets remembered better for beating an overhyped '97 PSU. That was the day the Dark Years began; we just didn't know it.

'23 Michigan (and any playoff era team) gets a great run credit for having 2 huge wins late, but pre-'14 teams didn't have that ability. They cheated. I don't think history will remember them kindly. And this is historical comparison.

Greatest teams ever don't lose in college. That DQs '14 OSU, but they were a buzzsaw late.

I don't know. The '94 starting defense was pretty good. Defensive numbers were skewed by big leads where Paterno put backups in that gave up points. Nebraska was good, but if we played them in '94, I am not sure the game is close.

 

[saturdaysarebetter2]

That's your data point?

We needed a miracle to beat unranked Illinois in '94. It happens to elite teams. But look at how Miami played in big games. Greatness is at least in part measured by how you play against great teams. Miami demolished people.

They averaged 40 a game and surrendered 9 a game. Not even our '94 team had an average margin of victory that large. Their offense couldn't match our 1994 offense, but their defense was better than any we've had since 86.

So you believe a team that could NOT score an offensive touchdown against an unranked team is the greatest of all-time???