Urban Meyer believes—and columnist Tom Dienhart agrees—that the 2008 Florida Gators should go down as one of the best teams in college football history.
Can a team with a loss be considered one of the best teams of all time? Dienhart's article is scant on supportive arguments, the basic idea put forth is that Florida played 11 bowl team this season. And they did beat 10 of them, largely because nearly the entire SEC went to a bowl. Here are their bowl team wins, in order of most to least impressive:
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- = #5 Oklahoma (12-2) 24-14
- = #6 Alabama (12-2) 31-20
- = #14 Georgia (10-3) 49-10
- @ Florida State (9-4) 45-15
- LSU (8-5) 51-21
- Kentucky (7-6) 63-5
- @ Vanderbilt (7-6) 42-14
- Miami FL (7-6) 26-3
- South Carolina (7-6) 56-6
- Hawaii (7-7) 56-10
Though Florida's schedule was solid, 68 out of 120 teams going to bowls so it isn't as impressive as it sounds. They only beat three top-notch teams, only two of the ten wins were strictly road games, and five of the ten were 7-6 or worse. Does that offset losing a game at home to 9-4 Mississippi?
In terms of magnitude, a majority of their wins were impressive. They beat eight bowl teams by 23 points or more, four of them by 45 or more. This was part of Meyer's argument: "Look at their scores, look at the offense, look at the balance, look at the defense, and it's all relative. That offense … nine of our opponents finished in the top 25 in defense. A lot of people overlook that. Same thing defensively. Our defense finished in the top five in America playing the schedule we play. … They've got my vote as one of the best teams in history."
It's true, 2008 Florida was a balanced team, finishing #2 in adjusted scoring offense and #2 in adjusted scoring defense. They indeed finish #1 in score-margin based power ratings, but some consideration must be given for winning, as they finish #2 to unbeaten Utah in most power ratings where winning vs. losing is paramount.
We can probably assume that any modern team that wins the national championship is one of the best in history in real terms; with bigger, stronger players, you can argue that a modern champ could beat any team at least through the 60s, and maybe through the 80s or even the 90s. But looked at in relative terms, the argument gets tougher. Setting aside that question, I looked at my power ratings to compare 2008 Florida just to the teams of this decade: how do they rank among teams from 2000-2008?
Here are the top 25 teams from 2000-2008 in my Overall power rating, which combines the Strength rating (score margin-based) and Success rating (win-loss based) to output the teams that have been the most dominant during individual games as well as the entire season. The numbers in brackets are the team's rank within their own year.
rnk Yr Team record Overall Strength Success
1. '04 Southern California 13-0 68.22 [ 1] 36.02 [ 1] 32.19 [ 1]
2. '05 Texas 13-0 68.21 [ 1] 40.99 [ 1] 27.22 [ 1]
3. '01 Miami FL 12-0 60.63 [ 1] 39.26 [ 1] 21.36 [ 1]
4. '08 Florida 13-1 58.46 [ 1] 38.05 [ 1] 20.40 [ 2]
5. '00 Oklahoma 13-0 57.15 [ 1] 29.91 [ 3] 27.23 [ 1]
6. '00 Miami FL 11-1 49.55 [ 2] 33.69 [ 2] 15.85 [ 3]
7. '02 Ohio State 14-0 49.24 [ 1] 19.70 [ 9] 29.54 [ 1]
8. '04 Auburn 13-0 48.33 [ 2] 22.94 [ 7] 25.38 [ 2]
9. '05 Southern California 12-1 48.00 [ 2] 37.31 [ 2] 10.69 [ 3]
10. '08 Oklahoma 12-2 47.28 [ 2] 36.15 [ 2] 11.13 [ 5]
11. '01 Florida 10-2 46.99 [ 2] 35.33 [ 2] 11.65 [ 3]
12. '06 Florida 13-1 46.12 [ 1] 22.49 [ 5] 23.62 [ 1]
13. '08 Southern California 12-1 45.48 [ 3] 33.93 [ 3] 11.54 [ 4]
14. '03 Louisiana State 13-1 44.87 [ 1] 29.10 [ 2] 15.76 [ 1]
15. '08 Texas 12-1 44.86 [ 4] 31.02 [ 4] 13.84 [ 3]
16. '00 Florida State 11-2 44.23 [ 3] 35.36 [ 1] 8.87 [ 6]
17. '02 Southern California 11-2 41.70 [ 2] 30.91 [ 2] 10.78 [ 5]
18. '02 Kansas State 11-2 41.13 [ 3] 33.43 [ 1] 7.70 [ 7]
19. '04 Oklahoma 12-1 39.93 [ 3] 25.64 [ 5] 14.29 [ 3]
20. '08 Utah 13-0 39.93 [ 5] 19.04 [10] 20.89 [ 1]
21. '02 Oklahoma 12-2 39.79 [ 4] 27.59 [ 3] 12.19 [ 4]
22. '00 Washington 11-1 39.65 [ 4] 19.41 [ 9] 20.24 [ 2]
23. '02 Miami FL 12-1 39.20 [ 5] 26.02 [ 4] 13.18 [ 2]
24. '04 Utah 12-0 38.89 [ 4] 25.92 [ 4] 12.97 [ 4]
25. '06 Southern California 11-2 38.74 [ 2] 25.22 [ 2] 13.52 [ 4]
This season's Florida squad really does rate pretty well, finishing fourth among the teams of this decade. If you consider the past nine years to essentially encapsulate the best teams of all time, then Meyer is right. The teams of the 70s, 80s, and 90s would argue that assumption, of course.
The only teams that rank ahead of Florida are USC from 2004, Texas from 2005, and 2001 Miami, all undefeated national champions; the 2008 Gators rank ahead of undefeated champs 2000 Oklahoma (#5) and 2002 Ohio State (#7), and well ahead of LSU's two champs from 2003 (#14) and 2007 (not in the top 25). They also rank ahead of the 2006 Gators that went a similar 13-1 and beat Ohio State in the final two years ago. The 2001 team that went 10-2 is also ranked ahead of the 2006 team, as they rate much better in terms of strength.
USC dominates the chart with five teams listed including the #1 and this season's team at #13. Oklahoma doesn't do bad for itself with four teams including the 2008 squad at #10. Miami has three teams listed, all from 2000 to 2002, a champion and two that finished second in the polls.
2008 was a good year for college football, with five teams making the list. Along with Florida, Oklahoma, and USC, Texas came in at #15 and Utah at #20. Both the Longhorns and the Utes had two teams in the top 25, Texas well below their 2005 team, and Utah just barely above the 2004 team, who ranked much better in Strength but whose schedule in their 12-0 season didn't give them nearly as many points in Success as the 2008 team garnered. No teams from 2007 made the list.
Now let's put aside Florida's loss to Mississippi, in a way. The Strength component of the power rating does not care if a team won or lost a game, it only cares about the score of games. So losing a game per sé does not matter at all, except that you won't have the most dominant score margins if you go around losing games. In any case, here are the best teams of the decade regardless of whether they lost a fluke game here or there:
rnk Yr Team record Overall Strength Success
1. '05 Texas 13-0 68.21 [ 1] 40.99 [ 1] 27.22 [ 1]
2. '01 Miami FL 12-0 60.63 [ 1] 39.26 [ 1] 21.36 [ 1]
3. '08 Florida 13-1 58.46 [ 1] 38.05 [ 1] 20.40 [ 2]
4. '05 Southern California 12-1 48.00 [ 2] 37.31 [ 2] 10.69 [ 3]
5. '04 Southern California 13-0 68.22 [ 1] 36.02 [ 1] 32.19 [ 1]
6. '08 Oklahoma 12-2 47.28 [ 2] 36.15 [ 2] 11.13 [ 5]
7. '00 Florida State 11-2 44.23 [ 3] 35.36 [ 1] 8.87 [ 6]
8. '01 Florida 10-2 46.99 [ 2] 35.33 [ 2] 11.65 [ 3]
9. '08 Southern California 12-1 45.48 [ 3] 33.93 [ 3] 11.54 [ 4]
10. '00 Miami FL 11-1 49.55 [ 2] 33.69 [ 2] 15.85 [ 3]
11. '02 Kansas State 11-2 41.13 [ 3] 33.43 [ 1] 7.70 [ 7]
12. '02 Southern California 11-2 41.70 [ 2] 30.91 [ 2] 10.78 [ 5]
13. '03 Oklahoma 12-2 38.41 [ 2] 31.59 [ 1] 6.81 [ 7]
14. '08 Texas 12-1 44.86 [ 4] 31.02 [ 4] 13.84 [ 3]
15. '00 Oklahoma 13-0 57.15 [ 1] 29.91 [ 3] 27.23 [ 1]
16. '00 Nebraska 10-2 35.93 [ 5] 29.81 [ 4] 6.12 [ 8]
17. '04 California 10-2 34.76 [ 6] 29.62 [ 2] 5.14 [12]
18. '03 Louisiana State 13-1 44.87 [ 1] 29.10 [ 2] 15.76 [ 1]
19. '05 Ohio State 10-2 36.16 [ 4] 29.07 [ 3] 7.09 [ 7]
20. '04 Louisville 11-1 37.15 [ 5] 28.55 [ 3] 8.60 [ 6]
21. '02 Oklahoma 12-2 39.79 [ 4] 27.59 [ 3] 12.19 [ 4]
22. '08 Penn State 11-2 33.03 [ 6] 27.49 [ 5] 5.54 [11]
23. '07 West Virginia 11-2 34.81 [ 2] 26.84 [ 1] 7.97 [ 4]
24. '07 Oklahoma 11-3 33.88 [ 4] 26.53 [ 2] 7.34 [ 6]
25. '03 Southern California 12-1 37.28 [ 3] 26.26 [ 3] 11.01 [ 2]
Rid of that pesky loss getting in the way, the Gators rank third, behind only 2005 Texas and 2001 Miami, and just ahead of the Leinart/Bush USC teams. The 2008 Sooners are 6th and the 2008 Trojans 10th, giving 2008 three of the top ten teams, and still five in the top 25, with Penn State replacing Utah.
USC still has five teams in the top 25, with the 2003 squad replacing the '06 team at #25. Five Sooner squads make the list, too, with with 2003 and 2007 teams joining the 2000, 2002, and 2008, and the 2004 team not making it.
Now we get to the area that hurts Florida the most: Success. Though they were 13-1, they lost to a 9-4 team. To claim your team is one of the best ever is one thing, but with so many undefeated teams over the years many would scoff at a team with a loss claiming to have one of the best seasons ever. Best teams, maybe; best seasons? Probably not. But let's see how they rank among the most successful campaigns from 2000-2008
rnk Yr Team record Overall Strength Success
1. '04 Southern California 13-0 68.22 [ 1] 36.02 [ 1] 32.19 [ 1]
2. '02 Ohio State 14-0 49.24 [ 1] 19.70 [ 9] 29.54 [ 1]
3. '00 Oklahoma 13-0 57.15 [ 1] 29.91 [ 3] 27.23 [ 1]
4. '05 Texas 13-0 68.21 [ 1] 40.99 [ 1] 27.22 [ 1]
5. '04 Auburn 13-0 48.33 [ 2] 22.94 [ 7] 25.38 [ 2]
6. '06 Florida 13-1 46.12 [ 1] 22.49 [ 5] 23.62 [ 1]
7. '01 Miami (Florida) 12-0 60.63 [ 1] 39.26 [ 1] 21.36 [ 1]
8. '08 Utah 13-0 39.93 [ 5] 19.04 [10] 20.89 [ 1]
9. '08 Florida 13-1 58.46 [ 1] 38.05 [ 1] 20.40 [ 2]
10. '00 Washington 11-1 39.65 [ 4] 19.41 [ 9] 20.24 [ 2]
11. '00 Miami (Florida) 11-1 49.55 [ 2] 33.69 [ 2] 15.85 [ 3]
12. '03 Louisiana State 13-1 44.87 [ 1] 29.10 [ 2] 15.76 [ 1]
13. '06 Boise State 13-0 32.40 [ 6] 17.40 [12] 15.00 [ 2]
14. '06 Auburn 11-2 29.05 [ 7] 14.08 [20] 14.96 [ 3]
15. '04 Oklahoma 12-1 39.93 [ 3] 25.64 [ 5] 14.29 [ 3]
16. '08 Texas 12-1 44.86 [ 4] 31.02 [ 4] 13.84 [ 3]
17. '01 Tennessee 11-2 35.19 [ 3] 21.36 [ 5] 13.83 [ 2]
18. '06 Southern California 11-2 38.74 [ 2] 25.22 [ 2] 13.52 [ 4]
19. '02 Miami (Florida) 12-1 39.20 [ 5] 26.02 [ 4] 13.18 [ 2]
20. '06 Louisville 12-1 37.05 [ 3] 23.86 [ 4] 13.18 [ 5]
21. '04 Utah 12-0 38.89 [ 4] 25.92 [ 4] 12.97 [ 4]
22. '05 Penn State 11-1 38.28 [ 3] 25.46 [ 4] 12.82 [ 2]
23. '02 Georgia 13-1 34.79 [ 6] 22.01 [ 6] 12.78 [ 3]
24. '00 Oregon State 11-1 35.31 [ 6] 22.92 [ 6] 12.39 [ 4]
25. '02 Oklahoma 12-2 39.79 [ 4] 27.59 [ 3] 12.19 [ 4]
Now our Gators only rank #9 in the decade. 2004 USC is on top, followed by the 14-0 Buckeyes from 2002. Two more undefeated champs from Oklahoma and Texas follow, and then unbeaten Auburn from 2004. Interestingly, Florida from 2006—also 13-1—is #6, ahead of 2001 Miami. Then Utah from this year is slightly ahead of the 1-loss Gators.
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2002 Ohio State, 2004 Auburn, and 2008 Utah are similar teams in a way; all three went undefeated but were clearly not the most dominant teams in that particular year. Ohio State needed last-second heroics or overtime to beat some very mediocre teams; Auburn's margins of victory were slight; and Utah had some very close games, too. But all three finished #1 or #2 in Success. 2008 Utah's Strength is almost exactly equal to 2002 Ohio State's, but the Buckeyes won 14 games, defeating unbeaten Miami, so their Success rating was far higher. As a contrast, Utah in 2004 had a stronger Strength rating, but few points from its light schedule in Success.
How does 2006 Florida rate better than 2008 Florida despite the 10 bowl team wins the latter can claim? Well, one reason is the 2006 team also beat 10 bowl teams! Pretty much any team that wins the SEC is going to face at least six bowl teams, maybe a couple in pre-conference games, one in the SEC championship game, and one in their own bowl. Last year LSU only had eight wins over bowl teams, since they lost two games, and South Carolina didn't go to a bowl at 6-6, otherwise they would have had 10, also.
The 2006 Florida team lost to 11-2 Auburn rather than 9-4 Mississippi, and they beat an undefeated Ohio State team to win the championship rather than a 1-loss Oklahoma team. So with stronger overall wins—when score margin doesn't matter—and a more excuseable loss, one can argue that the 2006 team achieved more than the 2008 squad.
In conclusion: I'd say that, based on how dominant Florida was after their loss, beating good teams by 30-50 points and winning the national championship, that they deserve to be remembered as one of the very best teams of this decade. Beyond that, it depends on how you compare teams from various decades as to where they finish all-time. But in my book, any team that doesn't go undefeated has shown a major imperfection. The best teams are both dominant in winning, and simply don't lose. By this measure, even if 2008 Florida might be one of the best teams of all time, I don't think can claim to have had one of the best seasons of all time.
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