re: Sporting News Top 20 CFB Teams of All-Time

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What? I’ve never even heard any SC fan say this. The ’05 offense was better, but it was basically the same crew as the ’04 team, just with more experience. The difference was the defenses. The ’04 defense was dominant, #1 in the country in rushing defense, # 2 in scoring defense, and #5 in total defense. The ’05 defense was decent, but in the same categories I listed for the ’04 team, the ’05 team ranked 31st, 28th, and 46th, respectively. You can even throw in their 71st ranked pass defense that year.

Another example, in the most important drive of the season, Texas’ game winning one in the Rose Bowl, the Ting twins were on the field trying to help protect the SC lead. Those dudes would have never seen the field in ‘04.

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Literally every USC fan and the media as a whole said 05 was better until they lost to Texas

Comparing stats is stupid. 05 USC played like 7 of the top 12 offenses in the nation.

Cal ASU Fresno Oregon ND UCLA and obviously Texas were all averaging like 40ppg. WSU and Hawaii averaged around 35.

04 USC is 1 of the least dominant undefeated teams having close games vs Stanford Oregon St UCLA Cal and VT. 05 was way more dominant.

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I never said they weren’t a very good team. I said the reasons LSU 2019 would be ranked higher are very obvious.

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I think people spend too much mental energy comparing numbers instead of evaluating personnel, strengths and weaknesses, and matchups.

If all the teams since 1970 (accounting for physical differences between eras) were put into a tournament - which would take about 15 games to play out - the teams most likely to win it would exhibit at least one of three characteristics:

1. Great overall roster balance with no obvious personnel liabilities. There’s no Tiny Tim out there waiting to get exposed against the wrong team. Every position group can at least hold its own against top competition.

2. Excellent QB play. The player at the most important position can’t just be along for the ride with a talented team. He needs to be a baller himself with the arm talent of a first round draft pick. Being a running threat too is advantageous, but the ability to stretch the field vertically with great QB and/or WR play and force the defense to defend every blade of grass is paramount.

You’re not going to consistently score a bunch of points against great defenses on a compressed field.

3. Studly defensive front. Going to be hard to at least slow down the great offenses without some dudes up front to control the running game and get after the QB.

If your roster has some deficiencies, you must have an A+ passing game or an A+ defense to still have a chance against a series of all-time great opponents.