Does anyone here think we were honestly the "best" team in 98?

#1
Brave Volunteer

Brave Volunteer

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#1
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!

We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!

Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.

Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.
 
#3
#3
you are what your record says and we were the only team to go undefeated. That "backup QB" was good enough to beat UF in 98 too
 
#4
#4
Brave Volunteer said:
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!

We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!

Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.

Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.
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When an SEC team goes undefeated for the season and wins their major bowl game they deserve the national championship. Look how many teams have won it without going undefeated.

Every team gets lucky to go undefeated.
 
#8
#8
Honestly, I am not sure that the "best" team wins the championship most years. Unlike other sports, football has no series. Any result could be a fluke. It's a game where you have to capitalize on your opportunities, as you usually only get one shot.
 
#9
#9
when florida won in 06, pretty much every game they won was lucky.

luck happens, but sh*t also happens. its a part of life
 
#10
#10
oklavol said:
When an SEC team goes undefeated for the season and wins their major bowl game they deserve the national championship. Look how many teams have won it without going undefeated.

Every team gets lucky to go undefeated.
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Tell that to the 04' Auburn team.
 
#11
#11
The only game where I feel we got truely lucky was Arkansas. Against Florida I don't know how we got "lucky" we just played an ugly game and won.

Look back at that team and tell me what other teams that year were more "talented" than us.

Tee Martin
Travis Henry
Jamal Lewis
Travis Stephens
Shawn Bryson
Chad Clifton
Peerless Price
Jermaine Copland
Cedrick Wilson
John Henderson (didn't play)
Darwin Walker
Shaun Ellis
Al Wilson
Raynoch Thompson
Eric Westmoreland
Deon Grant
Dwayne Goodrich

All spent time in the NFL and those were just the starters....pretty damn talented if you ask me.
 
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#12
#12
Brave Volunteer said:
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!

We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!

Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.

Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.
Click to expand...

You may have a point if there were another team that was undefeated. But there wasn't, so yes, we had the best team in major college football in 1998. No question about it.
 
#13
#13
Heck yes I believe we were the best team. Why does it matter that we had close games? At least we won them all. Even the team we played in the Fiesta Bowl had already lost a game.
We were the only D-1 undefeated team that year. So, who would you say was better?
 
#14
#14
Brave Volunteer said:
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!

We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!

Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.

Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.
Click to expand...
I am not a luck guy. I am an opportunity guy. For whatever reason opportunities are provided. The Syracuse PI call provided us an opportunity (and it was a solid/obvious call by the ref, contrary to those that want to question it), Al Wilson's annihalation of the FL offense provided the team an opportunity, Tee's fumble at our 1 against Auburn provided the defense an opportunity, Stoerner's fumble provided us an opportunity. In every instance the team took that opportunity and turned it into gold. No other team in the country did that every time.

So, yes, by my definition they were the best team in '98.
 
#16
#16
This is really not a good question because it assumes that there is a way to even know who is "the best" team in a given year. I think you can say that teams that win it are among the best and if they manuever the course and come out on top, then they deserve it. But hell yes luck is a huge factor in it and a case can often be made that a different team would have won a majority of head-to-heads. We just don't play it that way.
 
#17
#17
Ericvol2096 said:
The only game where I feel we got truely lucky was Arkansas. Against Florida I don't know how we got "lucky" we just played an ugly game and won.

Look back at that team and tell me what other teams that year were more "talented" than us.

Tee Martin
Travis Henry
Jamal Lewis
Travis Stephens
Shawn Bryson
Chad Clifton
Peerless Price
Jermaine Copland
Cedrick Wilson
John Henderson (didn't play)
Darwin Walker
Shaun Ellis
Al Wilson
Raynoch Thompson
Eric Westmoreland
Deon Grant
Dwayne Goodrich

All spent time in the NFL and those were just the starters....pretty damn talented if you ask me.
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I have one thing to say about the Arkansas game...

Stop Travis Henry! Dude ran down their throats tat last 2 minutes...no luck there. So freaking tired of that argument. Great push from teh D-Line on the Stoerner fumble.
 
#18
#18
lawgator1 said:
This is really not a good question because it assumes that there is a way to even know who is "the best" team in a given year. I think you can say that teams that win it are among the best and if they manuever the course and come out on top, then they deserve it. But hell yes luck is a huge factor in it and a case can often be made that a different team would have won a majority of head-to-heads. We just don't play it that way.
Click to expand...

Spot on.
 
#19
#19
Brave Volunteer said:
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!

We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!

Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.

Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.
Click to expand...

Their backup quarterback was good enough to easily beat a Florida team that beat everybody except the two teams in the title game and went to the Sugar Bowl. All I heard for a month from FSU people here was how they were actually better with Outzen because of his mobility, how he added a whole new dimension to their offense, etc. etc. etc. And then of course as soon as they lost they turned around and blamed the whole thing on him. Pathetic. The last thing I expected was to be hearing the same old thing 10 years later from a Tennessee fan.

Worrying about who the "best team really is" in some disembodied, theoretical sense is pointless in a 120-team sport that doesn't have a playoff. We won all our games. We got into the mythical championship game, and we won it. We had a roster packed with NFL players. We don't have anything to apologize for.
 
#20
#20
aaronvol said:
I have one thing to say about the Arkansas game...

Stop Travis Henry! Dude ran down their throats tat last 2 minutes...no luck there. So freaking tired of that argument. Great push from teh D-Line on the Stoerner fumble.
Click to expand...

I agree, the only luck was that Stoerner laid the ball out for us...we took that luck and used it to gain a victory!
 
#21
#21
I know one thing for sure, you can call it luck or whatever, but on that day we played Fla st. we were the best team that day.
 
#22
#22
Ericvol2096 said:
I agree, the only luck was that Stoerner laid the ball out for us...we took that luck and used it to gain a victory!
Click to expand...

Darwin Walker pushed the center backwards, causing Stoernover to trip. We recovered the fumble than ran the ball down their throat. Tough. Additionally, Jamal Lewis > Chris Weinke.
 
#24
#24
Ericvol2096 said:
I agree, the only luck was that Stoerner laid the ball out for us...we took that luck and used it to gain a victory!
Click to expand...

It's worth pointing out that Billy Ratliff absolutely blew the Arkansas guard back into Stoerner on that play, causing Stoerner to trip up and fumble. An incredibly lucky play, obviously, but it didn't just fall out of the air -- Ratliff made a hell of a play to help luck along.
 
#25
#25
Big Train said:
Does that mean you support Utah for the National Champions???
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do you really want to compare the schedule UT played in 98 to what Utah did? Tulane was also undefeated in 98 and I don't think they deserved a NC shot
 
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