Finishing undefeated is the goal of every coach, program and player in college football. However, as history has displayed, it is exceptionally difficult to run the table.
Winning takes a lot of things. Preparation, hard work, determination, toughness, discipline and a bit of luck. Sometimes just one mistake can lose a game for a team.
Which is all to say that the odds are stacked against every team, every week.
To enter the 2024 season, ESPN’s FPI analytics gave Notre Dame the highest odds to go undefeated (15.8%). It took just two weeks for the Fighting Irish to lose.
How Many FBS Teams Have Gone Undefeated in the Last 30 Years?
Just 30 teams have run the table to complete an undefeated season over the last 30 years. Seven years featured multiple undefeated teams, including a high-water mark of three in 2004 (USC, Auburn and Utah).
The largest gap without an undefeated team was three years (2014–2016). Conversely, there was at least one undefeated program in every season from 1997 to 2002.
Nebraska leads the way with three undefeated campaigns since 1994, but all came before 1998. Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Utah, Auburn and Alabama have all done it twice.
Full List of Undefeated FBS Teams Over the Last 30 Years
* denotes team won national championship
1994: Nebraska* (13–0), Penn State (12–0)
1995: Nebraska* (12–0)
1997: Michigan* (12–0), Nebraska* (13–0)
1998: Tennessee* (13–0), Tulane (12–0)
1999: Florida State* (12–0), Marshall (13–0)
2000: Oklahoma* (13–0)
2001: Miami* (12–0)
2002: Ohio State* (14–0)
2004: USC* (13–0), Auburn (13–0), Utah (12–0)
2005: Texas* (13–0)
2006: Boise State (13–0)
2008: Utah (13–0)
2009: Alabama* (14–0), Boise State (14–0)
2010: Auburn* (14–0), TCU (13–0)
2012: Ohio State (12–0)
2013: Florida State* (14–0)
2017: UCF (13–0)
2018: Clemson* (15–0)
2019: LSU* (15–0)
2020: Alabama* (13–0)
2022: Georgia* (15–0)
2023: Michigan* (15–0)
How the College Football Playoff Has Impacted Undefeated Seasons
With the CFP, the era of multiple undefeated teams is dead and gone. Especially now that the playoff has expanded, if a team runs the table it’s going to get a chance at glory.
While some have criticized the playoff system, arguing that the increase in games could lead to more injuries, it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t provide a more competitive product.
Notable Undefeated Teams of the BCS Era
While it wasn’t perfect, the BCS established a ranking system and a single national championship game. That was a huge upgrade over the years of split champions and the lone media vote.
However, there was plenty of discussion at the end of most seasons. More often than not, it revolved around which team should be ranked second. Is the team that lost the championship game the second-best team in the nation, or should that go to another undefeated team?
Florida State became the first team in the BCS era to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll in 1999. The Seminoles finished 12–0, led by quarterback Chris Weinke and head coach Bobby Bowden. A season-ending victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl completed the perfect season.
In 2001, Miami put together what many considered to be the best team in the history of college football. The Hurricanes outscored their opponents 512–117 and had 13 players (including Ed Reed, Vince Wilfork and Andre Johnson) go on to make the NFL Pro Bowl.
Led by quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush, the 2004 USC Trojans became the second team to hold onto the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 all season long. USC dominated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, finishing 13–0.
The 2005 season gave fans one of the greatest bowl games ever, a Rose Bowl matchup between two unbeaten programs: Texas and USC. The Longhorns, led by Vince Young and his 467-yard performance, ended USC’s 34-game winning streak with a thrilling 41–38 comeback.
In Nick Saban’s third season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide went 14–0 and won the program’s first national title since 1992. With Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram, Alabama defeated Texas 37–21 in the BCS national championship game. This season marked the start of Alabama’s dynasty under Saban, with its disciplined defense and power running game setting a tone for future dominance.
Undefeated Teams That Didn’t Win the National Championship
In 1998, Tulane finished 12–0 but the Green Wave were not selected to a major bowl game due to their weaker Conference USA schedule. Tulane finished its season with a victory over BYU in the Liberty Bowl.
The 2004 Auburn Tigers finished 13–0 but were ranked behind USC and Oklahoma. Coach Tommy Tuberville led the Tigers to a victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl while USC and Oklahoma played for the championship.
Boise State’s 2006 campaign was the stuff of legend as the underdog Broncos defeated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 13–0. This was the game that featured the iconic Statue of Liberty play and the game-tying hook-and-lateral play to end regulation.
In 2008, Utah finished the season 13–0 and No. 2 in the Top 25. However, the Utes never got a shot at the championship, instead playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama had also gone undefeated in the regular season, but lost to Florida in the SEC championship. Still reeling from that loss, the Crimson Tide were no match for the Utes, who became the first non-BCS school to win two BCS bowl games.
Boise State finished unbeaten again in 2009, defeating another undefeated team in TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos were left out of the championship picture in favor of Texas and Alabama.
TCU defeated Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in 2010, finishing 13–0 under head coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs were left out of the BCS national championship, as undefeated Auburn and undefeated Oregon clashed instead.
Coaching Legends Behind Undefeated Teams
Tom Osborne (1994, 1995, 1997 Nebraska): Osborne guided Nebraska through three undefeated national championship seasons in '94, '95 and '97. Known for his option-based offense, Osborne’s Cornhuskers dominated opponents and secured his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football.
Phillip Fulmer (1998 Tennessee): Fulmer’s '98 team captured the program’s first championship since '51. The Volunteers, led by quarterback Tee Martin, defeated Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the BCS title. Fulmer was known not only for his ability to bring top-level talent to Tennessee but also for his ability to develop his players once on campus. Fulmer is credited with reestablishing the Tennessee football brand.
Bob Stoops (2000 Oklahoma): In just his second year at Oklahoma, Stoops brought a title to the Sooners. His 2000 squad finished undefeated, winning the BCS national championship with a Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State. Stoops is the winningest coach in Oklahoma program history.
Larry Coker (2001 Miami): Coker took over the Miami program in '01 and led the Hurricanes to a perfect 12–0 mark and a national title in his first season. With an incredibly talented roster filled with future NFL stars, Coker and Miami dominated all season and beat Nebraska convincingly in the Rose Bowl, cementing the team as one of the best in college football history.
Pete Carroll (2004 USC): Carroll’s '04 Trojans went 13–0 and crushed Oklahoma 55–19 in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship. Carroll’s player-centric coaching style was a great fit in Los Angeles and he made the Trojans a powerhouse in the early 2000s.
Urban Meyer (2004 Utah, 2012 Ohio State): Meyer led Utah to a 12–0 season in 2004, marking the first time a team from a non-BCS conference went undefeated and won a major bowl. Later, he went 12–0 with Ohio State, but the team was banned from the postseason due to NCAA sanctions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Undefeated FBS College Football Teams of the Last 30 Years.
