College football has seen plenty of great teams over the decades but one always stands out when I'm asked for the best team of all-time.
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes.
First of all, they had the best play-by-play man in the business, but his name escapes me at the moment. Maybe I should ask Marc Vandermeer, he might know that one (Here's your hint - it was Marc).
On the field, though, the 2001 Hurricanes weren't just champions; they took The U to a different stratosphere. They went 12-0 and finished the season with a resounding 37-14 win over the Nebraska Huskers in the 2002 Rose Bowl to win the 2001 National Championship. That game wasn't even that close to be honest.
In fact, the Hurricanes gave up 117 points all season long, just under ten points per game. They gave up seven or less points eight times. The offense put up 42.7 points per game. That's right, they outscored teams 42.7-9.8. They beat five ranked teams by a combined 236-72 (an average beating of 47-14). It was the best team I ever saw. Period. End of story.
One aspect of its greatness was the legacy that it spawned at the next level. 38 members of that team were selected in subsequent NFL Drafts and 17 of them were taken in the first round. No team in history can even come close to that number. 13 of those players eventually earned a Pro Bowl berth.
I bring this up because the 2001 Hurricanes continue to add to that legacy 15 years later in the NFL, in particular, in the AFC South. There are eight position players in the division that have played 12 or more years in the NFL. Keep in mind that's eight of 200 possible players (212 minus 12 specialists). As such, 3.7% of the division has a dozen or more years in longevity in the division.
Three of those eight position players came from the 2001 Hurricanes roster. Two of them will meet on Sunday night in NRG Stadium and one made Houston his home for a dozen years. Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (13 years) and Colts running back Frank Gore (12 years) were freshmen on that 2001 Hurricanes squad, but were key contributors in that glorious season. Titans receiver and former Texans great Andre Johnson (14 years) was the Hurricanes' top receiver and capped his 2001 season with a stellar Rose Bowl performance against Nebraska. The three have combined for 17 Pro Bowl appearances and, even though they are definitely on the back nine of their careers, these three are still making significant contributions to their respective squads.
No team, before or since, has made an impact on the next level quite like that one and it continues to do so to this day...or night, Sunday night, to be exact.
The Houston Texans roster in photos.
DL Mario Addison, #56 (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
QB, Kyle Allen, #3
RB, Darius Anderson, #30
DB, Grayland Arnold, #35
TE, Antony Auclair, #83
DL, Ross Blacklock, #90
DL, Thomas Booker, #96
OL, Justin Britt, #68
DB, Terrence Brooks, #8
TE, Pharaoh Brown, #85
RB, Rex Burkhead, #28
WR, Jalen Camp, #17
OL, A.J. Cann, #60
LB, Blake Cashman, #53
DL, Maliek Collins, #97
WR, Nico Collins, #12
WR, Chris Conley, #18
WR, Brandin Cooks, #13
WR, Davion Davis, #14
LB, Tae Davis, #19
OL, Austin Deculus, #76
WR, Phillip Dorsett, #4
QB, Jeff Driskel, #6
DL, Michael Dwumfour, #98
WR, Drew Estrada, #81
K, Ka'imi Fairbairn, #7
DB, Jacobi Francis, #38
RB, Royce Freeman, #26
OL, Carson Green, #62
DL, Jonathan Greenard, #52
WR, DaeSean Hamilton, #5
OL, Kenyon Green, #59
DL, Rasheem Green (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
LB, Kamu Grugier-Hill, #51
LB, Christian Harris, #48
DL, Demone Harris, #94
WR, Damon Hazelton, #86
OL, Charlie Heck, #67
LB, Neville Hewitt, #43
QB, Kevin Hogan, #16 (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
OL, Tytus Howard, #71
DL, Jerry Hughes, #55 (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
FB, Andy Janovich, #41
An image from the Aug. 21, 2021 Houston Texans preseason game 2 against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Texans won 20-14.
WR, Johnny Johnson III, #89
P, Cameron Johnston, #11
TE, Brevin Jordan, #9
DB, Desmond King II, #25
LB, Christian Kirksey, #58
DL, Roy Lopez, #91
RB, Marlon Mack, #2
DB, Tristin McCollum, #39
OL, Justin McCray, #64
WR, John Metchie III, #88
QB, Davis Mills, #10
WR, Chris Moore, #15
DB, Jimmy Moreland, #22
OL, Jimmy Morrissey, #79
DB, Eric Murray, #23
DB, Steven Nelson (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
DB, Steven Nelson, #21
DL, Adedayo Odeleye, #75
OL, Cedric Ogbuehi, #77
RB, Dare Ogunbowale, #33
DL, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, #45
DB, Jonathan Owens, #36
RB, Dameon Pierce, #31
LB, Kevin Pierre-Louis, #57
DB, Jalen Pitre, #42
FB, Paul Quessenberry, #45
OL, Scott Quessenberry, #54
TE, Teagan Quitoriano, #84
LB, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, #34 (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
DL, Derek Rivers, #95
OL, Max Scharping, #74
DB, Kendall Sheffield (AP Photo/Kevin Sabitus)
DB, Tremon Smith, #24
OL, Jordan Steckler, #70
DB, M.J. Stewart, #29
DB, Derek Stingley Jr., #24
DB, Tavierre Thomas, #37
OL, Laremy Tunsil, #78
LB, Garret Wallow, #32
WR, Connor Wedington (AP)
LS, Jon Weeks #46
DB, Isaac Yiadom, #20
