As NCAA Football 10’s release date rapidly approaches, I could think of no better way to pass the time than to rank the five most dominant teams in NCAA Football history. Since the NCAA Football series dates back to Bill Walsh College Football, compiling a top-five list was no easy task. In the end, only the most dominant programs survived, and with no BCS computer to bail them out, four teams had to go home empty handed.

5. Tennessee Volunteers (NCAA Football 98)

Anyone that remembers NCAA Football 98 remembers that it was the NCAA where you simply could not play defense. I’ll never forget my buddy’s 16th birthday party, and the NCAA 98 tournament that ensued after nobody wanted to play a brand-new copy of Madden 64. Not only did every tournament game end in a 110-103 score, but Peyton Manning’s Volunteers emerged as a legendary force that I remember to this very day.

Manning and Peerless Price combined to form an unstoppable deep-ball combo, and Terry Fair always seemed to provide that one interception that won the game for whoever controlled the Vols. Then there was Jamal Lewis, the one running back in the game who could not be tackled. In a year where EA clearly focused on wide-open aerial gameplay (much like '09), it was only fun to run the ball when you were the Volunteers, and that was all because of Lewis.

The NCAA 98 Tennessee Volunteers had one of the greatest offenses ever assembled in an NCAA videogame -- reason enough to put the squad at number five on this list.

The Sooners were an incredibly balanced team on offense and defense.
Source: IGN

4. Oklahoma Sooners (NCAA Football 2004)

Just like Tennessee, the NCAA 2004 Oklahoma squad had an explosive offense. However, unlike the '98 Vols, the '04 Sooners had an even more explosive defense -- a defense so good that it could make Oklahoma darn near unbeatable, even in the most inexperienced hands. Let’s just put it this way, when your friend -- who knew nothing about football -- used the Sooners, there was no shame in admitting that you lost to him in NCAA Football 2004.

On the offensive side of the ball, Jason White, Mark Clayton and Mark Bradley lead a potent aerial attack. The '04 Sooners had one of the fastest groups of wideouts ever included in an NCAA title, which meant that defending the deep ball was a near-impossible task. On the ground, Kejuan Jones and Renaldo Works helped Jason White run a devastating option attack -- only further opening up the awe-inspiring pass game.

On defense, Teddy Lehman, Tommie Harris and Dan Cody emerged as three of the greatest user-controlled players ever. Not only was it possible to rack up double-digit sacks per game with any one of these monsters, it also wasn't surprising when Lehman picked off multiple passes during the course of a game. And as if taking on this juggernaut with a buddy in control wasn’t bad enough, try tackling the CPU Sooners when the difficulty is cranked up to Heisman.

The NCAA 04 Oklahoma Sooners were a perfectly balanced team that could have ranked higher on this list.

3. USC Trojans (NCAA Football 2006)

There isn’t much to say about a team that included the likes of Reggie Bush (minus the recruiting violations), Matt Leinart, LenDale White, Steve Smith (no, not that Steve Smith Carolina fans), Dwayne Jarret and one of the greatest freshman linebacker classes in college football history. USC’s NCAA 2006 roster was a virtual who’s who of current NFL talent. This Trojans squad was completely dominant, and the team never seemed to have any trouble scoring at will in the game -- both on offense and defense.

What made the '06 Trojans even scarier opponents was the fact that 2006 was the first version of NCAA to feature the unstoppable "impact" players. Reggie Bush still haunts my dreams to this day, all because of the way he was able to effortlessly shed my hapless defenders in NCAA Football 06. I still feel like Pete Carroll himself was involved in the development of NCAA '06 -- the team was the bane of my existence in the fall of 2005.

Some would say that the NCAA Football 2006 USC Trojans deserve to be ranked as the number one team on this list. But, much like the 2006 National Championship game in which Vince Young single-handedly beat the Trojans, it just was not meant to be.

Another INT for the Seminoles.
Source: CoolRoms

2. Florida State (Bill Walsh College Football)

This list would not be complete without paying the proper homage to a classic star-studded team. If you were a child of the early '90s like me, the Sega Genesis was the greatest sports console there was. Bill Walsh’s College Football not only introduced me to the world of college-football gaming, but also to a whole new universe of anger, frustration and choice four-letter words -- all because of Florida State.

See, not only could Florida State not be stopped in this game, the Seminoles would also magically intercept pretty much any pass and always find some way to comeback from what seemed like the most insurmountable of leads. I am convinced that the Bill Walsh Seminoles were programmed to win no matter what -- I was never able to even finish within a touchdown of the mighty party college, even with my all-academic Miami Hurricane’s squad.

The Florida State Seminoles are not only deserving of the number two spot on this list, but they also ranked as the number seven team on the Top 25 Most Dominant Teams in Sports Gaming History list. Beating those pesky Noles is on my bucket list, so any strategies from the OS community would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, these Seminoles may forever be my White Whale.

1. (Tie) University of Miami (NCAA Football 02 and 03)

Another top-ten team from the all-time list is the NCAA Football 02/03 version of the Miami Hurricanes. This is still hands-down the greatest virtual college football team ever.These teams were absolutely loaded on offense and defense: Ken Dorsey, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Clinton Portis (2002 only), Andre Johnson, Kellen Winslow, Sean Taylor and Dan Morgan made this team pretty much unbeatable. I would spend hours with my college friends attempting to beat this team on Heisman, and it only happened once in each respective version of the game.

Sure, the CPU cheated like mad whenever you would take on the mighty CPU Canes, but that can not take away from the sheer brilliance and balance of these two Miami squads. Never before in an NCAA game have I witnessed a team so effortlessly run the ball, throw the ball and play smothering defense quite like these Miami teams. I was even shutout multiple times during my quest to defeat this near-impossible team -- a feat that had never occurred in my illustrious football-gaming career, which predates Tecmo Bowl.

Beating Miami was a videogame badge of honor within my inner circle -- we all have been playing the NCAA series religiously since its inception on the Sega Genesis. I am extremely proud to be able to have those achievements on my sports-gaming resume, and I have yet to face a challenge as daunting as the Playstation 2 Miami Hurricanes.

Both the NCAA 2002 and 2003 Miami Hurricanes teams have become legendary, and they absolutely deserve the moniker of "Best NCAA Football Team Ever."


With so may teams to pick from over the years, there were bound to be some great teams left off this top-five list. So what do you think? Which teams would make your all-time top-five list? Will any teams from NCAA Football 10 be worthy of an all-time list in the future? Sound off below.