Best Teams To Never Win A Title

[DaddyBigBucks]

The 84 team is the real heartbreaker: Spielman, Carter, Byers, Lachey, Pepper, Lowdermilk et al. The starting 22 almost all went on to be NFL starters with almost half of them making the Pro Bowl at least once and 1--maybe 2--NFL Hall of Famers.

I love Earl--a true [censored]ing Buckeye to his core--but how the hell that team ever lost three games is beyond my comprehension.

Agree with all of this, especially the bolded.

As for why they lost 3 games: 4 freshman starting in the defensive backfield and Earle never had a solid defensive line. He had great linebackers, but never had more than one decent lineman in front of them, and usually none. Even conceding that, losing to Purdue and Wisconsin that year is inexplicable.

 

[Woody1968]

The article was a ranking of the best teams that didn't make the BCS championship game. 1996 was pre-BCS. 1998 was the first BCS championship game.

Now if we want to talk about the best teams never to win a national championship, then the 1973 Buckeyes have to be in the discussion. Maybe the end of the discussion.


The 1998 team is definitely top-3, and probably should be number one on that list. And despite Coop's penchant for blowing big games, I think that the 1998 team would have crushed Tennessee in the title game.

I think that Tennessee team is probably the weakest BCS championship team since the system started. They should have lost to Arkansas and they got to play FSU without Weinke.

 

[Woody1968]

The article was a ranking of the best teams that didn't make the BCS championship game. 1996 was pre-BCS. 1998 was the first BCS championship game.

Now if we want to talk about the best teams never to win a national championship, then the 1973 Buckeyes have to be in the discussion. Maybe the end of the discussion.


The 1998 team is definitely top-3, and probably should be number one on that list. And despite Coop's penchant for blowing big games, I think that the 1998 team would have crushed Tennessee in the title game.

I agree with all of this.

 

[OHSportsFan]

The article was a ranking of the best teams that didn't make the BCS championship game. 1996 was pre-BCS. 1998 was the first BCS championship game.

Now if we want to talk about the best teams never to win a national championship, then the 1973 Buckeyes have to be in the discussion. Maybe the end of the discussion.


The 1998 team is definitely top-3, and probably should be number one on that list. And despite Coop's penchant for blowing big games, I think that the 1998 team would have crushed Tennessee in the title game.

All of this talk reminds me of Why It Is So Frustrating Being a Buckeye Fan

:(

 

[Jake]

The 84 team is the real heartbreaker: Spielman, Carter, Byers, Lachey, Pepper, Lowdermilk et al. The starting 22 almost all went on to be NFL starters with almost half of them making the Pro Bowl at least once and 1--maybe 2--NFL Hall of Famers.

I love Earl--a true [censored]ing Buckeye to his core--but how the hell that team ever lost three games is beyond my comprehension.

I was in the Shoe for all of them that season. Undefeated at home that year but lost 2 roadies to seven win teams at Purdue and Wisconsin. Of course, USC in the Rose was another close defeat.

The next season, we're 8-1 including a win over #1 ranked Iowa in Columbus - helluva weekend, by the way - then we lose at home 12-7 to Wisconsin. The Badgers were 1-5 in the Big Ten coming into that game. The next week we lost at Michigan, but beat BYU in a bowl to finish 9-3 - which is how most seasons under Earle ended. :ohwell:

 

[Jake]

Its my opinion that the '98 team was better than most of the teams that have won BCS championship games...

I agree. I remember watching the second half of that Sparty game at my mom's house and I couldn't believe my eyes. Naturally, that's the one year where Coop beat Michigan AND won the bowl game.

 

[woofermazing]

Every Michigan team.

 

[BUCK3YE5]

Interesting read but some of these rankings are just terrible, in particular the Ohio State ones.

 

[RB07OSU]

Agreed with most on here...the '98 team was just ungodly good and if focused would have pounded any team in the country. But if Cooper lapsed/they weren't focused...well, they blow a game to MSU. Honestly I can't recall a single game that was more heartbreaking than that loss to MSU.

 

[buchtelgrad04]

2002 Miami Hurricanes.

 

[DaveyBoy]

Absolutely inexcusable to lose to Purdue and Wisconsin that year. Both teams were like 7-4

The 84 team is the real heartbreaker: Spielman, Carter, Byers, Lachey, Pepper, Lowdermilk et al. The starting 22 almost all went on to be NFL starters with almost half of them making the Pro Bowl at least once and 1--maybe 2--NFL Hall of Famers.

I love Earl--a true [censored]ing Buckeye to his core--but how the hell that team ever lost three games is beyond my comprehension.

 

[Nutriaitch]

2008 Bama up at #8?!!?

LSU 2006 would have run circles around that Bama squad.
hell our '08 squad (worst LSU team of last 12 years) took them to OT.

with no QB (Lee threw 5 picks that game) and a bad defense.

 

[Palpie]

I agree. I remember watching the second half of that Sparty game at my mom's house and I couldn't believe my eyes. Naturally, that's the one year where Coop beat Michigan AND won the bowl game.

I was in college and let my friends talk me into letting them use the tv to play video games since it was just MSU and the Buckeyes were rolling. We turned back to the game right before the last drive. I'm still not sure if it's not for the best that I didn't see the entire implosion.

 

[gbearbuck]

You can throw my hat in the ring for just about any Cooper team... how he lost the games he lost with the talent he had is beyond me. I also have no clue how he manged to hold onto his job for thirteen years...

During the nineties I would have been willing to lose every game in the season if only we could turn around and beat scUM... horrible years to have your heart ripped out by them...

If nothing else those years certainly taught me to enjoy every single win over scUM regardless of how good/bad they were/are... during the Tress years it never got old