Orlando Sentinnel Votes ’01 Miami Hurricanes Team of the Decade

The Orlando Sentinel had an extended countdown of the top teams of 2000’s and after much information and debate,  they have voted the Miami Hurricanes the Top Team of the Decade.

Few can argue with this assertion.  A case can be made for the 2004 USC Trojans or the 2005 Longhorns but when you really shake it all out,  the 2001 Miami Hurricane team is not only the best team of the decade,  it’s perhaps the best team of all time.

The ’01 Hurricanes ran through their schedule like a wayward elderly driven Lincoln Continental through a store front.  They blitzkrieged the competition and before a team even unpacked their materials they were staring at a double digit deficit with little hope of closing the gap.  The Washington Huskies were perhaps the most unfortunate of their 2001 opponents as the alumni riled up the team about Washington’s claims of being the real champions of 1991.   A decade later,  it was obvious which program was on top as Miami rolled over them 65-7.   Some will point to the pair of close calls against Boston College and Virginia Tech but the bottom line is that Miami won those games and often times,  team will fall in those instances.

In the final game,  the Rose Bowl,  for all the marbles,  Miami knocked Nebraska and quarterback Eric Crouch senseless, producing a final score of 37-14.  Those watching know that it could have been worse as Miami had a 34-0 half time lead.  In the end,  the 2001 roster produced 38 NFL draft picks,  of which,  17 were first rounders.  Fourteen of those 38 players are starters on NFL teams and as the Orlando Sentinel pointed out,  at least one has a date with Canton (Ed Reed).

The rest of the list went like this:

Two: 2005 Texas Longhorns
Three: 2004 USC Trojans
Four: 2002 Ohio St. Buckeyes
Five: 2000 Oklahoma Sooners
Six: 2008 Florida Gators
Seven: 2006 Florida Gators
Eight: 2003 LSU Tigers
Nine: 2007 LSU Tigers

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