The 25 best college football teams to not win a national championship

Best college football teams without a national championship: 1987 Florida State Seminoles

The 1987 Seminoles won all of their regular-season games except for one by at least 14 points. Bobby Bowden’s team had a ton of talent, headlined by Deion Sanders.

Far and away, Florida State and Miami were the country’s two best teams in 1987. They were on a collision course with everyone circling the Oct. 3 meeting in Tallahassee as the game of the year between the two rival programs.

Bowden’s Florida State program had experienced a bit of a lull in the 1980s, losing at least three games for six consecutive years before the breakthrough in 1987. While it ultimately didn’t produce a national championship, Florida State’s 11-1 record and No. 2 finish would begin the ‘Noles’ improbable run of 14 consecutive Top-5 finishes in the polls.

1987 was truly a one-game season, and Florida State came up just short against the rival ‘Canes at Doak Campbell. In a classic matchup between the rival schools, Miami edged Florida State 26-25 after Bowden decided to eschew the tie and go for two late in the game to try to go for the win.

Years of inconsistent kicking, particularly against Miami, led to Bowden’s decision to go for the win. A tie against the ‘Canes could have led to Florida State getting a share of the title, but it’s hard to fault Bowden’s decision making even now, with the benefit of 32 years worth of hindsight.

Florida State settled for the consolation prize of the Fiesta Bowl, where the Seminoles edged Nebraska 31-28, while Miami defeated Oklahoma 20-14 in the Orange Bowl to win the national title.