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

Best college football teams without a national championship: 2001 Oregon Ducks

In one of the most controversial moments in the history of the BCS system, Oregon was left out in the cold in 2001 behind a Nebraska team that failed to win its conference championship and had been absolutely manhandled in its final game of the regular season against Colorado.

This was Mike Bellotti’s best Oregon squad, aided by an up-and-coming offensive coordinator in Jeff Tedford and future No. 3 overall pick Joey Harrington at quarterback.

The Ducks opened the season with a close win over a ranked Wisconsin team in Eugene to signal their status as a legitimate national contender. After starting the season 6-0, Oregon suffered its lone defeat of the season at home against Stanford, blowing a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and getting outscored 21-0 in the game’s final frame to lose, 49-42.

The Ducks won their last four games in the regular season to put themselves back in contention for a berth in the BCS title game, aided by impressive road wins over Washington State and UCLA to capture the PAC-10 championship.

Despite finishing the regular season No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, the Ducks were inexplicably passed over by No. 4 Nebraska in the BCS Standings, with the Huskers getting the right to face off with Miami with the national title on the line.

This was in spite of the fact that Nebraska failed to win the Big 12. The last impression they made on the country prior to getting selected to play in the BCS Championship was getting mollywhopped 62-36 on the road to Colorado in Boulder.

Predictably, Miami steamrolled past Nebraska, while Oregon rolled over that same Colorado team that had bludgeoned Nebraska by a margin of 38-16, earning a No. 2 finish in all the major polls behind unbeaten Miami. The 2001 ‘Canes are largely remembered as one of college football’s best teams, so it would have been a tall task to expect the Ducks to pull of the victory at the Rose Bowl.

It’s obvious now in retrospect, though, that it should have been Oregon with the opportunity instead of Nebraska.