Sep 1, 2001; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes runningback Frank Gore in action against the Temple Owls at the Orange Bowl during the 2001 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Paul Chapman-USPRESSWIRE Copyright (c) 2001 Paul Chapman Paul Chapman-Imagn Images

The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are Listed As the Greatest College Football Team Since 2000

Originally posted on Miami Hurricanes on SI
By Justice Sandle | Last updated May 21, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Discussions on who is the greatest college football team of all time have always been an interesting topic of conversation. Many will list the 2019 LSU Tigers, the 2005 Texas Longhorns, or the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

Stewart Mandel of The Athletic has an opinion on the matter and believes that the 2001 Hurricanes are the greatest football team since 2000. Some would say that it is the greatest team of all time.

Do you agree with @slmandel's list of the top 25 college football teams since 2000? pic.twitter.com/m63LpIsa5O
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 19, 2025

The Hurricanes went undefeated, going 12-0 and winning the national championship. They had 38 players drafted from that team, including 17 first-round picks. One of the most famous stats around is that the Hurricanes would have still gone 8-4 had they not scored an offensive touchdown that season (and the offense scored 50 TDs).

This is what you call dominance personified and something that the Canes are trying to get back to now. In this new era of college football, they have a chance under Mario Cristobal.

Legacy is what the Hurricanes are chasing now, and they have not sniffed that in a long time. The closest chance they had was this season with an All-time offense but an all-time defense for the wrong season. The Hurricanes are still chasing after that feeling and moment and have done a good job of starting to rebuild what once was. Cristobal knows that he feels and understands the legacy the Hurricanes have. He is now trying to build one of his own as the head coach.