Are 3 of our 5 best all-time Miami teams non-champions?

[Awsi Dooger]

2001 just had so much talent, it was insane.

1986 is a team that lives in our hearts. That's the team, above all others, that should have won it all. Spectacular team. To this day, it's hard to figure out how they lost.

The argument for 1988 is legit.

Just think about that run from 1986-1992. Ridiculous.

Not hard to figure how 1986 lost. Testaverde demonstrated the same stare down interception tendencies against Florida that cost us the Penn State game. Somehow the problems with forced underneath throws were ignored after the Florida game because we created turnovers of our own, and were exhilarated to defeat a rival at their house.

No game on the 1986 schedule even remotely approximated the Penn State task as closely as that Florida game did, facing a tough talented secondary away from home. I remember watching that game at the old Bally's sportsbook and being relieved we got out of there with the win. It was significantly tighter than the 23-15 score. Leading up to the Fiesta Bowl I picked Penn State plus the 7.5 points and cautioned many friends and fellow handicappers that Paterno had every opportunity to steal the game outright, based on the demonstrated Testarverde flaws in the game at Florida, and Penn State's great defensive game plan in the Orange Bowl a year earlier against Oklahoma. Penn State lost that game on mistakes but they had a fantastic attacking scheme against a specialized offense. Not exactly difficult to project similar a year later against the Canes. It was the same personnel a year older, and hungrier.

I remembered that 1986 game at Florida but not until a couple of years ago when I dug out the old tape and posted it to YouTube did I realize how eerily similar it was to the Penn State game. Unfortunately, Penn State did not gift wrap mistakes back to us after a Testaverde error, as Kerwin Bell had.

 

[SantaMonicaTC]

the 2002 team should probably be higher.


The only loss that the 2002 team suffered was in a game in which we actually defeated the team that was awarded the national championship, because of a call that was so bad that instant replay was instituted because of it.

Bad call or not, that Ohio State team is one of the 50 best teams of all time- and we beat them. *We also beat a lot of good teams that season, like dropping 41 on Florida, 40 on West Virginia, 49 on Syracuse, 56 on Virginia Tech, 63 on FAMU, and 42 on Rutgers.

2002 team was lethargic and played down to their competition all year.

The 2002 took every opposing teams best shot and finished the season undefeated.

 

[SantaMonicaTC]

I think the 1988 should be higher on the list.

The 1988 team beat pre-season #1 FSU 31-0.
Had a remarkable 4th q comeback against Michigan in the Big House (31-30).
Obliterated then ranked #11 LSU in Baton Rouge 44-3.
Crushed top ten Nebraska in the bowl game 23-3.
The ND game is obvious.

Final AP rankings of teams they beat:

FSU #3
Michigan #4
Nebraska #10
Arkansas #12
LSU #19

I would have no problem putting this team at #2 followed by the 1986 team at #3.

Agreed. Those teams you listed with the exception of fSu were either conference champions or co-conference (LSU) champions. Add BYU to that list too as WAC champions. That's a **** of a schedule.

Yes...tough schedule but Byu did not win the WAC that year.

 

[UM58]

That '88 squad was better than '00 imo.