USA Today Greatest College Football Player Ever Bracket

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,853
That's a cool idea, but man, the USA Today website sucks.

And they really couldn't break it down to player versus player? It was 4 players in each vote.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,091
Tuukka's refugee camp
There are no players from 2010 on and only 3 players from 2000 on (Brees, Fitzgerald, and Tebow). That seems light at first blush.

Given it was voted on by a bunch of coaches, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Seems like a fruitless exercise considering the incredible differences between the positions and the eras. The seeding also makes no sense, how is Ray Guy a 7 seed and Red Grange is a 11 seed? Some fondly-remembered player that played 25-40 years ago for a program with a big fanbase will win.
 

Saints Rest

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
This might be a fun poll for SOSH. Two ways: Who do we, the collective brilliance that is SOH, think was the best? and Who do we guess the hoi polloi voting on the USA Today site will select?

I'm not sure which presumptive question tims4wins might have been answering, but I think he nailed it for the latter question. If it's not Tebow, I think an RB might win it: Herschel Walker, Tony Dorsett, or Archie Griffin.

As for the former question, I think I would go with Charles Woodson, pretty impressive to win Heisman as a CB.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,249
from the wilds of western ma
Herschel gets my vote as well. Re-run the poll in February though, and that could change to Trevor Lawrence in hurry. Kid has a more than decent chance at multiple Heisman's and national championships.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
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Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Sorry. Gotta do this. If you are talking great careers, I gotta go with one of the many two-way stars from pre-1960. Bronco Nagurski made All-America at both fullback and DT in 1929. Sammy Baugh threw 39 TD passes at TCU, played defensive back and was a prolific punter. Dick Butkus played center and linebacker at Illinois. Chuck Bednarik, same thing at Penn. Some played every play of the game. Bednarik was the last of the 60-minute players.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,623
Greatest I saw was Tebow and it pains me to praise a Gator.

Woodson winning the Heisman as a defensive player was a great season.
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
Moderator
SoSH Member
Tebow is crazy underseeded. There’s a solid case for him as best college football player of all time. Earl Campbell also got short shrift in the seeding — he should be seeded about the same as OJ Simpson, who I think is properly rated here. And I’m not sure how Derrick Thomas didn’t make the 64-man field — he was a better college player than LT.

And while I can understand the editorial decision to leave him off the list, Tony Mandarich was the best college O-lineman ever.

With the continuing rise of spread and “air raid” offenses, Walker’s 5259 career rushing yards for an SEC school might be an unbreakable record — in this century, only Darren McFadden has more than 4000. (Which really puts Tebow’s 2957 career rushing yards in perspective.)
 
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