re: Ranking the Top 10 Greatest College Football Teams Since 2000 (Bleacher Report)

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5. 2008 Florida

By the numbers: 13-1 record. 43.6 points per game. 12.9 points per game allowed. 3,419 yards of total offense and 42 total touchdowns by quarterback Tim Tebow.

One first-team All-American in linebacker Brandon Spikes, who had 93 tackles. Three major awards won by Tebow (the Maxwell Award, the Manning Award and the Wuerffel Trophy).

Defining moment: For Florida, the biggest moment of the year was a loss. On September 27, 2008, Ole Miss came into Gainesville and handed the Gators a stunning 31-30 home defeat.

Afterward, an emotional Tebow faced reporters and promised them that "you have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of this season, and you'll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season, and you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season."

Tebow was right. No team came closer than 10 points to Florida the rest of the way, including a 49-10 rout of No. 8 Georgia, a 56-6 pummeling of No. 24 South Carolina and a 45-15 blasting of No. 23 Florida State. Florida won its last 10 games and claimed Urban Meyer's second national championship.

Meanwhile, the text of "The Promise" has been placed on a plaque which now hangs outside Florida's practice facility for all to see.

Why they're here: Florida finished 13-1 after a surprising home loss to Ole Miss, but the Gators learned from it and cruised to a national title under Tebow's guidance.

Love him or hate him, Tebow proved to be one of the best and most inspirational college football players in recent memory.

He was a dual threat and an excellent leader, but the defense, with future NFL players such as linebacker Spikes, cornerbacks Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, did its job as well, holding foes to 12.9 points per game.

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4. 2011 Alabama

By the numbers: 12-1 record. 183.6 total yards allowed per game, No. 1 nationally. 8.1 points per game, No. 1 nationally. Zero points allowed in BCS National Championship win over LSU. Four players named as Associated Press first-team All-Americans.

Defining moment: Only one team came within 16 points of Alabama all season. That was LSU, which went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and defeated the Crimson Tide 9-6 in an overtime, all-field goal slugfest.

The Tide finished second in the SEC West behind the Tigers, but they forced a rematch in the BCS National Championship Game, a matchup which has been credited with kickstarting the push for a true four-team college football playoff.

This time, Nick Saban's team would not be denied. Alabama's defense completely shut down the Tigers in a 21-0 defeat, the only title game shutout of the BCS era.

Alabama kicked five field goals and added a late Trent Richardson touchdown for the final margin.

Why they’re here: Saban's best teams are built with defense, and the 2011 Crimson Tide was no exception. Alabama yielded only 8.1 points per game, and only one team (FCS foe Georgia Southern) scored more than 14 points against them. That's impressive.

The Tide avenged its only defeat with a thoroughly dominant 21-0 win over LSU in the BCS National Championship Game.

Alabama ripped No. 12 Florida 38-10, No. 14 Arkansas 38-14 and No. 24 Auburn 42-14. Aside from LSU, no team really challenged the Tide.

Hard-charging tailback Richardson was an NFL bust, but he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting after rushing for 1,679 yards. He was one of four NFL first-round picks, joined by defensive backs Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick and linebacker Dont'a Hightower.

It was one of Saban's best teams and can hold its own with plenty of recent champions.

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