Top CFB teams that didnt win title

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2016 ALABAMA (14-1)


Average Scoring Margin: 25.6
Top 25 Record: 9-1

Yep. This Alabama group had NINE Top 25 wins in 14 games. The Tide were not without their weakness. True freshman Jalen Hurts was effective, but he wasn’t yet a game-changing threat for the Tide. But that Alabama defense was elite. Alabama led the country in yards allowed per play and produced 15 non-offensive touchdowns when combined with special teams. Alabama crushed No. 15 Florida (54-16) in the SEC title game and smothered Washington (2.89 ypp) in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Only thing is, Alabama ran into a scorching hot Deshaun Watson in the national title game. What are you going to do? The Tigers still needed a last-second touchdown to win the title. And more than a few people in the Southeast would mention that Clemson created a pick to get Hunter Renfrow open in the right corner of the end zone.
You could strongly argue Alabama’s flashier 2018 title-runner-up team is better than this 2016 version. But give me the 2016 team with an elite defense and resume over a Tide team that got bullied by Clemson in the national title game.
"It's a tough call between the 2016 and 2018 teams," BamaOnLine senior analyst Travis Reier said. "Both were similar in a lot of ways and different in others. Common denominator: each was looking to cap back-to-back titles with perfect seasons. Both teams attempted to overcome significant injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well. The teams were certainly different in offensive approach and explosiveness. Ultimately, coming up a play short of the crown in 2016 had to sting more than the loss to Clemson a few years later."

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2004 AUBURN (13-0)


Average Scoring Margin: 20
Top 25 Record: 5-0

This is the toughest team to judge on the list, simply because Auburn lacked the opportunity to play the best team in the country (USC) that season. In a scenario unimaginable in modern college football, the Tigers went 12-0 in the regular season and missed the BCS Championship game. Defending champion USC started the year at No. 1 in the AP and Coach’s Poll while Oklahoma began at No. 2. Neither team lost during the regular season, and that all but clinched them a spot in the title game. Auburn, for its part, ranked 17th in the preseason. It also went unbeaten in the regular season. But that wasn’t enough to jump the Trojans and Sooners.
It is worth noting that Auburn beat the same number of Top 25 teams (5) that USC and Oklahoma did combined that year. The Tigers, led by a quartet of first-round picks (Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Carlos Rogers), beat four top 15 teams in SEC play. That run included a win over defending champion LSU and multi-score victories over No. 10 Tennessee, No. 8 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee.
Would Auburn have beaten USC that season? There’s no way to tell. That was an all-time Trojans team. But it’s a shame the Tigers never got their shot. Poll bias (the unwillingness to bump a team off its spot following a win) cost Auburn that chance.

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1966 ALABAMA (11-0)

Average Scoring Margin: 23.4
Top 25 record: 1-0

“They ain’t played nobody, Paul!”
At least that’s what I assume fans in Big Ten country would yell about Alabama in 1966. The Tide, looking to repeat under head coach Bear Bryant, went 10-0 in the regular season without playing a ranked team. Meanwhile, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State clashed in a Game of the Century in mid-November. That ended in a 10-10 tie, and the Irish were eventually declared national champions.
It’s hard to argue with Notre Dame. The Irish went on to beat No. 10 USC, 51-0, to end the regular season. But Alabama is the only team in 1966 to win every game it played. The Tide pitched shutouts in six of its 11 contests and surrendered just four points a game. Led by Ken Stabler and Ray Perkins, the Tide didn’t lack for offensive firepower. They beat No 6 Nebraska, 34-7, in the Sugar Bowl.

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1959 OLE MISS (10-1)

Average Scoring Margin: 29.9
Top 25 Record: 3-1

Billy Cannon's Heisman moment came on Halloween against the No. 3 Rebels. Cannon took a punt back 89 yards to the house late in the fourth quarter to give the No. 1 Tigers a 7-3 lead. That would be enough. LSU stopped Ole Miss on the goal line as time expired.
Cannon’s run overshadows the fact that the 1959 Rebels were historically dominant. Ole Miss gave up 21 points all season with that road loss to LSU being the only game they played within 15 points. Ole Miss got a revenge game against the No. 3 Tigers in the Sugar Bowl, winning 21-0. Syracuse (11-0) was a worthy champion that year. But it’s hard not to look at the 1959 Rebels as a what-if team. Cannon broke through seven tackles on that punt return, and he cost Ole Miss a championship.

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