University of Georgia

Where UGA and Tech teams rank among college football's 150 best ever

This being the 150-year anniversary of college football, ESPN enlisted a "blue-ribbon" panel to rank, in order, the sport's 150 greatest single-season teams of all time. Georgia and Georgia Tech have two representatives each on the resulting list, published this week.

Georgia’s undefeated 1980 national championship team is the highest rated from this state, coming in at No. 33 all-time. The Vince Dooley-coached Bulldogs were powered by Herschel Walker’s NCAA freshman record 1,616 rushing yards.

Georgia Tech’s undefeated 1952 team is the second highest-rated team from this state at No. 117 overall. The Bobby Dodd-coached Yellow Jackets allowed only 4.9 points per game that year, ESPN pointed out.

Georgia’s 1946 team, coached by Wally Butts and featuring the great Charley Trippi, is rated No. 130 for an unbeaten season that included wins over four ranked opponents.

And Georgia Tech’s 1928 team, coached by Bill Alexander, is rated No. 135 for an undefeated season that included wins over Notre Dame and Alabama.

If you're wondering, the 150-member ESPN panel deemed the 1971 Nebraska team the greatest in college football history. And last season's Clemson team wasn't far behind, ranked No. 5 all-time. Click here for the full list of the 150 greatest teams.

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Today’s Leadoff links

>> The Braves' MVP is their GM, Mark Bradley writes.

>> UGA fans launch an impromptu "Pink Out" for Saturday's game against Arkansas State, Chip Towers reports.

>> The Falcons' run defense has a fire to extinguish, D. Orlando Ledbetter writes.