Poll: Best All Time FCS Champ

[ronbo]

Which of these 6 teams was the all time best.

[Beef]

I wanted to be a homer and vote Montana, but that 96 Marshall team was just too good!

[ronbo]

Yep, there is a possibility that the 1996 Griz might have been the 2nd best FCS team ever and that Marshall team smoked them.

[guinzone]

I think all those teams can be thrown into the mix of being the best, I guess I took my YSU bias to the voting booth and voted for the Guins. The main reason I did that is because that year we destroyed the MAC'S University of Akron by a score of 41-7; and from that date on, those guys have refused to play us, or offer us a high amount of money to go to the Rubber Bowl and play them.

[blackfordpu]

96 Marshall

[Saint3333]

I wanted to choose the 1999 GSU team with AP, but it wasn't listed.

[WYOBISONMAN]

I had to go with Marshall. That was indeed a legendary team.

[ronbo]

That Marshall team had 6-7 players that went on to play at the Pro level.

[AZGrizFan]

The 96 Montana team was by far the best I-AA team in the country as far as true I-AA talent goes. Marshall was the best I-A dropdown I-AA team to hit the field. I'm not knocking Marshall for their success, nor drop downs, just saying they were absolutely loaded with talent.

Best dropdown team....now THAT'S funny.

[Montanan]

Have to admit the '96 Marshall team was amazing. They got the Championship, we got the Marshall Rule!

[skinny_uncle]

Too bad you left SIU 1983, 13-1 off the list. No sense of history. Their only loss came to a Wichita State team that was DI at the time. They smoked their way through the playoffs that year.

[blueballs]

I'm kinda surprised the 1986 GSU team isn't mentioned as it is undoubtedly one of the best 1-AA teams ever. 1986 was Ham's SR year and they repeated as champs, only losing twice to 1-A schools on the road. The only 1-AA team who played them w/in two scores was MTSU. They scored 33 points or more 13 times!!!!!! They averaged 51 ppg during the playoffs.

I can understand why this team and the 89 GSU team aren't getting much love because many of you never saw either of them play, but either team could go toe to toe with any team ever in this division.

8/30/1986 Florida 14-38
9/13/1986 Florida A&M 35-12
9/20/1986 Middle Tennessee 34-31
9/27/1986 Chattanooga 34-14
10/4/1986 Tennessee Tech 59-13
10/11/1986 Bethune-Cookman 52-31
10/18/1986 East Carolina 33-35
11/1/1986 Western Kentucky 49-32
11/8/1986 Central Florida 33-23
11/15/1986 James Madison 45-35
11/22/1986 South Carolina State 28-7
11/29/1986 North Carolina A&T 52-21
12/6/1986 Nicholls State 55-31
12/13/1986 Nevada 48-38
12/20/1986 Arkansas State 48-21

[skinny_uncle]

I think SIU-1983 was comparable.

[ChickenMan]

No doubt the '96 Marshall team was probably the strongest if you consider both the regular and post season play... but the UD '03 team probaly had the most dominate playoff run in FCS history... as they outscored their four playoff opponents (teams with a combined record of 47-6) by 149-23.

[YoUDeeMan]

No doubt the '96 Marshall team was probably the strongest if you consider both the regular and post season play... but the UD '03 team probaly had the most dominate playoff run in FCS history... as they outscored their four playoff opponents (teams with a combined record of 47-6) by 149-23.

And it could have been worse. Wofford scored a meaningless TD on the last play of the game while some fans and players were already celebrating on the field after everyone thought the clock had expired.

UD completely dominated four very good conference champs/co-champs on the way to the title.

[Saint3333]

2003 was the weakest year I can remember for the SoCon and as Colgate made it to the finals maybe 1-AA as a whole was down that year. 2 MEAC teams made the playoffs as well as a mediocre FAU team which made the semi's.

[Fresno St. Alum]

Marshall was so awesome in 1996, I had to go with them over Ga. Southern

[ronbo]

If you guys want to know why some teams were excluded here is why. I included only teams that were undefeated or had one loss. If you had two losses or more you didn't make the list. By incluing only zero and one loss teams I am pretty sure the all time best is in there. Like any "all time best" debate, it's speculation as they can never meet on the field.

[mrklean]

I have to say 89 GSU EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That team was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChickenMan]

2003 was the weakest year I can remember for the SoCon and as Colgate made it to the finals maybe 1-AA as a whole was down that year. 2 MEAC teams made the playoffs as well as a mediocre FAU team which made the semi's.

I have no doubt that '03 UMass squad (a team Colgate beat) was as good or better than the UMass team that went to the finals last year. I'd say that it's pretty faulty logic to assume that because none of the SoCon's 'big three' were playoff quality.. that the entire division was 'down' that year...

[gatadotcom]

I'm kinda surprised the 1986 GSU team isn't mentioned as it is undoubtedly one of the best 1-AA teams ever. 1986 was Ham's SR year and they repeated as champs, only losing twice to 1-A schools on the road. The only 1-AA team who played them w/in two scores was MTSU. They scored 33 points or more 13 times!!!!!! They averaged 51 ppg during the playoffs.

I can understand why this team and the 89 GSU team aren't getting much love because many of you never saw either of them play, but either team could go toe to toe with any team ever in this division.

8/30/1986 Florida 14-38
9/13/1986 Florida A&M 35-12
9/20/1986 Middle Tennessee 34-31
9/27/1986 Chattanooga 34-14
10/4/1986 Tennessee Tech 59-13
10/11/1986 Bethune-Cookman 52-31
10/18/1986 East Carolina 33-35
11/1/1986 Western Kentucky 49-32
11/8/1986 Central Florida 33-23
11/15/1986 James Madison 45-35
11/22/1986 South Carolina State 28-7
11/29/1986 North Carolina A&T 52-21
12/6/1986 Nicholls State 55-31
12/13/1986 Nevada 48-38
12/20/1986 Arkansas State 48-21

I agree 100%.

The 1986 Georgia Southern team was a scoring machine. We were outmatched after halftime in The Swamp against Florida, and had the game stolen by the Refs against East Carolina at their place (I was there and saw the crap that was called). Other than those two games, NOBODY could stop that team. Against Arkansas State, they beat them like a chainsaw on a pine tree. They scored on every single possession in the first half and coasted to their second consecutive National Title.

I wish all of you could watch footage of that team during the '86 playoffs. THAT is what a championship football team looked like. They were as loose a group as you've ever seen. During pre-game before the title game, offensive tackle Fred Stokes (later with the Rams & Redskins) was kicking 60 yard field goals for fun. They knew they were the best team to tee it up that year.

If only the Eagles could find that magic again!

[UNI88]

16+ years since the last post (holy thread necromancy Batman!) but an update is relevant.

The 10 best FCS champions (and where SDSU would fit)

1. 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd (15-0).
2. 2018 North Dakota State Bison (15-0).

Right now, the current SDSU team would slide in right here. The Jacks have outscored opponents by 28.6 points per game; I have FCS SP+ ratings going back to 2013, and SDSU currently grades out behind only 2018 NDSU. If they beat Montana by 25 or more, they'll match or exceed Marshall's playoff scoring margin, and they'll have a pretty good best ever claim.

3. 2013 North Dakota State Bison (15-0).
4. 2019 North Dakota State Bison (16-0).
5. 1989 Georgia Southern Eagles (15-0).
6. 2017 North Dakota State Bison (14-1).
7. 1995 Montana Grizzlies (13-2).
8. 1981 Idaho State Bengals (12-1).
9. 2003 Delaware Blue Hens (15-1).
10. 1999 Georgia Southern Eagles (13-2).

[Pwns]

I know people like Gil and kalm will never agree with me but NDSU's 2013 team is the only one in the same tier as a lot of those other teams.

[SuperHornet]

I'm going off the board with 1978 FL A&M (12-1, 10-1 I-AA Independent). They destroyed the teams they were supposed to destroy, and they beat the top ranked teams placed in front of them, including 9-1-1 Grambling State, #2 Jackson State, and #T-4 UMASS. They also won their rivalry game against Bethune-Cookman. (They did avoid #1 Nevada, who lost early in the playoffs.) Outside of one hiccup against TN State, that's about as good a year as is possible....

[dal4018]

2003 was the weakest year I can remember for the SoCon and as Colgate made it to the finals maybe 1-AA as a whole was down that year. 2 MEAC teams made the playoffs as well as a mediocre FAU team which made the semi's.

Florida A&M was one of those teams from the MEAC.