DMoney said:

Bumping this thread from May 2012 in light of the championship game last night.

Defensive line play is still the most important factor in college football success. FSU and Auburn have war daddies up front.

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FSU's dline got gashed. Jernigen was huffing and puffing on the sideline.

What last night showed was that QB is the most important factor in a teams success.
Common denominator in past champions has been special playmaking QBs that extend plays.
If FSU was posed with having to replace Winston with Morris or Jernigen, Edwards with Porter, Chikillo who do you think they trade?

Without two south Florida studs that Miami wouldn't accept they don't win ish.

FSU has our arrogance to thank for their 3rd ring.

wushah said:

Dline play is huge, particularly in the college game. It makes the back 7's job easier. Obviously difference-makers in the back 7 become elite when the Dline is good.

You also need depth and the ability to stay relatively injury.

OL and QB play have to be solid, efficient, and timely.

A lot of factors, but no doubt that DLine play is up there.

Staying relatively injury free helps.

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I agree about the D line but your last point is the one EVERYONE overlooks. Staying injury free is purely luck. No doubt about that. FSU was injury free all year.

GoldenShowers said:

Without two south Florida studs that Miami wouldn't accept they don't win ish.

FSU has our arrogance to thank for their 3rd ring.

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yep Freeman and Benji. LJ never wanted to come here and Greene was from S Georgia even though he went to STA.

As much as 2002 hurts, every great team or dynasty has a few that got away or were taken away by suspect officiating. IMO that's just another thing that adds to the lore of a dynasty. Doesn't make it feel any better but all great teams have those games.

CaneAlmighty said:

DMoney said:

Bumping this thread from May 2012 in light of the championship game last night.

Defensive line play is still the most important factor in college football success. FSU and Auburn have war daddies up front.

Click to expand...

FSU's dline got gashed. Jernigen was huffing and puffing on the sideline.

What last night showed was that QB is the most important factor in a teams success.
Common denominator in past champions has been special playmaking QBs that extend plays.If FSU was posed with having to replace Winston with Morris or Jernigen, Edwards with Porter, Chikillo who do you think they trade?

Click to expand...

You just described literally the opposite of AJ McCarron.

Bigtip said:

but, why didn't the 2002 team win it? that was an arguably more talented team. I think the poor coaching caught up with

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Disagree, we won. Kidding aside, Bucknuts came to play and our kids were already annointed and distracted. We lost an amazing rb in the game, he doesn't get hurt and its a different game.

With a real coach we win that by two TDs.

TheUx5 said:

Bigtip said:

but, why didn't the 2002 team win it? that was an arguably more talented team. I think the poor coaching caught up with

Click to expand...

Disagree, we won. Kidding aside, Bucknuts came to play and our kids were already annointed and distracted. We lost an amazing rb in the game, he doesn't get hurt and its a different game.

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Championships are won in the trenches

Bigtip said:

but, why didn't the 2002 team win it? that was an arguably more talented team. I think the poor coaching caught up with

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5 TO's and the bogus PI call. **** might as well throw in the missed offensive PI on the 4th down conversion prior to the robbery.

The way Auburn's offense exploded in confidence and execution after the Alabama game, I'm not sure anybody other than Florida State and Michigan State could have held them to 31 or fewer points last night. When Auburn had 21 points in the middle of the second quarter, normally that would lead to 45 or 52 points, or the 59 they hung on a very good Missouri team in the SEC title game, after a similar early pace.

Florida State was hardly as dominant as typical but we shouldn't be fooled by that. Against a standard offense they'll disrupt and destroy. I don't think Alabama would have fared as well as Auburn did.

It's a fascinating new breakthrough, the Auburn and Oregon approach of hurrying up to run the football. That's a whole different animal than the previous garbage of spreading out and hurrying up to throw the ball. Those teams are vulnerable by definition and logic. Defensive linemen don't care if you are asking them to rush the passer time and again. They thrive on that. The hurry up and throw approach leads to a high percentage of three and outs anyway. But when you are hustling to the line and pounding the defensive front with the running game, naturally the defense sags. The only danger is too much reliance on finesse. Auburn is considerably more rugged than Oregon is.

In the NFL, notice that New England uses hurry up and run the football on key plays, notably after they have made a big gain, or when they enter the red zone. Belichick doesn't miss a trick.

Anyway, I always emphasize pass defense in threads like this and once again it held up. National champion Florida State led the nation in yards per attempt allowed at 5.1. Michigan State was second at 5.2.

Auburn would have been the worst of all time at 7.3, eclipsing their 6.7 champ of 2010. I was very relieved when that flawed pass defense fell short. But as I mentioned last night, it was apropos that a weak pass defense gave up the 49 yard catch and run on a simple play, to set up the winning touchdown pass.

auburn's D line was owning fsu O line majority of the game, if jimbo doesnt call that fake punt before half leading to a score this game is a blow out. fsu is a championship team but not an all time great team like 04 USC or 01 miami

We also had five turnovers in that game, which to me was the difference. No turnovers, we win by at least ten points.

Bigtip said:

but, why didn't the 2002 team win it? that was an arguably more talented team. I think the poor coaching caught up with

Click to expand...

CaneAlmighty said:

What last night showed was that QB is the most important factor in a teams success.
Common denominator in past champions has been special playmaking QBs that extend plays.

Click to expand...

Matt Mauck and Greg McElroy have won titles in the past decade. Would you call them special QBs?

58straight said:

auburn's D line was owning fsu O line majority of the game, if jimbo doesnt call that fake punt before half leading to a score this game is a blow out. fsu is a championship team but not an all time great team like 04 USC or 01 miami

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After that play FSU out scored auburn 31 - 10 the rest of the game

So the first quarter and a half auburn scored 21 points

The rest of the game they only scored 10 points you don't think FSU defense had anything to do with that

DMoney said:

CaneAlmighty said:

What last night showed was that QB is the most important factor in a teams success.
Common denominator in past champions has been special playmaking QBs that extend plays.

Click to expand...

Matt Mauck and Greg McElroy have won titles in the past decade. Would you call them special QBs?

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McElroy was a highly rated and intelligent QB. Both had high pass completion %m over 65%.
Regardless, if you want you can consider them exceptions to the rule.

In your OP, you list Fairley from Auburn and Dunlap and some other DL from UF to support your case.
But seriously, if you think the main reason why both Auburn and UF won the MNC those years when they played was due mainly to them and not Cam Newton and Tebow respectively then I don't know what to tell you.
Ditto Vince Young at Texas.

Not to say having a dominant DL doesn't help cause obviously it does.. But no doubt QB's are the main reason.
Having both is almost a sure bet.

You can win an NC without a great QB. You cannot win one without a great defensive line (or the ability to pound the ball).

weownfsu said:

You can win an NC without a great QB. You cannot win one without a great defensive line (or the ability to pound the ball).

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We don't have any of those 3 things. That's why we're trending up.

Dan E. Dangerously said:

weownfsu said:

You can win an NC without a great QB. You cannot win one without a great defensive line (or the ability to pound the ball).

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We don't have any of those 3 things. That's why we're trending up.

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#keyfact

I think what the past decade has shown is there are many ways to skin a cat, but it helps to have a great defensive line, great depth, and either a playmaking QB in the mold of Newton or Winston or a game day general in the mold of Dorsey or McCarron.