https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Miami_Hurricanes_football_team
Pre-season motivation
In 2000, Miami was shut out of the
Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game by the BCS computers. Despite Miami beating
Florida State head-to-head that season and being higher ranked in both human polls, it was Florida State, and not Miami, that BCS computers selected to challenge the
Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship (Oklahoma would win, 13–2). This was because Miami had lost to #15
Washington 34–29 on the road, while the Seminoles' lone loss was on the road to the #7 team in the country by 3. The experience led[
citation needed] to alterations in the BCS rankings system to ensure that the situation would not repeat itself in the future. Nevertheless, Miami was left with a bitter sense of disappointment, believing they had been deprived of a shot at a potential national championship. That off-season, the team resolved to take the matter entirely out of the discretion of the computers by going a perfect 12–0. However, they had to do so under a new head coach,
Larry Coker, who was named to the post after
Butch Davis left to become head coach of the
NFL's
Cleveland Browns.
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered by many experts and historians the greatest team in college football history.
[1] The Hurricanes scored 512 (42.6 points per game) points while yielding only 117 (9.75 points allowed per game). Miami beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (124–7).
[2] The offense set the school scoring record, while the defense led the nation in scoring defense (fewest points allowed), pass defense, and turnover margin.
[2] Additionally, the Hurricane defense scored eight touchdowns of its own. Six players earned All-American status and six players were finalists for national awards, including
Maxwell Award winner,
Ken Dorsey, and
Outland Trophy winner,
Bryant McKinnie. Dorsey was also a Heisman finalist, finishing third.
Among the numerous stars on the 2001 Miami squad were: quarterback
Ken Dorsey; running backs
Clinton Portis,
Willis McGahee,
Najeh Davenport, and
Frank Gore; tight end
Jeremy Shockey; wide receiver
Andre Johnson; offensive tackle
Bryant McKinnie; defensive linemen
Jerome McDougle,
William Joseph, and
Vince Wilfork; linebackers
Jonathan Vilma and
D.J. Williams; and defensive backs
Ed Reed,
Mike Rumph, and
Phillip Buchanon. Additional contributors included future stars
Kellen Winslow II,
Sean Taylor,
Antrel Rolle,
Vernon Carey, and
Rocky McIntosh. In all, an extraordinary 17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchanon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; 1 in 2005: Rolle; and 1 in 2006:
Kelly Jennings).
Overall, 38 members of the team would be selected in the NFL Draft