'25 greatest' list rife with problems
Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 11:57 PM
At first I thought it was a great idea. ABC’s plan to unveil the 25 greatest players in college football history seemed like it would provide interesting nuggets each week as the countdown inched toward revealing the top two players during the Rose Bowl broadcast on New Year’s Day.
When Ernie Nevers started it off at No. 25, I was even more encouraged. College football has such a rich history and this process appeared to be destined for thoughtful selection and education. You knew it was going to be controversial, but I couldn’t help but think that this was going to be beneficial, especially for younger fans who may not be familiar with some of the legends of yesteryear.
Then it all changed.
No. 24 … Reggie Bush. At that point, you got the feeling that this might be a disaster and little more than a hype meter.
Don’t get me wrong, Bush was an excellent college football player. I’ll probably never forget watching him explode for 513 yards of total offense against Fresno State in 2005 (or his inexplicable lateral attempt in the 2006 Rose Bowl national championship game). But if he’s going to be No. 24 and you’re going to set that kind of precedent, where do you go from there?
Was this going to be a parade of USC players along the way to the Rose Bowl broadcast that figured to have at least a 50-50 shot at featuring the Trojans?
Since it’s generally accepted that Bush is not quite in the same class as O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen and maybe even Charles White, where were those dominating every-down USC tailbacks going to rank among the collegiate all-time Top-25?
And what about Matt Leinart? He didn’t just handoff to Bush (or LenDale White). Leinart quarterbacked USC to a 37-2 record, and has two national championships and one Heisman Trophy to his name.
I actually don’t see Leinart as one of the 25 best players in the history of the sport, but if Bush is on there, we’re talking about a different kind of list, one that he probably belongs on. And the other Trojans tailbacks should be listed as well.
But how many Trojans can they have on this thing? Three? Four? Five? Out of 25?
In the end, none of them made it.
Here is ABC’s list so far:
3. Herschel Walker
4. Doak Walker
5. Sammy Baugh
6. Jim Thorpe
7. Tony Dorsett
8. Bo Jackson
9. Roger Staubach
10. Vince Young
11. Charles Woodson
12. Earl Campbell
13. Glenn Davis
14. Hugh Green
15. John Elway
16. Tom Harmon
17. Bronko Nagurski
18. Jim Brown
19. Dick Butkus
20. Charley Trippi
21. Archie Griffin
22. George Gipp
23. Johnny Rodgers
24. Reggie Bush
25. Ernie Nevers
There are lots of problems with this list. Omissions, inclusions, ordering, you name it. Too many to mention. I invite you to comment below and point them out. There are quite a few doozies.
I hate to spoil the fun, but to assist with that process … Red Grange is No. 1 and Barry Sanders is No. 2. Somebody in Bristol goofed and let the cats out of the bag. But once Herschel Walker was announced at No. 3, you pretty much already knew who was in the top two slots. Unless, of course, they went with O.J. (by far their biggest headache), which you knew was not going happen.
So in the end, there’s a “Rose Bowl upset” as two Illinois players are on ABC’s list (Dick Butkus joining Grange) and only one Trojan. At least that will brighten the day of Illini fans tuning in on what promises to be an otherwise disappointing start to the New Year.
