This is the 23rd post in our 25-part Super Squad Series, recognizing the best programs over the last three years in every single Division I FBS & FCS Conference, as well as the upperclassmen & staff who’ve anchored them.
Below: Full updated rankings after last week‘s rundown of the Big Ten Football programs.
About Super Squad Rating
Super Squad Ratings range 0-100, heavily-weighed toward zero. A 100.0 rating is only achievable for a team that finishes #1 in College Football all three years, with a 100+ power rating each year. The top three 2020 Super Squads rate in at 78, 57, and 47, respectively.
Best thought of as a notoriety score:
“How many normal people out of 100 should recognize this program’s success the last three years?”
EXAMPLE
Consider an SSR (Super Squad Rating) of 78 to abstractly mean that program deserves 78% of Americans’ attention.
Conversely a program with a 1.1 SSR would be worth the attention of only 11 out of 1,000 Americans.
Congratulations to Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide for being our SEC Football 2020 Super Squad Champions! Kudos to your entire program, and especially the 41 young men who were on the roster each of these three years – 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 – listed here:
CONGRATULATIONS Ben Davis, Daniel Wright, Christopher Allen, Jerry Jeudy, Shyheim Carter, DeVonta Smith, Trevon Diggs, Mac Jones, Henry Ruggs III, Chadarius Townsend, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyrell Shavers, Xavier McKinney, Jared Mayden, Najee Harris, Terrell Lewis, Brian Robinson Jr., Dylan Moses, Anfernee Jennings, Markail Benton, Mac Hereford, Giles Amos, Joshua McMillon, Daniel Powell, Thomas Fletcher, Phidarian Mathis, Hunter Brannon, Kendall Randolph, Deonte Brown, Alex Leatherwood, Jedrick Wills Jr., Scott Lashley, Matt Womack, Chris Owens, Miller Forristall, Major Tennison, LaBryan Ray, Taylor Wilson, Joseph Bulovas, Mike Bernier, Raekwon Davis.
Before getting too into their accolades – and their record as arguably the best College Football program in modern history – let’s count down their Southeastern Conf runners-up from worst to first:
14th
#146 Arkansas Razorbacks
4.0 Super Squad Rating
Record:
8-28 Overall
1-23 SEC
Average Power:
48.2
Yearly Finish:
#121, #159, #153
13th
#103 Vanderbilt Commodores
5.4 SSR
Record:
14-23 Overall
5-19 SEC
Average Power:
54.4
Yearly Finish:
#108, #62, #150
12th
#82 Ole Miss Rebels
6.2 SSR
Record:
15-21 Overall
6-18 SEC
Average Power:
57.5
Yearly Finish:
#92, #89, #75
11th
#71 Tennessee Volunteers
7.2 SSR
Record:
17-20 Overall
7-17 SEC
Average Power:
60.1
Yearly Finish:
#135, #55, #39
10th
#44 Missouri Tigers
9.2 SSR
Record:
21-17 Overall
13-11 SEC
Average Power:
64.9
Yearly Finish:
#88, #23, #54
9th
#38 South Carolina Gamecocks
10.0 SSR
Record:
20-18 Overall
12-12 SEC
Average Power:
66.2
Yearly Finish:
#39, #44, #50
8th
#37 Kentucky Wildcats
10.0 SSR
Record:
25-14 Overall
12-12 SEC
Average Power:
66.4
Yearly Finish:
#91, #21, #37
7th
#26 Mississippi State Bulldogs
12.3 SSR
Record:
23-16 Overall
11-13 SEC
Average Power:
70.1
Yearly Finish:
#22, #22, #62
6th
#24 Texas A&M Aggies
12.8 SSR
Record:
24-15 Overall
13-11 SEC
Average Power:
70.3
Yearly Finish:
#66, #12, #27
5th
#17 Florida Gators
15.1 SSR
Record:
25-12 Overall
14-10 SEC
Average Power:
74.0
Yearly Finish:
#111, #9, #6
4th
[Top 10] Auburn Tigers
23.0 SSR
Record:
27-13 Overall
15-9 SEC
Average Power:
80.8
Yearly Finish:
#9, #18, #11
3rd
[Top 10] LSU Tigers
30.8 SSR
Record:
34-7 Overall
19-5 SEC
1 SEC Title (2019)
1 National Championship (2019)
Average Power:
84.5
Yearly Finish:
#29, #11, #1
2nd
[Top 10] Georgia Bulldogs
47.4 SSR
Record:
36-7 Overall
21-3 SEC
1 SEC Title (2017)
Average Power:
90.5
Yearly Finish:
#3, #4, #4
“Always a Bulldog, never a Bride.” Is that how it goes?
The remarkably-consistent, ever-impressive, and perpetually-almost-great Georgia Bulldogs have seemed stuck at SEC second-fiddle for most of the prior decade.
As the only team on this list to make their conference dance all three years that we analyzed, tragically the only year that they won it (2017) they were still bested two games later by SEC-rival Alabama with the stakes raised then to National Championship-level.
More frustratingly for Bulldogs fans, rather than gain the top-spot in 2019 from a waning Alabama squad, they were leap-frogged by hungry LSU, who went from ‘solid’ in 2018 to having one of the best seasons of all time just last year.
WINNER
[Top 10] Alabama Crimson Tide
56.9 Super Squad Rating
Record:
38-4 Overall
21-3 SEC
Average Power:
94.3
Yearly Finish:
#1, #2, #7
Waning but not waned.
It’s only against the outrageous bar of expectation that Alabama has raised for themselves as 2017 National Champions and 2018 National Runners-up, that a 2019 #7 finish (Hierank) could ever be perceived as ‘underwhelming’ for this list.
Even with LSU‘s perfect season in 2019, the Tide’s consistent dominance plus ability to bring home the big prizes the last three years is unmatched, earning a National Title, a National Runner-up, an SEC Title, and a Citrus Bowl Win all during this period.
Prior to this period, the Tide had won the last three SEC titles and four of the last eight National Titles.
Theirs is a program that’s exhibited incredible dominance with untouchable consistency for a dozen years now. As we said – waning but not waned. Never count Nick Saban out.
Congratulations all Alabama coaches, staff, administrators, players, and especially the 41 young men present on the roster all three years that earned this title!
Super Squad Rankings
These are our up-to-date Division I Super Squad rankings after this week’s announced winner. Follow along as each Sunday we fill in more teams and announce our next Super Squad!
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