Can I just add 2006, 11-2, 13, and 74?
I'd also like to point out that if we're using the PREDICTOR metric instead of the composite, that team was ranked #7 at the end of the year. That was a dang good team, somehow. On paper, you wouldn't think so. The athleticism of the offensive skill positions doesn't compare to what we've had recently. In the trenches on both sides, we were super young and green. We had solid linebackers, but a defensive backfield that, on paper, would make you worry. The schedule was comparable to most years in the table. But we were a bad Pac-10 ref penalty (or three) and a doinked field goal away from being undefeated. The team was unified, worked their butts off, and totally bought into the vision the coaches provided. (Oh, and the coaches provided a vision they could buy into. ;) )
As we replace coaches, I hope we'll focus more on that than someone who can recruit. Our best team in 15 years happened without Taysom Hill, Jamaal Williams, Cody Hoffman, Dennis Pitta, Austin Collie, Harvey Unga, Kyle Van Noy, Ziggy Ansah, etc - some of our most productive and NFL-successful players. Yes, we had John Beck, but at the beginning of the year everybody questioned whether he had IT. Turned out he did, and IT was a team. A line that kept him calm and upright on two bum ankles on the road at TCU. Receivers that ran precise routes, got open, and caught the ball. Running backs that got tough yards and kept the ball off the turf. A defense that could get off the field and create momentum-changing turnovers. They all functioned like a team, and it worked so much better than having a bunch of athletes doing their own thing. Our coaches need to be generals, not salesmen.
