CBS Sports names 2 SEC schools top 10 two-sport teams of century
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Football and men’s basketball are the two biggest college sports. CBS Sports decided to rank the 10 best schools at the Big 2 sports in the 21st century.
The two-sport titans are ranked as follows:
- Florida
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma
- Louisville
- Michigan State
- Texas
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Notre Dame
While Alabama’s football dominance in the Nick Saban era guaranteed the Crimson Tide would make the list, CBS points out that UA basketball has been widely underrated:
But Bama hoops is the most underrated program in SEC basketball, really. Just one season under .500 over the past 16 years, and the average recruiting class ranking in basketball during that span is 29th. If you’re cracking 40th or better on average across more than 15 years, that’s really good. Bama being a top-two program in college football now, paired with the basketball program amounting to top-35 over the past 15 years, means the Crimson Tide has earned it.
When all the numbers were crunched and the debate was finished, the Gators were crowned the No. 1 two-sport program since 2000:
The Gators are the easy top choice here because Florida is the only program on this list with a national title in both sports this century. Not only that, but UF has won two national crowns apiece in football and basketball. There have been some down years for football and hoops, sure, but not nearly enough to warrant bumping UF from the top of the mountain.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting few years ahead for the school. Jeremy Foley, a man considered one of the best athletic directors in the business over the past 20 years, is leaving his post later this year. So a new AD will pair with coaches still trying to define their identities in new jobs: Mike White with the basketball program and Jim McElwain in football. Florida’s football team has three SEC titles, 204 weeks in the polls since 2000 and won 147 games, ninth-most in the nation this century. The Gators are the only team in the past 25 years to win back-to-back titles in college basketball, plus they have five SEC titles and four Final Four showings. A clear-cut winner.
It’s worth noting that in the 2015-2016 season, Texas A&M was the only conference team to play in both sports’ postseasons.
Do you think any SEC programs were snubbed?
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
