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92 bama was a team I enjoyed watching.  Loved that defense.  Still my personal favorite of all time not tied to UNL.  

the Minnesooota Vikings have 6 or 7 I remember fondly

especially the purple people eater teams of the 70s

Really changing it up, I'll take the 2001-02 Pistons.  The year before they started their great 6 year streak.  They were decent, but never great throughout the 90s with Grant Hill, but had just done a sign and trade with Orlando to at least get something back for him, rather than losing him in free agency, and wound up some a couple of nobodies in Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins.

Instead the shocked everyone with Jerry Stackhouse, and a bunch of guys nobody wanted to win 50 games, and nearly have the #1 seed in the East.  They just had a ton of guys with roles, Ben Wallace, Clifford Robinson, Chucky Atkins, Jon Barry, Michael Curry, Corliss Williamson, Zeljko Rebraca.  In a sport that is superstar dominated, the fact that that roster finished second in the conference is crazy.  I remember being mad when they tinkered with it, but it turned out for the best, won a title two years later when they traded Stackhouse for Hamilton, traded picks for Rasheed Wallace, drafted Mehmet Okur, signed Chauncey Billups, which relegated Atkins to a backup, drafted Tayshaun Prince.  But my high school years 98-02, was my prime NBA fanhood, the guys I was friends with at the time were really into it, I played a ton of basketball then, we watched it every Friday night, but the Pistsons weren't good.  So for that to all come together my senior year of high school, kind of my last year with that group of friends, really added to the whole thing.

I’ll start with a small 2005 Wisconsin addendum and then 2009.


2005 was kind of fun,  upset a Michigan team we thought was going to be better, after going 5-0 dropped a weird shootout to Northwestern. Were 8-1 when facing a powerhouse Penn State team,  obviously upset Auburn in the bowl. 

Two big things were John Stocco and Brian Calhoun. Stocco came  in as a quarterback everyone kind of hated, and with a really good skill position group, he set the school record for yards in touchdown passes. Calhoun was a Colorado transfer  Who was a revelation as a workhorse runner and passed catcher, putting up some really impressive numbers.

The 2009 group was vital to the direction of the program.  Bert came in not exactly on the hot seat, but it was getting kind a warm after the team had failed to meet expectations two years in a row. The QB situation was unclear, a prolific runner left as kind of a mess.

But that team stabilized things. Scott Tolzien showed up and was good. John Clay was a conference offensive player of the year (not a great one, but whatever). The receivers we’re solid. The tight ends were great. The run defense was great, the pass defense awful. Watt and Schofield led the front. The secondary was kinda a mess. 

The team got toa a soft 5–0, then lost to great OSU and a  good Iowa team in annoying fashion.  Then the badgers won four more in a row, including revenge against Michigan. They tripped up in the  Final game against Northwestern, but popped Miami in the bowl game to get to 10 wins. 

 That stabilized things, showed that Bret had built a team with mostly his guys, and prevented Barry‘s hand off from becoming a disaster. 

I’ll start with a small 2005 Wisconsin addendum and then 2009.


2005 was kind of fun,  upset a Michigan team we thought was going to be better, after going 5-0 dropped a weird shootout to Northwestern. Were 8-1 when facing a powerhouse Penn State team,  obviously upset Auburn in the bowl.

Two big things were John Stocco and Brian Calhoun. Stocco came  in as a quarterback everyone kind of hated, and with a really good skill position group, he set the school record for yards in touchdown passes. Calhoun was a Colorado transfer  Who was a revelation as a workhorse runner and passed catcher, putting up some really impressive numbers.

2005 Michigan game was my first visit to Madison.  As a Husker, was familiar with Ex Buff Calhoun - helluva RB

92 bama was a team I enjoyed watching.  Loved that defense.  Still my personal favorite of all time not tied to UNL.  

Not that it happens often, but when or if anyone questions how good that defense was, you don't have to cite the defense's statistics - show them the QB Jay Barker's stats:
132 of 243 (54.3%) for 1,614 yards...7 TD, 9 INT.....112.2 rating
Probably the worst non-option QB season of any great team, maybe of any very good team.  That's how good the defense was - they went 12-0 with that QB play.

13-0



we didn't have a 1000 yd rusher either, though we did have some really good rbs. and palmer was electric in return game.

but that d was stout.

probably my favorite play of all time is the teague running down thomas and stripping the ball, and it isn't in the record books because it was nullified by an offsides penalty.

Hell, that is one of my favorite plays.  As an adult I don’t hate teams anymore.  But back in my youth I hated teams and I hated Miami and no one personified what I hated about them anymore than Lamar Thomas.  He was the mouthiest, showboating thug on the team. When Teague pantsed him in front of the whole country it made my day.