The FWAA (Football Writers Association of America) released its 75th Anniversary All-America Team on Thursday with three teams full of some of the greatest names and legends in the history of college football.

But there were plenty of misfires.

I’m a member of the FWAA and cast my ballot, so at least I got to officially throw in my two cents. There aren’t any massive, embarrassing errors on the FWAA’s team – these are the cream-of-the-crop historical voters – but there are several inconsistencies.

Here’s the thing about creating a team like this or talking in any sort of sports historical context – you either have to go all opinion, or all fact. This team mixes the two.

For example, the greatest college football quarterback in terms of pure talent was probably John Elway. If you want to read love letters, read the NFL scouting reports on the guy in the all-time class of quarterbacks. Talk to any pro scout, and Elway was the gold standard.

But he didn’t even go to a bowl game.

It might not be fair, and it might not be right, but when doing this, you have to go on accomplishments. Player X did this, Player Y did that, pick between the two.

So with that in mind, here are the five most glaring misfires in the FWAA 75th Anniversary All-America Team.

Roger Staubach over Tim Tebow

Say what you will about Tebow and America’s fawning over him, but based on resume, he’s probably the greatest player in college football history and is definitely the college quarterback of all-time. Remember, this isn’t on talent, it’s about what he did. As great as Staubach was, Tebow’s two national titles, an SEC championship away from a third, being the first sophomore to win the Heisman, he should’ve won a second, and being the first in the 20-20 rushing/passing touchdown club makes him the easy choice.

No Ron Dayne or Ricky Williams

College football historically has been a running back sport – those are the stars. It’s hard to argue with Archie Griffin as a first-teamer with the whole two Heisman thing, but he’s also probably the most overrated college football player of all-time because of it. He made the first team, along with the no-doubt-about-it pick of Herschel Walker. No real beef with Tony Dorsett – national title, Heisman, left as the all-time yardage leader – on the Second Team, or Barry Sanders. SMU’s Doak Walker on the Third Team? Okay, but the FWAA tends to love him too much. Bo Jackson on talent deserves to be on the list, but not on accomplishments.

Ricky Williams on talent as well as rushing yardage needed to be part of this, and Ron Dayne – no matter what you think of his style or the Wisconsin system – has to be a part of the team considering he’s the all-time leading rusher, won a Heisman, and carried the Badgers to two Rose Bowls.

But if you are going purely on talent when it comes to running back …

Again, it’s just about impossible to go wrong on the all-time greatest running backs. However, if you’re really going to do this, O.J. Simpson has to be considered among the six greatest college football running backs of all-time. Someone has to be left off the list, but it’s hard to think that Simpson, Jim Brown, and Earl Campbell aren’t a part of any grouping of greatest college running backs. Also …

Jerry Rice shouldn’t be among the greatest college football wide receivers

Wide receiver is a strange lot, considering college football wasn’t a passing game until recently. Rice made the FWAA First Team, and while he’s obviously one of the greatest football players of all-time, playing at Mississippi Valley State in a gimmicky offense sort of skewed things. If you’re going to do that, then Walter Payton absolutely has to be one of the all-time All-America running backs.

Lawrence Taylor is probably the greatest pass rusher of all-time

Before he became the prototype NFL hybrid pass rusher, LT was an absolutely dominant college player at North Carolina earning 1980 ACC Player of the Year honors as a record-setting dominant force. This is a hard, hard, hard list to make as a linebacker or a defensive end, but it’s also hard to have a proper one without him.

Also, it’s nitpicky, but …

Mike Singletary made a bazillion tackles at Baylor, and Derrick Thomas is up there with LT on the list of all-time greatest college football pass rushers, and Tommy Nobis is a no-brainer, but Brian Bosworth has to be a First Teamer, somehow. He might have been a pain, he might have been nailed for various issues, and he might not be the collegiate ideal, but purely as a football player, he belongs on the First Team over Singletary.

And by the way. You take Johnny Rodgers to return a kick, I’ll take the Deion Sanders.

75th ANNIVERSARY FWAA ALL-AMERICA TEAM

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Roger Staubach, Navy
RB Archie Griffin, Ohio State
RB Herschel Walker, Georgia
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
WR Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State
TE Keith Jackson, Oklahoma
OL John Hannah, Alabama
OL Orlando Pace, Ohio State
OL Will Shields, Nebraska
OL Ron Yary, USC
C Dave Rimington, Nebraska

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DT Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma
DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
DE Leon Hart, Notre Dame
DE Ted Hendricks, Miami
LB Tommy Nobis, Texas
LB Mike Singletary, Baylor
LB Derrick Thomas, Alabama
DB Ronnie Lott, USC
DB Deion Sanders, Florida State
DB Jack Tatum, Ohio State
DB Charles Woodson, Michigan

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
P Ray Guy, Southern Miss

K Kevin Butler, Georgia
RS Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Tim Tebow, Florida
RB Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh
RB Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
WR Fred Biletnikoff, Florida State
WR Randy Moss, Marshall
TE Mike Ditka, Pittsburgh
OL Bill Fralic, Pittsburgh
OL John Hicks, Ohio State
OL Calvin Jones, Iowa
OL Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
C Chuck Bednarik, Penn

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DT Merlin Olsen, Utah State
DT Randy White, Maryland
DE Hugh Green, Pittsburgh
DE Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech
LB Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
LB Dick Butkus, Illinois
LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
DB Champ Bailey, Georgia
DB Kenny Easley, UCLA
DB Jerry Gray, Texas
DB Ed Reed, Miami

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
P Russell Erxleben, Texas
K Mason Crosby, Colorado
RS Raghib Ismail, Notre Dame

THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB Tommie Frazier, Nebraska
RB Bo Jackson, Auburn
RB Doak Walker, SMU
WR Anthony Carter, Michigan
WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
TE Gordon Hudson, BYU
OL Barrett Jones, Alabama
OL Willie Roaf, Louisiana Tech
OL Jerry Sisemore, Texas
OL Dean Steinkuhler, Nebraska
C Jim Ritcher, N.C. State

THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DT Steve Emtman, Washington
DT Reggie White, Tennessee
DE Bubba Smith, Michigan State
DE Jack Youngblood, Florida
LB Jack Ham, Penn State
LB Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama
LB Chris Spielman, Ohio State
DB Dré Bly, North Carolina
DB Dave Brown, Michigan
DB Troy Polamalu, USC
DB Roy Williams, Oklahoma

THIRD TEAM SPECIALISTS
P Rohn Stark, Florida State
K Tony Franklin, Texas A&M
RS Derek Abney, Kentucky

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