USA Today releases all-2000s college football team featuring 19 schools
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 2, 2026, 8:46 AM
Last updated Sep 2, 2026
USA Today editors and writers have published an all-century college football team, recognizing the top performers from the first 25 years of the millennium. The selection process involved voters reviewing numerous Hall of Famers, Heisman Trophy winners, and NFL standouts. Alabama and Miami lead the representation on the first team with three players each, while 19 different programs appear in the final lineup. Notable selections include Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. The list arrives as the 2026 college football season prepares to begin its opening week. The roster features first-team offensive players selected based on their collegiate impact, statistical records, and championship history.
- •Alabama and Miami each placed three players on the first team.
- •The first-team offense includes Cam Newton, Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Larry Fitzgerald, DeVonta Smith, and Brock Bowers.
- •Joe Thomas, Bryant McKinnie, and Quenton Nelson represent the offensive line on the first team.
- •Selection criteria prioritized collegiate impact, statistics, and individual honors like the Heisman Trophy.
- •Nineteen schools have at least one player represented on the first team.
- 8:46 AMYahoo Sports — Who are best college football players this century? See who made our all-2000s team
"The century is 25 years old which seems the appropriate time to recognize the best college football players during that era on our all-century team.
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