What College Football Stories Deserve a 'Last Dance'-Style Documentary?
I liked The Last Dance. It was good. But you know how you make literally anything better? Make it about college football.
I immediately thought of about a dozen different subjects I would love to see for a 10-part college football documentary, but I think I've narrowed it down to a top three. And it has to be kept in mind that while there are many great potential subjects, I'm operating under the premise these have to be able to sustain 10 hours of content.
2008 Florida Gators
I have contended this team deserves a documentary as long as I can remember. A Florida team which was coached by Urban Meyer, quarterbacked by Tim Tebow — who was backed up by Cam Newton to start the season before he suffered an ankle injury and took a medical redshirt — and featured Aaron Hernandez as one of the team's main offensive weapons is already enough to warrant a deep dive into the inner machinations of that locker room.
But then for good measure, the Gators defeated No. 1, previously undefeated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game before going on to take down Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship. I'm fascinated to know what the inner workings of that team were with all those personalities who came together to put such a great product on the field. In actuality, it's probably due to the coaching genius of Meyer, who could warrant his own documentary for the discrepancies between his on- and off-field success and lack thereof.
Nick Saban
In keeping with the style of The Last Dance, I could absolutely watch 10 hours just on Nick Saban. I'm fascinated by him. His success as likely the greatest college football coach of all-time speaks for itself, but he strikes me as a much deeper person than he gets credit for.
I see much of the same qualities of Michael Jordan present in Saban, yet he can't totally act in many of the ways Jordan did, because he can't do it himself. I don't think Jordan's personality would have lent itself very well to coaching, so I'd love to do a deep dive into the mind of Saban and how he has built the unparalleled success he's enjoyed.
The 2007 College Football Season
If ever there was a college football subject you could get 10 hours out of, it's the 2007 season. This was probably the most chaotic season not just in college football recent history, but in sports in at least my lifetime.
It started with then-FCS Appalachian State taking down No. 5 Michigan in the Big House and just didn't stop. A top five team lost to an unranked opponent 13 times that year, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams lost on the same weekend three times, Kansas was playing for a spot in the national title game on the last week of the season — there was a lot going on.
Honorable Mention:
— The rise and fall of Nebraska (I even have a working title: "Everything Was Easier in the 90s." But we can workshop that.)
— Steve Spurrier
— 2000s USC
— Tennessee from Lane Kiffin to Schiano Sunday
— The Hugh Freeze era at Ole Miss
What other college football 10-part documentaries would you like to see?