The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Printable Version
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The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Hulk01 - 02-12-2026
The current World Amateur Golf Rankings of Stanford's women golfers:
2, 3, 4, 5. and 18
For comparison, #2 USC:
10, 13, 51, 100, 117
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Treebound - 02-12-2026
Thanks for the rankings, Hulk. I think we all have very high hopes for this team to come through and win the national championship. Clearly, the talent is there. Yes, the format is challenging, but to be considered "The Greatest College Team," I think they need to win it all. I sure hope that they do. Wouldn't mind seeing the men get back up there as well!
The AD put out marketing around the 50 year streak - let's hope we can back it up, ideally before spring!
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - 76lsjumb - 02-12-2026
Two words: Match Play.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Leftcoast - 02-12-2026
(02-12-2026, 10:25 AM)76lsjumb Wrote: Two words: Match Play.
I was fully expecting to read about 1960s UCLA basketball or maybe 80s/90s Iowa wrestling. Stanford's golf team isn't there yet, right? Let's win a few more of these @#$% match play championships and talk again.
With no championship this team is just somewhere on the list of great also-rans along with Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma or Michigan's Fab Four.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - SkiBum80 - 02-12-2026
(02-12-2026, 10:25 AM)76lsjumb Wrote: Two words: Match Play.
Ha ha ha, my thought too but you beat me to it.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - martyup - 02-12-2026
Yes, a dream team. But, will the dream come true in match play.
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfron...47071e6f9f]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net%2F2022%2F06%2F19%2F09%2F30%2F05%2F497ca441-2d67-4fcf-a481-1b297bb04849%2Fdream.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=0a0465a517ead02a4c10d1d79763d10aa37e9646a0c7797f9d8c8e47071e6f9f)
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - 82lsju - 02-12-2026
(02-12-2026, 10:49 AM)Leftcoast Wrote:(02-12-2026, 10:25 AM)76lsjumb Wrote: Two words: Match Play.
I was fully expecting to read about 1960s UCLA basketball or maybe 80s/90s Iowa wrestling. Stanford's golf team isn't there yet, right? Let's win a few more of these @#$% match play championships and talk again.
With no championship this team is just somewhere on the list of great also-rans along with Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma or Michigan's Fab Four.
Fab Five?
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - TonyLima - 02-12-2026
(02-12-2026, 03:47 PM)82lsju Wrote:What? No mention of Jerry Tarkanian's tenure at UNLV (1973-1992)? He was, after all, 509-105. Defense? DEFENSE??? We don't need any stinkin' defense(02-12-2026, 10:49 AM)Leftcoast Wrote:(02-12-2026, 10:25 AM)76lsjumb Wrote: Two words: Match Play.
I was fully expecting to read about 1960s UCLA basketball or maybe 80s/90s Iowa wrestling. Stanford's golf team isn't there yet, right? Let's win a few more of these @#$% match play championships and talk again.
With no championship this team is just somewhere on the list of great also-rans along with Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma or Michigan's Fab Four.
Fab Five?
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Treebound - 02-13-2026
To Hulk's point on the rankings, I think this Fab Five is worthy of a nickname.
Has there been such a thing in college golf?
Let the creative juices flow...
- Driving Divas
- The Iron Maidens
- The Augusta Five
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Papa John - 02-13-2026
Is this thread tempting the woofing gods?
I ask because I myself have been guilty of this offense.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - BostonCard - 02-13-2026
Yes, thankfully a few people invoked match play. It is unquestionably a talented team; whether it will win a national title is another team entirely, and so to answer the OP’s question, it will only be considered a candidate to be the greatest college team if it can win a title.
BC
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Spiny_Norman - 02-13-2026
Back in September, this Stanford team lost in match play to Wake Forest.
And of course last year, the same 5 players lost in match play to Wake Forest in the ACC tournament semifinals and then to Northwestern in the NCAA finals.
But they have won just about every stroke play event they have played for the past 2 seasons.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Leftcoast - 02-13-2026
Quote:Fab Five? -82LSJU
OMG ... You are sooo right and I am sooo sitting here with foot inserted in pie-hole.
Not a mop-top or guitar to be found on our team ... or those from Chris Webber's Michigan. I accept the flag.
Onto nick-names:
Eagle Scouts?
The Formels? (Chaucer reference ...)
Birdyland?
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Treebound - 02-13-2026
Sorry, but for me this team is incredibly talented and I don't see coming up with a nickname as tempting the woofing gods.
Love it Leftcoast, especially "The Eagle Scouts!"
Paying tribute to Condi's fandom:
- Condi's Course Queens
- The Cardinal Condi - tion
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - cctop - 02-13-2026
(02-13-2026, 11:12 AM)Treebound Wrote: To Hulk's point on the rankings, I think this Fab Five is worthy of a nickname.
- The Iron Maidens
I like this one, but I'd make it "The 5-Iron Maidens"
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Jamesy - 02-13-2026
(02-13-2026, 12:44 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote: Back in September, this Stanford team lost in match play to Wake Forest.
And of course last year, the same 5 players lost in match play to Wake Forest in the ACC tournament semifinals and then to Northwestern in the NCAA finals.
But they have won just about every stroke play event they have played for the past 2 seasons.
They finished second in stroke play in the Stephens Cup where they subsequently lost to Wake in match play, but even the 2016 Warriors lost 9 games.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Papa John - 02-13-2026
(02-13-2026, 04:29 PM)Jamesy Wrote: They finished second in stroke play in the Stephens Cup where they subsequently lost to Wake in match play, but even the 2016 Warriors lost 9 games.
And those same Warriors lost in the finals.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Hulk01 - 02-13-2026
Repeating my complaint: five player, 18 hole match play to determine the college national champion suffers from a sample size issue.
USGA championships are 36 holes. Regular pro tournaments are 72.
Stanford's Salina/Wu championship team produced a lovely ending, but I never considered that team the NCAA champion, other than in name.
The NCAA match play format produces exciting tv not because it identifies the best team. but because it so often rewards an. underdog: great theater, lousy discrimination.
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - BostonCard - 02-13-2026
Hulk01 dateline='[url=tel:1771035046' Wrote: 1771035046[/url]']
The NCAA match play format produces exciting tv not because it identifies the best team. but because it so often rewards an. underdog: great theater, lousy discrimination.
Indeed, but that’s just a general feature of spectactor sports; they are mostly optimized to produce more exciting television and not to identify the best team. For example, you wouldn’t use a single elimination tournament of 68 teams (or is it more now) to identify the best college basketball team. You wouldn’t expand the college football playoffs to include additional teams with 2-3 losses who are clearly not “the best” as determined by a 12+ game season, etc.
BC
RE: The Greatest College Team, In Any Sport, History? - Jamesy - 02-13-2026
(02-13-2026, 04:35 PM)Papa John Wrote:(02-13-2026, 04:29 PM)Jamesy Wrote: They finished second in stroke play in the Stephens Cup where they subsequently lost to Wake in match play, but even the 2016 Warriors lost 9 games.
And those same Warriors lost in the finals.
Exactly. No one cares if you don't win it all.