National Darkhorse Contenders, 1996-2006
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Your surprise national champions or near-champions of the past decade:
| Preseason | Final (AP) | Record | Previous | ||
| 1996: | Arizona State | UNR | 4 | 11-1 | 6-5 |
| 1997: | Michigan | 13 | 1 | 12-0 | 8-4 |
| 1998: | Tennessee | 9 | 1 | 13-0 | 11-2 |
| 1999: | Virginia Tech | 11 | 2 | 11-1 | 9-3 |
| 2000: | Oklahoma | 21 | 1 | 13-0 | 7-5 |
| 2000: | Oregon State | UNR | 4 | 11-1 | 7-5 |
| 2002: | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | 14-0 | 7-5 |
| 2003: | LSU | 14 | 2 | 12-1 | 8-5 |
| 2004: | Auburn | 10t | 2 | 13-0 | 8-5 |
| 2005: | West Virginia | UNR | 5 | 11-1 | 8-4 |
| 2005: | Penn State | 30 | 3 | 11-1 | 4-7 |
| 2006: | Wisconsin | UNR | 7 | 12-1 | 9-3 |
Highlighted teams won or played for the national championship – in Arizona State's case, playing in the pre-BCS Rose Bowl, a victory over Ohio State would have likely ended in undefeated ASU voted number one after Florida's wipeout of No. 1 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. The Devils lost at the last minute, but the championship was on the line. Tennessee's championship came as a surprise in 1998, despite the great returning record and top ten preseason ranking, because the Vols won it with no stars after three years of falling just short with Peyton Manning.
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