100 numbers, 100 debates: The best at every number in CFB history

playWho is the best player to wear each number in college football? (0:37) Want to start a good debate at your local bar or office water cooler? Just pose this question: Who's the best college football player -- no NFL stats! -- to ever wear the No. 2 jersey? Easy, you say. It's clearly Johnny Manziel. The guy won a Heisman. He beat mighty Alabama at the height of Nick Saban's powers. He was a swashbuckling controversy magnet who was famous even beyond the realm of college football fans. His nickname was Johnny Football, for crying out loud. Of course it's him! Well, hang on a second. We've got a call from a Mr. Prime on Line 2. Oh yeah, Deion Sanders. He was pretty good -- and pretty famous -- as a college player, too. Wait, no. There's also a guy by the name of Cam Newton who'd like a word. Oh, and Derrick Henry, too. Ah, don't forget Charles Woodson. They all won Heismans. And that's not even considering Ashton Jeanty, Justin Jefferson, Willis McGahee or Diego Pavia. We could keep going. Yeah, you get the idea. It's no easy task narrowing it down to one clear winner. ESPNBut, that's what our ESPN panel of experts attempted to do -- not just for the No. 2 jersey, but for 100 different uniform numbers among every player in college football history. We split our panel into four groups, each taking their share of jersey numbers (0-24, 25-49, 50-74 and 75-99) to dig deep into the archives, sift through the stats, watch some old film and pick a consensus winner. It didn't always go as we'd planned. For example, who would you take between these two all-time great running backs? Player A: 39 career games, 4,470 career scrimmage yards, 43 total touchdowns, two-time All-American, two-time Heisman finalist, 19 career 100-yard games, four career 200-yard games Player B: 38 career games, 4,955 career scrimmage yards, 51 total touchdowns, two-time All-American, two-time Heisman finalist, 25 career 100-yard games, four career 200-yard games Both are, quite likely, among the three best running backs of all time in their respective conferences. Both shared a backfield with another accomplished and talented back. Both played in the same era. Both became solid, if not exactly legendary, NFL players (not that we're counting those stats). When you add all that up, you'd be splitting hairs to choose one, right? OK, let's dig a little deeper, as our ESPN panel did. What if we told you that both were stellar return men, but Player A was among the best ever, compiling more than 2,000 career return yards? Would that settle the debate? Ah, but what if we also noted that Player B had four more games against ranked foes? And what if, in those games vs. ranked opponents, he averaged more than 120 scrimmage yards, including going for 190 on the ground against a top-five team as a true freshman? Back to Square 1. Then what if we told you that Player A was a part of one of the great dynasties in college football, playing alongside more than 30 players who'd eventually be drafted, including seven first-rounders, while Player B arrived during a transition era for his program, had less than half as many future draft picks as teammates, yet still topped 1,000 yards rushing as a freshman for a program that finished just 4-7? Again, there are ample hairs to split, but a neutral party would probably lean just a tick toward Player B, right? So, it's good we didn't attach any names here, because you'd sound silly for skipping Player A, who just so happens to be Reggie Bush. But, like the Houston Texans did in the 2006 NFL draft, we opted to pass on Bush in favor of an alternative we liked a little better, Arkansas' Darren McFadden. Disagree? That's fair. Bush is a legend with two national championships, a Heisman controversy, pop-culture stardom and a long TV career under his belt. He's still incredibly famous, and rightfully so. McFadden, on the other hand, was twice a runner-up for the Heisman, and he toiled in far more obscurity at Arkansas. But watch the two play or sift through the numbers and -- although they were stylistically different -- it's hard to argue McFadden wasn't every bit as impactful. And that's sort of the point here. Yes, we wanted to identify the best player to wear each jersey number, but we also wanted to take a second look at some arguments most fans considered settled and offer a fresh look to some stars whose popularity has waned even if their impact never did. So, with that, here's a look at our selections for every jersey number, 0 through 99, with a few choices we hope will surprise you enough that you'll dig back into some players' careers worthy of renewed appreciation. A special thanks to ESPN Research for providing many of the numbers to know for this project. -- David Hale Trophy case: Bronko Nagurski Trophy, unanimous All-American (2003), consensus All-American (2004) Number to know: 7. Watts' interceptions in 2023, most in the nation. Watts arrived at Notre Dame in 2020 as a receiver

100 numbers, 100 debates: The best at every number in CFB history

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