By: Mason Hubley (2028)
There are so many insane seasons in the history of college football, but we have to narrow it down, which was the hardest part of this article. The three seasons I chose to compete for the greatest season of all time are Joe Burrow in 2019, Cam Newton in 2010, and Johnny Manziel in 2012.
Let's start off with Cam Newton. The thing with Newton was he wasn’t the starter the year before. This Auburn team in 2009 was 8-5 and 3-5 in the SEC. Even with a first-year head coach, this was a disappointing season record. Then comes Cam Newton; he throws for 2,854 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and runs for 1,473 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He leads that same Auburn team that was 8-5 the year before to a 14-0 record and wins the National Championship.
Now for Johnny Manziel: he wasn’t the walk-in starter in spring ball. He came in and fought for the job in the 2012 spring camp. After winning the job, no one expected this kid to pass for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns. People were shocked, and the craziest part was that he was a freshman. He was the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. Now, the thing holding him back from being the consensus pick here is that he didn’t win a National Championship, so I would have to say he’s number three out of this group.
Now, the last guy is Joe Burrow in 2019. This guy proved everyone wrong. He started as a three-star recruit for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He lost the backup QB job to Dwayne Haskins because he broke his hand. Looking for a place to start, he transferred to LSU. He had a good first year, leading the Tigers to 10-3 and winning his bowl game. But the next year, head coach Ed Orgeron brought in passing game coordinator Joe Brady, who came in with NFL experience. Burrow has described Brady in interviews as "awesome" and "creative." And he was right, because he then threw for 5,671 passing yards and 60 passing touchdowns.
Now it’s so hard to choose between these three players, but as my final answer, I have to say Cam Newton. He took an 8-5 Auburn team to 14-0 and a National Championship. Burrow was phenomenal, but Cam Newton had more of an impact on his team than Burrow did. That's why I’d give him the slight edge.