One of SB Nation’s college football writers ranked the year’s games with this stretch in the middle:
52. Michigan State 16, Wisconsin 13 (OT) (October 27).
51. Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 14 (OT) (November 17).
50. Penn State 24, Wisconsin 21 (OT) (November 24). Wisconsin: the best 8-6 team of all-time. I am confident in saying that. The Badgers were close to much, much more.
In 2005, Iowa State went 7-5 with the following:
Nebraska 27, Iowa State 20 (2OT) (October 1).
Missouri 27, Iowa State 24 (OT) (October 15).
Kansas 24, Iowa State 21 (OT) (November 26).
If ISU had won any of those three, the Cyclones, instead of Colorado, would have had the chance to be steamrolled 70-3 by Texas in the Big 12 Championship. That probably means they wouldn’t have been called the best 8-5 team ever, though.
The 1971 ISU team, which only lost to 1-2-3 poll finishers Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado in the regular season and then lost to LSU in the Sun Bowl, arguably holds the “best” distinction among 8-4 teams. (CU was #5 at the time of the game.)