Every team strives for it, yet a select few—if any—reach it. The undefeated regular season in college football is a monumental task, one that even the best teams fall short of each year.
In an unpredictable sport in which one play or one call could be the difference between winning and losing, getting through a 12-game schedule with a goose egg in the loss column comes down to more than just raw talent. For example, Alabama, which has been built on a streak of No. 1 recruiting classes, hasn't gone undefeated in regular-season play since 2009.
Undefeated teams usually need the right mix of high-level production, favorable breaks in the schedule and some good fortune.