What's in a number? Ten years of terrific 10s

The Roman numeral is X.

Bo Derek was the perfect rate-a-babe.

Spinal Tap didn't stop there.

Texas' Vince Young. (Getty Images)

Ten. The ideal number. Ten yards equals a first down. Counting to 10 will get you on Sesame Street. NASA begins counting down at 10. The first Associated Press poll in 1936 was a top 10. Not sure, but maybe that spawned our obsession with top 10 lists. Everything from beaches to favorite movies.

Ten decades ago, the Harvard-Yale and Army-Navy rivalries were being renewed after World War I. Even back then there was the ages-old conflict between the athletic and academic side. The New York Times reported in 1919 that, "in deciding on the curbing of intercollegiate football the college professors failed to figure that the undergraduates need and are going to find an outlet for the spirit of athletic rivalry."

Same thing today, only we call it tailgating.

Seven teams won exactly 10 games last season. One of them, Virginia Tech, played for the national championship 10 years ago. There is something about those double digits that is the difference between a good team and an OK one. Texas' Mack Brown has won at least that many eight consecutive seasons. Pete Carroll has done it seven in a row. Both of those pikers are behind Bobby Bowden, who posted at least 10 wins each season from 1987-2000.

Ten different teams have finished No. 10 in the BCS standings since 1999. All 10 played in BCS bowl games this decade. Four won national championships (Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio State).

Ten champions ago, Florida State was in the BCS title game against Virginia Tech. It's hard to remember now but the Seminoles were early BCS darlings, playing in the first three championship games.

As the Golden Decade winds down, CBSSports.com assembled a list of the best players to wear No. 10 going into the 10th year of the greatest decade of college football. We also have lists for the 10 best coaches since 2000, 10 best bowl games and 10 best teams.

As always, your additions, subtractions and input are always welcome.

The number defines everything from the height of a basketball hoop (10 feet) to the rosary (there are five decades in each one). Hail Marys apply in this case, too.

The list is populated mostly with running backs and quarterbacks. Scratch a salute to any defensive lineman.

Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon was on track to win the Heisman in 2007. He was that good. So were the Ducks. Dixon saw his career end in the 10th game of that season when his knee buckled against Arizona. Dixon lost his chance at a Heisman and Oregon lost its chance at a BCS bowl.

Who can forget Vince Young? Not his mama. Vince wears No. 10 out of love for Felicia Young, whose birthday is June 10.

The perfect mix of strength, power and finesse at the position, Young finally realized all of his tools toward the end of his career. The coaching staff switched from an I-formation to the spread to help V.Y. He took off, becoming a 1,000/1,000 guy as a sophomore and scoring the winning touchdown in the national championship game as a junior.

Being the greatest Texas quarterback is saying something. Young finished 30-2 as a starter. His winning percentage (.938) is the sixth-best in history. And there is the small matter of that 2005 national championship.

Chase Daniel came to Missouri at the perfect time. Texas didn't want him. He was too small (his listed height of 6-feet is generous), at least for the 'Horns. Daniel then played his whole career like he had something to prove. As a freshman, he was inserted against Iowa State and led the Tigers to an overtime victory. By the end of his career in 2008, he had accomplished a lot more.

Operating out of the spread, Daniel threw for nearly 13,000 yards and 101 touchdowns in his career, becoming a Heisman finalist in 2007. His greatest hour was beating Kansas in the '07 Border War. For a week the Tigers were ranked No. 1. The last time that occurred was 1960.

There is one punter on the list if you include Kerry Meier, who came to Kansas as a quarterback before being moved to receiver (where he is the nation's No. 2 returning leader in catches per game).

Punter might be stretching it. Meier has a 32.2-yard career average on four kicks. But ask any Jayhawk: Meier might be one of the most clutch players in Kansas history. Catching the game-winning pass against Missouri with 27 seconds left will make a once-ordinary No. 10 a legend.

My favorite 10? Ten years after Steve Spurrier beat Tennessee for the first time, The Ol' Ball Coach stuck the dagger in the deepest.

In the 2000 game in Knoxville, Florida's Jabar Gaffney caught the game-winning touchdown pass with three seconds left. Let's back up. Gaffney might have caught the game-winning touchdown. This was in the days before replay. Officials huddled after the strike from Jesse Palmer and ruled it a catch. But there are a full Neyland Stadium worth of doubters who will tell you otherwise.

Troy Smith was a bad boy who grew up in Cleveland. Early in his career, he had the temerity to pop off about playing time at Ohio State. Then he was suspended for taking $500 from a booster.

But Smith found a mentor who helped him find the light. Ted Ginn Sr. has made it his life's work to lead Cleveland's inner city youth. Ginn coached Smith and son Ted Ginn Jr. at powerful Cleveland Glenville High.

To many Buckeyes fans, Smith's biggest accomplishment is becoming the first Ohio State starting quarterback in 70 years to beat Michigan three consecutive years. Oh yeah, in 2006 Smith also led the Bucks to the national championship game and won the Heisman Trophy.

In New York three years ago, two great 10s met. Joining Smith at the Heisman ceremony was finalist Brady Quinn. Notre Dame's quarterback admitted to being the meek and mild type when Charlie Weis took over that year. Weis tore down his quarterback before building him back up. Armed with confidence and Weis' knowledge, Quinn became a seminal figure at Notre Dame. After struggling under Ty Willingham, Quinn turned in one of the best seasons in Irish history, throwing for almost 4,000 yards, helping to win 10 games.

USC's Brian Cushing was a freshman that magical night in South Bend when Bush and his Push helped beat the Irish in 2005. Pete Carroll doesn't recruit across the country often, but Cushing was worth it. The New Jersey native became one of the hardest-hitting Trojans in history. Cushing became one of four USC linebackers drafted this year.

Three running backs distinguished the number. LSU's Joseph Addai backed up freshman sensation Justin Vincent on the 2003 national championship team. Addai never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, but his hard, true style made him a first-round draft choice of Indianapolis. Addai has been a better pro, becoming the first back to surpass 1,000 yards without starting a game in 2006.

The biggest mistake of Ralph Friedgen's career might be missing on Steve Slaton. Slaton originally committed to the Terps, but the running back had to learn from a reporter soon after that Maryland rescinded the scholarship offer. Hello, West Virginia.

Patrick White and Slaton became one of the deadliest quarterback/tailback duos of the decade. Defenses had to account for both players' speed. White was the left-handed quarterback who could pull it down at anytime. Slaton was the speedy tailback who had a nose for running between the tackles.

That was part of Rich Rodriguez's scheme in the spread option. White and Slaton made West Virginia, made Rodriguez and made an eternal name for themselves in Morgantown.

Marshawn Lynch wore No. 10 at Cal because of family. After wearing No. 24 as a freshman, he switched to 10 to be in line with his cousins/teammates Virdell Larkins (No. 9) and Robert Jordan (then No. 11).

From the mean streets of Oakland, Lynch continued the tradition of 1,000-yard backs under Jeff Tedford. The man with the perfect grill rushed for more than 1,200 yards in 2005 and 2006.