Gators, Utah Utes and Broncos enjoying golden age

Florida is chasing its third national championship in four years.

Rutgers has evolved from longtime postseason wannabe to bowl perennial.

Utah is good enough to crack a couple of Bowl Championship Series lineups and still feel short-changed.

For those college football programs — and for Kansas and Boise State, Southern Mississippi and Oklahoma State and a handful of others — there's no looking back at the good old days. By at least one estimation, they're now.

In no other sport, college or pro, are history and tradition more important and revered. With that in mind, USA TODAY pored through the annals of all 120 programs in the NCAA's top-tier Bowl Subdivision and identified the golden era for each.

There's room for debate, of course. Has the Mack Brown era trumped Darrell Royal's at Texas? (We say not yet.) Do you go with Tennessee coached by Gen. Robert Neyland or the Volunteers quarterbacked by Peyton Manning? (We like the Neyland days.) How do you choose among Southern California's multiple national titles under Homer Jones, John McKay and Pete Carroll?

Paul "Bear" Bryant begot two golden eras, at Kentucky and Alabama. We remembered that San Jose State went 13-0 back in 1939. For Illinois and Vanderbilt, we needed even longer memories.

The Illini's good old days go back to 1923-29, Vandy's to 1926-30.

That's our take, anyway. Dissenters, line up behind the Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops advocates. (We went with Oklahoma under Bud Wilkinson.)

Here's a list of the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference teams' golden eras.

MWC

Air Force: 1997-2000; Under coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons went 37-12, including 2-1 in bowls, with a 12-1 season in 1998 as a highlight.

Brigham Young: 1979-85; Cougars went 77-12, including 4-3 in bowls, winning the 1984 national title and seven Western Athletic Conference titles under coach LaVell Edwards, and becoming Quarterback U with Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco as the team led the nation in passing five times.

Colorado State: 1994-2002; Coach Sonny Lubick's teams went 79-32 with six Western Athletic or Mountain West titles and a 3-4 bowl record.