Best individual seasons of the last 20 years: No. 1 - Tim Tebow in 2007

Over a two-week period, theScore's NCAAF editors will be taking a look at the best individual seasons across the college football landscape over the last 20 years, focusing specifically on players from the Power 5 conferences.

Each day, we will be counting down the top 10 that college football has had to offer over the last two decades.

No. 1 - Florida QB Tim Tebow's 2007 season

Tim Tebow went to Florida as one of the most hyped recruits in the history of college football and immediately delivered, helping the Gators win the national title in his freshman season.

That success only heightened expectations heading into Tebow's sophomore campaign in 2007, and the muscular quarterback somehow exceeded them all in emphatic fashion. With an astonishing 55 total touchdowns, Tebow became the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy, while also becoming one of the most famous athletes in the United States.

His popularity soared throughout the season, and although Florida labored to a 9-4 record, Tebow's performance on a weekly basis left audiences in awe of his talent and leadership skills. During his four years at Florida, the team posted a record of 48-7 before immediately dropping to a 15-11 mark in the two seasons after he graduated.

Not only was Tebow's 2007 campaign the best in recent memory, one could make the argument it's the greatest individual season in the history of the sport.

The stats

What made the season so special?

It's rare that something, or someone, with sky-high expectations, can actually meet the hype, but Tebow's 2007 campaign did just that. After playing in short-yardage situations during the Gators' national championship run in his freshman season, Tebow took over at quarterback following the graduation of Chris Leak.

He immediately announced he would be an absolute force as a starter, throwing for 536 yards and six touchdowns while adding 131 yards and three scores on the ground in the first two games of the season. A rivalry win over Tennessee was followed up by a four-touchdown showing versus Ole Miss, which saw Tebow pile up over 425 yards of total offense.

Despite the Gators dropping three of their next four games, the touchdown count kept rising heading into November, and Tebow kicked off the month with three passing scores and two rushing majors against Vanderbilt. He then turned in a game for the ages against South Carolina, throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for an astonishing five scores versus a helpless Gamecocks defense.

The rivalry game against Florida State presented the perfect cap to the regular season, as Tebow shredded the Seminoles' defense for five more total touchdowns. His second rushing score in that contest saw him become the first FBS player to rush for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same campaign.

His incredible final tally of 55 total touchdowns essentially guaranteed he'd become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.

Best Moment

Previous

• No. 10 - Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh's 2009 season
• No. 9 - Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel's 2012 season
• No. 8 - Auburn QB Cam Newton's 2010 season
• No. 7 - Arizona State LB Terrell Suggs' 2002 season
• No. 6 - USC RB Reggie Bush's 2005 season
• No. 5 - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson's 2015 season
• No. 4 - Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree's 2007 season
• No. 3 - Texas RB Ricky Williams' 1998 season
• No. 2 - Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey's 2015 season