I think in this case the obvious answer is the right answer, our 2013 super bowl team. I say this because I went to USC (I know, hate away) and in 2004 we won our second consecutive Natty (vacancy aside) in which we ran the table beginning to end ranked #1 and with the culmination of a 55-19 battering of undefeated Oklahoma. That might have been the best single game of pete carrols USC tenure, but the 2005 team was simply the better team. It was the best team we had in my lifetime.. it just finished in a tittle game against a ridiculously talented Texas team in which we made several key mistakes at the most inopportune times to falter just enough to fall to a very good team. The 2004 season was the best season of the era. The 2005 or 2008 teams were the best teams, however.
Honestly, the 2008 team was probably the most top to bottom talented roster we had in the modern era. We just decided in the early weeks to lose to Oregon state and get manhandled by a true freshman running back.. because reasons.. and apparently we endorsed the god of chaos.. I guess after the Texas loss we signed a contract with football Satan to randomly lose in truly pathetic fashion to one absolute cupcake a year.
I know I’ve gone on a tangent but I just wanted to point out how your most talented teams actually can be ones that don’t end seasons with the most accolades. That being said, our 2013 national title team had prime boom, prime beast mode, and a rising superstar qb who was tuned in and incredibly capable of handling all of the pressure that inherently stems from deep playoff runs and the most important big game moments. The entire team could handle this pressure, but during this season specifically many of them were also in their absolute physical primes on top of having significantly energetic and impactful team chemistry. After the following season and our Super Bowl loss, some of that team chemistry took a hit. But, until then, it was arguably the most fully realized expression of team chemistry I had ever seen from the Seahawks. The players were good, in their physical primes, capable of managing the elite mental requirements stemming from professional sports at the highest level, and 100% all in on playing for each other. Dominating the super bowl was not a fluke culmination of the season and why I quite easily pick this 2013 team as our most talented from the modern era, if not ever.
Our defense got even better down the line, at least for a stretch, when full boom was still excellent combined with the emergence of both Bobby wagner and pro bowl play across the entire defensive line.. but, as overall top to bottom talent, both physical and mental while also taking into account the significance of team chemistry.. 2013 was it.
Sorry if this post lost its direction or came off a bit too fan boy-ish. It’s the weekend. I’m drinking a cocktail. I drank a cocktail before that. I’ll probably drink another cocktail after that. If I was younger and more capable I’d probably buy some cocaine. But in cocaines place I will instead reminisce on past football bliss. Cocaine would be better though. In the words of Cory wolf hart, there are literally no downsides to cocaine.