Dallas CowboysESPN created a list that ranks each of the 80 previous Super Bowl teams. Have to be honest that I tend to agree with it, especially because Cowboys teams occupy six of the top 26 spots– although I don’t think the 1977 team belongs as low as 24. Here are the Cowboys teams, in reverse order:

70. 1970 Dallas Cowboys (10-4)

This might seem like a low ranking for a team that lost the Super Bowl on a last-second field goal. But there are factors working against this squad. They went just 3-4 against teams .500 or better, including drubbings of 38-0 and 54-13. Their leading passer, Craig Morton, completed less than half his passes. Dallas had seven takeaways in the Super Bowl and still lost. Positively, rookie Duane Thomas bolstered the Cowboys’ rushing attack and Bob Hayes averaged an incredible 26.1 yards per catch, as America watched a certain fedora-wearing coach begin to make his mark.

63. 1975 Dallas Cowboys (10-4)

This team overachieved to reach the Super Bowl (only three Pro Bowlers), then suffered a narrow defeat against a powerful Steelers team. In the NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys earned a blowout 37-7 victory at Los Angeles against the league’s stingiest scoring defense. Of course, if not for the controversial Hail Mary pass from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson, this team wouldn’t have beaten top-seeded Minnesota in the first round. Staubach didn’t have one of his better seasons statistically (16 picks), and the Cowboys had the worst record among NFC playoff participants.

26. 1995 Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

We thought about ranking the Cowboys higher and then remembered Barry Switzer was the coach. And that they lost twice to a 6-10 Redskins team. Still, it seemed this team could turn it up whenever it needed to — and won its third Super Bowl in four years with a team that ranked third in the NFL in both points scored and fewest points allowed. Emmitt Smith enjoyed his finest season with career highs in rushing yards, touchdowns and receptions. This team equaled the 8-2 mark against teams .500 or better of the ’93 Cowboys and had 10 players named to the Pro Bowl. After ousting the emerging Packers in the NFC Championship Game, Dallas captured the franchise’s fifth championship thanks in large part to Larry Brown’s two Super Bowl interceptions.

24. 1977 Dallas Cowboys (12-2)

Ironically, we ranked the ’78 edition of the Cowboys higher, even though this team won the Super Bowl. By adding rookie Tony Dorsett to an offensive mix that included Roger Staubach in his prime, Dallas reached its fourth Super Bowl and won the big game for the second time. The Cowboys’ average margin of victory was 21.8 points in the postseason. It won its first eight games of the season and its last four. Dallas’ defense wasn’t as stout as it would be the following year, as it ranked eighth in points allowed, five spots lower than in ’78.

19. 1978 Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

Our highest-ranked losing team checks in ahead of 22 Super Bowl winners, and a good case could be made to rate it even higher. The Cowboys ranked No. 1 in points scored and No. 3 in fewest points allowed, and they narrowly lost to one of the greatest teams in NFL history in the Super Bowl. They boasted a star-studded roster which included nine players named to the Pro Bowl and four future Hall of Famers. Tony Dorsett rushed for his second-highest yardage total, and Roger Staubach compiled his second-highest total for touchdown passes. Jackie Smith’s third-quarter drop in the end zone led to Dallas settling for a field goal. What if …?

17. 1993 Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

The ’70s Steelers have their own wing at Canton, but it’s hard to argue that the early ’90s Cowboys aren’t the most talented team of all time, with the devastating Aikman-Smith-Irvin trio working behind a dominant offensive line (three of the team’s 11 Pro Bowlers). The Cowboys got off on the wrong foot, losing their first two games during Emmitt Smith’s holdout, but rebounded to lose just twice more. Despite the holdout, Smith gained 1,900 yards from scrimmage and Troy Aikman recorded the highest passer rating of his career (99.0). All three of their postseason victories were by double figures, including wins over a young Brett Favre and the Steve Young-led Niners in the NFC title game.

15. 1971 Dallas Cowboys (11-3)

The Cowboys and coach Tom Landry finally shook the “Next Year’s Champions” tag with a roster that included eight future Hall of Famers. Roger Staubach compiled a career-best passer rating, and the Cowboys won their last seven regular-season games after Landry made Staubach the unquestioned starter over Craig Morton. The receiving game included two Hall of Famers, Lance Alworth and Mike Ditka, and an Olympic gold medal sprinter, Bob Hayes. Dallas boasted the three-headed monster of Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison at running back. The defense got stingier as the season wore on, allowing an average of six points in three postseason games and holding Miami to 185 yards in the Super Bowl.

4. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (13-3)

The Cowboys returned to glory in a big way, forcing a Super Bowl-record nine turnovers in one of the big game’s biggest blowouts. This team boasted the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, behind arguably the league’s best-ever offensive line. Dallas played defense, too, allowing the fewest yards in the league. Smith proved his 1991 breakout season was no fluke by topping 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Troy Aikman threw for career highs in yardage and touchdowns. The only knock against this team is its soft schedule, which is the sixth-easiest of any Super Bowl participant since the AFL-NFL merger. Although this team didn’t have the best record in the NFC, it toppled another powerhouse, 14-2 San Francisco, in the NFC Championship Game. The Super Bowl rout served as the culmination of the rebuilding project of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.

[tags] Dallas Cowboys, ESPN, Super Bowl [/tags]