Greatest College Football Program of All Time?

[BabyrayS2k]

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. USC
4. Notre Dame
5. Nebraska
6. Texas
7. Michigan
8. Ohio State

What say you college football fans?

[ragingclue]

What are you basing it on? Looks like not too much, as it stands right now.

[bga23]

Michigan is #1, they've won the most games all-time and they also have the highest winning percentage.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by bga23

Michigan is #1, they've won the most games all-time and they also have the highest winning percentage.

Depending on what attribute gets the most weight (such as National Championships), Michigan could potentially not be #1, but like you pointed out, most wins and highest percentage, although some of that came against HS teams way back in the day, but I'm sure other teams that date back that far probably have some asterisks too.

Anyway, #7 is laughable for UofM. Maybe or maybe not #1, but #7?

That's why I asked what this list is based off of. Seems to be totally random.

[BabyrayS2k]

Based on National Championships. I like Michigan just fine but how many championships have they one? How many in the last 50 years?

Where is your list?

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

Based on National Championships. I like Michigan just fine but how many championships have they one? How many in the last 50 years?

Where is your list?

There's more to base the list off of than just National Championships in the last 50 years, as evidenced by the variance in rankings from various sources:

Here's bleacherreport's list of the Top 10 programs of all time.

Scout's list

Etc... Those are just a quick couple I found, and shouldn't be taken as gospel. I was just showing that the lists can vary quite a bit based off of what your input parameters and weighting are.

I don't believe there is a such thing as a "best programs of all time" list, that's why you have to mention what you're basing the list off of. Just NC's? Ok cool, that list is going to look a lot different than one based solely on avg rankings through the years, winning percentage, total wins, etc...

BTW, they've been playing college football for a lot more than 50 years.

[Kensta335]

1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. USC
4. Oklahoma
5. Michigan
6. Ohio State
7. Nebraska
8. Texas

[bga23]

Suspect most of us are really too young to be able to put together this list. We think of the great programs last 10, 20 or maybe 30 years but they've been playing college football for over 100 years.

[BabyrayS2k]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

There's more to base the list off of than just National Championships in the last 50 years, as evidenced by the variance in rankings from various sources:

Here's bleacherreport's list of the Top 10 programs of all time.

Scout's list

Etc... Those are just a quick couple I found, and shouldn't be taken as gospel. I was just showing that the lists can vary quite a bit based off of what your input parameters and weighting are.

I don't believe there is a such thing as a "best programs of all time" list, that's why you have to mention what you're basing the list off of. Just NC's? Ok cool, that list is going to look a lot different than one based solely on avg rankings through the years, winning percentage, total wins, etc...

BTW, they've been playing college football for a lot more than 50 years.

Yes they have.

Also I always take "bleacher report" with a grain of salt. It doesn't help that the article is from 2010. BAMA has added another trophy to the case since then.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by bga23

Suspect most of us are really too young to be able to put together this list. We think of the great programs last 10, 20 or maybe 30 years but they've been playing college football for over 100 years.

Not to mention how the game has changed since then, and how competition has changed as well.... Certain teams have come and gone from the limelight to extremes (e.g. Navy), while others have been near or at the top for pretty much the whole time while shitting the bed when it comes to NCs (UofM). Hard to really make a list. I guess it just depends on what factors you weigh most heavily when making the list.

I put a little weight in all time winning percentage, so my list is a bit different:

1. OU
2. Michigan
3. Alabama
4. USC
5. ND
6. OSU

But I don't know.... Any of those could be flip flopped or moved up and down a couple spots and I'd still probably say "meh, that looks OK too"....

It's just a really hard list to make.

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

Also I always take "bleacher report" with a grain of salt. It doesn't help that the article is from 2010. BAMA has added another trophy to the case since then.

Absolutely, I take it with a grain of salt as well. All lists like this posted by sources like that are going to have to be taken with a grain of salt. The only reason I posted those examples is to show how different peoples' lists can be, depending on what exact parameters they're using to make that list.

[BabyrayS2k]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

Not to mention how the game has changed since then, and how competition has changed as well.... Certain teams have come and gone from the limelight to extremes (e.g. Navy), while others have been near or at the top for pretty much the whole time while shitting the bed when it comes to NCs (UofM). Hard to really make a list. I guess it just depends on what factors you weigh most heavily when making the list.

It's very hard to make a list. In the scout article you linked, it only went back to 1936 and it used the AP poll as its main measuring stick. BAMA won its first title in 1925 by beating Washington in the Rose Bowl. But even if we used the AP or coaches poll since 1936, BAMA has won 9 titles, Notre Dame 8, USC and Oklahoma tied with 7 a piece.

[BabyrayS2k]

Good list but no Texas or Nebraska. Maybe I need to read up on Ohio State more.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

Good list but no Texas or Nebraska. Maybe I need to read up on Ohio State more.

My list is going to be biased.

I guess I could set up a .xls later with each parameter and its weighting so as to actually have some substance behind the argument. That's just an "off the top of my head" list which probably does a good job showing my bias towards B1G area teams. Also a UofM alumnus so that shows too. It would be against my constitution to move them below #2 (but seriously if I do get a weighted comparison together, that doesn't apply).

There aren't really many parameters that can be used, right?

1. National Championships (but good luck finding old ones that can't be disputed)'
2. Winning percentage
3. Number of wins
4. Heisman winners
5. Professional players
6. HoFers
7. General prestige to the name

etc (in no particular order)...

Anything else that can be taken into account? I think general prestige must get thrown out as it's purely subjective and immeasurable, right? We all know ND has quite the oomph in that regard, but if it's not quantifiable, it cannot be compared, correct?

[bga23]

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

But even if we used the AP or coaches poll since 1936, BAMA has won 9 titles, Notre Dame 8, USC and Oklahoma tied with 7 a piece.

Don't know how much weight I'd give to a subjective national championship.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by bga23

Don't know how much weight I'd give to a subjective national championship.

Well I think "best program ever" is going to have to have many subjective parameters (prestige, NCs, atmosphere, etc..). And this is going to make it so there are just a lot of lists that aren't wrong which differ in a lot of ways. It just depends on the person making the list.

[BabyrayS2k]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

Well I think "best program ever" is going to have to have many subjective parameters (prestige, NCs, atmosphere, etc..). And this is going to make it so there are just a lot of lists that aren't wrong which differ in a lot of ways. It just depends on the person making the list.

Yep.

I'm just glad my team is in the discussion really.

[Bingobimmer]

Really hard to make a list, but I think all those mentioned so far are in the discussion. There's a lot of bias in making this kind of a list.

[ScarecrowBoat]

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

Good list but no Texas or Nebraska. Maybe I need to read up on Ohio State more.

Alabama obviously up top but how can you discount Nebraska (ignoring my bias)?

- 5 National Championships (12 schools with more, but 5 of those schools haven't won one since the 40's)
- 3 Heisman Winners (only 4 schools with more)
- #4 all-time wins, #8 in winning % all-time
- Holds record for most consecutive sell-outs at 322, every single game since 1962
- Holds record for most consecutive bowl games @ 35, #5 in bowl appearances
- #6 in number of All-Americans
- #4 in number of 10-win seasons
- 1971 and 1995 Huskers widely considered two of the best teams of all time (1971 considered THE best by many)
- #5 in number of NFL draft picks
- Regularly considered one of the most difficult/loudest places to play
- One of the most travelling fan bases

I mean, come on.

[ragingclue]

Compelling argument.

They belong on the list too then.

[BabyrayS2k]

Originally Posted by ScarecrowBoat

Alabama obviously up top but how can you discount Nebraska (ignoring my bias)?

- 5 National Championships (12 schools with more, but 5 of those schools haven't won one since the 40's)
- 3 Heisman Winners (only 4 schools with more)
- #4 all-time wins, #8 in winning % all-time
- Holds record for most consecutive sell-outs at 322, every single game since 1962
- Holds record for most consecutive bowl games @ 35, #5 in bowl appearances
- #6 in number of All-Americans
- #4 in number of 10-win seasons
- 1971 and 1995 Huskers widely considered two of the best teams of all time (1971 considered THE best by many)
- #5 in number of NFL draft picks
- Regularly considered one of the most difficult/loudest places to play
- One of the most travelling fan bases

I mean, come on.

Nebraska is on my list.

[ScarecrowBoat]

Originally Posted by BabyrayS2k

Nebraska is on my list.

I misread your comment, that was directed at the other guy.

[Seminole]

No FSU on the list? We're talking about a program that was started from scratch in 1947 and has accomplished:

- 2 National Titles
- 2 Heisman Trophy Winners
- 14 Straight Seasons with at least 10 wins
- 14 Straight Seasons ranked in the top 5 of the final AP poll (with 11 bowl wins in those 14 years. The three bowl losses were in National Championship games).
- First team to ever go wire to wire number 1
- 34 Consensus All-Americans
- 15 Conference Titles
- 25th in all time wins, despite starting in 1947
- 3rd most successful team in the last 25 years (77% win percentage) and 12th in the last 50 years (67% win percentage).
- Since the Coaches Poll was first released in 1950, FSU has been featured in the final Top 25 32 years.
- 30 consecutive years going to a bowl game (still active and 9 ahead of 2nd place).
- 35 consecutive years without a losing season.
- Current longest bowl win streak at 4 and longest of all time at 11 (1985-1995).
- 35 First Round NFL Draft Picks
- 241 ALL TIME NFL Draft Picks
- 2 NFL Hall of Famers (Fred Biletnikoff , Deion Sanders)
- Winningest Coach in Major College Football History, Bobby Bowden*

*Counting JoPa's vacated wins. Without that, still the 2nd winningest coach ever.