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What Are the Top 5 College Football Programs of All Time?

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What Are the Top 5 College Football Programs of All Time?

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LordJeffBuck

LordJeffBuck

Illuminatus Emeritus
Staff member
BP Recruiting Team
Which teams would make your all-time Top 5 list? Here's mine (in order);

1. Southern Cal (a great program for a long time; boosted by recent success)
2. Notre Dame (based on decades of tradition, but that tradition is fading)
3. Ohio State (would be #1 if the Buckeyes hadn't had so many near misses)
4. Oklahoma (seven national championships, and still going strong)
5. Michigan (mainly based on tradition; in a close race, I gave the edge to the B10 school)

HM: Miami (probably the best since 1983, but a nothing program before then)
 
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Here's my list. Based on combining factors like winning percentage, MNC's, poll rankings, number of losing seasons, etc.

1. Notre Dame (barely ahead of Oklahoma at his point)
2. Oklahoma (MNC's in many different decades)
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama (they are slipping)
5. USC (lowest winning percentage of top powers, passed TSUN in my mind with recent success)
 
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In no particular order

Ohio State
USC
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
Nebraska

I put Nebby over Michigan because while both were very good prior to 1950, and especially back in the early 1900s, of the two, Nebby has had more success since then. Thats not to say Michigan didn't field very good teams in the 70s for example... but so did Nebby.

USC has had successful teams every decade, more or less. Periods of greatness intermingled with periods of draught.

ND's "popularity" (in a good way or bad way) isn't just because.. it's because they've won a lot of football games over a long period of time. Love em or hate em (as I do) you can't leave em off this list... unless of course, the trend we saw in the 90s continues.

Ohio State - well, 1) I'm a homer and 2) they've been the winningest program since 1930. Heismans... Championships.... the 1967 Freshman class could possibly be the greatest of all time (number of NCs notwithstanding)

Oklahoma... They can rest on their approximately 5 year win streak alone and have to be considered. Like USC, there are periods (some of them long) of dominance but then there is some periods of some horrid squads (think late 80s and 90s)
 
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1. Notre Dame - No school can simply live on name alone, other than ND

2. Oklahoma - Too good for too long. Decades of being a powerhouse (7 NC's)

3. Alabama - Bear Bryant's stamp on college football in Tuscaloosa. A few titles here and there. Yet never has had a Heisman winner.

4. Ohio State - 5,6 and 7? Titles recognized by OSU, Heismans, Titles recognized by fans. So many near misses costs us #3.

5. USC - By virtue of being the only west coast school worthy to be on this list, USC has shown that the left coast can play ball.

HM - Penn State - Joe Paterno's run in Happy Valley has been incredible. Out right robbed of a title in the 90's.

Fuck Michigan and their 500 wins against high school teams that learned the rules three weeks before the game.
 
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Gut instincts say ... in no particular order.

'Bama - like scooter said Bear Bryant a legend in the game and they have never been far from the stage, most notably when self-inflicted injury or excessive boosterism stayed their growth.
ND - Home of another legend - Knute. Always a constant player for many years, it was only in the time prior to Holtz and immediately thereafter (Davie, Willingham) that they were not in some fashion part of the conversation. So, they get here as much as anything on relevancy. They also have a slew of Heismans, though that is in part attributable to the heavy spotlight they get whenever it's not cloudy in South Bend.
Ohio State, home to at least one legend, and a legend in the making. Hayes and now Tressel to name two. Owns many championships, has a heritage of delivering Heisman winners, the list goes on, let it grow.
USC - Like Ohio State they have had legends coach there, including one possibly in the making. The program has had some ups and downs, but they are clearly still in ascendancy. Heismans, National Championships, though some large down year stretches.
Oklahoma, and it was tough to put them in here over Big Red, but let's face it they do have the tradition, the National Championships in the modern era and legends or legends in the making heading the operation.

And none of the others in the poll list should hang their heads, that is a tough list populated with quality programs.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
Nebraska

I put Nebby over Michigan because while both were very good prior to 1950, and especially back in the early 1900s, of the two, Nebby has had more success since then. Thats not to say Michigan didn't field very good teams in the 70s for example... but so did Nebby.
Click to expand...

Sorry, BKB, but I have to point this out.

Nebraska had a decent run in the 1930s under Dana X. Bible, but they had 9 straight losing seasons from 1941 through 1949, a stretch where their record was 26-55. That's 9 straight, without even a single .500 season in there.
 
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BB73 said:
Sorry, BKB, but I have to point this out.

Nebraska had a decent run in the 1930s under Dana X. Bible, but they had 9 straight losing seasons from 1941 through 1949, a stretch where their record was 26-55. That's 9 straight, without even a single .500 season in there.
Click to expand...

Don't apologize to me, BB. I'm no Nebby fan... hate em, in fact. Still, at the turn of the century, you had teams like Nebby, Michigan and Minnesota dominating college football.. So, basically, it's my mindset that Nebby has been around since the begining of time (football time) and has pretty much stayed there. Actually, the run you describe makes the Solich/Callahan era seem like a good dream.
 
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1. Notre Dame: NCs, Heismans, history, mystique...like it or not, they've got it all
2. Oklahoma: Ton of NCs, 47-game win streak
3. Nebraska: '94-'97 most dominant of all-time
4. Southern Cal: Like ND, butt load of NCs and Heismans
5. Ohio State: Lots of NCs and Heismans, great tradition (The Shoe, TBDBITL)

Alabama: They probably should be #5 (more NCs and virtually same all-time record, and they're 3-0 against us)
Texas: Just missed because they don't have as many NCs or Heismans
Michigan: May have most wins/best win pct all-time, but 1/2 NC and two Heismans (both from Ohio) in 57 years
 
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