Greatest College Football Programs
I'm a middle-aged Notre Dame fan in Illinois, and I just voted Alabama #1. Why? Because a "Greatest of All Time" list means you have to be great throughout the history of college football.
I love Notre Dame, but only Alabama has been consistently great in the distant past, the recent past, right now in the present, and will be great into the future. Notre Dame was only great from the 1920s to the 1980s. Our decline isn't confined to the last 28 years since our last national championship in 1988. It has actually been trending down for the past 50 years, since 1965.
In the past 50 years, Notre Dame has won four national titles and one Heisman Trophy. Alabama has won nine national titles, two Heisman trophies, and a lot more bowl games. I'm a Fighting Irish fan who is reasonable and realistic, and I have no problem admitting Alabama has overtaken us in prestige, tradition, and overall value.
Ohio State was a football powerhouse long before Alabama. They have far more individual awards (Heismans, etc.). They have eight national championships (could easily claim more), they have the highest ALL-TIME AP ranking, and have spent more time at AP #1 than anyone, period.
They have far more All-Americans than Alabama and far more NFL talent over the years. While Alabama has dominated a sometimes weak SEC, Ohio State dominated the Big Ten for years when the Big Ten's other teams, such as Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc., were typically top ten teams.
Not to mention dominating Nebraska and Penn State since they joined the Big Ten. I can see USC ranked above them on this list, although that is questionable. Oklahoma is often listed as the top all-time collegiate program, and to be fair, Alabama should be a top-five all-time team, but above OSU, I don't think so.
Being #3 on this list is an affront to my fandom and my identity as a man. However, if I'm being rational as a CFB fan and honest with myself, it's probably fair. We should be #2 ahead of Ohio State at least, even though they've obliterated us in our last three matchups in big bowl games.
Since we have eight consensus national titles in the poll era and Ohio State only has five, everything else is about equal between us in other areas, with us having slight leads over them in those other categories. Only Alabama should be ahead of us because they've legitimately surpassed us now. It sucks, and I can't stand it, but we've screwed around too much in the past 25 years and allowed Alabama to pass us.
With the new "doom and gloom" mentality being the mindset that has set in among our fanbase, the stringent academic requirements, and the new focus of CFB being the Southeast, Alabama is the greatest program ever right now because their present and future look just as bright as their past.
Now, we just need to use that as our motivation to rise up and take back the throne. Otherwise, they'll pull away from us if we don't get our act together.
Most wins in CFB history, three Heisman winners, second-best all-time record, 127 first-team All-Americans. This year, Michigan played THREE teams that have been in the top five. So many CFB and NFL greats went here like Tom Brady, Charles Woodson, and Desmond Howard.
Not to mention the second-oldest CFB team in history with 136 seasons and our four consecutive national championships from 1901 to 1904. I can't believe Notre Dame and OSU are ranked higher than us. Wolverines taught the Fighting Irish how to play football, and OSU could easily have double its national championships if they didn't play us at the end of the season. To top it off, we have the best fight song in college football, The Victors.
Are you kidding? OU is number three in national championships all-time (seven AP), number one if they claimed all of them (17), number four in Heisman winners, number three in draft picks, has the longest winning streak in college football history (47) which will never be broken, has scored more points than any other program, second-most weeks ranked #1 AP (trailing Ohio State by two weeks), fewest losing seasons in college football history, most top-five finishes all-time, and most games won since WWII.
OU is the GOAT, no question. OU wasn't a state until 1907 and wasn't a relevant program until 1950. Think about if OU had started when Michigan did in the late 1800s. OU has accomplished more than anybody in 67 years. #Boomer #OU
USC and Notre Dame are literally the two best college football programs of all time, and no other team, not even Nick Saban's Alabama, is close to being as good as these. I'm surprised the USC vs. Notre Dame rivalry isn't bigger than Alabama and Auburn.
11 claimed titles (five consensus, eight recognized by the NCAA), six Heisman winners, 36 conference championships, 80 consensus All-Americans, 31 College Football Hall of Famers, most players drafted by the NFL (487), and most NFL Hall of Famers (11). King of the Rose Bowl. * USC would have one more championship and Heisman, but it was vacated by the NCAA.
Maybe not THE best program, but it did have THE best team of all time in the 1995 team. A great fanbase, a great stadium, and great tradition. Nebraska may not be that good now, but we have a chance to be dominant in the future.
Side note: I think the 1983 team was the best team in college football history that did not win a national title.
Nebraska is awesome. The 1995 team was the most dominant of all time. They beat the unstoppable #2 Florida Gators 62-24 in the national championship game. No other team can compare.
Incredible tradition. Great fans. Third most wins in the FBS. Three Heisman winners. Five national titles. Forty-three conference championships. Most consensus All-Americans in NCAA history. 354 consecutive sellouts.
One coach, Bobby Bowden, for 34 years. Not many schools could say that.
Fourteen straight top ten finishes. No school can say that.
Unfortunately, three wide-left or wide-right field goals cost us three national championships.
Boo.
Most consistent team of the last 30 years.
UT throughout the years has been a powerhouse. Not many teams have more all-time wins than the Longhorns. Although they are currently in a down period, you can rest assured they won't be down for long.
Football is king in Texas, and the University of Texas has given their fans something to be proud of for years. Without a doubt, they should be considered one of the best programs of all time.
They have had some lean years lately, but they've beaten the who's who of college football. They are 8-1 all-time against Alabama and 2-1 against Ohio State (an overrated university).
The talent they have produced and recruited, such as Earl Campbell, Vince Young, Colt McCoy, Ricky Williams, Major Applewhite, Jamal Charles, etc., along with Mack holding a record for most consecutive ten-win seasons, speaks for itself.
THE "U" posted 5 National Championships under four different head coaches.
After THE "U" got ripped off in the NC game against Ohio State, the NCAA started using instant replay.
"THE U" patented the pro-style offense in college football and made it what it is today. And above all, THE "U" invented SWAG.
Success in national championships is only matched by success in the NFL draft and Pro Bowls. The best players in this sport play in Miami.
A great program that has produced many NFL superstars. They won a lot of national championships in a short amount of time.
The Newcomers
Hailing from Manhattan, Kansas, the Kansas State Wildcats are part of the Big 12 Conference. Established in 1896, they have a strong football tradition and have also done well in basketball. The team's colors are royal purple and white. Well, K-State was pretty bad all-time until about '93. But the Snyder coaching tree is large and prestigious.
The athletic teams for Virginia Tech, based in Blacksburg, Virginia, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in NCAA Division I sports. Established in 1896, the Hokies have had notable success in football and basketball. Their team colors are maroon and burnt orange.
The folks saying Tennessee shouldn't be ranked higher because they never had a Heisman winner obviously never played team sports. It's all about the TEAM with the VOLS. Besides, they were robbed of two Heismans in '56 and '97. Majors and Manning should have won it. Definitely a Top 10 greatest program on Rocky Top!
Just look at the statistics over 120 years. Tied number two all-time in bowl appearances, fifth in bowl wins, and top ten in wins and percentage. Six national titles overall (could claim a couple more). LSU, Miami, and FSU cannot under any statistical measure be put above the Vols. Tennessee is definitely #9 or 10 all-time.
Miami has no history before the 80s, and FSU before the 90s. LSU is about 12 all-time, I think. These people have an extremely short sports memory.
A talent-rich state, and they get the lion's share from there as well as the Mississippi and East Texas area.
If we had Alabama's attitude about claiming National Championships, we would have at least 12! PSU is 3rd in wins since 1950 and has gone 15-9 since getting the worst sanctions in NCAA history (minus SMU)! Penn State will be back as a title contender in a few years.
Beasts of the East! Linebacker U! Top 10 winningest program of all time, and if we consider the last 50 years, they're top 5! JoePa turned a regionally good team into a national power, and Penn State has been one of the very best since 1966! WE ARE...
I know the NCAA took away 114 wins, but let's be real: those games happened, and Penn State won. How on earth did Oregon, Tennessee, and LSU get higher on this list?
Best team not to win a national title in the last 25 years.
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is widely known for its men's basketball program, which has won two national championships. We ought to be WAY higher on this list! We should at LEAST be ahead of those lowly, scumbag Wolverines (intentionally left lowercase). We win almost every year! Our main competitors are OSU, who we win against roughly 50% of the time, and PSU, who we usually beat 60% of the time. Everyone else we beat 75%+ of the time! Honestly, put us in the top five ahead of these crap teams where we belong! When we play these other teams (except Alabama), we usually have a 90% chance of utterly trashing them! I know this glorious team deserves a higher spot on here. But, no matter the ranking, even if they deserve the #2 spot, they will keep on proving themselves. It all gets settled on the field. GO GREEN!
The University of Georgia is always a contender in the SEC and should therefore be ranked much higher in this comparison.
They always have great recruiting and have the potential to win the SEC championship every year.
Georgia should be ranked higher on this list. They are always contenders, and winning is a tradition.