Ranking CFB's Greatest Programs of All-Time

[Mavric]

8. NEBRASKA (783 POINTS)

The Huskers are hoping Scott Frost's return to Lincoln will bring the program back to the level of prominence seen in the 1990s when Nebraska was an annual contender for national championships. Not since Tom Osborne's final season in 1997 have the Huskers finished inside the Top 5 and they did it eight times under his tutelage. Members of the Big Ten since 2011, Nebraska is searching for its first conference title in more than a decade.

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Using every final AP Top 25 Poll since 1935, College Football News has developed a formula to accurately rank the nation's top programs.

From CFN: "Taking all the AP final rankings, CFN devised a scoring system giving every AP national champion 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom – currently No. 25, but there was a top ten for a bit and later a top 20. Rankings from 1935 through to Clemson’s national championship after the 2018 season."

 

[StPaulHusker]

I don't think you can "accurately" rank programs starting in 1935.  Sometime around the 60's would be a bit more reasonable.

 

[The_Fan_Man]

I don't think you can "accurately" rank programs starting in 1935.  Sometime around the 60's would be a bit more reasonable.

The "modern" era of college football can be started in a few years. 

1936- AP Poll and Heisman change football from a regional to national game: Nebraska 7th

1959- Success of the NFL as a televised product makes them the most popular football brand and forces college football onto TV to compete. Also, coincides with Duffy Daugherty and Bob Devaney's aggressive recruitment of southern black football players that were excluded from college in their home states: Nebraska 1st

1966- ABC's National Game of the Week brings college football into every home in the country: Nebraska 1st

1972- First year of freshman eligibility in college football: Nebraska 3rd

1984- Schools and conferences are able to negotiate TV rights: Nebraska 4th

1992- Bowl Alliance leads to ensuring the most competitive bowl games possible: Nebraska 6th

2014- Playoff ensures that top team will not be left out of championship game: Nebraska 71st

Personally, I think the only correct way to rank programs is by grading their best 40 year run.

 

[StPaulHusker]

The "modern" era of college football can be started in a few years. 

1936- AP Poll and Heisman change football from a regional to national game: Nebraska 7th

1959- Success of the NFL as a televised product makes them the most popular football brand and forces college football onto TV to compete. Also, coincides with Duffy Daugherty and Bob Devaney's aggressive recruitment of southern black football players that were excluded from college in their home states: Nebraska 1st

1966- ABC's National Game of the Week brings college football into every home in the country: Nebraska 1st

1972- First year of freshman eligibility in college football: Nebraska 3rd

1984- Schools and conferences are able to negotiate TV rights: Nebraska 4th

1992- Bowl Alliance leads to ensuring the most competitive bowl games possible: Nebraska 6th

2014- Playoff ensures that top team will not be left out of championship game: Nebraska 71st

Personally, I think the only correct way to rank programs is by grading their best 40 year run.

It's a fair point.  To me, football "programs" are just different worlds pre-1960 to post-1960.  It's difficult to lump them together.

 

[The_Fan_Man]

It's a fair point.  To me, football "programs" are just different worlds pre-1960 to post-1960.  It's difficult to lump them together.

Absolutely! I think you could make a good argument for Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, or Ohio State as the best program over the past 60 years.

You can manipulate the data to say a lot of things, but one thing is certain, since Nebraska hired Bob Devaney, we have more wins than any other team and more undefeated National Championships.

 

[Roundball Shaman]

As said on another thread, based upon AP Championships the greatest all-time are:

1 - Alabama
2 - Notre Dame
3 - Oklahoma
4 - Ohio State (2014)
5 - Miami (2001)
6 - Nebraska (1997)
*Tied win 5 titles - ranked By Most Recent Title Won

Best Teams by 20-Year Periods:

1940-1959 Notre Dame (4 titles; Runner-Up Oklahoma 3 titles)

1960-1979 Pick ‘Em - Alabama (3 titles); Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Texas (2 titles each)

1980-1999 Miami (4 titles; Runner-Up Nebraska 3 titles)

2000-2018 Alabama (5 titles)

2019-Future
Since so much of the trajectory of a program depends on the head coach, it’s impossible to know who will dominate. We know who the powerhouse programs are now. But where will coaches go? Who will be the hot new ones? And how high will the salaries go to get them?

 

[bazinga22]

Clemson Alabama Ohio State Oklahoma will be up there Georgia will be fine,Notre Dame wont be bad Wisconsin will be good i see them rebounding this year and future should be ok with better recruiting,Nebraska will get better, Michigan will be good .