The Athletic: The 25 most dominant college football teams of the past 50 years

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
When LSU routed Clemson and raised the College Football Playoff trophy on Jan. 13, it not only claimed its third national championship of the 21st century, but it also finished crafting an argument as one of the most dominant teams of all time.

So how do Joe Burrow and the 2019 Tigers stack up?

The Athletic sought to rank the 25 most dominant college football teams of the past 50 years. As is common in this sport, it’s a subjective ranking, but the goal was to evaluate many objective measures to narrow the list of contenders and compare them to each other. The emphasis is on the word dominant, and ranking 25 teams leaves out more than half of the national champions since 1970, along with numerous other great teams.

https://theathletic.com/1810857/2020/05/18/college-football-25-most-dominant-teams-50-years/
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https://theathletic.com/1889693/2020/07/02/college-football-most-dominant-programs-rankings-50-years/


4. Nebraska


Record: 468-154-5 (.750)
Average: 5.26
National championships: 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997
Score: 0.26

Nebraska was so good on an annual basis from the 1970s through the 1990s that the past 20 championship-less years — in which the program has mostly had a 9-4 ceiling — don’t drag the Huskers down much. Even with a win percentage of .619 since 2000, Nebraska ranks fourth in overall wins in the past 50 years, and it’s also in the top five in SRS average (15.52), major bowl wins/appearances (13/25), AP poll finishes (38), weeks spent in the AP poll (78.9 percent), percentage of games won by double digits (59.3) and more. It leads all Power 5 teams in scoring (34.26) and point differential (+16.26) in that span, too.

The Huskers began this period with national titles in 1970 and ’71. They had a Barry Switzer/Oklahoma problem after that, but Tom Osborne won national titles in 1994, ’95 and ’97 with an option-fueled dynasty churning out unbeaten teams. From 1970-2001, Nebraska was ranked in 99.4 percent of AP polls, according to College Poll Archive, and it finished ranked in all 32 of those seasons (top 10 in 24 of them).

The past two decades have stripped a lot of the luster off Nebraska football, with lingering questions about whether the program can ever recapture past glory on a consistent basis. Regardless, the numbers are the numbers: When the past 50 years are viewed together equally, Nebraska has been one of the most dominant programs, even if it isn’t that today. Flip around the Huskers’ trajectory, and its placement here would seem obvious.

20 years in the wilderness and Nebraska STILL leads the nation in scoring and point differential over the past 50 years. Pretty incredible.

 
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runningblind said:
https://theathletic.com/1889693/2020/07/02/college-football-most-dominant-programs-rankings-50-years/


4. Nebraska


Record: 468-154-5 (.750)
Average: 5.26
National championships: 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997
Score: 0.26

Nebraska was so good on an annual basis from the 1970s through the 1990s that the past 20 championship-less years — in which the program has mostly had a 9-4 ceiling — don’t drag the Huskers down much. Even with a win percentage of .619 since 2000, Nebraska ranks fourth in overall wins in the past 50 years, and it’s also in the top five in SRS average (15.52), major bowl wins/appearances (13/25), AP poll finishes (38), weeks spent in the AP poll (78.9 percent), percentage of games won by double digits (59.3) and more. It leads all Power 5 teams in scoring (34.26) and point differential (+16.26) in that span, too.

The Huskers began this period with national titles in 1970 and ’71. They had a Barry Switzer/Oklahoma problem after that, but Tom Osborne won national titles in 1994, ’95 and ’97 with an option-fueled dynasty churning out unbeaten teams. From 1970-2001, Nebraska was ranked in 99.4 percent of AP polls, according to College Poll Archive, and it finished ranked in all 32 of those seasons (top 10 in 24 of them).

The past two decades have stripped a lot of the luster off Nebraska football, with lingering questions about whether the program can ever recapture past glory on a consistent basis. Regardless, the numbers are the numbers: When the past 50 years are viewed together equally, Nebraska has been one of the most dominant programs, even if it isn’t that today. Flip around the Huskers’ trajectory, and its placement here would seem obvious.

20 years in the wilderness and Nebraska STILL leads the nation in scoring and point differential over the past 50 years. Pretty incredible.
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so who is 1-3?    I don't have a subscription. 

 
GSG said:
1. Bama

2. Oklahoma

3. Ohio St
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That is good company.    I wonder where we'd be if Tom had not retired when he did??  Ifs and Buts. But after the last 19 years, you can't complain about being # 4. Just tells you have good we really were and hopefully will become again. 

 
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