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Associated Press ranks top 100 college football programs of all-time
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Michigan holds on to the title of “winningest program in college football history.”
That’s the argument used by many Wolverine fans who claim that Michigan is the best program in the history of college football.
They won’t, however, like what the Associated Press thought about that. The publication ranked the top 100 programs in the history of college football (dating to the introduction of the AP poll in 1936), and at the top of that list was a B1G team.
But it wasn’t Michigan. It was Ohio State.
The Buckeyes earned the top spot above the likes of Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas and others, none of whom were deemed worthy of No. 1.
The AP gave the Buckeyes that spot because of their time spent at No. 1 in the weekly rankings, which was greater than any team in the country. Ohio State has also been unranked for an entire season three times in the 80-year history of the AP poll, which was the fewest of any team in the country.
Here was the exact explanation for the AP’s ranking system:
The AP formula counted poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency, No. 1 rankings (one point) to acknowledge elite programs and gave a bonus for AP championships (10 points).
Ohio State had plenty of B1G company in the top 20. Nebraska (even though that was because of Big 8/Big 12 success), Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa all earned spots in the top 25.
Here was the AP’s 1-25 rankings:
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- USC
- Nebraska
- Michigan
- Texas
- Florida
- Florida State
- LSU
- Penn State
- Miami (FL)
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Auburn
- UCLA
- Texas A&M
- Michigan State
- Washington
- Arkansas
- Clemson
- Pitt
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
Here’s where the rest of the B1G teams ranked:
- 36. Purdue
- 37. Minnesota
- 40. Maryland
- 50. Northwestern
- 51. Illinois
- 72. Indiana
- 86. Rutgers
Will this settle the never-ending debate of which program is best? Probably not. But it’s at least a reference point.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.