# College Football All-Time Team Rankings **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 21, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229 "2010-03-21T14:03:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/1 "2010-03-21T14:03:15Z")
According to [College Football Data Warehouse](http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/rankings/all_time_team_rankings.php) with snapshots taken after the 2008 season and just today for the 2009 season, here are the rankings All-Time for the Top 25 and the SEC teams. Comments? ```auto College Football Rankings (Includes 2008 and 2009 Seasons) http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/rankings/all_time_team_rankings.php Team Rankings Sorted by Total Points 2008 2009 1 Notre Dame (IN) 2334.83 1 Alabama 2257.68 SEC 2 Alabama 2321.81 SEC 2 Notre Dame (IN) 2221.48 3 Southern California 2255.30 3 Southern California 2170.46 4 Michigan 2157.00 4 Oklahoma 2072.93 5 Oklahoma 2052.99 5 Michigan 2054.93 6 Texas 1965.54 6 Ohio St. 2016.52 7 Ohio St. 1956.78 7 Texas 1988.65 8 Nebraska 1937.89 8 Nebraska 1963.11 9 Louisiana St. 1815.69 SEC 9 Louisiana St. 1855.78 SEC 10 Tennessee 1814.96 SEC 10 Tennessee 1759.83 SEC 11 Georgia 1735.42 SEC 11 Georgia 1713.70 SEC 12 Georgia Tech 1717.86 12 Penn St. 1705.36 13 Princeton (NJ) 1677.98 13 Miami (FL) 1677.33 14 Penn St. 1674.71 14 Florida 1673.79 SEC 15 Miami (FL) 1665.63 15 Georgia Tech 1635.88 16 Florida 1639.68 SEC 16 Minnesota 1583.71 17 Minnesota 1624.14 17 Auburn (AL) 1562.12 SEC 18 Pittsburgh (PA) 1604.93 18 Pittsburgh (PA) 1514.38 19 Yale (CT) 1599.47 19 Washington 1505.04 20 Harvard (MA) 1575.05 20 Texas A&M 1499.65 21 Auburn (AL) 1533.34 SEC 21 Florida St. 1476.35 22 Illinois 1533.03 22 UCLA 1448.75 23 Texas A&M 1520.74 23 Arkansas 1442.07 SEC 24 Washington 1488.07 24 Michigan St. 1440.27 25 Florida St. 1471.04 25 Illinois 1417.35 26 Arkansas 1459.64 SEC 26 Mississippi 1392.61 SEC 31 Mississippi 1396.57 SEC 47 Vanderbilt (TN) 1222.90 SEC 48 Vanderbilt (TN) 1212.74 SEC 48 Mississippi St. 1196.80 SEC 53 Mississippi St. 1179.80 SEC 52 Kentucky 1185.95 SEC 57 Kentucky 1171.36 SEC 64 South Carolina 1090.46 SEC 64 South Carolina 1081.73 SEC ``` ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/2 "2010-03-21T15:00:48Z")
Yeah, caring about collegiate sports is only one step about caring about high school sports. I can’t get too fired up about it, if only to have a back-and-forth with my girlfriend about Michigan/Michigan State nonsense. Also, it helps to be a much older institution. More wins and what have you. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/3 "2010-03-21T15:46:06Z")
Curious that after the 2008 season, Princeton and Yale and Harvard were in the top 25 for all time, but after the 2009 season none of these Ivy league schools are to be seen. What did they do to earn such a precipitous drop, lose all of their games by triple-digit margins? The 2008 rankings look decent for all time rankings, but these things are sort of silly. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/4 "2010-03-23T15:39:01Z")
Roll Tide ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/5 "2010-03-23T16:26:22Z")
I do find the major dropoff given the Ivies suspicious…perhaps they rejiggered their formula for the 2009 season, or is this the critical year in which they start to lose the effect of the their dominance in the first quarter century? Princeton dropped from 13th to 29th, a score of 1677.98 down to 1362.10. Yale dropped from 19th to 34th, a score of 1599.47 down to 1332.51. Both dropped relatively the same number of points. Yay my Alma Mater… Wisconsin…highest ranked school without any national championship points. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/6 "2011-06-05T13:46:36Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > I do find the major dropoff given the Ivies suspicious…perhaps they rejiggered their formula for the 2009 season, or is this the critical year in which they start to lose the effect of the their dominance in the first quarter century? Princeton dropped from 13th to 29th, a score of 1677.98 down to 1362.10. Yale dropped from 19th to 34th, a score of 1599.47 down to 1332.51. Both dropped relatively the same number of points. > > Yay my Alma Mater… Wisconsin…highest ranked school without any national championship points. This update supports your notion about the formula being “rejiggered”: ```auto College Football Rankings (Includes 2008, 2009 and 2010 Seasons) http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/rankings/all_time_team_rankings.php Team Rankings Sorted by Total Points 2008 2009 2010 1 Notre Dame (IN) 2334.83 1 Alabama 2257.68 SEC 1 Alabama 2268.59 SEC 2 Alabama 2321.81 SEC 2 Notre Dame (IN) 2221.48 2 Notre Dame (IN) 2223.56 3 Southern California 2255.30 3 Southern California 2170.46 3 Southern California 2176.16 4 Michigan 2157.00 4 Oklahoma 2072.93 4 Oklahoma 2097.69 5 Oklahoma 2052.99 5 Michigan 2054.93 5 Michigan 2065.03 6 Texas 1965.54 6 Ohio St. 2016.52 6 Ohio St. 2037.19 7 Ohio St. 1956.78 7 Texas 1988.65 7 Texas 2002.55 8 Nebraska 1937.89 8 Nebraska 1963.11 8 Nebraska 1980.33 9 Louisiana St. 1815.69 SEC 9 Louisiana St. 1855.78 SEC 9 Louisiana St. 1865.92 SEC 10 Tennessee 1814.96 SEC 10 Tennessee 1759.83 SEC 10 Tennessee 1765.71 SEC 11 Georgia 1735.42 SEC 11 Georgia 1713.70 SEC 11 Georgia 1718.55 SEC 12 Georgia Tech 1717.86 12 Penn St. 1705.36 12 Penn St. 1709.01 13 Princeton (NJ) 1677.98 13 Miami (FL) 1677.33 13 Miami (FL) 1682.36 14 Penn St. 1674.71 14 Florida 1673.79 SEC 14 Florida 1681.07 SEC 15 Miami (FL) 1665.63 15 Georgia Tech 1635.88 15 Georgia Tech 1640.14 16 Florida 1639.68 SEC 16 Minnesota 1583.71 16 Auburn (AL) 1638.33 SEC ^ 17 Minnesota 1624.14 17 Auburn (AL) 1562.12 SEC 17 Minnesota 1583.29 v 18 Pittsburgh (PA) 1604.93 18 Pittsburgh (PA) 1514.38 18 Pittsburgh (PA) 1516.52 19 Yale (CT) 1599.47 19 Washington 1505.04 19 Washington 1512.38 20 Harvard (MA) 1575.05 20 Texas A&M 1499.65 20 Texas A&M 1508.70 21 Auburn (AL) 1533.34 SEC 21 Florida St. 1476.35 21 Florida St. 1474.46 22 Illinois 1533.03 22 UCLA 1448.75 22 Arkansas 1462.31 SEC ^ 23 Texas A&M 1520.74 23 Arkansas 1442.07 SEC 23 UCLA 1452.96 v 24 Washington 1488.07 24 Michigan St. 1440.27 24 Michigan St. 1447.52 25 Florida St. 1471.04 25 Illinois 1417.35 25 Illinois 1421.57 26 Arkansas 1459.64 SEC 26 Mississippi 1392.61 SEC 26 Mississippi 1397.69 SEC 31 Mississippi 1396.57 SEC 47 Vanderbilt (TN) 1222.90 SEC 47 Vanderbilt (TN) 1230.64 SEC 48 Vanderbilt (TN) 1212.74 SEC 48 Mississippi St. 1196.80 SEC 48 Mississippi St. 1206.89 SEC 53 Mississippi St. 1179.80 SEC 52 Kentucky 1185.95 SEC 52 Kentucky 1191.81 SEC 57 Kentucky 1171.36 SEC 64 South Carolina 1090.46 SEC 64 South Carolina 1100.47 SEC 64 South Carolina 1081.73 SEC ``` Note that Auburn and Arkansas moved up at the expense of their neighbors in last year’s rankings. No other changes in position in the Top 25. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/7 "2011-06-05T16:18:18Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > Curious that after the 2008 season, Princeton and Yale and Harvard were in the top 25 for all time, but after the 2009 season none of these Ivy league schools are to be seen. What did they do to earn such a precipitous drop, lose all of their games by triple-digit margins? > > The 2008 rankings look decent for all time rankings, but these things are sort of silly. “All-time” rankings are silly. The first poll was the AP Poll in 1934. Anybody that claims a championship before that is claiming a championship that was awarded by a committee many years after the fact. Also, a lot of schools that have high level programs now were playing at the club level in the early days. Look back at their schedules and you will see them playing the local high school in some cases. Individual games before 1934 may have merit but any other comparison of teams and conferences gets pretty sketchy. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/8 "2011-06-06T13:47:11Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > “All-time” rankings are silly. No doubt! Polls in general are silly. And yet thousands to millions rely on them to have the meaning a real playoff might have. I have no loyalty to the CFDW (linked to in the OP) but it’s at least one approach to ranking teams for periods longer than last year. I would enjoy this thread’s expansion into comparisons of similar long-term rankings of College Football teams, if such exist. If you know of such a thing, please link to it or quote its findings here. Football season is too far away! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/9 "2011-06-07T02:35:35Z")
This is really silly. Football wasn’t even recognizable in 1934. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/10 "2011-06-07T03:17:04Z")
Absolutely. But at least 1934 was a starting point. There are college football factories out there that brag about how many national championship they have won when many of them were bestowed upon them in a conference room many, many years after the fact when there was not only no tournament but not even any polls. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/11 "2011-06-07T15:34:21Z")
Those colleges are also silly. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-all-time-team-rankings/533229/12 "2011-06-09T15:43:14Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I would enjoy this thread’s expansion into comparisons of similar long-term rankings of College Football teams, if such exist. > > If you know of such a thing, please link to it or quote its findings here. Football season is too far away! Here’s another take on the basic issue: > **[Most All-Time College Football Rankings](http://www.secsportsfan.com/most-all-time-college-football-rankings.html)** > > Ever wondered which conference has the most all-time college football rankings?