A few years back I did some research comparing the great teams of the past using a system I called "Point Differential Rankings". I went back as far as the 1940's:
I’m continuing my study of the most dominant teams in college football history using my “point differential ranking” system. As with all stats it “proves” nothing but can add something to arguments such as “Which is the greatest team of all time?” “Greatness could be measured in a lot of ways. My system looks at the quality of a team’s performance on a week-to week basis based on the point differential they achieved against each opponent and how that compare to that of their opponent’s other opponents. If you beat a team by more than anyone else beat them, or were the only team to beat that team or tied a team that won all it’s other games or lost to a team that won all it’s games by a lesser margin than any other team, you get a “1”. If one team matched you, both you and they get “1”. If one team exceeded you, you get a “2”. If two teams were better, you get a “3”, etc. When you average a teams point differential ranking over the course of a season you get a rather meaningful measure of how well and how consistently they played. The system also allows you to compare a team to teams of other years or even other eras. Another nice thing about it is that it compares a team not just to their opponents but to their opponent’s opponents. The 1959 Syracuse team not only played the usual eastern opponents but also teams from the Big Eight, the ACC, the Pac 10 and the SWC. Thus SU was “competing” with all the teams in those conferences in trying to get those “1”s. it doesn’t matter that they were not necessarily playing the best team in each conference. The best team in each of those conferences likely played the same opponent.
It doesn’t necessarily prove a team is “greater” than another. So far the best, (lowest), ranking any team I’ve looked at, (started with the 90’s, then the 80’s, then the 70’s and now the 60’s) is the 1973 Alabama team, who ranked #1 vs. 11 of 12 opponents and beat their other opponent by 30 points. But they lost to Notre Dame, a fine but not as dominant a team, (average rank 1.08 vs. 2.00), 23-24 and lost the national championship. Were they the “greatest team ever?” Probably not. But this is a way of looking at things that might help to make such a determination. (I subsequently took it back to the 1940's.)
The universe of teams I decided to rate are the teams recognized by at least one of the 31 different organizations, (pollsters, historians and computer nerds), listed in the NCAA guide as national championship selectors as a national titlist for the particular year in which they played plus any major conference champion or top five finisher in either the coaches or writer’s poll with as good a record as any recognized national champion. A record is defined as losses and ties, since teams play unequal numbers of games.
The All-Time Top 25
(Ranking is in the polls. Points are points they scored and gave up and the average. PDP is "point differential points and the average per game. The 1944 Army team beat every team by more than any other opponent did so they got 9 PDP and averaged 1.00. Records are against college teams only.)
ARMY ’44 Record: 9-0-0 Ranking #1 Points: 504-35 (56-4) PDP: 9 (1.00)
NOTRE DAME ‘43 Record: 9-1-0 (Two were military teams) Ranking: #1 Points: 340-69 (34-7) PDP: 8 (1.00)
ALABAMA ‘73 Record 11-1-0 Ranking #4-#1 Points: 477-113 (40-9) PDP: 13 (1.08)
NOTRE DAME ‘46 Record: 8-0-1 Ranking: #1 Points: 274-24 (30-3) PDP: 10 (1.11)
ARMY ‘45 Record: 9-0-0 (two were military teams) Ranking: #1 Points: 412-46 (46-5) PDP: 8 (1.14)
SYRACUSE ‘59 Record 11-0-0 Rank 1-1 Points: 413-73 (38-7) PDP: 13 (1.18)
NEBRASKA ‘95 Record 12-0-0 Rank 1-1 Points: 638-174 (53-15) PDP: 15 (1.25)
NOTRE DAME ‘66 Record 9-0-1 Rank 1-1 Points: 362-38 (36-4) PDP: 13 (1.30)
OHIO STATE ‘73 Record 10-0-1 Rank 2-3 Points 413-64 (38-6) PDP 15 (1.36)
FLORIDA STATE ‘93 Record 12-1-0 Rank 1-1 Points 536-124 (41-10) PDP 18 (1.38)
OKLAHOMA ’56 Record 10-0-0 Rank 1-1 Points 466-51 (47-5) PDP 14 (1.40)
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ‘72 Rank 1-1 Record 12-0-0 Points: 467-134 (39-11) PDP 17 (1.42)
OKLAHOMA ‘86 Rank 3-3 Record 11-1-0 Points 508-81 (42-7) PDP 17 (1.42)
MICHIGAN ‘48 Record: 9-0-0 Ranking: #1 Points: 252-44 (28-5) PDP: 13 (1.44)
MISSISSIPPI ‘59 Record 10-1-0 Ranking 2-2 Points 350-21 (32-2) PDP 16 (1.45)
MARYLAND ‘53 Record 10-1-0 Rank 1-1 (298-38) (27-3) PDP 16 (1.45)
NEBRASKA ‘71 Record: 13-0-0 Ranking: 1-1 Points: 413-64 (38-6) PDP: 19 (1.46)
MICHIGAN ‘47 Record: 10-0-0 Ranking: #2* Points: 394-53 (39-5) PDP: 15 (1.50)
ALABAMA ‘45 Record: 10-0-0 Ranking: #2 Points: 430-80 (43-8) PDP: 12 (1.50)
MINNESOTA ‘41 Record: 8-0-0 Ranking: #1 Points: 186-38 (23-5) PDP: 12 (1.50)
OKLAHOMA ‘87 Record: 11-1-0 Ranking: 3-3 Points: 493-102 (41-9) PDP: 19 (1.58)
NOTRE DAME ‘88 Record: 12-0-0 Ranking: 1-1 Points: 393-156 (33-13) PDP: 19 (1.58)
MIAMI ‘86 Record: 11-1-0 Ranking: 3-3 Points: 430-150 (36-13) PDP: 19 (1.58)
WASHINGTON ‘91 Record: 12-0-0 Rank: 2-1 Points: 495-115 (41-10) PDP: 19 (1.58)
NEBRASKA ‘83 Record: 12-1-0 Ranking: 2-2 Points: 654-217 (50-17) PDP: 21 (1.62)
For the record:
MIAMI '01 Record: 12-0-0 Ranking 1-1 Points: 512-117 (43-10) PDP: 24 (2.00)
