The Cumulative Top 25

[SWC75]

I was watching some old college football clips on U-Tube and I wondered how the great powers of the sport really stack up against each other over the years. I decided to take the Associated Press, (writer’s) Poll final rankings from 1936, when it started, to 2012, (the last full year before this) and “add them up” with a 25 points for first place, 24 for second, etc. system to determine which schools had done the best in the rankings over the years. I stuck with the writers because I wanted one source for the rankings to avoid confusion. They are usually not so different from each other that it would make a noticeable difference if I used the coaches poll instead. And I didn’t want to use the various mathematical systems and other rankings on the net because they represent a more personalized point of view, (for example James Howell, whom I have used for other things, tends, for some reason, to downgrade Midwestern teams in the pre-war period ). The writer’s poll is itself an accumulation of opinions from knowledgeable sources so it will do for this project.


Note: The writer’s poll was a Top 20 from 1936- 1961, a Top 10 from 1962-67, a Top 20 again from 1968-88 and has been a Top 25 since 1989. I nonetheless gave 25 points for 1st place, 24 for second place, etc. for every year. We are missing some teams from the bottom of the list prior to 1989 but a national championship is still a national championship in any era.


The All-Time Top 25:

Oklahoma 974
Alabama 958
Michigan 943
Notre Dame 919
Ohio State 890

Nebraska 784
So California 782
Texas 772
Tennessee 679
Penn State 667

Louisiana St. 580
Georgia 531
Auburn 526
Miami (Fla) 503
UCLA 483

Florida 488
Florida State 486
Arkansas 439
Michigan State 381
Texas A&M 357

Washington 341
Georgia Tech 325
Mississippi 322
Wisconsin 305
Clemson 300

Alphabetically:

Air Force 75
Alabama 958
Arkansas 439
Arizona 77
Arizona State 225
Army 239
Auburn 526

Baylor 132
Boise State 136
Boston College 143
Boston U 10
Bowling Green 3
Brigham Young 193

California 198
Carnegie Tech 20
Central Florida 5
Central Michigan 3
Cincinnati 37
Clemson 300
Colorado 258
Colorado Col 8
Colorado St 31
Columbia 12
Cornell 81

Dartmouth 60
Delaware 7
Duke 203
Duquesne 46

E Carolina 23

Florida 488
Florida State 486
Fordham 88
Fresno State 6

Georgetown 13
Geo Washington 9
Georgia 531
Georgia Tech 325

Hardin-Simmons 9
Hawaii 13
Holy Cross 53
Houston 165

Illinois 177
Indiana 63
Iowa 272
Iowa State 8

Kansas 86
Kansas State 168
Kentucky 96

Lafayette 7
Louisiana St. 580
Louisville 91

Marquette 6
Marshall 18
Maryland 238
Miami (Fla) 503
Miami (Ohio) 68
Michigan 943
Michigan State 381
Minnesota 226
Mississippi 322
Miss State 100
Missouri 218

Navy 199
Nebraska 784
New Mexico St 9
No Carolina 199
NC State 105
No Illinois 4
Northwestern 135
Notre Dame 919

Ohio State 890
Ohio University 6
Oklahoma 974
Oklahoma St 132
Oregon 229
Oregon State 98

Pacific 23
Penn State 667
Pennsylvania 95
Pittsburgh 293
Princeton 55
Purdue 177

Rice 107
Rutgers 40

St. Mary’s 19
San Diego State 11
San Francisco 12
San Jose State 5
Santa Clara 86
So California 782
So Carolina 96
So Methodist 168
So Mississippi 25
Stanford 227
Syracuse 191

Temple 9
Tennessee 679
Texas 772
Texas A&M 357
Texas Christian 231
Texas Tech 104
Toledo 31
Tulane 81
Tulsa 79

UCLA 483
Utah 75
Utah State 26

Vanderbilt 17
Villanova 41
Virginia 66
Virginia Military 6
Virginia Tech 213

Wake Forest 22
Washington 341
Wash & Lee 7
Wash State 123
West Virginia 194
William & Mary 33
Wisconsin 305
Wyoming 48

Yale 54