The AP College Football Poll turns 80 this year, and in celebration of that, the AP has released its top college football programs during that time frame. The list goes for 100 teams, but we've cut it down to the Top 25.
"College football is rich with history, and the AP poll is a unique measure of how the sport has changed through time," deputy sports editor Noreen Gillespie said before the release. "The all-time list lets fans interact with that history, and debate how the nation's top programs fared over time."
As for the scoring, the AP counted each and every poll since it began all the way back in 1936. Each appearance, no matter the ranking, was worth one point. Each No. 1 ranking (per poll) was another point. An AP Championship was worth an extra 10 points.
Georgia Tech was the first team to miss the cut, with Colorado just coming up short as well. For each team on the list, we've listed their poll percentage, their total points, first appearance date, times they've been No. 1 and their AP Championships. With that in mind, here's the AP's ranking of the Top 25 college football programs.
25. Iowa Hawkeyes (329 points)
Percent of Polls: 27.83
First Appearance: 1939
No. 1 Rankings: 7
Championships: 0
24. Pittsburgh Panthers (356 points)
Percent of Polls: 26.65
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 21
Championships: 2
23. Wisconsin Badgers (366 points)
Percent of Polls: 30.28
First Appearance: 1937
No. Rankings: 1
Championships: 0
Note: Pitt is ranked at No. 23 on the AP list, but the Badgers have more points. There appears to be an error on the AP's part, so we have the Badgers ahead of Pitt for now.
22. Clemson Tigers (411 points)
Percent of Polls: 35.09
First Appearance: 1939
No. 1 Rankings: 7
Championships: 1
21. Arkansas Razorbacks (412 points)
Percent of Polls: 37.17
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 1
Championships: 0
Percent of Polls: 36.36
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 14.5
Championships: 0
19. Michigan State Spartans (443 points)
Percent of Polls: 34
First Appearance: 1948
No. 1 Rankings: 29
Championships: 1
18. Texas A&M Aggies (477 points)
Percent of Polls: 38.44
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 6.5
Championships: 1
17. UCLA Bruins (535 points)
Percent of Polls: 47.23
First Appearance: 1939
No. 1 Rankings: 7
Championships: 0
16. Auburn Tigers (570 points)
Percent of Polls: 48.23
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 9
Championships: 2
15. Georgia Bulldogs (572 points)
Percent of Polls: 48.23
First Appearance: 1941
No. 1 Rankings: 15
Championships: 1
14. Tennessee Volunteers (624 points)
Percent of Polls: 51.50
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 18
Championships: 2
13. Miami Hurricanes (642 points)
Percent of Polls: 41.52
First Appearance: 1950
No. 1 Rankings: 67
Championships: 5
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (647 points)
Percent of Polls: 53.40
First Appearance: 1940
No. 1 Rankings: 19
Championships: 2
11. LSU Tigers (655 points)
Percent of Polls: 52.13
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 30
Championships: 2
10. Florida Gators (674 points)
Percent of Polls: 50.95
First Appearance: 1950
No. 1 Rankings: 41
Championships: 3
9. Florida State Seminoles (714 points)
Percent of Polls: 48.96
First Appearance: 1964
No. 1 Rankings: 22
Championships: 3
8. Texas Longhorns (822 points)
Percent of Polls: 63.74
First Appearance: 1940
No. 1 Rankings: 44.5
Championships: 3
7. Michigan Wolverines (894 points)
Percent of Polls: 73.07
First Appearance: 1938
No. 1 Rankings: 34
Championships: 2
6. Nebraska Cornhuskers (901 points)
Percent of Polls: 65
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 72
Championships: 4
5. USC Trojans (974 points)
Percent of Polls: 67.36
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 90.5
Championships: 5
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (993 points)
Percent of Polls: 67.54
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 174
Championships: 10
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1,042 points)
Percent of Polls: 69.45
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 98
Championships: 8
2. Oklahoma Sooners (1,055 points)
Percent of Polls: 71.08
First Appearance: 1938
No. 1 Rankings: 100.5
Championships: 7
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (1,112 points)
Percent of Polls: 77.24
First Appearance: 1936
No. 1 Rankings: 105
Championships: 5