Ranking the 25 Most Dominant College Football Programs of the Last 35 Years

With over two and a half decades as an upper-echelon titan of college football, Nebraska finally beats out the Florida schools for most dominant program of an era. Florida State and Miami still hold their own on this list, but top-tier programs of the 1970s such as Alabama and Oklahoma are starting to crowd the top.

But the most amazing statistic when scanning this list is Boise State. The Broncos still rank as the 23rd most dominant program since 1975 despite not being a Division 1 school until 1996. Boise State's stellar run this last decade helps, but not having any rough decades with losing seasons to counterbalance the 2000s is probably the key to Boise State hanging on.

How did the rest of college football fair over the last 35 seasons? Read on.

Disclaimer:

Some of you may disagree with the results here and decry the whole list as steeped in fool's logic and personal bias. Feel free to leave comments in the suggestion box below. Also keep in mind that I crunched nearly as many numbers as ground control did to slingshot Apollo 13 around the dark side of the moon. So if you spot any miscalculations, let me know and I'll make the corrections.

1. Nebraska Cornhuskers

1975 was Tom Osborne's third year as head coach at Nebraska. It was also his seventh year as the Huskers' offensive coordinator. By his retirement after the 1997 season, Osborne would log 25 years as Nebraska's head coach and a total of 29 as the offensive coordinator.

These facts are no small part in Nebraska's position here as the top program of the last 35 years. While the Huskers have seen many great Blackshirt defenses take the field at Memorial Stadium (especially under defensive coordinator, Charlie McBride) it was really Osborne's offensive brilliance that kept Nebraska atop the college football hierarchy for so long as he was the primary developer of an option attack that was both strikingly effective against opposing defenses and highly influential among offenses in college ball and the NFL alike.

Osborne's high-powered rushing teams won no fewer than 9 games in any single season. 15 of his 25 campaigns saw double-digit wins (in an era when few schools played more than 11 regular season games) including three undefeated seasons in the last four years of his tenure.

But, while Osborne saw great success year-in and year-out, there were always a few thorns in his side. "Sooner Magic" for one. No matter how great a team wore the Scarlet in Cream in Lincoln, the Oklahoma Sooners (led by Barry Switzer) frequently found ways to upset the apple cart. In later years Miami and Florida State would take OU's place as Osborne's albatrosses.

A brilliant Cornhusker run in the early 1980s (when the trio of Turner Gill, Irving Fryar and Mike Rozier lit up scoreboards across the country) saw the Huskers nearly land Osborne his first National Title in three separate seasons. The final missed opportunity came famously in the 1984 Orange Bowl when Osborne opted to go for a two-point conversion to beat national-scene upstarts, Miami, on their own field. An extra point kick would have tied the game and given the Huskers a defacto National Championship. But the conversion pass bounced off a Husker shoulder pad and into the end zone dirt.

Continuing at this pace of "always and bridesmaid, never a bride" -- Nebraska might have ended up as another Ohio State or Michigan. Constantly Top 10, but seldom numero uno.

By the end of the 1980s, prospects looked bleak for Nebraska to ever turn the corner and beat the speedy schools from Florida. Two words had come to define Nebraska football by 1991. Big and slow. In truth, one more adjective needs to be added to capture the essence of Tom Osborne's teams of the 80s and early 90s. And that's "powerful".

Big, slow and powerful. Two assets and a liability. The Cornhuskers were college football's version of the Monsters of the Midway. They ate lesser teams for breakfast. Smashed them into the dirt. They punched gridiron equals straight in the mouth like a heavy-weight palooka and, more often than not, the Huskers remained the last men standing.

But a beast cannot devour what it can't catch. And on January 1st, 1992 in Miami, the Big Red monster found itself shutout 22-0 by the fleet-footed hometown Hurricanes. On that night, Miami claimed a share of its fourth national title in nine years. And not only were the Huskers skunked, but this was the fifth straight bowl loss for Nebraska -- all to speedy teams from the South -- and the margins of loss were growing increasingly wider.

The game had evolved. Speed was the key. Nebraska would refocus its recruiting efforts to compete with the Florida schools. But amazingly, not to the detriment of the Cornhuskers' long-time hallmarks -- size and power.

The result was a dominance never seen before in the modern realm of college football. Mirroring the mid-90s Chicago Bulls of the NBA, college football became a veritable one-team league from 1994 to 1995. Penn State can take issue with that charge for 1994. But certainly in 1995 no team came close to the size, power and speed of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. A team which, that season, perpetrated irrefutably the greatest onslaught of domination ever in Division I football.

Despite recent woes with the hiring (and subsequent firing) of Bill Callahan, the Tom Osborne years with an incredible 60-3, five-season, three-National Title dynasty, plus a respectable run by his successor -- Frank Solich -- and resurgence under Bo Pelini -- Nebraska ends up the top program of the last 35 years.

And, as the cliché goes, it's not even close.

Losing seasons 3
10 win seasons 20
Total wins 342
National Title games played 7
National Title games won 3
Undefeated seasons 3
January wins 8

Total points: 71.2

2. Miami Hurricanes

When Howard Schnellenberger arrived at Miami in 1979, few could have predicted the transformation the Hurricane program was about to undergo. Never a football powerhouse, Miami was at a particular low before the NFL coaching veteran arrived on campus. No gale force winds from Hurricane Ibis. The only air heard around Coral Gables back then was a faint death rattle as the University seriously considered dropping the football program altogether.
But if wind is what you need, you can't go wrong in hiring Howard Schnellenberger. You'll get more than what you asked for and probably with a faint hint of pastrami.

In addition to press-conference bravado, Schnellenberger brought a bold, pro-style passing attack to South Florida which left many college defenses flustered. Add to this an influx of talent from the fertile recruiting grounds of the Sunshine State and Coach Howard soon pulled off the impossible. For a program that had only eight winning seasons in the 20 years prior to his tenure, Schnellenberger brought a National Title home to Miami in just his fifth season as the Hurricane head coach.

Handing the reigns to Jimmy Johnson who was then succeeded by Dennis Erickson, Miami continued on to even greater heights. In just a decade, the program that was almost shut down moved from perennial doormat to perennial curb-stomper as the Hurricanes manhandled their way to a 115-18 record over 11 seasons and three more National Titles.

NCAA sanctions let the steam out of the program for the better part of the 1990s. But Butch Davis kept an even keel (if not a tenure wrought with a lot of wins) and recruited what has been called the most talented college football team of all time -- the 2001 Hurricanes. Davis' successor, Larry Coker, would helm another great dynasty. But Coach Coker would ultimately let the program slide once again.

Miami won more National Titles and played in more National Championships than did the Cornhuskers. But the Hurricanes two dynasties can't completely counterbalance three mediocre skids within the last 35 seasons.

Losing seasons 5
10 win seasons 14
Total wins 302
National Title games played 8
National Title games won 5
Undefeated seasons 3
January wins 11

Total points: 64.7

3. Florida State Seminoles

Bobby Bowden's 14 straight seasons (from 1987 to 2000) of ten or more wins goes a long way in keeping Florida State in the top three of these rankings. (FSU also ranked as the top program of the last 20 years, the second most dominant program of the last 25 years and the third most dominant program of the last 30 years.)

But, while not viewed as juggernaut until the end of the 1980s, the Seminoles also had a stretch in the late 1970s that showed signs of things to come. FSU compiled a 10-2 record in 1977, went 11-0 in the regular season of 1979 before dropping to Oklahoma in the 1980 Orange Bowl and faced the Sooners again a year later on the same field with National Title implications.

While Florida State couldn't keep up with Nebraska and Miami in capturing National Titles, the Seminoles were nonetheless brilliant in January bowl games over the last 35 seasons. They also tied Alabama in number of total wins and only trailed Nebraska in racking up 10-win seasons.

Losing seasons 2
10 win seasons 17
Total wins 318
National Title games played 5
National Title games won 2
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 14

Total points: 63.8

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Hovering around the lower half of the Top 10 for the 30-year, 25-year and 20-year rankings, the last eight years of the Bear Bryant era instantly catapult Alabama toward the top. The late 1970s saw four 11-win seasons including a perfect 12-0 run in 1979 and back-to-back National Titles in 1978-1979. The legendary coach also went 7-1 in January bowl games those last eight seasons. The Crimson Tide won more games than any other program over this stretch, except for Nebraska.

Losing seasons 5
10 win seasons 16
Total wins 318
National Title games played 4
National Title games won 4
Undefeated seasons 3
January wins10

Total points: 62.8

5. Oklahoma Sooners

The further back we go, the less Oklahoma's 1990s slump hurts them. The 1970s were another great decade for the Sooners as Barry Switzer took the helm to crack off a pair of National Titles in the early going.

Losing seasons 6
10 win seasons 16
Total wins 314
National Title games played 7
National Title games won 3
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 8

Total points: 59.4

6. Penn State Nittany Lions

Two National Titles, four National Championship appearances and an excellent January bowl record help Penn State slip past Big 10 rivals Michigan and Ohio State (two programs with -- slightly -- more overall wins over the last 35 years).

Losing seasons 5
10 win seasons 15
Total wins 309
National Title games played 4
National Title games won 2
Undefeated seasons 2
January wins 12

Total points: 56.9

7. Ohio State Buckeyes

The program with the least number of losing seasons over the last 35 years is also the team with the worst record in National Title games. One win and four losses keep the Buckeyes (somewhat) humble.

Losing seasons 2
10 win seasons 14
Total wins 314
National Title games played 5
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 8

Total points: 55.4

8. Florida Gators

The most dominant college football program of the last 5 and 15 years and one of the four most dominant of the last 20, 25 and 30 seasons -- falls like a lead zeppelin as we hit the 1970s. The Gators went through three tumultuous seasons from 1977-1979 as the nation itself went into its own malaise, what with gas rationing, the hostage crises and disco music inspired President Carter to attempt his own "fireside chat". To ill effect.

When the University of Florida dumped coach Doug Dickey (who went 10-11-1 in his last two seasons), his replacement, Charley Pell, took the Gators through their worst season in program history with a winless 0-10-1 campaign. Pell got things turned around quickly for Florida, but that three-season monstrosity of a run was enough to send the Gators plummeting down these rankings.

Losing seasons 3
10 win seasons 12
Total wins 305
National Title games played 4
National Title games won 3
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 9

Total points: 54

9. Michigan Wolverines

Like their conference rivals in Columbus, Michigan has been consistently upper echelon. They just never manage to finish at the very top as often as some of the programs ahead of them. Michigan's status in the Top 10 is helped by an impressive number of January bowl wins.

Losing seasons 3
10 win seasons 15
Total wins 310
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 13

Total points: 53.5

10. USC Trojans

The second most dominant program of the 2000s makes a return to the Top 10 as we as we exit two decades of mediocrity to enter a decade in which the Trojans were just as fearsome as they were during the Pete Carroll era. If not more so.

Losing seasons 7
10 win seasons 11
Total wins 298
National Title games played 4
National Title games won 3
Undefeated seasons 2
January wins 12

Total points: 51.8

11. Texas Longhorns

Losing seasons 7
10 win seasons 15
Total wins 301
National Title games played 4
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 6

Total points: 48.1

12. Georgia Bulldogs

Losing seasons 7
10 win seasons 13
Total wins 298
National Title games played 3
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 11

Total points: 47.3

13. BYU Cougars

Losing seasons 6
10 win seasons 15
Total wins 316
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 1

Total points: 45.1

14. Tennessee Volunteers

Losing seasons 6
10 win seasons10
Total wins 287
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 11

Total points: 42.2

15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Losing seasons 9
10 win seasons 8
Total wins 274
National Title games played 2
National Title games won 2
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 7

Total points: 36.9

16. Virginia Tech Hokies

Losing seasons 7
10 win seasons 11
Total wins 267
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 3

Total points: 33.2

17. Clemson Tigers

Losing seasons 7
10 win seasons 6
Total wins 267
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 5

Total points: 32.2

18. Auburn Tigers

Losing seasons 9
10 win seasons 8
Total wins 271
National Title games played 0
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 2
January wins 8

Total points: 32.1

19. LSU Tigers

Losing seasons 11
10 win seasons 7
Total wins 256
National Title games played 2
National Title games won 2
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 4

Total points: 29.6

20.Texas A&M Aggies

Losing seasons 9
10 win seasons 9
Total wins 270
National Title games played 0
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 3

Total points: 28.5

21. Washington Huskies

Losing seasons 9
10 win seasons 6
Total wins 250
National Title games played 1
National Title games won 1
Undefeated seasons 1
January wins 6

Total points: 28

22. UCLA Bruins

Losing seasons 11
10 win seasons 6
Total wins 256
National Title games played 0
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 7

Total points: 24.1

23. Boise State Broncos

Losing seasons 2
10 win seasons 9
Total wins 134
National Title games played 0
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 2
January wins 2

Total points: 23.4

24. Arkansas Razorbacks

Losing seasons 12
10 win seasons 7
Total wins 255
National Title games played 0
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 3

Total points: 22

25. West Virginia Mountaineers

Losing seasons 12
10 win seasons 5
Total wins 254
National Title games played 2
National Title games won 0
Undefeated seasons 0
January wins 3

Total points: 21.9