Ranking Top 10 College Football Teams of All Time

The college football odds have Georgia and Ohio State as the teams to beat in the odds of winning the national title. It remains to be seen how the national championship team will be viewed as the years ago by.

With the first games of the 2024 season coming up later this month, let’s take a look at the top-rated NCAA football teams of all time.

Here’s a look at the top 10 teams in college football history.

The 10 Top College Football Teams Of All Time

1. 1971 Nebraska

Nebraska had one tough game against rival Oklahoma in what was dubbed the Game of the Century and easily makes our list of the top ten college football teams in history.

The Cornhuskers beat the teams ranked second, third, and fourth in the final national poll on the way to a 13-0 season and the national title.

That season set the stage for Johnny Rodgers to become a Heisman Trophy winner. He was one of three consensus All-Americans.

Any questions about which team should win the national title ended with a 38-6 win over No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Tonight, we’re taking you back to 1971 for a game in Norman, OK you may have heard about:

{ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 }
#1 Nebraska vs. #2 Oklahoma

Catch the #TBT Watch Party at 6:30pm on Facebook, featuring 1 of 2 moments left in our #BigRedFanVote. pic.twitter.com/r17qNIX83E

— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) April 30, 2020

2. 2004 USC

The fact that two wins were later vacated by the NCAA can’t erase the memories of how dynamic this team was.

The only thing keeping USC from being higher on our list of best college football teams were some closer-than-anticipated matchups against unranked Stanford and Oregon State teams.

Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy and he might not have been the best player in the offensive backfield for the Trojans since Reggie Bush was the player who scared opposing defensive coordinators the most.

3. 1995 Nebraska

With Heisman Trophy runner-up Tommie Frazier doing it all, Nebraska won each of its games by at least 14 points, always topping college football rankings.

Head coach Tom Osborne suspended star running back Lawrence Phillips after he was accused of assaulting another Nebraska student-athlete. Future NFL RB Ahman Green was just fine at the position in place of Phillips as Nebraska had one of the most dominant running games in college football history.

4. 2005 Texas

Texas was listed by the college football betting lines as the underdog going up against the defending national champion USC Trojans.

USC’s 34-game winning streak came screeching to a halt as Texas quarterback Vince Young had a performance for the ages. Texas trailed by 12 points with four minutes to play but the decision to have star tailback Reggie Bush on the sidelines for the Trojans’ most important offensive play rivals the call for a late pass play against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl as the worst coaching decisions in Pete Carroll’s career. It set the stage for Young’s game-winning TD run.

Vince Young. 4th and 5 🌹

One of college football’s all-time great performances. pic.twitter.com/vXBeWe1wfT

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 1, 2024

Texas averaged more than 50 points per game during the perfect season.

5. 2001 Miami

Miami’s 2001 squad makes out fifth pick for the best college football teams of all time.

If not for Vinnie Testaverde throwing passes right to Penn State players, the 1986 team might be considered the best Hurricanes squad of all time. Not even a change in head coach could slow down the 2001 Miami team with Larry Coker leading Miami to a 12-0 season.

Future NFL players Ed Reed, Jonathan Vilma, Sean Taylor, and D.J. Williams were part of a ferocious defense with Clinton Portis, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Ken Dorsey, Bryant McKinnie, and Frank Gore among the offensive stars.

There were 17 players on that team who would be first-round picks.

6. 2018 Clemson

Has it really only been six years since freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence led Clemson to a 15-0 season? Clemson had a pair of tough tests against ranked Texas A&M and Syracuse teams but the average margin of victory in the final 10 games was 36.1 points. They were always a great pick at BetUS Sportsbook.

Clemson beat Notre Dame 30-3 and Alabama 44-16 in the two College Football Playoff games and that was enough for this to be considered as one of the best teams of all time. Being able to line Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, and Dexter Lawrence up on the defensive almost seems unfair.

7. 1972 USC

The Trojans were barely inside the top 10 in the national polls when the season began but it all changed when USC beat six ranked opponents culminating with a 42-17 win against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Running back Anthony Davis and receiver Lynn Swann were the big names on the offense.

8. 1979 Alabama

This was probably the best of Bear Bryant’s teams. The defense posted five shutouts and Alabama had just two one-score games on the way to the national title.

E.J. Junior and Don McNeal are probably the best-known players off the defense while future NFL Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson anchored an offensive line that paved the way for five running backs to run for more than 200 yards.

9. 1968 Ohio State

Five players from that sophomore class would be taken in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft led by running back John Brockington and safety Jack Tatum. That was back when there were just 26 NFL teams. Tight end Jan White made it six Buckeyes to go in the first 29 picks in a draft featuring five future Pro Football Hall of Famers.

There were some close calls early for a team featuring plenty of sophomores in key roles during an era when freshmen were ineligible to play. Ohio State beat three top-five teams by double digits.

10. 1956 Oklahoma

The defense allowed 5.1 points per game as Oklahoma wrapped up a third straight undefeated season.

There was a quirky rule that the Big Seven Conference would not allow teams to play in bowl games in consecutive seasons back when there weren’t 5-7 squads playing in bowls.

The only drawback for this team was that Colorado was the only ranked team that the Sooners faced. However, three straight undefeated seasons is enough to make this list.

Lineman Jerry Tubbs would be a first-round pick and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting – one spot behind teammate Tommy McDonald.

If you’re planning to bet on college football in 2024, make sure to check the latest NCAA football news before you place your wagers!

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