Ohio State Tops AP's All-Time Top 100
RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer
The Associated Press has been ranking the best teams in college football for the last 80 seasons. Since the first Top 20 in 1936, 1,103 polls have been taken and 164 schools have been ranked. Minnesota was the first No. 1 in 1936. Western Kentucky was the last team to make its poll debut (in the final poll of the 2015 season). In between, Muhlenburg, NYU and Colorado College have made appearances.
To determine an all-time Top 100 for the first time, the AP counted poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency, No. 1 rankings (2 points) to acknowledge elite programs and gave a big bonus for AP championships won (10 points).
The results are here and below:
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No. 1 Ohio State (1,112 points)
Total appearances: 852, 77.24 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 105.
Championships: Five (last 2014).
Best full decade: 1970s appeared in 92.57 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 55.68 percent of polls.
Poll point: There have only been three seasons during the 80-year history of the AP poll in which the Buckeyes were not ranked at least once, the fewest poll-less seasons of any program.
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No. 2 Oklahoma (1,055 points)
Total appearances: 784, 71.08 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1938.
No. 1 rankings: 100½.
Championships: Seven (last 2000).
Best full decade: 1950s appeared in 94.83 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1960s appeared in 28.57 percent of polls.
Poll points: The Sooners have been top-five in percentage of poll appearances in five decades (1950s, '70s, '80s, 2000, '10), most of any program.
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No. 3 Notre Dame (1,042 points)
Total appearances: 766, 69.45 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 98.
Championships: Eight (last 1988).
Best full decade: 1940s appeared in 96.59 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 2000s appeared in 45.18 percent of polls.
Poll points: The Fighting Irish were ranked at least once every season from the first poll in 1936 through 1961.
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No. 4 Alabama (993 points)
Total appearances: 745, 67.54 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 74.
Championships: 10 (last 2015).
Best full decade: 1970s appeared in 91.22 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s appeared in 18.97 percent of polls.
Poll point: From Nov. 3, 1980-Oct. 26, 2008, Alabama was only ranked No. 1 once — the final poll of the 1992 season. The Tide has been top-ranked 43 times since under coach Nick Saban.
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No. 5 Southern California (974 points)
Total appearances: 743, 67.36 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 90½.
Championships: Five (last 2004).
Best full decade: 1970s appeared in 89.86 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 47.43 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Trojans were top-ranked 42 times from Dec. 7, 2003-Sept. 21, 2008, under coach Pete Carroll.
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No. 6 Nebraska (901 points)
Total appearances: 717, 65 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 72.
Championships: Four (last 1995).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 100 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s appeared in 5.17 percent of polls.
Poll point: Mostly under coach Tom Osborne, the Cornhuskers were unranked in only three polls combined during the 1970s, '80s and '90s — appearing in 99.35 percent over three decades.
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No. 7 Michigan (894 points)
Total appearances: 806, 73.07 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1938.
No. 1 rankings: 34.
Championships: Two (last 1997).
Best full decade: 1970s appeared in 100 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1960s appeared in 26.98 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Wolverines were first team to appear in every poll over the course of a full decade, when they did it in the 1970s under coach Bo Schembechler.
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No. 8 Texas (822 points)
Total appearances: 703, 63.74 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1940.
No. 1 rankings: 44 ½.
Championships: Three (last 2005).
Best full decade: 2000s appeared in 99.40 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1990s appeared in 47.34 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Longhorns have not had a top-10 ranking since Sept. 19, 2010, the program's longest such streak since Nov. 26, 1984-Nov. 4, 1990.
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No. 9 Florida State (714 points)
Total appearances: 540, 48.96 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1964.
No. 1 rankings: 72.
Championships: Three (last 2013).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 100 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s, no poll appearances. (Florida State started football program in 1947).
Poll point: From Nov. 11, 1990-Sept. 9, 2001, the Seminoles were never ranked lower than 11th under coach Bobby Bowden.
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No. 10 Florida (674 points)
Total appearances: 562, 50.95 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1950.
No. 1 rankings: 41.
Championships: Three (last 2008).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 98.82 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s, no poll appearances.
Poll point: The Gators had no top-three rankings before Nov. 26, 1984. They had 95 top-three rankings after.
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No. 11 LSU (655 points).
Total appearances: 575, 52.13 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 30.
Championships: Two (last 2007).
Best full decade: 2000s appeared in in 82.53 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s appeared in 25.86 percent of polls.
Poll point: After being unranked for most of the 1950s, the Tigers held the No. 1 ranking 14 times in 1958 and '59 — then went 48 years before being ranked No. 1 again (2007).
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No. 12 Penn State (647 points).
Total appearances: 589, 53.40 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1940.
No. 1 rankings: 19.
Championships: Two (last 1986).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 95.27 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s appeared in 20.69 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Nittany Lions have not been ranked at any point during the last four seasons (2011-15). Since making their poll debut in 1940, Penn State had never gone more than three seasons without being ranked at least once.
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No. 13 Miami (642 points).
Total appearances: 458, 41.52 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1950.
No. 1 rankings: 67.
Championships: Five (last 2001).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 81.66 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s no poll appearances. (First poll appearance was 1950)
Poll point: The Hurricanes made 367 of their poll appearances (80.13 percent) between Sept. 29, 1980-Jan. 4, 2006.
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No. 14 Tennessee (624 points)
Total appearances: 568, 51.50 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 18.
Championships: Two (last 1998).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 93.49 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1980s appeared in 29.19 percent of polls.
Poll point: From 1936-59, no Southeastern Conference team had more poll appearances (134) than the Volunteers.
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No 15 Georgia (572 points)
Total appearances: 532, 48.23 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1941.
No. 1 rankings: 15.
Championships: One (1980).
Best full decade: 2000s appeared in 85.54 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1950s appeared in 11.21 percent of polls.
Poll point: Since 1975, the Bulldogs have had only two seasons (1990 and '96) during which they have not been ranked for at least one week.
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No. 16 Auburn (570 points)
Total appearances: 532, 48.23 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: Nine.
Championships: Two (last 2010).
Best full decade: 1980s appeared in 75.78 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 2.27 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Deep South's oldest rivals, Auburn and Georgia, enter 2016 with the same amount of poll appearances. The overall record in 119 games between the two teams is Georgia 56, Auburn 55 and eight ties.
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No. 17 UCLA (535 points)
Total appearances: 521, 47.23 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1939.
No. 1 rankings: Seven.
Championships: None.
Best full decade: 1980s appeared in 72.67 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 29.55 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Bruins are the highest-ranked team to never win a championship.
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No. 18 Texas A&M (447 points)
Total appearances: 424, 38.44 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 6½.
Championships: One (1939).
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 83.43 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1960s appeared in 2.38 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Aggies were last No. 1 on Nov. 11, 1957, and have not been No. 2 since Dec. 1, 1975.
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No. 19 Michigan State (443 points)
Total appearances: 375, 34 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1948.
No. 1 rankings: 29.
Championships: One (1952).
Best full decade: 1960s appeared in 74.14 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1980s appeared in 16.15 percent of polls.
Poll point: Has the most No. 1 rankings for a program not ranked No. 1 since the 1960s.
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No. 20 Washington (430 points)
Total appearances: 401, 36.36 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 14½.
Championships: None.
Best full decade: 1990s appeared in 75.74 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1960s appeared in 16.67 percent of polls.
Poll point: Eleven times in the last 12 seasons, the Huskies have made either just one or no poll appearances.
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No. 21 Arkansas (412 points)
Total appearances: 410, 37.17 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: One.
Championships: None.
Best full decade: 1970s appeared in 66.22 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 7.95 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Razorbacks have 30 top-three rankings, but only one (Nov. 20, 2011) since 1978.
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No. 22 Clemson (411 points)
Total appearances: 387, 35.09 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1939.
No. 1 rankings: Seven.
Championships: One (1981).
Best full decade: 1980s appeared in 58.39 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1960s appeared in 3.97 percent of polls.
Poll point: Before the Tigers national championship season in 1981, their best ranking was No. 5 on Sept. 21, 1959.
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No. 23 Pittsburgh (356 points)
Total appearances: 294, 26.65 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1936.
No. 1 rankings: 21.
Championships: Two (last 1976)
Best full decade: 1980s appeared in 50.93 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1940s appeared in 3.41 percent of polls.
Poll point: The Panthers have not had a top-five appearance during the regular season since Dec. 6, 1982.
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No. 24 Wisconsin (336 points)
Total appearances: 334, 30.28 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1937.
No. 1 rankings: One.
Championships: None.
Best full decade: 1960s appeared in 63.69 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1980s appeared in 1.86 percent of polls.
Poll point: During a 29-year span from 1964-92, the Badgers had just 10 poll appearances. Since '92, Wisconsin has made 215 poll appearances.
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No. 25 Iowa (329 points)
Total appearances: 307, 27.83 percent of all polls.
First appearance: 1939.
No. 1 rankings: 7.
Championships: None.
Best full decade: 1980s appeared in 46.58 percent of polls.
Worst full decade: 1970s no poll appearances.
Poll point: The Hawkeyes worst decade ('70s) was followed by their best after Hayden Fry took over as coach in 1979.
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The rest
No. 26 Georgia Tech, 320 points.
No. 27 Colorado, 316.
No. 28 Oregon, 293.
No. 29 Mississippi, 290.
No. 30 Arizona State, 284.
No. 31 Virginia Tech, 276.
No. 32 Stanford, 272.
No. 33 West Virginia, 271.
No. 34 BYU, 258.
No. 35 Missouri, 256.
No. 36 Purdue, 246.
No. 37 Minnesota, 241.
No. 38 North Carolina, 240.
No. 39 TCU, 234.
No. 40 Maryland, 230.
No. 41 Syracuse, 221.
No. 42 Army, 214.
No. 43 Oklahoma State, 208.
No. 44 Kansas State, 207.
No. 45 California, 199.
No. 46 Mississippi State, 195.
No. 47, Baylor, 187.
No. 48 South Carolina, 185.
No. 49 Houston, 184.
No. 50 Northwestern, 183.
No. 51 Illinois, 181.
No. 52 Virginia, 174.
No. 53 Duke, 172.
No. 54 Arizona, 168.
No. 55 SMU, 165.
No. 56 N.C. State, 149.
No. 57 Boston College, 141.
No. 58 Texas Tech, 137.
No. 59 Washington State, 129.
No. 60 Navy, 128.
No. 61 Boise State, 127.
No. 62 Louisville, 119.
No. 63 Kansas, 108.
No. 64 Utah, 100.
No. 65 Oregon State, 95.
No. 66 Penn, 89.
No. 67 Air Force, 78.
No. 68 Kentucky, 75.
No. 69 Rice, 70.
No. 70 Tulane, 62.
No. 71 Wyoming, 56.
No. 72 Indiana, 55.
(tie) Fresno State, 55.
(tie) Southern Mississippi, 55.
(tie) Cornell, 55.
No. 76 Toledo, 45.
No. 77 Santa Clara, 43.
(tie) Tulsa, 43.
(tie) Colorado State, 43.
No. 80 Wake Forest, 42.
No. 81 Cincinnati, 41.
(tie) Miami (Ohio), 41.
No. 83 Fordham, 40.
(tie) Iowa State, 40.
No. 85 Holy Cross, 39.
No. 86 Rutgers, 38.
No. 87 Dartmouth, 37.
No. 88 East Carolina, 37.
No. 89 Vanderbilt, 31.
No. 90 Yale, 30.
No. 91 Princeton, 29.
(tie) Marshall, 29.
No. 93 Hawaii, 28.
No. 94 USF, 26.
No. 95 Villanova, 25.
No. 96 Northern Illinois, 23.
No. 97 Duquesne, 20.
No. 98 Iowa Pre-Flight, 18.
No. 99 Columbia, 16.
(tie) William & Mary, 16.
(tie) Nevada, 16.
(tie) Bowling Green, 16.
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