Sports Illustrated Ranks Top 10 all-time programs, Michigan comes in 3rd
August 12th, 2019 at 3:36 PM ^
List for the Board
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Notre Dame
7. Nebraska
8. Penn State
9. Tennessee
10. Oklahoma
August 12th, 2019 at 4:22 PM ^
Beer for the board.
August 12th, 2019 at 6:17 PM ^
I hate notre Dame more than OSU, but seems like they have a good claim to be ranked better than OSU all time.
August 12th, 2019 at 8:17 PM ^
4 of the 10 are current B1G teams, 3 of them are teams that have historically been in the B1G, not bad.
August 12th, 2019 at 8:56 PM ^
not sure I would say Penn State has historically been in the B1G
August 12th, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
They’ve been in the B1G 26 years, right? I mean (much to my chagrin) that is definitely some history.
August 13th, 2019 at 12:39 AM ^
which national championship (the reason they are on the list) do they claim as a B1G member?
August 13th, 2019 at 1:33 PM ^
All of them. Because they are in the Big Ten. Just like Nebraska’s historic games playing on the BIG Ten network. The history follows the team into their current conference.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
Appreciate you adding the proper link. When I started the thread it was highlighted but something went awry. I guess it's what I deserve for being on MGoblog on work time
August 12th, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
Any by all time they mean since since the year 2000. We are the third best all-time program if you assume all programs began about 19 years ago cause that's the ONLY way OSU and Alabama get in front of us.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:33 PM ^
The nattering nabobs of negativism on this site don't like our older wins to count either.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
These guys?
August 12th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
Yep, that's them.
August 12th, 2019 at 4:16 PM ^
They appear to be an ornery looking bunch...
August 12th, 2019 at 3:38 PM ^
Yeah, saw the list and thought “recency bias” immediately. Subjective lists like this one are dumb and just there to get eyeballs anyhow.
August 13th, 2019 at 12:45 PM ^
I just did a ranking of all the Top Ten Sports Magazines of all time and Sports Illustrated came in Third.
August 13th, 2019 at 1:41 PM ^
Phil Steele has the top 25. You pick the year and order.
August 12th, 2019 at 4:19 PM ^
Shockingly, this hasn't been the best 20 year period for Alabama football. That happened from 1960-79.
August 12th, 2019 at 5:23 PM ^
There's some recency bias but what you're claiming is just ridiculous. Michigan wouldn't be on this list at all if the metric was "since the year 2000."
August 12th, 2019 at 6:12 PM ^
Maize and Blue glasses for you.
Most wins 1966-2015:
- Nebraska 476
- Oklahoma 455
- Ohio State 450
- Penn State 439*
- Michigan, Alabama 434
- Florida State 425
- Georgia 420
- Texas 419
- USC 415*
August 12th, 2019 at 9:44 PM ^
How nice - you found a 50 year stretch that doesn't completely contradict the argument (with 30% of that period being highly atypical for the program and some of the worst years in it's history)... Except that college football is 150 years old and "all time" would reflect more than just 1/3 of the sport's history.
But hey, don't let logic get in your way... it's all just "maize colored glasses" I'm sure.
August 12th, 2019 at 11:34 PM ^
Referring to the last 50 years as "found 50 years" is totally disingenuous. People frequently omit earlier portions of college football's history for several reasons. Sometimes because the rules of the game were so much different in early years. Sometimes because many college football programs just didn't even exist.
Narrowing down stats to a smaller and more recent sample size sometimes better illustrates what the landscape of college football is actually like rather than wrapping it up with 12-man rosters playing rugby.
August 13th, 2019 at 8:43 AM ^
The rules were effectively established by the early 20th century - there have been no profound changes since, only minor tweaks. And simply because there were fewer college teams at a given time does NOT mean the landscape was any less competitive - some of the fiercest rivalries were established then BECAUSE the games were so tenacious.
People try to marginalize those times when they have nothing to tout from it (or because it adds emphasis on what they've done recently).
August 12th, 2019 at 9:12 PM ^
Riiiight, because we would be top 3 starting 2000...
August 13th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
I know we're all Michigan fans. But it's really ugly to be this blind. The only way we get in front of them is if you start prior to 1900. Try it yourself.
Best win percentage since 1900: OSU, ND, Alabama, Michigan
Since 1910: OSU, Bama, ND, Oklahoma, Michigan (I'm leaving Boise off of these lists)
1920: OSU, Bama, OU, ND, Michigan
1930: OSU, OU, A, M
1940: OSU, OU, A, Penn State, M
1950: OSU, OU, A, PSU, Nebraska, M
And on and on it goes. Add in the fact that OSU, Alabama, ND and everybody else effectively dwarf our National Championships in anybody's lifetime and this is some incredible homerism. For fans of an historic program, not a lot of knowledge about college football history around here.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:31 PM ^
Smirk. Penn State should have an asterix. 298 of their wins were vacated, but the NCAA wimped out and reinstated them.
August 12th, 2019 at 6:09 PM ^
Pet peeve: Why can't anybody say the word "asterisk"?
Aste-, like in Asteroid
-risk, like in Risk
It's such a simple word and everybody on the planet says "Asterikskxkxst".
August 12th, 2019 at 7:09 PM ^
Mine would be people expressing their views on "nucular" weapons and "nucular" energy. Kills me.
August 12th, 2019 at 9:32 PM ^
I once heard someone on the radio (morning show type) insisting that “nuclear” and “nucular” were different words, with different meanings. I had to turn it off to preserve my remaining IQ points.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:34 PM ^
Top 10 of all time (yet incredibly slanted towards the last 15 years). Sounds right for today's sports media.
August 12th, 2019 at 5:11 PM ^
In what way? They have Tennessee and Nebraska who have not been good the last 15 years basically at all.
August 12th, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
Michigan is behind Ohio State despite the fact that we've played them virtually every year for the past century and hold a 58-50-6 lead over them in the series. Ohio State is ahead of us solely due to their performance in the past 15 years.
August 13th, 2019 at 8:46 PM ^
I read on one of the OSU boards, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, OSU has only 2 losing seasons since the mid 1960s: one of the first Cooper years and the Fickell year of 2011 (they went 6-7). That's pretty darn solid. Woody choked away several NCs in the late 60s (1969 !!!!! - I was there) and early 70s along with Cooper who had several almost NC teams but failed and we all know the Cooper story (wish he was still there). The one I'm having problems with is Tennessee ahead of Oklahoma.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
Oklahoma, USC, and Notre Dame all seem low.
August 12th, 2019 at 4:34 PM ^
No national championship in the last ten years.
August 12th, 2019 at 5:20 PM ^
I don't know if you're joking or if you really lack that much self-awareness.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
"Top-10 of all-time rankings"
The Buckeyes only trail Michigan in all-times wins (953-911), but their two titles this century (2002, 2014) put OSU above its bitter Big Ten rival.
Oh okay, so it's top programs of all time..........with ultra recent history reflecting it.
Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the list?
August 12th, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^
The Top Programs of All Time, Recently.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:45 PM ^
You nailed it. Sounds like a Yogi Berra quote.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:48 PM ^
All Time ain't as long as it used to be.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:57 PM ^
Top Ten Programs of All Time in the Last 20 Years Ever
August 12th, 2019 at 3:58 PM ^
If ultra recent history was a factor, we wouldn't be top 10. One national title since 1950 and 15 years without a conference title says we should be happy to be #3 on this list. I'm just happy to see so much distance between #1 and ND.
August 12th, 2019 at 5:59 PM ^
"One national title since 1950 . . " A point so often overlooked.
Alabama has won TWELVE national titles since 1960 (AP, UPI-Coaches, or both).
Ohio State has won five national titles since since 1950 (again, either AP, UPI-Coaches, or both).
National titles aren't everything, but the fact the Michigan program has won one national title since 1950 and two total since the AP poll era began nearly 85 years ago is somewhat damning.
In short, Michigan is #3 on this list mainly because of what it accomplished 100 or so years ago.
August 12th, 2019 at 7:10 PM ^
Or what they have accomplished all time?
August 12th, 2019 at 7:10 PM ^
Or what they have accomplished all time? Could be a factor?
August 12th, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
People crap on old Michigan wins, and I can see the point, but I have some problems with it. First, Michigan has been so influential in shaping the sport. Probably moreso than any other program. You don't get college football today with the Michigan of the past. Second, perhaps more importantly, the way things were set up until the last few decades was unique and interesting, but still really dumb in terms of crowning champs. Yes, fuck Paterno, but I believe he had 2 teams finish undefeated without a championship. And didn't champs get crowned before bowl games until the 70s or so? Not to mention it's insane we play bowl games so long after the season. So much can change. Damn near half of all seasons have had a legit complaint about the winner, someone being left out, etc.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
They should figure in program punishments as a factor. Alabama and OSU would fall off the list.
August 12th, 2019 at 7:27 PM ^
Yes. The truth is that the playing field is so far from level over the last three or four decades that it's a wonder Michigan is able to compete as well as they do.
August 12th, 2019 at 3:43 PM ^
You can't rank programs 1-2-3-4 all-time clearly in any sport. It's a pointless exercise because a) for a good chunk of college football history you played teams in your region only and b) everyone thinks their team is the best
Here's a better way to do it.
Blue bloods in alphabetical order: Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, USC
Second tier: Georgia, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee
The fact TENNESSEE is ahead of Oklahoma automatically disqualifies this to be taken seriously.