Espn Ranks Prestige Programs 1-119

[Baby Arm!]

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Who is No. 1? That debate rages weekly during each college football season, and often long after the season is over and the trophies have been handed out. The debate is as much a part of the annual ritual as the touchdowns, fight songs and bowl games.

If you think that process can spark a debate, try ranking each FBS team's all-time position in college football history.

But the ESPN Research Department devised a plan to settle the argument. Their system lets the numbers do the talking.

ESPN's Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). They ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2-119) of the past 73 seasons.

Here are the results:

1. Oklahoma: 1,986

2. USC: 1,897

3. Ohio State: 1,655

4. Notre Dame: 1,579

5. Nebraska: 1,553

6. Alabama: 1,534

7. Texas: 1,494

8. Michigan: 1,332

9. Florida State: 1,110

10. Miami: 1,109

11. Penn State: 1,088

12. Tennessee: 1,072

13. LSU: 926

14. Georgia: 888

15. Florida: 834

16. UCLA: 738

17. Washington: 634

18. Georgia Tech: 610

19. Arkansas: 604

20. Texas A&M: 584

21. Auburn: 579

22. Clemson: 486

22. Colorado: 486

24. Ole Miss: 477

25. Brigham Young: 476

26. Michigan State: 454

27. Pittsburgh: 444

28. Arizona State: 408

29. Syracuse: 407

30. Iowa: 368

T-31. Maryland: 352

T-31. TCU: 352

33. Minnesota: 341

34. Wisconsin: 317

35. West Virginia: 315

36. Missouri: 314

37. Virginia Tech: 303

38. Duke: 297

39. Army: 284

40. Boston College: 280

41. North Carolina: 277

42. Texas Tech: 267

43. Utah: 264

44. California: 260

45. Stanford: 242

46. Navy: 239

47. Houston: 229

48. Miami (Ohio): 220

49. Illinois: 219

50. Purdue: 210

51. Wyoming: 188

52. Toledo: 184

53. Oregon: 177

54. Boise State: 172

55. Fresno State: 169

56. Oregon State: 160

57. Air Force: 154

58. North Carolina State: 152

59. Louisville: 146

60. Arizona: 144

61. SMU: 138

62. Rice: 137

63. Baylor: 129

64. Tulsa: 123

65. Oklahoma State: 115

66. Virginia: 101

67. Southern Miss: 99

68. Bowling Green: 94

T-69. Kentucky: 86

T-69. Kansas: 86

T-71. San Diego State: 80

T-71. Nevada: 80

73. Hawaii: 75

74. San Jose State: 72

75. Colorado State: 69

76. Kansas State: 66

T-77. Washington State: 65

T-77. Central Michigan: 65

79. Marshall: 62

80. Northwestern: 60

81. Mississippi State: 59

82. Cincinnati: 58

83. South Carolina: 55

84. Ball State: 48

85. Troy: 40

86. East Carolina: 26

87. South Florida: 22

T-88. North Texas: 20

T-88. Florida Atlantic: 20

90. Connecticut: 17

91. UCF: 16

92. Louisiana Tech: 13

T-93. Ohio: 11

T-93. Tulane: 11

T-95. Utah State: 9

T-95. Middle Tennessee: 9

T-95. Wake Forest: 9

98. Western Michigan: 7

99. Northern Illinois: 6

100. UNLV: 1

101. Rutgers: minus-6

102. Indiana: minus-8

103. Buffalo: minus-11

104. New Mexico: minus-14

T-105. UAB: minus-15

T-105. Florida International: minus-15

107. Arkansas State: minus-17

108. Akron: minus-21

109. UL Lafayette: minus-23

110. Memphis: minus-24

111. UTEP: minus-26

112. UL Monroe: minus-27

113. Eastern Michigan: minus-36

114. Iowa State: minus-53

115. Temple: minus-56

116. Kent State: minus-59

117. New Mexico State: minus-60

118. Idaho: minus-64

119. Vanderbilt: minus-73

[Mean Green 93-98]

Pretty big drop-off in points between nos. 85 and 86.

I've got to imagine we'd be a lot higher on this list if it had been done 30 years ago.

[shaft]

ESPN.com will also have us starting the season on the Bottom 10 poll.