TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Move over, Notre Dame: there’s a new number one in town. The College Football Research Center (CFRC) says the Alabama Crimson Tide have succeeded the Fighting Irish as the top football program of all time.
Every year, the CFRC creates the Billingsley Report. The report is a statistical evaluation of all FBS college football programs from 1869 to the present. It takes into consideration win percentage, strength of schedule, margin of victory, and national championships. In 2016, Alabama overtook Notre Dame, a school that had held the number one spot since the report was first released in 1996.
The Billingsley Report also takes into consideration the all-time performance of a program. Alabama began to climb up the rankings after Nick Saban’s first national championship with the school in 2009. Its increasing successes led to a leap-frog over longtime number two Michigan in 2014.
“Since this list is compiled from every game played since 1869, movement among the Top 10 Programs is rare, but Alabama’s run of 4 National Championships in 7 years, especially during a time when strength of schedules are the highest in the history of football, created rapid movement for the Tide,” the CFRC reported.
Alabama’s arch-rival, the Auburn Tigers, are currently listed as number 15. That ranking trails other elite programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC, and LSU.
Billingsley’s analyses were an integral part of the BCS system. His numbers continue to be available to members of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
The entire ranking of college football programs can be viewed here.
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