Most Successful College Football Teams of All Time

College football is one of the most prestigious sports out there after being around since 1869 when Princeton Tigers took on the Rutgers Scarlett Knights. This article will review the most successful college football teams of all time. Unfortunately, those two teams do not crack this list of the five best college football teams ever.

This list is based on the most recent success, how many Heisman trophy winners there are, how many players were drafted into the NFL and more. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy this list of the most successful college football teams ever.

1: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Even though the Fighting Irish haven’t had the most recent success, they had to make this list because of the pure history of this program. They are one of the most famous college football programs. 

Notre Dame has not won a National Championship since 1988, however, they are still tied for the third most in college football history with 11. They also rank 1st in all-time Heisman Trophy winners, the most recent being WR Tim Brown, who won it in 1987 and went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer in 2015. 

Notre Dame has also had the most players drafted into the NFL. Some of the most famous ones are Joe Montana and Jerome Bettis while some of the more recent include offensive linemen Quintun Nelson and Zack Martin. Notre Dame has been known to be an offensive line factory. 

2: Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs making this list has a bit of recency bias on it, with their most recent success with Kirby Smart leading the program. They have won two out of the last three National Championships, losing only two times in three years. Kirby Smart has a record of 91-15 and the highest winning percentage in school history.

The Bulldogs, as of late, have been being drafted like crazy, as every NFL team seems to want to have a part of this team. They have had 376 players drafted into the NFL, including a modern-day record when they had 15 players drafted in a single draft in 2022.

3: Ohio State Buckeyes

We could not leave the Ohio State Buckeyes off of this list. They may not have won a National Championship in almost a decade, but they have stayed a mainstay atop the Big Ten for many of those years and have still won eight National Championships

The Buckeyes rank first all-time in three major categories in college football. They are tied for first with Notre Dame and Oklahoma with seven Heiman Trophy winners. They also have the highest total win percentage of all time and the most weeks ranked within the AP Poll.

4: Michigan Wolverines

We have decided to place the Michigan Wolverines in the two spot for the best college football teams ever. They have just won the most recent National Championship, which was their 12th, ranking second all-time. 

Michigan also holds the record for most wins as they were the first to surpass 1,000 victories in college football history. They have also done well in other categories as well, sitting as one of six teams with over 400 players drafted into the NFL. None more famous than the G.O.A.T. himself, Tom Brady, who was drafted in the sixth round and won seven Super Bowls.

5: Alabama Crimson Tide

This should not be a surprise to anyone that the Alabama Crimson Tide is the most successful college football team of all time. When you think of Alabama football you think of Nick Saban now, but before him, they also had the great Bear Bryant.

On the back of those two coaches, Alabama has won 18 National Championships, which is six more than the next closest team. They also have the second-most wins, only behind the University of Michigan. 

Alabama has also had the most success sending players to the NFL Draft, as they have had the most first-round draft picks in NFL history. Alabama is the number one most successful team in college football history.