College football rankings: Top 10 teams to spend the most weeks ranked No. 1

Which college football teams spent the most weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll?

When you’re No. 1 in the AP Poll, a college football team feels like it’s on top of the world.

FOX College Football tweeted out a graphic of the 10 programs who have spent the most weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll. The AP Poll has been around a long time, but not forever. It was first unveiled in 1934 and run regularly since 1936. Preseason polls first came about in 1950. Though the College Football Playoff reigns supreme these days, the AP Poll is still very important.

In order of dominance the for the better part of a century, here is how the top 10 shakes out.

These college football teams spent the most weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (122)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (105)
3. Oklahoma Sooners (101)
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (98)
5. USC Trojans (91)
6. Florida State Seminoles (72)
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (70)
8. Miami Hurricanes (68)
9. Texas Longhorns (45)
10. Florida Gators (41)

None of these blue-blood program’s appearance in the top 10 comes as much of a surprise. It’s interesting how only the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oklahoma Sooners are the only programs to have been ranked at No. 1 100 times or more. It’s also interesting how these are three of the best programs in the country today.

While Notre Dame seems to have found itself under Brian Kelly, the six teams that follow the Irish haven’t exactly been championship-caliber of late. Only the Florida State Seminoles have played in a College Football Playoff game of this cluster. Maybe the Texas Longhorns or the Florida Gators join the party in year seven of the current postseason format’s existence?

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1266422710931910656

Though most of these programs have a long tradition of winning, it’s fascinating how the three Florida schools are all included, despite none of them being national powers until the last few decades. Miami became The U in the 1980s, Florida State rose to prominence under Bobby Bowden and until Steve Spurrier coached his alma mater, Florida wasn’t a great program.

While we’re not likely to see many of these teams fall out of the top 10 in the next decade, let’s keep an eye on Nebraska. The Cornhuskers may not ever be able to recapture their blue-blood status, given the ever-changing college landscape. They can’t run the wishbone and crush Big Eight competition outside of former rival Oklahoma. Oh, how the times have changed.

Looking at the 10 best programs in the history of the AP Poll, are you shocked by who’s included?

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