AP Names Ohio State's Football Program Greatest of All Time

In the first Associated Press list of all-time best football programs, the Ohio State Buckeyes are number one.

The AP used the following formula to determine the top 25 teams:

• poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency,
• No. 1 rankings (two points) to acknowledge elite programs
• and gave a bonus for AP championships (10 points)

The Buckeyes collected a total of 1,112 points with a combination of 852 poll appearances, 105 No. 1 rankings and five championships.

The '70s were a great decade for the Bucks, who appeared in 92.57 percent of all polls, while the '40s were the worst, when Ohio State only appeared in 55.68 percent of all polls.

Fun Fact: The AP poll goes back 80 years, and in that period of time, there have been only three seasons when Ohio State was not ranked at least once — the fewest of any program.

Here are the top five teams and how they scored:

1. Ohio State (1,112 Points)
2. Oklahoma (1,055 Points)
3. Notre Dame (1,042 Points)
4. Alabama (993 Points)
5. Southern California (974 Points)

So, where does that leave Michigan?

The team up north ranked seventh, garnering 894 points (218 points less than tOSU).

Interesting note: The Wolverines were the first team to appear in every poll over the course of a full decade, accomplishing this in the '70s under coach Bo Schembechler. The Buckeyes' best full decade was in the 70's also — under coach Woody Hayes. Hopefully, Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh can bring the rivalry back to that level.