SI doesn't know everything and it's just another person's opinion, but one more vote for the Husker's helmet status
https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/best-programs-college-football-history
The article did not give what criteria were used, and how they were weighted, to arrive at its results, but the results seem questionable to me.
Naturally, what stands out to me is OU #10, with Tennessee, Penn State, Nebraska and Texas ranked higher. I see total wins mentioned, along with national championships.
Total wins matters, but so does winning percentage. One stat favors longevity, the other performance. When considering 150 years, longevity does matter. But does what teams did in the 1880s matter as much as what they did in the 1980s?
So, OU has more wins and a higher winning percentage than Penn State, as well as more conference championships and more national championships. Admittedly, Penn State was an independent for most of its history, but that is a factor that can cut both ways. OU leads head-to-head 2-0 FWIW.
Compared to Tennessee, OU has more wins, a higher winning percentage, more conference championships, and more national championships. OU leads head-to-head 3-1, FWIW.
Compared to Nebraska, OU has more wins (by 1), a higher winning percentage, more conference championships, more national championships, and the better head-to-head record 45-38-3.
Sooner homer that I am, I think that OU has accomplished a bit more than Texas on the national stage. OU has 12 fewer wins, 45 fewer losses, and 20 more ties, so a higher winning percentage. OU has more conference championships and more national championships, while Texas leads the head-to-head 62-47-5. If someone wants to argue that that puts Texas ahead, I can accept that. But Texas #4 and OU #10? No way.
Just considering the AP Poll era, CFN put out the following from its analysis of 137 programs.
| Rank | Teams | Points | Previous Rank |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 1182 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama | 1062 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 1052 | 3 |
| 4 | Michigan | 985 | 4 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 975 | 5 |
| 6 | USC | 832 | 6 |
| 7 | Texas | 789 | 8 |
| 8 | Nebraska | 783 | 7 |
| 9 | Penn State | 694 | 10 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 686 | 9 |
I don't agree with this one either. Nick Saban has put Alabama firmly ahead of everyone else, it seems to me, but the AP Poll has treated OU very well over the decades. Without regard to how this list was created vs. how the SI list was created, I'd take this one, drop OU to about 5th, and consider the list to be at least in the ball park.
Of course, this is just one man's opinion too.
