Greatest College Football Team Every Decade Since 1920s
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- Notre Dame under Knute Rockne dominated the 1920s with an 83-11-3 record, winning national titles in 1924 and 1929, fielding the famed "Four Horsemen" backfield, and outscoring opponents by 18.0 points per game across 97 games.
- Alabama led the 1930s at 79-11-5 under Wallace Wade and Frank Thomas, capturing national championships in 1930 and 1934 and winning three of the first five SEC titles; USC (72-25-9) and Tennessee (79-17-4) drew honorable mentions.
- Notre Dame returned to the top in the 1940s (82-9-6) under Frank Leahy despite World War II roster disruption, winning four national titles, producing three Heisman Trophy winners (a first), and going 36-0-2 from 1946–49; Army's wartime 1944–46 run earned honorable mention.
- Oklahoma under Bud Wilkinson went unbeaten in conference play every season of the 1950s (93-10-2), won national titles in 1950, 1955, and 1956, and set a still-standing Division I record with a 47-game winning streak spanning 1953–1957.
- Alabama took the 1960s at 90-16-4 under Bear Bryant with three national titles and eight AP top-10 finishes; the piece flags Texas (86-19-3) and USC (76-25-5) as honorable mentions in a decade the author dubs the "names on buildings" era of iconic coaches.
- The author acknowledges the ranking is "imperfect and biased," arguing college football history mirrors American history through technological change (TV, air conditioning, travel) and cultural forces like integration and wartime service.
Why it matters: The piece turns a lazy July 4th weekend debate into a century-long power ranking, and the recurring winners — Notre Dame and Alabama claiming four of the first five decades — reinforce the historical dominance that fuels modern conference realignment and brand value across college sports.
