25 best college football records in the last 10 years
As much as you may not like to admit it, the 2013 college football season was a decade ago, and a lot has happened in the sport since then. Florida State stormed its way up through the rankings with a Heisman Trophy winner in Jameis Winston to win the final BCS national championship in history before the sport changed over to the new College Football Playoff in 2014. But the more time passed, some things seemed to be the same.
Alabama continued to dominate more often than not. Ohio State racked up more wins among Big Ten teams than anyone. And the top Group of 5 contenders typically came form the same group. But what schools have had the most success in the win column over the past decade as we begin to prepare for the 2023 season? The answer is not at all surprising, but the order in how the top 25 teams rank may give you a few surprises once you look through the records. It can also give you a reminder that while the past couple of seasons may have been great for some, the past decade saw things even out a little bit here and there.
Here is a look at the best records among FBS college football programs since the start of the 2013 season up through the end of the 2022 season. The records referenced are sourced from Team Rankings.
Alabama
Record since 2013: 126-14
How dominant has Alabama been in the past decade? Pretty dang dominant. Yes, Georgia has held the upper hand in the national title race the past couple of seasons but the Crimson Tide have had no fewer than 11 wins per season since 2010, when they won just 10 games. That is an incredible pace nobody has been able to keep up with since 2013.
Clemson
Record since 2013: 120-18
Clemson has come the closets to keeping up pace with Alabama, but a few 10-win seasons have kept the Tigers from maintaining their national championship expectations. Still, a couple of national championships for Dabo Swinney have gone a long way for the program.
Ohio State
Record since 2013: 116-15
No Big Ten team has been able to catch Ohio State until the last couple of seasons with Michigan having their way with their rivals. But the Buckeyes have been the gold standard in excellence among Big Ten teams for the past decade and they aren’t about to slow down in 2023.
Georgia
Record since 2013: 109-26
Georgia was once the SEC school that couldn’t get over the national title hump in an era where the conference dominated the BCS national championship picture, but the Bulldogs are certainly the top dog in college football now. Or, the top dawgs. A record of 29-1 in the past two seasons with a pair of national titles has helped Georgia rocket up the overall records of the past decade.
Oklahoma
Record since 2013: 103-28
For a while, the Big 12 was essentially Oklahoma‘s to lose. The Sooners didn’t claim every Big 12 title of the past decade, but they were certainly a top contender just about every season in that stretch, if not the flat-out favorite. The 2022 season was a down year for the Sooners, understandably so, and a move to the SEC should be a challenge.
Boise State
Record since 2013: 94-33
It may not have been the case the last few seasons, but Boise State has been the top-performing Group of 5 program of the past decade. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the margin for error for a big bowl game has been much smaller compared to some other recent G5 contenders, but the Broncos do keep putting up wins in the Mountain west Conference.
Notre Dame
Record since 2013: 94-34
There has really only bene one bad season for Notre Dame in the past decade with a 4-8 season in 2016. But that has been the exception in South Bend where Notre Dame has been to the College Football Playoff and achieved six double-digit win totals in a single season.
Wisconsin
Record since 2013: 92-36
Ohio State may have been the top program in the Big Ten for the past decade, but there is something to be said about the consistency of the Wisconsin Badgers. A regular favorite in the Big Ten West, a division without Ohio State, Michigan, or Penn State, the Badgers have been the most successful program in the west since the divisions split the way they are.
LSU
Record since 2013: 90-38
LSU may be the most successful program that has had three head coaches of the past decade. A top-10 win total, a national championship, and a Heisman Trophy winner? That is difficult to beat, and LSU could be in good shape moving forward under Brian Kelly too.
Oregon
Record since 2013: 89-38
The top program in the Pac-12 over the past decade has unquestionably been the Oregon Ducks. Oregon played in the first College Football Playoff and reached the national championship game in the 2014 season and has won at least 10 game sin three of the past four seasons to rebound from a brief stretch of relative mediocrity.
Oklahoma State
Record since 2013: 89-40
Oklahoma State racked up a handful of 10-win seasons in the first half of the past decade but has fallen a bit off that track in more recent seasons overall. Where the Cowboys fall in the new Big 12 once Oklahoma and Texas leave should be interesting to watch.
San Diego State
Record since 2013: 87-41
Surprised by this one? Then you haven’t been close attention to the Group of Five action, and specifically the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs have typically been the one to play spoiler to a team like Boise State, but this program has been pretty rock steady in the Mountain West for years. And the overall record backs that up. Is this program ready for a level up with the Pac-12? We’ll see if that opportunity comes their way.
Appalachian State
Record since 2013: 86-31
The youngest FBS program on this list, Appalachian State, has had its share of big wins in the past decade. That includes a major win last season at Texas A&M. Yes, the little FCS powerhouse that once stunned Michigan in the Big House is still taking names and kicking butt and they remain a non-power conference program no school should feel comfortable having on the schedule.
Michigan
Record since 2013: 86-38
Michigan has finally enjoyed life at the top of the Big Ten the past couple of years, but let’s not just gloss over the fact the Wolverines were a couple of plays away from a couple of Big Ten titles earlier in the Jim Harbaugh era too, and perhaps just as close to earlier playoff appearances. It should actually be surprising Michigan is this low on the list.
UCF
Record since 2013: 86-41
Say what you want about their national championship claim, UCF had a terrific run for a few years to pile up the wins. And now the Knights are heading off to the Big 12 after years of wanting to be invited to a power conference. Will they manage to keep up this winning pace?
Cincinnati
Record since 2013: 86-41
Also making the leap to the Big 12 is Cincinnati, the only program to play in the College Football Playoff from a non-power conference. The Bearcats had achieved great success under Luke Fickell, who has now become the head coach at Wisconsin. The move to the Big 12 could be a tough transition at first, but they could be in good shape in the long haul.
Iowa
Record since 2013: 86-41
Nobody said it had to be pretty to get this high on the top wins leaderboard, and Iowa is a testament to that. The Hawkeyes have relied on their ugly offensive style and stingy defense to keep things rolling as a perennial threat in the Big Ten West, and it has worked. There have been some massive Big Ten wins along the way as a spoiler for Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State throughout the years.
Penn State
Record since 2013: 85-41
Penn State was still on a bowl ban and NCAA sanctions at the start of this range, but the Nittany Lions have become a regular winner under James Franklin. Although Penn State has just one Big Ten title in this stretch, Penn State does have victories in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl to highlight.
Marshall
Record since 2013: 84-44
Flying under the Group of 5 radar has been Marshall, which just seems to be one of the more consistent and reliable Group of 5 programs for longer than a decade. Never, or rarely, the best among non-power schools but always finding ways to score a solid win total. That’s respectable.
Utah
Record since 2013: 83-42
Utah has been a steady show in stability under Kyle Whittingham, one of the top college football programs in the country, if not just the Pac-12. The Utes took a couple of years to make their transition from the Mountain West Conference but have hit their stride as one of the most consistent programs in the conference.
Florida State
Record since 2013: 83-43
Florida State started off this decade as the top program in the country with the BCS championship and an appearance in the inaugural College Football Playoff, but Clemson surpassed the Noles along the way as the top ACC program and Florida State fell back to the middle of the pack. But the Noles appear to be trending upward going into the 2023 season. Will Florida State storm back up the list soon enough?
Washington
Record since 2013: 82-41
Another solid Pac-12 program that has overcome a couple of down years in recent seasons. The Huskies made one trip to the College Football Playoff in this span, although it did not go well against Alabama. Washington could be a true Pac-12 contender in 2023 too.
Michigan State
Record since 2013: 81-43
Michigan State has been on quite a roller coaster ride for the past decade. With one College Football Playoff appearance early in this run, five seasons of double-digit victories, and three years without a bowl game, Michigan State fans have seen a little bit of everything.
USC
Record since 2013: 81-44
It has been a while since USC was a legitimate national title contender, but those days may be returning to Los Angeles. The Trojans just missed out on the College Football Playoff in 2022. Four double-digit win seasons have been weighed down by two losing seasons since 2013 as the Trojans have had to reset their program slightly along the way. USC could be a top Pac-12 program again in 2023 as playoff hopes remain in sight a year before joining the Big Ten.
Memphis
Record since 2013: 81-47
Memphis has been another one of the top Group of Five programs out of the American Athletic Conference. The highlight of Memphis’ success may have been a trip to the Cotton Bowl in 2019. Memphis has just three double-digit win seasons in this stretch, but they have consistently turned in seven or eight wins most years.
