25 – The University of Indiana: The Hoosiers are in the minority of the power five schools on this list who boast a lower than .500 all time record, which says something about the quality of sides that they’ve been able to produce through the years. Dwarfed as a programme by the Big 10 giants it is difficult for this programme to create a selling point, and the uniforms or stadium aren’t able to make up for an average on the field history in that regard.

24 – The University of Illinois: The second consecutive side to have a home named ‘Memorial Stadium’, the fighting Illini had their greatest years around the First World War, to which their stadium is a monument. They lay claim to five national championships which is a good number for a school of their stature, although like many on this list, they haven’t had one for half a century. The Illini are one of my favourite non ‘elite’ programmes on this list – there is something pleasing about the marriage of stylish, traditional, quirky, and on-the-field competence that is truly special.

23 – The University of Utah: The Utes are joined by only USC as a team whose home stadium has hosted the opening ceremony to an Olympic Games, and this quirky fact makes them a special programme to me. They can also claim a handy twenty-four conference titles and a couple of strong interstate rivalries with BYU and Utah State. What’s more, last year’s Utes’ dominance on the offensive line makes them stand out – they had four linemen selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.

22 – The University of Maryland: An all-around tribute to the eponymous state, the Big Ten’s Terrapins are another school falling short of the powerhouse status of conference rivals such as Michigan and Ohio State. Their uniform is designed around their state flag, and their team name represents a creature that is found throughout Maryland. The Terps can also boast several intense rivalries, my favourite being with Navy, delightfully named the Crab Bowl Classic. The rivalry was so strong that it was suspended for four decades after an obscene gesture from a Maryland player, which is the sort of intensity that a major college football programme needs.

21 – The University of Arizona: Some of the cleanest (not necessarily best) uniforms in the sport are donned by the Wildcats, who also are regular contenders in possibly the most fun group of five conference. While only being able to boast of six conference titles in their history (the current drought extends to twenty-four years) plenty of bowl appearances (and a serviceable record to boot) denotes the competitiveness of the programme.

20 – The University of West Virginia: The Mountaineers are a relatively recent joinee of the power five as a member of the Big 12 Conference, and haven’t made the breakthrough of a conference championship victory since making that step up. Off the field (or more accurately, at the field) their stadium has the charm of seating exactly sixty thousand people, and their logo is very nicely designed – the play on the field is, at least in an aesthetic sense, improved immeasurably by the nice colour scheme and sweet looking helmets.

19 – The University of Iowa: The Hawkeyes are one of the grand old programmes in college football. While not one of the schools that pile up conference and national championship rings, there is something about Iowa that oozes the sort of appeal that college ball is all about. A grand old stadium named after the team’s Heisman winner and a wonderful set of uniforms, the Hawkeyes’ golden era was in the 50s and 60s – but their consistency in reaching bowl games since then has been astonishing, with the team reaching twenty-eight bowls in the last thirty-five seasons.

18 – The University of North Carolina – The powder blue-d Tar Heels are an inconsistent programme that has the ability to mix it with the power houses. Rather than amass various titles UNC’s reputation rests largely on the calibre of NFL player they have been able to produce as well as a strong fan base and some of the best uniforms in the game. Carolina can also boast one of the most important landmarks in football as their own – UNC were the first team in recorded football to complete a forward pass.

17 – The University of South Carolina: The Gamecocks are a perennially good-but-not great team. After wandering through college football as an independent for two long spells of their history, they don’t have the titles to their name to show their dominance. This is exacerbated by playing in the SEC, the Granddaddy of all conferences, and means they can only claim one conference title since the Second World War, despite a number of very good seasons (they’ve been to twenty-one bowl games). They can also lay claim to my second favourite play in college football history – Jadeveon Clowney’s monstrous forced fumble against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl. Also, home field points are awarded once again due to the gloriousness of SC’s Williams Brice Stadium.

16 – The University of Arkansas: The Razorbacks are the first team on this list to play in the SEC West, one of the two best divisions in College Football. Recently a purveyor of highlight plays (think Joe Adams’ punt return and a huge 4th and 25 conversion against Ole Miss), this team is one of the college football thoroughbreds. The dominating force in their state, the fact they use two home fields means a very wide range of support and is a nice quirk to allow a wider range of fans to see their team play.

15 – The University of Missouri: Missouri may be the closest thing to a footballing powerhouse that we’ve had on this list thus far. A perennial power five side they made the jump to the SEC in 2012 because winning their division (although admittedly not conference) was too damn easy in the Big 12. The Tigers’ field is exceptionally pretty too; its horseshoe shape is magnificent as is the imposing white ‘M’ painted behind one of the endzones. The diamond pattern of the endzone is mighty pretty too. The Tigers programme is as historic as it is well-designed, with three national championships (none of which, admittedly, achieved by consensus) including one only a decade ago, which truly marked Mizzou’s return to greatness after decades of struggles. Geographically, Missouri also probably marks the line where footballing emphasis shifts from the NFL to the NCAA.

14 – The University of California, (Berkeley): Berkeley may be better known for the academic side of things – but the Golden Bears are still a real force to be reckoned with on the collegiate football field. The only college with two alumni currently starting under centre on NFL teams, Cal is probably the closest thing to QBU at present (along with Aaron Rogers and Jared Goff, Davis Webb looks like a presumptive future starter when Eli Manning retires for the Giants). The Bears also play on a true college football field, that just happens to be right on top of a potentially dangerous geological fault. If not for the presence of USC being California’s biggest school, the Golden Bears could well be higher in this list.

13 – The University of Mississippi: Currently in huge turmoil, the Rebels’ history is dominated by events off the field. Possibly the only school in the top twenty where football is not the first thought when you hear it mentioned, Ole Miss is often snapping at the heels of Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the SEC East, which allows for some truly special victories in Oxford, but precious few rings – only six conference championships is miserly from a programme of this prestige. Sadly, given the current mess of the footballing administration and possible NCAA sanctions, this programme is more likely to fall than rise in the near future.

12 – The University of Colorado: The Buffaloes have one of the more enviable recent histories of any programme on this list. A relative football backwater until coach Bill McCartney took over in the ‘80s and won them a national championship, the programme sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in a classic horseshoe shaped stadium, and their regular competitiveness in the Pac 12 means they are always well-supported. They’re also one of only two schools to complete a fifth down conversion. Finally, the purity of a Colorado – Colorado State rivalry is not to be ignored – played at the Broncos’ stadium in Denver, Colorado leads comfortably over the series.

11 – University of Washington: The Washington Huskies have the immediate advantage of playing in Seattle, my favourite city in the world. The programme has a fair spread of success over its history, with two national championships and an appearance in last year’s College Football Playoff. In the perfect position to break through to national success in their conference (the Pac 12 is prestigious but there are enough easy games for a team of of 2016 Washington’s quality), this school could be heading into a golden era under coach Chris Petersen. If it weren’t for another school on this list down in Eugene, the Huskies could be the biggest college football programme in a quarter of the US.

10 – The University of Wisconsin: This is the point where I would start to refer to schools as ‘powerhouses’ of the college game. The Badgers are the epitome of a northern college team – rugged and tough to beat at their home (the gloriously traditional Camp Randall) while a constant threat in an elite conference. The Badgers have dominated the Big 10 West in recent years and look set to do so for a while as the Big 10’s currently elite schools mostly play in the East. Wisconsin is also the factory which produced three NFL playing brothers (you already know it’s JJ, Derek and TJ Watt) as well as QBs Russell Wilson and (admittedly fictional) Bo Callaghan (from the movie Draft Day). This programme is almost the definition of a competitor, able to run with the giants of the game on a yearly basis, although they only have two national championships, and the last was in 1928.

9 – The University of Oregon: The coolest team in college football, the Ducks are everything that is modern, crisp and desirable in a football team. A strong team that has twice recently come close to National Championships, Oregon has a special relationship with Nike that allows them to produce a wacky and wonderful combination of uniforms on a game by game basis in their futuristic home field in Eugene. One of the most recognisable teams in the game to a casual observer, the Ducks are highly marketable and a great way to appreciate the game in all its glory.

8 – The University of Florida: The Gators have a characteristic that is relatively rare on this list due to their programme only having been founded in the early twentieth century and not the late nineteenth, but they have certainly made up for lost time. The lone school of Florida football’s big three to play in the SEC (Florida State and Miami are in the ACC), the recent success of this programme has been staggering, with fifteen conference titles since 1992 to add to three claimed (and three ‘unclaimed’) national titles. The school that hosted the early glory years of Tim Tebow’s career plays at arguably (I use this word protectively) college football’s best stadium – ‘the Swamp’ in Gainesville. Also, as rivalries are important to this list – Florida and Florida State is up there with the best.

7 – The University of Georgia: As is the case with most of the teams at this end of the list the Bulldogs are very rarely bad. The team has played in a seriously impressive fifty-two bowl games and has won thirty of them – a testament to the quality of side that Sanford Stadium has been able to watch over the years. Geographically slap-bang in the middle of college football’s heartland, this team has a plethora of major rivalries – and they’ve dominated all bar one of them in terms of win percentage – only Tennessee of Georgia’s regular foes have bested them over all of their all-time games. Speaking of which…

6 – The University of Tennessee: The most wholesome team name on this list, the Volunteers are singled out by being the University which wasn’t Ole Miss that educated a Manning (and they were lucky enough to get Peyton). Tennesse’s Neyland Stadium is a college football cathedral, even more so than the NASCAR track in which the Vols played Virginia Tech last season. Tennessee has been to the third highest number of bowl games of any college football programme, and it is only they and THE Ohio State University who have never had a season in their history with more than seven losses. Extraordinary.

5 – University of Michigan: My head wanted to put Michigan higher than this, but hear me out. Forty-two conference titles and fifty-five bowl games is superb – so is, obviously, eleven national championships. However, up to a point Michigan have been living off their reputation. Only one national title has come since the 1940s, and their much publicised struggles against their deadliest of rivals from Columbus make ranking them higher problematic. These however are in spite of the largest football stadium in the US, a former US President as a player (Gerald Ford was a member of the Wolverines’ O-line) and a former player coach in Jim Harbaugh who is likely to bring back the good times.

4 – The University of Oklahoma: The Sooners constant placement around the national championship race is something special, as are the players they’ve produced. Five Heisman trophy winners is special, but even more so is seven national championships, which is the seventh best out of schools who are are currently in the power five, and the Sooners have spread out their success more than many of the other schools. They’re also the only Big 12 programme to have appeared in the College Football play off, without the advantage of a championship game.

3 – The University of Nebraska: The Cornhuskers aren’t ranked third because they have the third most wins of all time, but it certainly helps their cause. Lincoln being some distance from a pro sports franchise, Nebraska inspires loyalty like few other teams, with a streak of sold out home games that dates back to the early 1960s. The Huskers have a huge forty-six conference titles and that’s not the extent of their dominance – three national titles in four seasons in the nineties was a period of dominance not seen since Notre Dame in the forties. The simple N that adorns their helmet is a crisp, clean, classic sign of this team.

2 – The University of Texas – One of the clear top two in my mind, the Longhorns are going through a slight lull at the moment, but that doesn’t alter the nationwide perception of the programme as absolutely massive. Slap bang in the middle of the best region for high school football, Texas can always rely on a supreme selection of recruits to make their team competitive. Four national titles doesn’t seem like a lot, but Texas has produced some of the greatest college players and moments in the sports history. The alma mater of such players as Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Colt McCoy and Vince Young, and the victor of the greatest national championship game of all time over Pete Carroll’s USC juggernaut in 2005. The college sports at Texas are so big that the university has Longhorn Network, so fans can watch games exclusively on their own dedicated channel.

1 – The University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa’s finest is the not only number one on this list, but it is arguably the greatest programme in college football history. No team in college football has played more bowl games than the Crimson Tide, and they have won it all sixteen times. In Nick Saban they have possibly the greatest college coach of all time. Since Saban took over they have gone to the next level, with five Heisman Trophy finalists and an appearance in each of the three editions of the College Football playoff. It feels like this team are never bad nowadays, and they have dominated the SEC to an embarrassing extent in recent years: this does however make them more of a giant killing than any team is in any of the other power 5 conferences, and this leads to some special games. Their massive rivalry with Auburn led to one of these, with the famous Chris Davis kick-six in 2013. Alabama is good in various categories that I have used to rank these fifty (forty-eight) teams, with a wonderful stadium and support base, nice uniforms, and a plethora of excellent former players – but they finish on top simply due to the robotic, monotonous dominance on the college football field.