College Football Program Rankings

College Football Program Rankings of all Power 5 Teams
*Ranking Algorithm Breakdown*

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The Top College Football Programs, 26-50

Disclaimer: Data used for rankings will be going through more versions of QC. Expect some slight adjustments to the rankings in the near future.


26. Tennessee
Program Rating: 614.48

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 27
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 52
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 22

Brand/Stability Rating: 17

Positives:
The brand metrics are in place for Tennessee if they can find stability. Recruiting is solid and attendance is huge. 2021 had a different feel for the Vols in a positive way. Josh Heupel is a winner on all levels and could be just what Tennessee need
s.

Concerns:
Duke has a higher 10 year performance ranking. Duke!

27. Utah
Program Rating: 602.69

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 25
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 21
50 Yr Performance Ranking:
30

Brand/Stability Rating: 28

Positives:
The reigning Pac-12 champs have made 3 out of the past 4 conference championship games and the only miss in that span was the COVID season. As long as Whittingham is running the show, you can expect Utah to be strong.

Concerns:
Things are trending up for Utah, but conference realignment threatens the momentum. TV ratings could be better and losing UCLA and USC won't help.

28. UCLA

Program Rating: 580.98

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 32
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 35
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 2
6

Brand/Stability Rating: 22

Positives:
With a beautiful campus in Westwood, the UCLA brand carries weight, enough to hop on the Big Ten bus with USC. Metrics should improve in the coming years and Chip Kelly is an experienced coach.

Concerns:
The recent performance in the Pac-12 hasn't been good for the Bruins so they'll have their work cut out for them in the Big Ten.

29. Washington

Program Rating: 580.22

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 29
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 14
50 Yr Performance Ranking:
20

Brand/Stability Rating: 24

Positives:
The 10 year performance has Washington trending in the right direction as a program. They've made a college football playoff which puts them in rare company.

Concerns:
With conference realignment taking shape, this isn't the time to win just 7 games in the past two seasons. Bringing in a new coach without established Power 5 success is always risky.

30. TCU

Program Rating: 561.87

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 26
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 29
50 Yr Performance Ranking:
36

Brand/Stability Rating: 39

Positives:
Considering they spent many years in the Mountain West before the Big 12, TCU has done a great job to get in the top 30. Being the top team in the DFW area also brings benefits.

Concerns:
The Frogs haven't had a new coach in 21 years and new coaches in the Big 12 can flame out quickly.

31. Georgia Tech
Program Rating: 553.21

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 31
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 46
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 33

Brand/Stability Ranking: 42

Positives:
Georgia Tech is one of a handful of teams to win a title since 1990. They went to 18 straight bowl games from 1997 to 2014
. They also have the benefit of being in Atlanta.

Concerns:
The Ramblin' Wreck have missed out on a bowl game in 5 out of the last 7 seasons.

32. Arizona State
Program Rating: 541.84

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 35
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 27
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 31

Brand/Stability Ranking: 30

Positives:
They've had better recent success with 9 bowl games in the last 11 seasons. They're also in a huge growth market in Phoenix, which
could help with conference realignment concerns.

Concerns:
They haven't been able to rise out of mediocracy with no major bowl games in the past 25 years. They need to win bigger if they want to feel safer with realignment.

33. Kansas State
Program Rating: 536.41

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 28
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 30
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 34

Brand/Stability Ranking: 57

Positives:
Bill Snyder took one of the worst programs in college football and won 11 straight bowl games from 1993 to 2003.
Watch out for the Wildcats in 2022, they could be a sleeper.

Concerns:
Can Kansas State find a coach, other than Snyder, to win consistently? Recruiting is never a strength in Manhattan so they'll need to get creative with roster building, much like Synder did.

34. South Carolina
Program Rating: 535.30

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 41
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 44
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 44

Brand/Stability Ranking: 20

Positives:
South Carolina
ranks high in non-performance metrics with solid recruiting and great attendance relative to their program ranking. The early returns on Coach Beamer look great.

Concerns:
In the past 8 seasons, they've only exceeded three wins against Power 5 teams twice. The Gamecocks haven't made a major bowl game in recent history, not even with Spurrier coaching.

35. Pittsburgh
Program Rating: 534.38

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 33
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 26
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 32

Brand/Stability Rating: 49

Positives:
The Panthers are coming off a conference championship which was something the program needed. The program is trending in the right direction with two conference championship games in the past 4 seasons and strong 10 year performance metrics.

Concerns:
Winning big games helps cure brand and stability metrics, but Pitt is still poor in recruiting, attendance, and TV ratings.

36. Louisville
Program Rating: 532.38

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 34
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 31
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 35

Brand/Stability Rating: 48

Positives:
The program has shown some flash, including a Heisman Trophy winner in 2016. They've also won three major bowl games since 2004.

Concerns:
Louisville has averaged 3 regular season wins against Power 5 teams in the past 4 seasons. They'll need to find some consistency soon.

37. Missouri
Program Rating: 511.56

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 37
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 41
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 45

Brand/Stability Rating: 44

Positives:
Missouri has made 12 bowl games since 2005 and more importantly they've appeared in 4 conference championship games in that span.

Concerns:
The Tigers have struggled of late, winning just an average of 3.57 regular season wins against Power 5 teams in the past 7 seasons. They've missed out on bowl games in 4 of those seasons.

38. North Carolina State

Program Rating: 506.85

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 40
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 39
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 40

Brand/Stability Rating: 32

Positives:
The brand and stability metrics are solid relative to their program ranking. More importantly, the Wolfpack have looked a lot better the past two seasons. They are a sleeper pick in the ACC for 2022.

Concerns:
NC State's last conference championships was 1979 and there has been no major bowl games in the 50 year look back on data.

39. Cincinnati

Program Rating: 496.86

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 36
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 32
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 47

Brand/Stability Rating: 58

Positives:
What an amazing year for the Bearcats. They became the first G5 team to make a college football playoff. Perhaps even more important, they received a Big 12 invitation.

Concerns:
Holding on to Luke Fickell will be important for Cincinnati as they move to the Big 12. They'll need to maintain stability for success as a Power 5 program.

40. Northwestern

Program Rating: 496.65

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 39
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 28
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 48

Brand/Stability Rating: 45

Positives:
The Wildcats have made 2 Big Ten conference championship games in the past 4 years. They've also made bowl games in ten out of the last 14 seasons, leading to a strong 10 year performance rating.

Concerns:
Northwestern needs consistency. In two of the past four seasons, they've had only 1 power five win. To make a leap as a program, they can't be so binary.

41. BYU
Program Rating: 490.21

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 42
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 43
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 28

Brand/Stability Ranking: 41

Positives:
BYU has made a bowl game in 38 out of the past 44 seasons which is an amazing stat
. They also boast a national title from 1984. Getting a Big 12 invitation was big for the program as suddenly they may be in a more stable situation than other programs out west.

Concerns:
With much of their success in the WAC, BYU doesn't have a history of making major bowl games. Even in their national title season, they defeated an unranked, 6-5 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl.

42. North Carolina
Program Rating: 479.73

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 49
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 38
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 43

Brand/Stability Ranking: 29

Positives:
The Tar Heels are trending in the right direction with an improved 10 year performance rating. The brand carries weight and Mack Brown has recruited higher than this ranking.

Concerns:
The last conference championship was in 1980. North Carolina looked like they were breaking out as a program and then fell back into mediocrity last year when the ACC was vulnerable.

43. Texas Tech
Program Rating: 477.59

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 43
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 54
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 41

Brand/Stability Ranking: 52

Positives:
Texas Tech needs a momentum boost and new coach Joey McGuire has created some hope with his Texas high school connections. Historically the Red Raiders have been a fun team to watch
.

Concerns:
Texas Tech hasn't produced more than 7 regular season wins since 2009 when Mike Leach was still around.

44. Arkansas
Program Rating: 470.19

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 48
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 63
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 38

Brand/Stability Ranking: 36

Positives:
Arkansas is a program that has the metrics to break out with a few strong seasons. The attendance and recruiting are solid relative to their ranking. They also showed a spark last season under Sam Pittman.

Concerns:
The Hogs have averaged just 2.3 wins per season over Power 5 teams in the past ten years. Arkansas has not shown they can compete consistently with the big programs in the SEC.

45. Mississippi State
Program Rating: 470.06

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 51
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 42
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 52

Brand/Stability Rating: 34

Positives:
The Bulldogs have improved their performance even as the SEC West has become more and more difficult. MSU has a bowl appearance every year since 2010 and even held the #1 national ranking for 4 weeks in 2014.

Concerns:
Losing Dan Mullen a few years back hurt the consistency of the program, but Mike Leach teams can punch above their weight. The Bulldogs will need this for survival in the SEC West.

46. Minnesota
Program Rating: 465.70

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 45
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 37
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 55

Brand/Stability Rating: 40

Positives:
Minnesota has won 20 games in the past two full seasons (Not counting 2020). PJ Fleck has the Gophers rowing in the right direction
with stronger recent 10 year performance.

Concerns:
Minnesota needs to hold onto Fleck. The Gophers also don't have a conference championship or even a conference championship game in recent history. They need to clear that hurdle to spring forward as a program.

47. Boston College
Program Rating: 463.26

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 38
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 53
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 37

Brand/Stability Rating: 66

Positives:
Boston College won 8 straight bowl games from 2000 to 2007 which is a tough feat for
any program. The Eagles had their best success in the early 2000s with a conference championship and two other conference championship games.

Concerns:
They've been nothing more than average since 2010. Since 1990, no coach has stayed at BC more than 7 years.

48. Baylor

Program Rating: 460.16

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 44
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 18
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 42

Brand/Stability Rating: 54

Positives:
The reigning Big 12 champs are coming off one of the best seasons in school history
, finishing #5 in the polls. The Bears have 3 conference championships and 4 major bowl appearances in the past 9 years. They are trending up as much as any team on this list.

Concerns:
Despite all the success in the past ten years, they have a 2 win season and a 1 win season in the past 5 years. The best programs don't completely fall off the map every few years.

49. Purdue

Program Rating: 451.21

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 50
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 60
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 56

Brand/Stability Rating: 51

Positives:
Purdue is coming off their best season in a long time so there's plenty of momentum to build from. Jeff Brohm is providing some greatly needed stability within the program.

Concerns:
The program has been stuck in mediocrity for a long time, averaging just 3 regular season wins against Power 5 teams since 2008. They Boilermakers need Brohm to raise the bar consistently.

50. Kentucky

Program Rating: 541.11

25 Yr Performance Ranking: 57
10 Yr Performance Ranking: 47
50 Yr Performance Ranking: 59

Brand/Stability Rating: 35

Positives:
Mark Stoops has taken Kentucky to 6 straight bowl games, winning the past 4. This accomplishment is very much underrated. To top it off they're coming off a 10 win season.

Concerns:
Keep Mark Stoops. The program is in as good shape as ever and to continue rising the Wildcats need to keep Stoops in Lexington.