Auburn Football: Where Do Tigers Rank All-Time Among College Football’s Elite?
Dec 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Tre Mason (21) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Missouri Tigers in the 2013 SEC Championship game at Georgia Dome. Auburn won 59-42. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
In case you haven’t noticed, the folks on the FanSided network (of which we are a member) put out some great content. Earlier this week, that was once again proven to be true when Daniel D. Zillmer of FanSided.com released his rankings of the 50 Greatest College Football Programs All-Time, Statistically.
Keep in mind that this is no arbitrary list. Zillmer took painstaking time and effort to research each of the Power 5 and assigned a point value for team and individual achievements in order to make his statistical rankings. According to Zillmer’s point breakdown:
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National Championship: 16 Points
Conference Title: 14 Points
Heisman Trophy Winner: 12 Points
Bowl Game Victory: 6 Points
Consensus All-American: 4 Points
Regular Season Win: ¼ Point
After the numbers were tallied, the Auburn football program came in at a very respectable 938.5 points, which was good for 11th overall and third in the SEC. The Tigers were National Champions in 1957 and 2010 and have captured eight SEC titles. Auburn has won 22 bowl games and has an all-time record of 731-416-47.
Individually, Pat Sullivan (1971), Bo Jackson (1985) and Cam Newton (2010) each won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Tigers and Auburn has produced 64 All-Americans.
Auburn missed the top ten, but not by much. The Florida State Seminoles hold less than a ten-point lead for the tenth spot. The top ten includes:
Dec 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy is seen during a press conference before the announcement of the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
10. Florida State
9. Tennessee
8. Texas
7. Nebraska
6. Ohio State
5. Notre Dame
4. Alabama
3. Michigan
2. Oklahoma
1. USC
The Trojans take the top spot because of their incredible combination of ten recognized national championships, 32 bowl wins, 36 conference titles, seven Heisman Trophies, 80 All-Americans and 800 victories, which adds up to 1,706 points using Zillmer’s system. However, the lead is slim and Oklahoma could overtake USC in the near future. The Sooners are less than 20 points behind on the strength of seven national titles, 28 bowl win, 842 total wins, 75 All-Americans and five Heisman Trophy winners.
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How did the rest of the SEC fare?
37. Ole Miss
36. Missouri
25. Arkansas
20. Florida
16. Texas A&M
13. LSU
12. Georgia
Not surprisingly, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt did not make the top 50, and despite recent football success, South Carolina couldn’t make the cut either.
So there you have it. By at least one measure, the Auburn Tigers have the 11th best program history in all of college football. Of course, there is plenty of ways the Tigers can improve their standing with a strong second half finish to the 2014 season.
Next: South Carolina at Auburn: Previews & Predictions
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- Hugh Freeze was the right hire to truly embrace Auburn
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