Alabama Football: Crimson Tide AP Poll Top 10 streak is unparalleled

Alabama football success means championships and extraordinary winning consistency

Claims in the college football world describe a wide range of achievements. For Alabama football, most claims have merit. One that does not is the claimed 1941 National Championship. Unwarranted claims of being a National Champion have been the rule more than the exception from before the Poll Era, up to the BCS.

Whether the Crimson Tide should claim 16 Nattys or 17 (or perhaps more) is not a burning issue. Other claims can be made and they are not in dispute. One such claim is the record set by Nick Saban and Alabama football for consecutive wins over unranked teams. The streak is 91 games and is the longest in FBS history.

Another record not open to debate is the Crimson Tide record of AP Poll appearances at No. 1. Going back to 1936, the Alabama Crimson Tide has 122 AP Poll appearances at No. 1. In second place is Ohio State at 105. For some added perspective, Clemson has 16, followed by Georgia at 15 and Auburn with only nine.

Tracking the same interval, the Crimson Tide is No. 2 in Top Five appearances with 411. The Oklahoma Sooners are No. 1 with 418.

Plenty of college football fans, along with each new recruiting class, are little interested in historical facts. Ask them to define the ‘Modern Era’ of college football and many would say all of it has been in the 21st century.

There is a valid claim for that ‘Modern Era.’ In fact, it only goes back to 2008 and Nick Saban’s second Crimson Tide season. Alabama football leads the FBS in finishing inside the AP Poll Top 10, going back to 2008.

During the 12 most recent college football seasons, 38 different programs have finished a season inside the AP Poll Top 10. The Alabama Crimson Tide leads the way being in the Top 10 every season. Five of the 12 finishes for the Tide were as the No. 1 team.

Ohio State is not far behind with 10, but way behind in finishing No. 1 only once. Check out the complete list below.

College Football Seasons 2008-2019

• Alabama – 12, Top 10 finishes –  five as No. 1
• Ohio State – 10, Top 10 finishes – one as No. 1
• Oklahoma – 8, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Oregon – 7, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Clemson – 6, Top 10 finishes – two at No. 1
• TCU – 6. Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Florida – 5, Top 10 finishes – one at No. 1
• Georgia – 5, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Penn State – 5, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• LSU – 4, Top 10 finishes – one at No. 1
• Stanford – 4, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Wisconsin – 4, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Florida State – 4, Top 10 finishes – one at No. 1
• Auburn – 3, Top 10 finishes – one at No. 1
• Boise State – 3, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Michigan State – 3, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• South Carolina – 3, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Texas – 3, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• USC – 3, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Iowa – 2, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• Notre Dame – 2, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• UCF – 2, Top 10 finishes – zero at No. 1
• The following schools had one Top 10 finish and none at No. 1: Arkansas; Baylor; Cincinnati; Georgia Tech; Houston; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Oklahoma State; Texas A&M; UCLA; Utah; Virginia Tech; Washington and Washington State.

Looking at this data suggests consistently winning at a high level might be as hard as winning National Championships. The data in this post came from the superb site, College Poll Archive.