Must have been playing football at the highest level since 1923.

Top 30 CFB programs of the last 100 years, by average KFord Rating!

It’s interesting to me that Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Penn State are all ahead of Nebraska when using this timeframe

What catches your eye? pic.twitter.com/szwTNYdVwE

— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) January 28, 2023

No Florida State

That's it! Being Jerry Mathers' alma mater must have been key to getting Cal on the list.

HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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IteUrsi said:

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No Florida State

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The note in the graphic is very small. But it outlines the eligibility requirements. Neither Miami nor Florida State were eligible for this list! They’ll be up there as I make my lists of more recent timeframes! https://t.co/aJigr17rix

— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) January 28, 2023

1923 was a hell of a year for Southern Branch Grizzlies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923_Southern_Branch_Grizzlies_football_team

They *did* manage to end the season playing in the Rose Bowl...against Caltech

okaydo said:

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Must have been playing football at the highest level since 1923.

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What catches my eye is that UCLA, Miami, and Florida St. aren't on the list.

HearstMining said:

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That's it! Being Jerry Mathers' alma mater must have been key to getting Cal on the list.

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Not to mention the fact that the program was the gift that kept giving with regard to every Cal vs Oregon St. athletic competition.

bear2034 said:

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okaydo said:

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Must have been playing football at the highest level since 1923.

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What catches my eye is that UCLA, Miami, and Florida St. aren't on the list.

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See my above posts.

okaydo said:

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Must have been playing football at the highest level since 1923.

Top 30 CFB programs of the last 100 years, by average KFord Rating!

It’s interesting to me that Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Penn State are all ahead of Nebraska when using this timeframe

What catches your eye? pic.twitter.com/szwTNYdVwE

— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) January 28, 2023

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And in another thread Memorial Stadium was ranked #29 as well….

HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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Little brother didn't started playing serious football until several years after Cal did .

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ucla/index.html

Great and lng article about Cal coach Andy Smith. Very few articles about him.

https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2011/7/5/2206105/cals-greatest-football-coaches-1-andy-smith

RichyBear said:

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If you only look at post 1960 you might say that Cal doesn't belong on the list. If you include pre 1960 yo can say that we DO BELONG on that list. If you go back to 1920 you can say "WE SHOULD BE HIGHER' on that list.

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You can make the same debate about every sad rust belt town whose glory days are decades in the past

The ranking was for the best team over the last 100 years, not the best team in the 21st century. A great team in 1923 should have the same weight as a great team in 2023.

RichyBear said:

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The ranking was for the best team over the last 100 years, not the best team in the 21st century. A great team in 1923 should have the same weight as a great team in 2023.

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Exactly. I understand if people think "Best teams over the last 100 years? All I care about is best teams over the last 20 (or 10, or current)" but the ranking is valid for what it purports to show.

HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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I don't know what the criteria is, but one of the best teams I ever saw was UCLA's 1965 team. They were led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and Maxwell Trophy winner, Gary Beban, along with Mel Farr , a great running back who averaged 7 yards a carry, and Dick Witcher. They won the AAWU conference, with a record of 8-2-1, beating Cal 56-3 on the Rose Bowl field (a game I attended, unfortunately), and then beat #1 ranked Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. The ended up ranked #4. Coached by Tommy Prothro.

SFCityBear said:

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HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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I don't know what the criteria is, but one of the best teams I ever saw was UCLA's 1965 team. They were led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and Maxwell Trophy winner, Gary Beban, along with Mel Farr , a great running back who averaged 7 yards a carry, and Dick Witcher. They won the AAWU conference, with a record of 8-2-1, beating Cal 56-3 on the Rose Bowl field (a game I attended, unfortunately), and then beat #1 ranked Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. The ended up ranked #4. Coached by Tommy Prothro.

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Yeah, even though I was only 11 years-old at the time, I was thinking of that team. Also the Vermeil team that tied Cal for the conference championship and won the 1976 Rose Bowl and the Donahue teams. Cal is fortunate that the evaluator went back as far as the 1920s in generating their list. Minnesota is another team that benefited from that extended time window.

HearstMining said:

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SFCityBear said:

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HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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I don't know what the criteria is, but one of the best teams I ever saw was UCLA's 1965 team. They were led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and Maxwell Trophy winner, Gary Beban, along with Mel Farr , a great running back who averaged 7 yards a carry, and Dick Witcher. They won the AAWU conference, with a record of 8-2-1, beating Cal 56-3 on the Rose Bowl field (a game I attended, unfortunately), and then beat #1 ranked Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. The ended up ranked #4. Coached by Tommy Prothro.

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Yeah, even though I was only 11 years-old at the time, I was thinking of that team. Also the Vermeil team that tied Cal for the conference championship and won the 1976 Rose Bowl and the Donahue teams. Cal is fortunate that the evaluator went back as far as the 1920s in generating their list. Minnesota is another team that benefited from that extended time window.

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Yes, that was a tough blow in 1975, when Cal lost their chance to go the Rose Bowl on a tie-breaker rule. What a team, with Joe Roth, Chuck Muncie, Wesley Walker and Steve Rivera, and all the other great names I've forgotten. Has there ever been a better Cal team? 1937 for sure, but not many more.

SFCityBear said:

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HearstMining said:

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SFCityBear said:

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HearstMining said:

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Without getting into the argument about whether either team deserves it, I'm pleasantly surprised that Cal made this list and UCLA did not.

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I don't know what the criteria is, but one of the best teams I ever saw was UCLA's 1965 team. They were led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and Maxwell Trophy winner, Gary Beban, along with Mel Farr , a great running back who averaged 7 yards a carry, and Dick Witcher. They won the AAWU conference, with a record of 8-2-1, beating Cal 56-3 on the Rose Bowl field (a game I attended, unfortunately), and then beat #1 ranked Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. The ended up ranked #4. Coached by Tommy Prothro.

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Yeah, even though I was only 11 years-old at the time, I was thinking of that team. Also the Vermeil team that tied Cal for the conference championship and won the 1976 Rose Bowl and the Donahue teams. Cal is fortunate that the evaluator went back as far as the 1920s in generating their list. Minnesota is another team that benefited from that extended time window.

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Yes, that was a tough blow in 1975, when Cal lost their chance to go the Rose Bowl on a tie-breaker rule. What a team, with Joe Roth, Chuck Muncie, Wesley Walker and Steve Rivera, and all the other great names I've forgotten. Has there ever been a better Cal team? 1937 for sure, but not many more.

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The 1975 team went 8-3 and finished ranked #14. According to Sports Reference it was our #15 team of all time. Great offense no doubt (#9 in scoring offense that year) but poor defense (#82 in scoring defense).

The best Cal teams of all time (according to the stats):

1. 1949 Waldorf 10-1 with a Rose Bowl loss finished #3 in the AP (#2 in computer ranking) #13 offense #22 defense

2. 2004 Tedford 10-2 with a Holiday Bowl loss finished #9 in the polls (#3 in computer ranking). #7 offense #8 defense

3. 1948 Waldorf 10-1 with a Rose Bowl loss finished #4 in the AP (#5 in computer ranking). #16 offense and #11 defense.

4. 1951 Waldorf 8-2 no bowl finished #12 in the AP (#7 in computer ranking). #11 offense and #47 defense.

5. 1991 Snyder 10-2 with a Citrus Bowl win finished #8 in the AP (#7 in computer ranking). #5 offense #37 defense

6. 1937 Allison team went 10-0-1 with a Rose Bowl win voted #2 (#3 in computer ranking) #17 offense and #6 defense.

Clearly 1937 was our best season.

Best teams since Pappy
1. 2004 Tedford 10-2
2. 1991 Snyder 10-2
3. 2006 Tedford 10-3
4. 1975 White 8-3
5. 1977 White 7-4
6. 1970 Willsey 6-5
7. 1968 Willsey 7-3-1
8. 2008 Tedford 9-4
9. 2002 Tedford 7-5
10. 1979 Theder 7-5
11. 1982 Kapp 7-4
12. 2003 Tedford 8-6
13. 2015 Dykes 8-5
14. 1974 White 7-3-1
15. 1993 Gilbertson 9-4
16. 1969 Willsey 5-5
17. 2005 Tedford 8-4
18. 1965 Willsey 5-5
19. 2007 Tedford 7-6
20. 1990 Snyder 7-4-1

Just curious - how did you determine your rankings? I'm particularly curious about how you slotted those Willsey teams. For me, that was 6th grade through HS during the grim, grey Willsey era. Mediocre teams with occasionally very strong defenses/players (Ed White, Sherman White, Weideman, Augustine). There were smallish crowds. End-zone seats were $1.00 and you could move around depending on the sun and where the field action was. In that respect, very similar to current games. It's when I really learned to be a Cal fan - holler your @ss off at the game, but understand you may walk home disappointed.

HearstMining said:

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Just curious - how did you determine your rankings? I'm particularly curious about how you slotted those Willsey teams. For me, that was 6th grade through HS during the grim, grey Willsey era. Mediocre teams with occasionally very strong defenses/players (Ed White, Sherman White, Weideman, Augustine). There were smallish crowds. End-zone seats were $1.00 and you could move around depending on the sun and where the field action was. In that respect, very similar to current games. It's when I really learned to be a Cal fan - holler your @ss off at the game, but understand you may walk home disappointed.

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On SportsReference.com every Cal team in history gets a power ranking similar to Sagarin relative to the rest of college football for that year. The Willsey teams had winning records and competitive games playing in the best conference in the country.

Go here:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/california/index.html
Click on "SRS" to rank them