AP All-Time Top Ten: Why They Are Correct, And Guess Who Is No. 1

"1  OHIO STATE (1,112 Points) Total appearances:852, 77.24% of all polls First appearance:1936 No.1 ranking:105 Championships:Five (last 2014) Best full decade:1970s appeared in 92.57% of polls. Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 55.68% of polls. Poll point:There have only been three seasons during the 80-year history of the AP poll in which the Buckeyes were not ranked at least once, the fewest poll-less seasons of any program."

Just as the Associated Press poll began in 1936, Ohio State was beginning to come on to the national scene in college football. In coach Francis Schmidt’s first season as head coach in 1934, he convinced his Buckeye players they could defeat Michigan because the Wolverines put their pants on the same way his players did, one leg at a time.

That started the tradition of the gold pants. Ohio State won four straight games against the team up north and they haven’t looked back since.

In 1941 Paul Brown became the head coach at Ohio State and his team won the National championship in his second season. He left after the 1943 season to coach a service team as it was war time, but he proved to everyone that the Buckeyes had arrived as a team to be reckoned with.

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Coach Woody Hayes took over in 1951 and the rest is history. Even after coach Hayes, Earle Bruce played for the National championship in his first season as head coach. Coach Bruce never won fewer than 9 games in a season until his final year as head coach when the Buckeyes only won 6.

The John Cooper era brought heartache to Buckeye fans as the losses to Michigan piled up, but the Buckeyes had many very good teams in that era. Often they were highly ranked in the AP poll and came close to winning National titles.

Everyone is well aware of Ohio State’s success in the 21st century. 4 National Championship games, 2 titles and almost always in the hunt.

must read: All-Decade Ohio State Football Dream Team (2005-2015)

I know I am biased, but this was a great choice as the greatest football program during the AP poll era.