This ranking is comprised of the top 25 college football programs based on an average of their teams' final ratings from 1940-1949.
| Rk | Team | W | L | T | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 74 | 15 | 3 | 0.7995 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 82 | 9 | 6 | 0.7914 |
| 3 | Texas | 78 | 21 | 3 | 0.7287 |
| 4 | Army | 68 | 17 | 7 | 0.6969 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 57 | 27 | 6 | 0.6598 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 57 | 21 | 4 | 0.6538 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 60 | 27 | 1 | 0.6485 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 67 | 19 | 5 | 0.6446 |
| 9 | Alabama | 66 | 23 | 4 | 0.6423 |
| 10 | Duke | 59 | 28 | 5 | 0.6331 |
| 11 | Southern California | 57 | 33 | 9 | 0.6068 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 68 | 36 | 0 | 0.6042 |
| 13 | Georgia | 78 | 27 | 4 | 0.6033 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 69 | 27 | 4 | 0.5995 |
| 15 | Rice | 63 | 37 | 4 | 0.5987 |
| 16 | Louisiana State | 57 | 35 | 5 | 0.5982 |
| 17 | Navy | 44 | 40 | 6 | 0.5830 |
| 18 | Santa Clara | 40 | 19 | 4 | 0.5787 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 58 | 37 | 5 | 0.5750 |
| 20 | Southern Methodist | 55 | 40 | 8 | 0.5699 |
| 21 | Stanford | 39 | 28 | 2 | 0.5570 |
| 22 | Northwestern | 42 | 44 | 3 | 0.5516 |
| 23 | California | 55 | 43 | 2 | 0.5437 |
| 24 | Oregon State | 45 | 27 | 7 | 0.5355 |
| 25 | Mississippi State | 57 | 25 | 4 | 0.5304 |
Minimum for inclusion: Participation in 6 ranked seasons