This ranking is comprised of the top 25 college football programs based on an average of their teams' final ratings from 1970-1979.
| Rk | Team | W | L | T | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 102 | 13 | 3 | 0.8569 |
| 2 | Alabama | 103 | 16 | 1 | 0.8354 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 98 | 20 | 4 | 0.8101 |
| 4 | Southern California | 93 | 21 | 5 | 0.7938 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 91 | 22 | 0 | 0.7670 |
| 6 | Michigan | 96 | 16 | 3 | 0.7655 |
| 7 | Texas | 88 | 26 | 1 | 0.7546 |
| 8 | Ohio State | 91 | 20 | 3 | 0.7499 |
| 9 | Penn State | 96 | 22 | 0 | 0.7482 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 79 | 31 | 5 | 0.6744 |
| 11 | Georgia | 75 | 38 | 2 | 0.6685 |
| 12 | Louisiana State | 74 | 40 | 3 | 0.6496 |
| 13 | Houston | 80 | 33 | 2 | 0.6472 |
| 14 | Auburn | 69 | 40 | 3 | 0.6460 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 75 | 39 | 3 | 0.6421 |
| 16 | UCLA | 69 | 37 | 6 | 0.6359 |
| 17 | Arizona State | 90 | 28 | 0 | 0.6310 |
| 18 | Stanford | 70 | 40 | 4 | 0.6216 |
| 19 | Colorado | 67 | 46 | 1 | 0.6154 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | 70 | 42 | 4 | 0.6090 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 70 | 43 | 2 | 0.5962 |
| 22 | Missouri | 58 | 56 | 0 | 0.5854 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 65 | 49 | 0 | 0.5830 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 72 | 42 | 3 | 0.5788 |
| 25 | Washington | 64 | 47 | 0 | 0.5778 |
Minimum for inclusion: Participation in 6 ranked seasons