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Where does Fighting Illini football rank when examining past accomplishments of every college program? Well we received somewhat of an answer on Tuesday. The Associated Press calculated data from over 1,100 of their weekly polls to create an All-Time Top 100, and Illinois checked in at No. 51 overall.
The AP's formula counted poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency and No. 1 rankings (one point) to acknowledge elite programs. A bonus was also awarded for AP championships (10 points).
BREAKING: Ohio St tops AP’s first list of all-time best college football programs: https://t.co/1XadO76BX8 #APTop100 pic.twitter.com/02nsFV653k
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 2, 2016
If this seems a bit low for Illinois, that's probably because it is. The Fighting Illini claim five National Titles, but none of them were actually awarded by the Associated Press -- so there's 50 points out the window. Moreover, the formula doesn't grant the Orange and Blue any weight for their 15 conference titles. A more all-encompassing ranking would likely place Illinois somewhere in the Top 40.
Elsewhere, Ohio State (1,112 points) claimed the AP's top overall spot. Fellow Big Ten members Nebraska (901 points) and Michigan (894 points) also cracked the top ten at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Here's a closer look at where all 14 conference members placed:
Overall Rank | Program | Points |
1 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,112 |
6 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 901 |
7 | Michigan Wolverines | 894 |
12 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 647 |
19 | Michigan State Spartans | 443 |
24 | Wisconsin Badgers | 366 |
25 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 329 |
36 | Purdue Boilermakers | 246 |
37 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 241 |
40 | Maryland Terrapins | 230 |
50 | Northwestern Wildcats | 183 |
51 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 181 |
72 | Indiana Hoosiers | 55 |
86 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 38 |