The 13 College Football Programs With The Highest Winning Percentages Of All Time

Every college football program goes through its fair share of ups and downs. Fans obviously hope the one they root for tends to avoid those rough patches, and there are some teams that have done a pretty solid job doing exactly that based on their all-time winning percentage.

There are a number of different factors that can be taken into consideration when it comes to trying to name the best college football programs in the history of the sport, but winning percentage is certainly one of the most easily digestible signifiers.

Here’s a look at the teams that lead the way on that front heading into the 2025 season.

13. Florida State: .664

Overall Record: 583-291-17

Florida State didn’t do itself any favors in the winning percentage department after going 2-10 during a 2024 season the Seminoles would prefer to scrub from memory, and it actually dropped them a couple of spots here as a result.

However, what was statistically one of the worst showings in the history of a program that was essentially formed in 1947 (it technically boasted a team at the start of the 20th century when the school was still known as Florida State College) was a very uncharacteristic hiccup for FSU.

12. Georgia: .667

Overall Record: 892-432-54

Georgia has gotten a solid boost on this particular list over the past decade or so thanks to its stellar performance during the Kirby Smart Era, but it’s far from the first time the program has experienced some extended success.

11. Tennessee: .670

Overall Record: 875-417-53

Tennessee has some work to do if it wants to crack the Top 10, and the program was steadily trending in the wrong direction before Josh Heupel stepped in and started to do some of the damage that was caused under the watch of predecessors including Jeremy Pruitt and Butch Jones.

We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out, but the Volunteers will continue to increase their standing here if he can maintain the pace that’s been set over the past few seasons.

10. Nebraska: .677

Overall Record: 924-430-40

This is another program that is not on an ideal trajectory to continue to match the standard that was previously set, as Nebraska has seen its overall winning percentage slowly but surely drop in the wake of Bo Pelini’s dismissal in 2014.

It was hard to blame the school for firing him given the circumstances surrounding his exit, but there’s nothing that currently suggests the Cornhuskers are in a place to improve their standing here in the immediate future.

9. Penn State: .690

Overall Record: 943-412-31

James Franklin may catch some heat thanks to his reputation for failing to get Penn State over the hump in big games, but he’s maintained the standard of excellence established before his arrival in State College by helping the Nittany Lions continue to improve a number that was already impressive before his tenure began.

8. USC: .694

Overall Record: 882-374-54

The Trojans are currently a bit lost as the team continues to ride the roller coaster that fans have been subjected to since Pete Carroll’s departure, but it’s still a bit hard to complain when you consider the amount of success USC has experienced over the years.

7. Texas: .704

Overall Record: 961-395-33

There are seven programs that are currently above the .700 mark in the winning percentage department, and we’re kicking things off with Texas.

The Longhorns did suffer a setback somewhat recently after the wheels fell off a bit toward the end of Mack Brown’s time in Austin, although it definitely looks like Steve Sarkisian has managed to right the ship while setting them up to continue to rise on this particular front.

6. Oklahoma: .723

Overall Record: 950-348-53

The last decade of the 20th century was really the only time in recent memory that Oklahoma had an extended stretch of underwhelming seasons. It’s somewhat fair to worry if Brent Venables could usher in a new one based on how he’s fared over the past few years, but Sooners fans have had it pretty good.

5. Boise State: .726

Overall Record: 502-189-2

If you’re like me, you’re probably surprised to see Boise State as high as it is, but as you can see, the Broncos have done very well for themselves as the historical juggernaut of the Mountain West.

4. Notre Dame: .732

Overall Record: 962-339-42

It’s been close to 40 years since Notre Dame has won a national championship, and it’s easy to understand why many fans get sick and tired of the amount of attention paid to a Fighting Irish team that’s struggled to return to its former glory.

With that said, you can’t discount their place among the best teams in college football history based on how high they are in this category.

3. Alabama: .733

Overall Record: 974-341-43

I don’t know if would be fair to call this A Tale of Two Coaches, but Bear Bryant and Nick Saban certainly didn’t harm the cause by respectively posting a winning percentage of .824 and .874 during their legendary tentures.

2. Michigan: .733

Overall Record: 1012-358-36

Michigan fans will understandably be less than thrilled to know a certain rival is above them with the top spot on this list, although they do have the right to brag about a program that has the most wins in college football history at 1,012.

1. Ohio State

Overall Record: 978-335-53 

As you could have probably guessed from the previous entry, THE Ohio State is responsible for THE best winning percentage in the history of college football—but if history has taught us anything, it would be foolish to discount the possibility of Michigan or Alabama seizing the throne in the not-so-distant future.