A Statistical Analysis and Ranking of Tennessee’s Greatest Teams

[Volosaurus rex]

Since this is the offseason, not to mention the holidays, I thought that an interesting little project would be to analyze, and objectively rank, the top Tennessee football teams of all time. Given the length of this data, it will be posted in two parts, the second of which will list, chronologically, all relevant candidates. I have never attempted to create a poll for this website, so, if anyone else would be interested in undertaking that task for this question, they are more than welcome to do so.

True objectivity does not correlate strongly with fandom, so I also concluded that external insights, specifically ones derived from data compiled by Richard Billingsley, would provide an excellent starting point. For those of you not familiar with his work, Richard Billingsley operates the website, “College Football Research Center” (Home), and provides one of the computer ranking services that are part of the BCS Selection process.

For those of you who are curious, Billingsley also has compiled rankings of what he considers to be the Top Programs of All Time (see http://www.cfrc.com/Archives/Top_Programs_2011.htm. Note: We come in 9th, right behind USC. He ranks Notre Dame 1st and Alabama 3rd historically.), as well as the Top 200 College Football Teams of All Time (see http://www.cfrc.com/Archives/Top_200_2011.htm).

The following four Tennessee teams made his top 200:

1998 (13-0. Consensus National Champions and BCS Champions). Ranked 3rd best alltime in Billingsley’s Top 200.

1938 (11-0. Ranked 2nd AP. Declared National Champions by Billinsley, Dunkel, Litkenhous and a host of other mathematical systems). Ranked 110th alltime in Billingsley’s Top 200.

1951 (10-1. Consensus National Champions. Ranked 4th by Billingsley after Sugar Bowl loss). Ranked 146th alltime in Billingsley’s Top 200.

1956 (10-1. Ranked 2nd in both polls and 1st by Billingsley prior to the Sugar Bowl loss. Billingsley ranked them 3rd after the bowl game. Ranked 176th alltime in Billingsley’s Top 200.

So, out of the 12,640 college football teams who have been ranked between 1869 and 2011, Billingsley ranks the 1998, 1938, 1951 and 1956 Tennessee teams, in that order, among the Top 200 College Football Teams to ever take the field.

His fifth highest ranked Tennessee team, the 1970 squad (11-1. Sugar Bowl champions. Ranked 4th in both final polls and by Billingsley), finished out of the Top 200 ranking.

It should also be noted that the following Tennessee teams were declared National Champions by Billingsley although they may or may not be ranked in his Top 200 overall:

1998, 1950, 1938.

All relevant candidates, from the beginning of Neyland's tenure to the present, will be listed chronologically in the following post.

 

[BigSteve09]

They have 2001 Miami as the 20th best team of all time????

 

[bamawriter]

I wish this included his methodology. Some of it simply isn't adding up to me.

 

[Mustng959]

Personally, I'd rank the 1939 team as #1. Though they lost in the '40 Rose Bowl, during regular season they not only won every game but weren't scored on!!

September 29 at NC State* W 13-0
October 7 Sewanee W 40-0
October 14 at Chattanooga* W 28-0
October 21 #8 Alabama W 21-0
October 28 Mercer* W 17-0
November 4 at #18 LSU W 20-0
November 11 The Citadel* W 34-0
November 18 Vanderbilt W 13-0
November 30 at Kentucky W 19-0
December 9 Auburn W 7-0

 

[Volosaurus rex]

I wish this included his methodology. Some of it simply isn't adding up to me.

Here is a link to his methodology. http://www.cfrc.com/Archives/ISO_08.htm

It should also be noted that his rankings take bowl games into consideration, whether or not they were during a given year by the polls.

 

[bamawriter]

Personally, I'd rank the 1939 team as #1. Though they lost in the '40 Rose Bowl, during regular season they not only won every game but weren't scored on!!

I'm I'm understanding his formula correctly, a weak schedule hurts the '39 team's rating.