(Maybe should've warned you yesterday...most times I try to find a picture that's relevant to the topic. Sometimes, I just find one that makes me laugh.)
Jeff Sagarin is smarter than most of us could be in a couple lifetimes, but when he developed a rating system that told him Illinois was the sixth-best college basketball program of all-time, he should've changed the rating system.
Half the top 10 is from the Big 10 which, Pat Forde points out, could be the first time ESPN is accused of having a Midwestern bias. There are all sorts of problems with the list -- UNC should probably be above KU, for instance, and Michigan State is getting hosed at No. 15 -- but overall the list serves its purpose, which is, of course, to generate discussion.
Thing is, this is football season, so shouldn't we be talking football?
Using the Google machine, the best list I could find was put together by Richard Billingsley, who is probably best known for developing one of the five computer programs used in the BCS.
His top 10:
1. Notre Dame, all-time leader with 12 AP national titles.
2. Michigan, winningest program of all-time.
3. Ohio State, with a fan base that surely is just fine being ranked behind Michigan.
4. Alabama, with more bowl appearances and wins than any program in the country.
5. USC, which currently has enough talent that Mitch Mustain, the former national high school player of the year who won eight straight games as a true freshman at Arkansas, is currently the third-string quarterback.
6. Texas, which I'll always consider a bit of an underachiever.
7. Oklahoma, my only beef on the list. Should be higher, with three more national titles than Texas and arguably the biggest dynasty in the sport's history in Bud Wilkinson's days -- including a 47-game winning streak.
8. Nebraska, although if Bill Callahan had his way, this would be more like 28th.
9. Tennessee, which won a national title with Tee Martin, so you know this program's legit.
10. Florida State, although if Bobby Bowden has his way, there may be a spot open in the top 10.
If you're curious, Missouri comes in at 37th, Kansas 58th, and K-State 71st among 81 teams overall.