College Football: The greatest teams of every decade

1900s: Yale owns a third straight decade to open 20th century

Despite a revolving door at the coaching position, Yale continued to dominate college football as the 19th century gave way to the 20th century. The Bulldogs went a staggering 100-4-5 over the decade, overpowering almost every opponent along the way.

In the process, Yale also walked away from the decade with a partial or full share of the national title in seven out of 10 seasons. Michigan, the next-best team of the decade by winning percentage, lost twice as many games as the Bulldogs in 16 fewer games played.

1910s: Washington pips Notre Dame for team of decade

Under legendary coach Gil Dobie, Washington emerged as a national powerhouse in the second decade of the 20th century. From 1910 to 1916, the Huskies put together seven straight unbeaten seasons.

Washington never won a national title at this point. That was less an indictment of their quality as it was indicative of an East Coast bias that already dominated college football. While the Huskies never won any annual awards, their aggregate record lands them the title of top team of the decade ahead of another burgeoning power, Notre Dame.

1920s: Notre Dame is the team of the Roaring Twenties

By the 1920s, Washington had faded away after Dobie left Seattle. Into the void, Notre Dame rose up as the top team of the postwar boom. The Fighting Irish won nearly seven out of every eight games in this span, finishing the decade 83-11-3. Notre Dame claimed a share of four national titles for the effort.

Notre Dame, though, was not the team with the most wins this decade. That distinction belongs to USC, which finished the 1920s with 87 wins. But the Fighting Irish had a better winning percentage, as the Trojans also suffered two more losses over the span of time.

1930s: Alabama takes top spot in the Depression years

As the country sank into the Great Depression, the balance of power shifted southward in college football. In the 1930s, Alabama emerged as a national powerhouse for the first time. Under Wallace Wade, the Crimson Tide won the 1930 national title. His successor, Frank Thomas, completed another undefeated season in 1934.

Going 79-11-5 in the 1930s, Alabama outpaced every other team in the period. Pittsburgh was the closest in terms of winning percentage, but even then the Panthers finished with three more losses and four fewer victories.