National championships are probably the most important factor in determining a program's prestige, so they are weighted most heavily in my formula. I have awarded points only for national championships that are recognized by the NCAA, which are the following: (a) before 1936, the NCAA recognizes retroactive national championships awarded by the College Football Research Association (CFRA), the Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF), and the National Championship Foundation (NCF); (b) from 1936 to date, the NCAA recognizes the Associted Press (AP) champ; (c) from 1950 to date, the NCAA recognizes the coaches' poll (CP) champ; (d) from 1954 to date, the NCAA recognizes the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) champ; and (e) from 1959 to date, the NCAA recognizes the National Football Foundation (NFF) champ. Because the AP and CP titles are by far the most prestigious, they are given considerably more points in the formula than the others.
Conference championships are also given some consideration, and this factor really hurts teams like Notre Dame, Army, Navy, Penn State, and Pittsburgh that are still independents, or that were independents for many years. Likewise, it unduly helps teams like BYU and Utah that have performed well in weak conferences.
Winning percentage is not considered, but net wins (wins minus losses, ties disregarded) are a huge factor. For example, over a third of Ohio State's total prestige points comes from the Buckeyes' 502 net wins (as of the end of the 2008 season).
Individual players and coaches also factor into the perceived prestige of a program, so All Americans, Hall of Famers, and major and minor award winners are used in the formula. For All American selections, I used only the Walter Camp, because Walter Camp has been naming a team since the late 1800's. For Hall of Famers, I counted a player or coach for any team where he made a significant impact; thus Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch counts both for Wisconsin and Michigan, and many coaches count for two or more teams. I used the following major awards: Heisman (best player), Maxwell (best player), Outland (interior lineman), Lombardi (lineman or linebacker), and AFCA Coach of the Year; and the following minor awards: O'Brien (quarterback), Walker (running back), Biletnikoff (wide receiver), Nagurski (defender), Bednarik (defender), Butkus (linebacker), Thorpe (defensive back); Groza (place kicker), Guy (punter), and Draddy/Campbell ("academic Heisman"). I tried to cover all positions, and gave more weight to the older and more respected awards; I did not consider awards that were too newly-created (the Lott Trophy from 2004 to date) or too highly-specialized (Rimington for centers, Hendricks for defensive ends, Mackey for tight ends) or duplicative (Baugh, Manning, Unitas for quarterbacks).
The formula is as follows:
1 point for each net win (total wins minus total losses).
5 points for each perfect season (8 games minimum).
2.5 points for each undefeated (but not perfect) season (8 games minimum).
10 points for each retroactive (pre-1936) national championship (CFRA, HAF, NCF)
50 points for each AP national championship between 1936 and 1949 (pre-coaches' poll)
25 points for each AP national championship from 1950 to date.
25 points for each CP national championship.
5 points for each minor national championship (FWAA, NCF).
5 points for each conference championship.
5 points for each major bowl win (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta[sup]1[/sup], Cotton[sup]2[/sup]).
4 points for each major bowl tie.
2 points for each major bowl loss.
3 points for each minor bowl win.
2 points for each minor bowl tie.
1 point for each minor bowl loss.
10 points for each Heisman.
5 points for each other major award (Maxwell, Outland, Lombardi, and AFCA-COY).
2.5 points for each minor award.
1 point for each Walter Camp All American.
5 points for each CFB Hall of Famer.
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[sup]1[/sup] The Fiesta Bowl really hit the big time when it hosted the de facto national championship game between Miami and Penn State after the 1986 season, so the Fiesta Bowl is considered to be a major bowl from that time forward, and a minor bowl prior thereto.
[sup]2[/sup] The Cotton Bowl ceased to be a major bowl when it was not included in the BCS format which went into effect in the 1998 season. Therefore, the Cotton Bowl is considered to be a major bowl until 1997, and a minor bowl thereafter.
