Most storied football programs in the Group of 5

Do any other Group of 5 teams have the history and tradition of the Houston Cougars?

Let’s forget about television markets for a moment. Let’s forget about how good these teams might be this coming year. The argument always heard from Power 5 fans against the Group of 5 is that lack of tradition. If expansion came down ONLY to tradition and history, who would be the best candidates available?

One of Houston’s biggest arguments for inclusion into a Power 5 Conference is its storied tradition. As a long-time member of the Southwestern Conference, Houston has developed long-standing rivalries with Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, and yes, Rice, and has had several notable seasons as a top-tier college football program. I thought it might be fun to look at other teams across the Group of 5 and see how Houston stacks up.

What I found is a surprising depth of tradition among the Group of 5. In many cases, these programs have more tradition than their Power 5 brethren. I’m excluding Notre Dame because, as much as we all hate them, they are not really a G5 team.

My sources stem from Wikipedia, Sports Reference, and each team’s personal web page. There are several discrepancies and much conflicting information between the sources, but even so, there are a few clear G5 teams that are heads and shoulders above the rest.

5. Houston

IA/FBS National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 11
BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl Victories: 1-0
Total Bowl Record: 11-12-1
Undefeated Seasons: 0
Top 25 Finishes: 17
Heisman Winners: 1
All-Americans: 7
First Year of Football: 1946

I am strongly confident in my top four. No. 5 is where it gets dicey. Boise State could easily slip in here, having gone 3-0 in New Year’s bowls in the last decade. If I count its time as an FCS team, it makes an even stronger case. In the end, Houston makes it because it’s the one of only five G5 teams to have a Heisman Trophy winner and have competed in top-tier football for a longer period.

4. BYU

IA/FBS National Championships: 1
Conference Championships: 23
BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl Victories: 0-0
Total Bowl Record: 13-20-1
Undefeated Seasons: 1
Top 25 Finishes: 18
Heisman Winners: 1
All-Americans: 11
First Year of Football: 1921

Only Tulsa has more conference championships than BYU. The Cougars have a Heisman winner in Ty Detmer, boast a national championship, and have been consistently good even after going Independent.

3. Navy

IA/FBS National Championships: 1
Conference Championships: 0 (Independent until last year)
BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl Record: 0-0
Total Bowl Record: 10-10-1
Undefeated Seasons: 0
Top 25 Finishes: 14
Heisman Winners: 2
All-Americans: 20
First Year of Football: 1879

The Midshipmen have zero conference titles, but only because they operated as an Independent until last year. Like that other team at West Point, Navy has a deep tradition that goes well beyond football. Take heart Midshipmen, you still have more Commander-in-Chief’s trophies than Army, and Air Force didn’t even make the cut.

2. SMU

IA/FBS National Championships: 1 or 3
Conference Championships: 10
BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl Victories: 0-0
Total Bowl Record: 7-7-1
Undefeated Seasons: 1
Top 25 Finishes: 12
Heisman Winners: 1
All-Americans: 14
First Year of Football: 1915

I suppose you could make the argument that SMU shouldn’t be on this list. After all, the SMU that has such accolades was destroyed by the NCAA, but last time I checked, they still had a football team. This team not only ranks No. 2 on this list, but ranks as the top team from the AAC. Like the No. 1 team on this list, the Ponies have faded over time, but their merits are still tremendous.

1. Army

IA/FBS National Championships: 3
Conference Championships: 0
BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl Victories: 0-0
Total Bowl Record: 3-2
Undefeated Seasons: 5
Top 25 Finishes: 17
Heisman Winners: 3
All-Americans: 28
First Year of Football: 1890

The Black Knights are easily the most storied program in the Group of 5. They have at least three national championships, three Heisman Trophy winners, and have had a team for nearly as long as there has been football. While they are not as competitive today as they once were, it will be a long time before any other Group of 5 team matches their success.

Did I miss any teams? Let me know why your team deserves to be on the list.