Crafting a list of the most powerful programs in college football is no easy task.
The debate stands front and center as the sport celebrates its 150th anniversary. Since Rutgers and Princeton met in 1869, schools from the Ivy League to the Southeastern Conference have staked claim to the title of college football's top program.
From a historical perspective, Ivy League programs such as Princeton, Harvard and Yale dominated the first 50 years of college football. Across the past century, however, the center of power has shifted to leagues outside the Northeast such as the SEC and the Big Ten Conference.