Best College Football Program During Each United States Presidency

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest-serving U.S. President, was in office for 12 college football seasons, the first three of which didn't even have an AP champion.

His presidency was dominated by the likes of Alabama , Duke , Minnesota and others, and while the Gophers own just the fourth-best winning percentage over this period (.768), they did win national championships in 1936, 1940 and 1941. They were the only program to win multiple AP titles under FDR and were the best college football program during his presidency.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Click through for the best college football program from Harry Truman to Donald Trump.

[slidshow_break]

Harry S. Truman

April 12, 1945 - Jan. 20, 1953

Best Team: Notre Dame

Like Minnesota under FDR, Notre Dame is the only team to win multiple championships during Truman's reign.

The Irish were champs in 1946, 1947 and 1949, and posted the highest winning percentage from 1945-52, winning over 83 percent of their games (61-10-6). Four other teams won more games than the Golden Domers, including 1950 champion Oklahoma (67-15-2) and 1951 champion Tennessee (61-18-4) but Notre Dame's three titles set them apart.

[slidshow_break]

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Jan. 20, 1953 - Jan. 20, 1961

Best Team: Oklahoma

President Eisenhower's first term was dominated by the Bud Wilkinson-led Sooners.

They won titles in both 1955 and 1956, giving them the Eisenhower Administration over Ole Miss, who had a better record, albeit by a hair, than Oklahoma, 71-12-3 vs. 70-12-2. However, the Rebels didn't win AP national title during the World War II hero's tenure.

[slidshow_break]

John F. Kennedy

Jan. 20, 1961 - Nov. 22, 1963

Best Team: Texas

For the sake of simplicity, all 1963 college football results have been applied to John F. Kennedy despite the 35th President's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, before the season concluded.

Alabama (1961), USC (1962) and Texas (1963) won the three titles under JFK, but the Trojans won just 22 games while the Longhorns and Crimson Tide each won 30. The difference? Miniscule: Texas went 30-2-1 and Alabama 30-3.

MORE: NCAA Facing Scholarship Crisis

[slidshow_break]

Lyndon B. Johnson

Nov. 22, 1963 - Jan. 20, 1969

Best Team: Alabama

By attributing all 1963 results to the JFK Administration, Lyndon B. Johnson was president for just five full college football seasons.

During LBJ's civil rights and Vietnam-laden presidency, Alabama led the nation in wins (46-7-2) and were national champions in 1964 and 1965. Notre Dame and USC, two of the other four teams to win 40 or more games under LBJ, won titles in 1966 and 1967, respectively, while Ohio State (34-12) was named national champion days before Johnson departed the Oval Office in 1969.

[slidshow_break]

Richard Nixon

Jan. 20, 1969 - Aug. 9, 1974

Best Team: Nebraska

Nebraska was one of three teams to win 51 games between 1969-1973. The Cornhuskers (51-6-3) had identical win-loss records as Arizona State and Penn State (51-6) , but they captured two more titles than the Sun Devils and Nittany Lions, combined.

Hall of Fame coach Bob Devaney led Nebraska to the 1970 and 1971 AP titles, which were sandwiched by crowns from Texas (1969), USC (1972) and Notre Dame (1973). None of those three teams, however, won more than 47 games during Nixon's run.

[slidshow_break]

Gerald Ford

Aug. 9, 1974 - Jan. 20, 1977

Best Team: Oklahoma

Three teams won 30 or more games during Ford's three seasons in office: Oklahoma (31-3-1), Alabama (31-5) and Ohio State (30-5-1). Alabama was the only team to win a national title.

The Crimson Tide claimed the championship in both 1974 and 1975, while Pittsburgh (1976) won the other title during Ford's brief administration.

[slidshow_break]

Jimmy Carter

Jan. 20, 1977 - Jan. 20, 1981

Best Team: Alabama

Alabama managed to win two titles, 1978 and 1979, during Jimmy Carter's one term.

The Crimson Tide, one of four teams to win 40 or more games over this four-year period (Oklahoma, 42; BYU, 41; Penn State, 40) won nearly 92 percent of their games (44-4), and their titles were sandwiched by AP crowns from Notre Dame (1997) and Georgia (1980).

[slidshow_break]

Ronald Reagan

Jan. 20, 1981 - Jan. 20, 1989

Best Team: Miami (FL)

Nebraska had more wins (83) and a higher win percentage (.865) than Miami (79 wins, .832) but the Cornhuskers were doomed by non-undefeated seasons. The Huskers had six seasons of 10 wins or more but captured zero titles, whereas the Hurricanes won championships in both 1983 and 1987.

Penn State also won two titles during the eight-year Reagan presidency, doing so in 1982 and 1986. The Joe Paterno-led Nittany Lions, however, went a combined 27-19-1 during the 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1988 seasons, severely impacting their eight-year win total of 71.

McShay: Derrick Brown is Worth No. 3 Pick

[slidshow_break]

George H.W. Bush

Jan. 20, 1989 - Jan. 20, 1993

Best Team: Miami (FL)

Miami's dominance during Reagan's reign carried into the George Bush presidency. The 'Canes lost just four games (44-4) during H.W.'s time in the White House and won two more national titles, in 1989 and 1991.

The only that came close to matching Dennis Erickson's success was Alabama, who won 41 games (41-8), including the 1992 title, but stumbled to a 7-5 mark in 1990.

[slidshow_break]

Bill Clinton

Jan. 20, 1993 - Jan. 20, 2001

Best Team: Nebraska

Nebraska and Florida State reigned supreme during Bill Clinton's eventful presidency.

The Tom Osborne-led Huskers (91-10) and Bobby Bowden-led Seminoles (88-10-1) combined for four national championships and only four losses in eight seasons; Nebraska won titles in 1994 and 1995 and Florida State won in 1993 and 1999.

Amazingly, it could have been six titles; Nebraska, who won 10 or more games in all but one year during the Clinton administration and went 13-0 in 1997, but Michigan was voted AP champs. Florida State, who won 10 or more games in all eight years, went 11-1 in 1996 but Florida was named champs.

[slidshow_break]

George W. Bush

Jan. 20, 2001 - Jan. 20, 2009

Best Team: LSU

The wealth was spread during the second Bush administration; four teams won at least 88 games over George W.'s eight years (Boise State, Oklahoma, Texas and USC).

Boise State, Texas and USC tied for the best win percentage from 2001-2008 with an astounding .854 clip (88-15), but the quartet combined to win just two national titles, while both LSU and Florida won two crowns apiece. The Tigers have a slight edge in victories (82 vs. 77) due to a three-year mediocre stretch for the Gators from 2002-2004 (23-15).

MORE: Ty Detmer's INT-Riddled Heisman Season

[slidshow_break]

Barack Obama

Jan. 20, 2009 - Jan. 20, 2017

Best Team: Alabama

Alabama dominated college football during Obama's time in the Oval Office.

The Crimson Tide are the only team with more than 80 wins (86-10), four of which have come in the national title game. Nick Saban has captured four titles (2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015) during his reign in Tuscaloosa.

[slidshow_break]

Donald Trump

Jan. 20, 2017 - Present

Best Team: Clemson

Clemson doesn't have the best team of the Trump era; the 2019 LSU Tigers are (currently) the best team of the Trump era. Clemson, however, has been the best program over the last three years.

The only team that's reached the playoff in each of the last three years (and riding a five-year playoff streak), Clemson annihilated Alabama two years ago and have more wins (41) and higher winning percentage (.932) than any other program.