Ranking Every State by Their College Football Teams (2024)

College football has an unending supply of team pride, as well as quite a bit of pride for teams from the same conference (except maybe their rival). But what about state pride, is that something that exists in the sport?

There are 41 states with at least one school competing at the FBS level, and we've ranked those territories based on the performance of all of their teams. These rankings factor in records from the past five seasons (2011-15), with an extra emphasis on results from the past two years and bonus points awarded for division, conference and national titles won by teams from that state.

Who comes out on top, and who's stuck at the bottom? Put on your state pride hat and follow along.

The nine states that don't currently have an FBS school within its borders (Alaska, Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont) are essentially tied for 42nd in our rankings. But if we had to pick one from this lot, North Dakota is head and shoulders above the rest.

That's because of the presence of North Dakota State, the five-time reigning FCS national champions. The Bison, which just produced the No. 2 draft pick in the NFL in quarterback Carson Wentz, have several wins over FBS teams during their dominant run and are set to face Iowa this fall.

If NDSU ever opts to join FBS, expect North Dakota to be rather high on this list assuming the Bison can transfer their performance to the next level.

FBS teams: New Mexico, New Mexico State

Combined 2015 record: 10-15

Combined record in past five seasons: 31-92

They call it the Land of Enchantment, but New Mexico's FBS-level football provides more of a sense of disenchantment. Even with New Mexico winning seven games in 2015 and earning its first bowl bid since 2007, this is still home to the worst college football in the country.

From 2008-14, the Lobos went 18-67 yet were still the best team in the state. That's because New Mexico State was 17-69 in the same time frame, part of a streak of 13 consecutive losing seasons.

NMSU's three wins in 2015 were its most in four years, and with football independence looming in 2018 (after its tenure in the Sun Belt Conference expires) that could be the Aggies' high-water mark in the foreseeable future.

FBS team: Hawaii

2015 record: 3-10

Record in past five seasons: 17-46

It seems so long ago that Hawaii was one of the better non-power conference teams in the country and certainly among the most fun to watch. In reality it was only nine years ago that the Rainbow Warriors took a 12-0 record into the Sugar Bowl and as recently as 2010 they won 10 games while averaging nearly 40 points per game.

The recent product has been far less successful or entertaining. Hawaii has four consecutive seasons with at least nine losses, and in 2013 lost its first 11 games before squeaking out a home win over Army in its finale.

FBS teams: Boston College, Massachusetts

Combined 2015 record: 6-18

Combined record in past five seasons: 31-79

Of the 126 FBS programs that aren't located in Massachusetts, 70 of them individually had more wins in 2015 than this state's two representatives managed. Take away Boston College's two victories against FCS teams and the news is even worse in New England.

Ironically, the three that UMass contributed to last year's tally was its most since moving up from FCS in 2012. The Minutemen have gone 8-40 at the upper level, and not surprisingly they were booted out of the Mid-American Conference and are an independent program for the foreseeable future.

There aren't any plans for the ACC to do the same to BC, despite three seasons with eight or more losses in the past five years.

FBS team: Wyoming

2015 record: 2-10

Record in past five seasons: 23-38

The least-populated state in America has an FBS program with a rich and successful history, with at least a share of 15 conference titles and six seasons with 10 or more wins. Unfortunately, all of that is in the distant past, as Wyoming has finished below .500 in four straight seasons and last year's 2-10 mark was its worst since 2002.

It's been a steady drop during the past five years, going from 8-5 in 2011 to no better than five wins in any of the past four seasons. To add perspective, head coach Craig Bohl's 18 losses in his two seasons with the Cowboys is three more than he had in his final five years (2009-13) at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.

FBS teams: Army, Buffalo, Syracuse

Combined 2015 record: 11-25

Combined record in past five seasons: 66-116

New York is the lowest-ranked state with at least three FBS schools, the product of a trio of underperforming programs that have all gone through a coaching change since 2014. Army's Jeff Monken is entering his third season in charge, while Lance Leipold has one year behind him at Buffalo and Dino Babers is set to debut at Syracuse in September.

Each coach has his work cut out for him. Army hasn't had a winning record since 2010, Buffalo's only season above .500 since 2009 was three years ago, and Syracuse has gone 7-17 the past two seasons after winning seven games in 2013.

FBS team: Connecticut

2015 record: 6-7

Record in past five seasons: 21-40

The smallest state with an FBS team is making baby steps in football, moving up from last place in our 2015 rankings after Connecticut earned its first bowl invite since 2010. The next step is for the Huskies to win that postseason contest, which last happened after the 2009 season.

UConn won the Big East in 2010 and played in the Fiesta Bowl but then went on a four-year plunge that included a 2-10 mark in 2014, the first season under coach Bob Diaco.

FBS teams: Nevada, UNLV

Combined 2015 record: 10-15

Combined record in past five seasons: 48-79

Reno plays second fiddle to Las Vegas when it comes to gambling and entertainment, but on the football field Nevada has had the upper hand on UNLV both head-to-head and overall.

The Wolf Pack have lost two of the past three meetings with the Runnin' Rebels, but before that they won eight consecutive games in the series. Despite losing to UNLV in 2015, they still made a bowl game for the 10th time in the past 11 years.

UNLV, for its history, has appeared in only four bowl games and its 2014 trip to the Heart of Dallas Bowl was its first since 2000. Four of the past six years have seen UNLV finish with 10 or more losses, going 3-9 last season.

FBS teams: Kansas, Kansas State

Combined 2015 record: 6-19

Combined record in past five seasons: 53-72

If not for the ageless Bill Snyder, Kansas might be challenging for last place on this list instead of being ranked ahead of seven other states. Snyder's Kansas State teams have made bowl games in six straight seasons, and the Wildcats' records in 2011 (10-3) and 2012 (11-2) each surpassed the entire win total of Kansas (nine) in the past five years.

The Jayhawks, one of two winless FBS teams last season and holders of a 15-game losing streak, are without question the worst power-conference program in America. Since going 12-1 in 2007—it was ranked second in the country that season!—it's been all downhill for Kansas.

FBS teams: Boise State, Idaho

Combined 2015 record: 12-9

Combined record in past five seasons: 60-61

FBS football in Idaho is a tale of two very different programs.

On one side you have Boise State, arguably the best non-power program in the country with 18 consecutive winning seasons and 14 straight bowl appearances, including three appearances (and wins) in the Fiesta Bowl. The most recent of those was in 2014, when the Broncos knocked off a 10-win Arizona team to reach 12 wins for the fifth time since 2008.

On the other is Idaho, which since moving up from FCS in 1996 has had four winning records and two bowl invites. The Vandals' win total in 2015 (four) was only one fewer than they'd managed from 2011-14. With their time in the Sun Belt Conference set to end after 2017, they've opted to drop back to FCS rather than be independent like they were in going 1-11 in 2013.

FBS teams: Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State

Combined 2015 record: 19-21

Combined record in past five seasons: 79-112

The Air Force Academy is coming off its best two seasons since the late 1990s, reaching last year's Mountain West title game after rising from 2-10 in 2013 to 10-2 the following season. Colorado State had a similar jump from 2012 (4-8) to 2014 (10-3) and remained above .500 last fall.

And then there's Colorado, the only power-conference school in the Rocky Mountain State and the one dragging the rest down. The Buffaloes haven't had a winning season since 2005 and haven't come close since losing their finale in 2010 to finish at 5-7. Since then the Buffs have won a combined 14 games, never more than four in one campaign.

FBS team: Rutgers

2015 record: 4-8

Record in past five seasons: 36-28

The school officially known as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the lone FBS representative in the Garden State. Fitting of the state's nickname, the Scarlet Knights have had some bountiful years of late but are currently between bumper crops.

Rutgers went 4-8 this past season, its second in the Big Ten since moving over from the Big East/American, where it was frequently in contention for league titles. The Knights have gone 4-12 in Big East play since the switch, including 1-7 in 2015.

FBS teams: Ball State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue

Combined 2015 record: 21-29

Combined record in past five seasons: 119-131

Notre Dame is a nationally recognized program, with alumni and fans in every corner of this country, but the Fighting Irish's base of operations is in South Bend, Indiana. And by rule, that means they must be included among an otherwise unimpressive group of FBS teams from the Hoosier State.

Take away Notre Dame's 47 wins since 2011 and you're left with a combined .389 win percentage for Ball State, Indiana and Purdue. They have three winning seasons between them in that time frame, two from Ball State, which since going 10-3 in 2013 has won only eight total games in the ensuing two seasons.

FBS teams: Old Dominion, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Combined 2015 record: 16-21

Combined record in past five seasons: 82-81

States don't get more average than Virginia, whose three FBS teams have combined to finish one game above .500 the past five seasons. And if not for the contributions of newcomer Old Dominion, which has gone 19-17 in three years at the FBS level, the commonwealth would be under .500.

So it goes for a state where Virginia Tech has made finishing 7-6 an art form (the Hokies have had that record three times in the past four seasons, the other saw them go 8-5), while Virginia has been as high as eight wins and as low as two but for the past four seasons has finished with a losing mark.

FBS team: Minnesota

2015 record: 6-7

Record in past five seasons: 31-33

Unlike the temperature swing between the frigid winters and hot summers, Minnesota's football performance doesn't have the same kind of extremes. Last year's 6-7 record fell right in the middle of the program's recent performance, which has ranged between three and eight wins since 2008.

The Golden Gophers are even more middle of the road when it comes to Big Ten play, having finished with no better than five wins in the league every year since 1974.

FBS teams: Maryland, Navy

Combined 2015 record: 14-11

Combined record in past five seasons: 64-62

Most college football fans probably couldn't locate where the Naval Academy is based, but if not for its presence in Maryland this state would be contending for the bottom few spots of our ranking. Navy's program has produced 36 wins over the past four seasons, including a school-record 11 in 2015 in its first year in the American Athletic Conference.

Navy should expect continued success after coach Ken Niumatalolo, heading into his ninth season in charge of the Midshipmen, turned down an offer to coach BYU this winter.

Maryland, on the other hand, has failed to top seven wins in any of the past five years and was 3-9 last fall, prompting the school to fire Randy Edsall midway through the season.

FBS teams: Washington, Washington State

Combined 2015 record: 16-10

Combined record in past five seasons: 63-65

Having both Washington and Washington State finish above .500 in the same season is somewhat of a rarity, as 2015 was the first time it's happened since 2002. Based on the teams each has coming back this fall, it might become a more common occurrence.

WSU's nine wins last season were its most since 2013, while Washington got to seven wins for the sixth straight year. Each team is looking at a possible preseason ranking—they're both in Bleacher Report's latest Top 25—which has happened in the same year only once: 2002.

FBS teams: Iowa, Iowa State

Combined 2015 record: 15-11

Combined record in past five seasons: 58-69

Iowa's 12-0 start to last season is the only reason this state isn't lower on this list, and also why the Hawkeye State actually posted a collective .500 record for the first time since 2011. In between were some very lean years, mostly due to Iowa State's prolonged downswing.

The Cyclones have gone 8-28 the past three seasons, their worst stretch since the mid-1990s, and their last winning mark was in 2009. Iowa has been at or above .500 for three straight seasons and four of five, but before winning the Big Ten West Division last year the Hawkeyes' best mark of late had been 8-5 in 2013.

FBS teams: Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Combined 2015 record: 29-22

Combined record in past five seasons: 121-128

With three of the state's four FBS teams posting winning records last year, Tennessee is on the rise. But it will take a few more of those years to make up for the lean times of 2011, when the quartet combined to go 15-34 and Vanderbilt's 6-7 record was the best of the lot.

In 2015 it was Vandy at the bottom of the group, at 4-8, while Memphis had nine wins after going 10-3 the season before and Tennessee posted its best record (9-4) since 2007.

FBS teams: Appalachian State, Charlotte, Duke, East Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest

Combined 2015 record: 47-42

Combined record in past five seasons: 190-177

The Tar Heel State is the lowest-ranked of all states with five or more FBS teams, and it can't blame the addition of two more programs the past two years for this. While Charlotte going 2-10 last season in its first full year of FBS play didn't help, that was countered by Appalachian State going 11-2 and winning a bowl game.

The Mountaineers were one of four North Carolina schools to go bowling in 2015, but only they and Duke were winners. North Carolina State and UNC came up short, the latter losing to Baylor in blowout fashion in the Russell Athletic Bowl after falling to Clemson in the ACC title game.

Across the past five years, Duke is the state's most successful team. The Blue Devils have made a bowl in four straight seasons, with December's overtime win against Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl the program's first postseason triumph since 1961.

FBS teams: Kentucky, Louisville, Western Kentucky

Combined 2015 record: 25-14

Combined record in past five seasons: 108-81

It's been near-steady improvement for Kentucky's three FBS teams over our five-year ranking window, rising from 19-18 overall in 2011 to last year's 64.1 percent win rate. The commonwealth would be doing even better if its namesake could post a winning record, which hasn't happened since 2009.

The Wildcats are responsible for all five of the state's sub-.500 marks in the past five years, while Louisville and Western Kentucky have combined to win 89 games and at least a share of three conference titles.

FBS teams: Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Tulane

Combined 2015 record: 27-35

Combined record in past five seasons: 170-148

The state of Louisiana bottomed out last season with its worst collective record in the past five years. So it goes when Louisiana-Lafayette goes from four straight nine-win seasons to 4-8 and Louisiana-Monroe and Tulane combine for 20 losses and a pair of fired coaches.

The state almost had three vacancies had LSU's Les Miles not been given a last-minute reprieve in November, despite going from 7-0 and atop the playoff rankings to out of them altogether less than a month later. The Tigers are by far their state's best overall team, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the wins since 2011, but since losing to Alabama in the BCS title game after the 2011 season they've been slowly sliding.

FBS teams: Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple

Combined 2015 record: 25-15

Combined record in past five seasons: 102-88

Pennsylvania football is on the rise, with all three FBS representatives posting winning records last year for the first time since 2010. Each school has also averaged better than six wins per season over the past five years; Temple's school-record 10 wins in 2015 serves as the only double-digit tally.

Penn State remains the class of the Keystone State, despite losing to Temple last year for the first time since 1941. The Nittany Lions haven't had a losing record since 2004, and while three straight seven-win seasons might not look great on the surface, those have come amid (and in the wake of) NCAA sanctions that included major scholarship reductions.

Pittsburgh has managed to win at least six games in eight straight years despite having a bevy of coaching turnover since 2011. Pat Narduzzi, who went 8-5 in his first season in 2015, is technically the Panthers' eighth coach since 2010, including interims.

FBS teams: Baylor, Houston, North Texas, Rice, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, UTEP, UTSA

Combined 2015 record: 73-77

Combined record in past five seasons: 394-333

Bigger doesn't always mean better, which is why the state with by far the most FBS programs is in the middle of the pack nationally in overall performance. As good as the Lone Star State's best teams are, the bottom of its roster is dragging the whole group down.

Only five schools—Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech—made bowl games in 2015, with more schools logging nine or more losses (four) than winning that many (three). And this isn't just a one-year trend, as Texas' overall win percentage has dipped from .572 in 2013 to .487 this past season.

Texas has schools in five different conferences, winning division or league titles in the American, Big 12, Conference USA and SEC since 2011. But the state hasn't managed to secure a playoff bid since that format was introduced in 2014, and during the tail end of the BCS years only Baylor earned a bid (losing the 2014 Fiesta Bowl to UCF).

FBS teams: Oregon, Oregon State

Combined 2015 record: 11-14

Combined record in past five seasons: 83-47

With eight consecutive wins in the series, there's no argument over which of Oregon's two FBS teams is better than the other. The Ducks' two national title appearances since 2010 help with distinction as well, but only Oregon's loss to Ohio State after the 2014 season factors into these rankings.

The Ducks are responsible for 57 of the state's wins since 2011, more than twice as many as Oregon State, which has been on a steady decline since going 9-4 in 2012. Last year the Beavers were 2-10 overall and winless in the Pac-12, their worst record in 20 years.

FBS teams: Arizona, Arizona State

Combined 2015 record: 13-13

Combined record in past five seasons: 77-54

The past four seasons have arguably been the most successful in the state's history of college football, with both Arizona and Arizona State on bowl streaks and each having won a Pac-12 South Division title since 2012. But this past season was down from the previous three, and combined with a lackluster 2011 from the Wildcats and Sun Devils (who were a combined 10-15 that year) the state ranks in the middle nationally.

Arizona's 33 wins in Rich Rodriguez's first four seasons are the program's most in any four-year stretch, and the four straight bowl appearances is also a first. ASU has been to five straight bowls, the last four under Todd Graham, but twice has finished under .500 after losing that final game following a 6-6 regular season.

FBS team: Missouri

2015 record: 5-7

Record in past five seasons: 41-24

It's been mostly feast or famine for Missouri the past five years, with an equal amount of 10-win and losing seasons as well as division titles since 2011. For the record, it's two of each, with the Tigers going a combined 23-5 with a pair of SEC West Division championships in 2014-15.

Last year was like Mizzou's first in the SEC, in 2012, the seven losses tying for the most the program has had since the early 2000s.

FBS teams: Arkansas, Arkansas State

Combined 2015 record: 17-9

Combined record in past five seasons: 77-51

Bret Bielema has gone from four wins in his first season at Arkansas in 2013 to eight this past year, getting the Razorbacks back into the mix in the SEC's West Division. Yet the reason the state ranks this high is more due to the success of little brother Arkansas State, one of the more consistent non-power teams in FBS.

Arkansas State has had almost as many head coaches (four) as winning seasons (five) since 2011, with current coach Blake Anderson the only man to run the Red Wolves' program for more than one year in that span. Previous coaches Hugh Freeze (now at Ole Miss), Gus Malzahn (Auburn) and Bryan Harsin (Boise State) all parlayed winning records in their one-and-done seasons into bigger jobs.

Helping Arkansas' overall win rate is the lack of clashes between its two FBS programs. Arkansas and Arkansas State have never met since ASU moved up from FCS in the early 1990s.

FBS team: Nebraska

2015 record: 6-7

Record in past five seasons: 43-23

Nebraska had been a model of consistent-yet-limited success during Bo Pelini's seven-year tenure as head coach, winning at least nine games but never more than 10 from 2008-14. The tail end of that run, since moving to the Big Ten in 2011, included a conference title game appearance in 2011 but overall a lack of significant victories.

The decision to change coaches in 2015 may pay off in the long run, but Mike Riley's first season at the helm ended up producing just the Cornhuskers' third losing record since the early 1960s. And, accordingly, a lower ranking among the states than Nebraska would have had a year ago.

FBS teams: Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan

Combined 2015 record: 38-27

Combined record in past five seasons: 166-152

It only accounts for 20 percent of the state's FBS schools, but as Michigan goes so does the entire Wolverine State when it comes to overall performance. The state's two best years since 2011, by win percentage, happened to be when Michigan won at least 10 games (in 2011 and 2015) while in two of the three years in between the state collectively finished below .500.

Coincidentally, those two best Michigan years came in the first season of a new head coach, with Brady Hoke going 11-2 in 2011 and Jim Harbaugh sporting a 10-3 mark last year.

There's been no such fluctuation at Michigan State, which has won 54 games the past five years, with at least 11 victories on four occasions. Central and Eastern Michigan have been similarly consistent, though in different ways, with CMU going 6-6 or 7-6 the past four years while EMU has had four straight seasons of at least 10 losses.

And then there's Western Michigan, which bottomed out at 1-11 in 2013 in P.J. Fleck's first season but has posted back-to-back 8-5 records since then.

FBS teams: Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech

Combined 2015 record: 28-23

Combined record in past five seasons: 111-84

The U.S. Census Bureau has logged a modest 5.4 percent increase in Georgia's population over the past five years. In the same time frame, however, the Peach State has seen its FBS ranks double in size with the addition of Georgia State in 2013 and Georgia Southern 2014.

If we only used the schools that have been playing FBS throughout the past five seasons, Georgia's 64.6 percent win rate would put it much higher in our rankings. But we're an equal opportunity ranker, and thus Georgia State's 1-23 record during its first two FBS seasons holds as much weight as the Panthers' 6-7 mark last year when they made their first bowl appearance.

So, too, does Georgia Southern going a combined 18-7 at the FBS level, including a perfect 8-0 mark in the Sun Belt in its first season of play (though the Eagles weren't eligible for the league title).

FBS teams: BYU, Utah, Utah State

Combined 2015 record: 25-14

Combined record in past five seasons: 123-72

The Beehive State doesn't rank high nationally in terms of college football attention, but its numbers indicate that should change. In the past five years, the state's trio of FBS schools have combined for 13 bowl appearances (five each by BYU and Utah State) and 12 winning records, 11 of which included at least nine victories.

The state's overall win percentage rises to 64.9 if you eliminate 12 head-to-head matchups since 2011, with Utah going 6-1 against its in-state rivals.

BYU has managed to carve out a relatively successful niche as the West's only independent school, going no worse than 8-5 each season despite increasingly tougher schedules, while Utah State's 43 wins since 2011 are the most in school history in any five-year span. But it's Utah's rise in the Pac-12 that is most significant, having gone from a former BCS buster when in the Mountain West to a 10-win team that contended for the Pac-12's South Division title last season.

FBS teams: Central Florida, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Miami (Florida), South Florida

Combined 2015 record: 44-45

Combined record in past five seasons: 228-213

One of five states with at least seven FBS teams, Florida has the lowest overall win percentage of that lot thanks to an overabundance of really bad individual seasons of late. It can thank UCF (0-12 in 2015), Florida Atlantic (1-11 in 2011), Florida International (1-11 in 2013) and South Florida (2-10 in 2013) for that.

However, the Sunshine State also has a recent national title on its resume, that coming from Florida State after the 2013 season. The Seminoles also reached the semifinals in 2014 and have three ACC titles in the past five years, with their 58-10 record in that span almost single-handedly propping up the state.

Florida has to some degree as well, with two 10-win seasons and an SEC East title last year, but the Gators also threw in a stinker of a 4-8 effort in 2013. Every team in the state other than FSU has had a losing record at least once in the past five years, though Miami's worst mark was 6-7 in 2014 after losing its bowl game.

FBS teams: Illinois, Northern Illinois, Northwestern

Combined 2015 record: 23-16

Combined record in past five seasons: 114-81

Illinois and Northwestern get the bulk of the headlines, but it's Northern Illinois that is responsible for the Land of Lincoln making our top 10. The Huskies have accounted for nearly half (54) of the state's wins since 2011, and that includes a 2014 victory at Northwestern.

It was after that 23-15 win, NIU's first against an in-state FBS opponent, that the school's alumni decided to declare the Huskies as "Chicago's Big Time College Football Team" in a newspaper ad.

NIU's success in the Mid-American Conference includes six consecutive trips to the conference title game, with three titles since 2011, and the 2012 team earned a bid to the Fiesta Bowl in the process. That's more than can be said for Illinois and Northwestern in that span, as the Fighting Illini have finished below .500 the past four seasons while Northwestern had consecutive 5-7 records bookended by 10-3 campaigns in 2012 and 2015.

FBS teams: California, Fresno State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Combined 2015 record: 56-37

Combined record in past five seasons: 273-182

California has strength in numbers, sporting seven FBS teams split among the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences. While that's diluted the state's overall record the past five seasons due to numerous head-to-head matchups, the Golden State has still managed to collectively post a winning record every year since 2011.

No other state with at least four FBS schools can say that.

Just as impressive has been the diversity of success, with five different schools winning at least one division title and three (Fresno State, San Diego State, Stanford) claiming a conference title since 2011. And all seven have finished at or above .500 at least twice in that span.

Stanford is by far the class of the state, having accounted for nearly 20 percent of the overall wins with three Pac-12 titles and three trips to the Rose Bowl. The Cardinal are also 18-2 against in-state foes since 2011.

FBS teams: Marshall, West Virginia

Combined 2015 record: 18-8

Combined record in past five seasons: 81-49

They play some pretty good football in the mountains of West Virginia, and its the lesser-known team that's performed better overall during the past five seasons.

Marshall is 45-20 since 2011, with 33 of those wins coming in the past three seasons, including a Conference USA title in 2014. That recent run has come since the last time the Thundering Herd faced in-state foe West Virginia, however, as they last met in 2012 when the Mountaineers improved to 12-0 all time in the series with a 69-34 victory.

That was West Virginia's first season in the Big 12. While its 15-21 mark in league play doesn't look good, it's made up for it by going 11-4 in nonconference or bowl games.

FBS teams: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss

Combined 2015 record: 28-12

Combined record in past five seasons: 102-88

Few states have been on the rise more than Mississippi, which has seen its collective record improve every year since 2012. That surge has been across the board, not just from SEC entrants Ole Miss and Mississippi State, as Southern Miss has put together one of the biggest turnarounds in college football the past four seasons.

The Golden Eagles were 0-12 in 2012 (after winning 12 games the year before) but went 9-5 last season, winning Conference USA's West Division in the process. That's their second division title in the past five years, one more than Ole Miss and Mississippi State have managed together since the SEC split into divisions in 1991.

But it's how the Rebels and Bulldogs have performed that boosts Mississippi the most. They were collectively at the center of the college football universe during much of 2014, when MSU spent several weeks at No. 1 in the country and Ole Miss knocked off Alabama for the first of two straight meetings, and they've combined for 19 wins each of the past two seasons.

FBS teams: Clemson, South Carolina

Combined 2015 record: 17-10

Combined record in past five seasons: 99-33

From a strictly win percentage standpoint, South Carolina reigns supreme among states with more than one FBS school thanks to the sustained success of both Clemson and South Carolina. But with the Gameco*cks sliding these past two seasons, bottoming out at 3-9 in 2015, the Palmetto State slips a little in terms of overall strength.

Clemson is doing its part, however, with five consecutive 10-wins seasons capped by a 14-1 mark and a trip to the national title game this past January. The Tigers have two division titles and two ACC championships in that span as well, while South Carolina had three straight 11-2 records from 2011-13 but weren't able to parlay that into an SEC East crown.

FBS teams: Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Ohio State, Toledo

Combined 2015 record: 61-41

Combined record in past five seasons: 287-225

Football is big in Ohio, with its eight FBS schools making for the second-most of any state. Six of those teams are in the Mid-American Conference, however, which somewhat dilutes their collective record since five schools (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami and Ohio) are in the same division.

But that group isn't why the Buckeye State sits so high on this list. It's because of the Buckeyes, winners of the 2014 national title and 56 wins the past five seasons. The last 50 of those have come against just four losses since Urban Meyer took over Ohio State in 2012, winning at least 12 every time.

The state's MAC entrants have been a mixed bag of success, with Bowling Green, Kent and Ohio all winning division or conference titles while Akron and Miami have combined for four seasons of at least 10 losses in the past five years. And Cincinnati, though above .500 each year since 2011, has seen its win total slide from 10 that first season to seven in 2015.

FBS teams: Alabama, Auburn, South Alabama, Troy, UAB

Combined 2015 record: 30-22

Combined record in past five seasons: 154-138

To judge football in Alabama—at least for the purposes of this ranking—is to take into account the performance of every FBS team in the state and not just the big names. Because of this, the Yellowhammer State ends up a few spots below the top despite having produced three national championship teams and a runner-up since 2011.

Alabama and Auburn have combined to win 100 games over the past five years, but the state's other programs are what's holding them down. That includes UAB, which hasn't fielded an FBS team the past two seasons but it set to return to action in 2017.

Troy is in the midst of its worst stretch since moving to FBS in 2001, while South Alabama has yet to finish with more than six wins since moving up in 2012.

FBS team: Wisconsin

2015 record: 10-3

Record in past five seasons: 49-19

There may only be one team, but that lone representative has done quite well propping up its state. Wisconsin has won at least 10 games in three of the past five seasons, and even when it managed only eight wins in 2012 that included a Big Ten title.

The Badgers' consistency extends much further, having finished with a winning record in 14 consecutive seasons. And their recent success is bolstered by the fact it came under the guidance of three different coaches (Bret Bielema, Gary Andersen, Paul Chryst) without any real hiccups.

FBS teams: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa

Combined 2015 record: 27-12

Combined record in past five seasons: 127-67

Big 12 schools Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have been good for a while, but it was the resurgence of Tulsa this past season that has lifted the Sooner State to the top of our rankings. First-year coach Phil Montgomery got the Golden Hurricane into their first bowl game since 2012 and third in the past five years, giving the state 13 bowl appearances since 2011.

Oklahoma and OK State both made major bowl games in 2015, with Oklahoma competing in the semifinals. That's the third time in the past five years each has had a top-tier bowl bid.

Remove head-to-head appearances from the equation and these teams combined to go 25-10 last season and they've combined to win 117 games in the past five years.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.