Strongest NCAA Football Teams by Conference

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, secfootballpodcast.com
Keys wins are wins against teams with 8 or more wins, championship game, or bowl game. Rankings based on final AP poll rankings. Recognized bowl wins are the Cotton, Capitol One, and BCS bowl winners. Putting this analysis together helps to show who played who, who was in the strongest conference, and who had the toughest schedule. Last year I put Bama in, this year it's Vandy. The ACC has the most key teams and key wins. Most key wins by a single team were the Sooners, great year for them. All hail the Gators! SECfootballpodcast says undisputed 13-1 National Champions!

The '08 season's best teams by conference:

Southeastern Conference

#1 Florida Gators (13-1) (8-1)
SEC Champs
BCS National Champions
Key wins:
vs LSU (8-5)
at Georgia (10-3)
at Florida St (9-4)
vs Alabama (12-2) champ
vs Oklahoma (12-2) bowl

#6 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2) (8-1)
SEC West #1
Key wins:
at Georgia (10-3)
vs Ole Miss (9-4)
at LSU (8-5) OT

#13 Georgia Bulldogs (10-3) (6-2)
Capitol One Bowl Champs
Key wins:
vs Central Mich (8-5)
at LSU (8-5)
vs Michigan State (9-4) bowl

#14 Ole Miss Rebels (9-4) (5-3)
Cotton Bowl Champs
Key wins:
at Florida (13-1)
at LSU (8-5)
vs Texas Tech (11-2) bowl

#28 LSU Tigers (8-5) (3-5)
Key wins:
vs App St (11-3)
vs Troy (8-5)
vs Georgia Tech (9-4) bowl

Vanderbilt Commodores (7-6) (4-4)
Key wins:
vs Rice (10-3)
at Ole Miss (9-4)
vs Boston College (9-5) bowl

Big XII

#5 Oklahoma Sooners (12-2) (8-1)
Big XII Champs
Key wins:
vs Cincinnati (11-3)
vs TCU (11-2)
vs Kansas (8-5)
vs Nebraska (9-4)
vs Texas Tech (11-2)
at Oklahoma St (9-4)
vs Missouri (10-4) champ

#4 Texas Longhorns (12-1) (7-1)
Fiesta Bowl Champs
Key wins:
vs Rice (10-3)
vs Oklahoma (12-2)
vs Missouri (10-4)
vs Oklahoma St (9-4)
at Kansas (8-5)
vs Ohio St (10-3) bowl

#12 Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-2) (7-1)
Key wins:
vs Nebraska (9-4) OT
at Kansas (8-5)
vs Texas (12-1)
vs. Oklahoma St (9-4)

#19 Missouri Tigers (10-4) (5-4)
BIG XII North #1
Key wins:
vs Buffalo (8-6)
at Nebraska (9-4)
vs Northwestern (9-4) OT bowl

#29 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-4) (5-3)
Key wins:
vs Western Mich (9-4)
vs Kansas (8-5)
vs Clemson (7-6) bowl

#16 Oklahoma St Cowboys (9-4) (5-3)
Key wins:
vs Houston (8-5)
vs Troy (8-5)
at Missouri (10-4)

#37 Kansas Jayhawks (8-5) (4-4)
Key wins:
vs Louisiana Tech (8-5)
at Missouri (10-4)
vs Minnesota (7-6) bowl

Pac-10

#3 USC Trojans (12-1) (8-1)
Pac-10 Champs
Rose Bowl Champs
Key wins:
vs Ohio St (10-3)
vs Oregon (10-3)
at Arizona (8-5)
vs Cal (9-4)
vs Penn St (11-2) bowl

#10 Oregon Ducks (10-3) (7-2)
Key wins:
vs Arizona (8-5)
at Oregon St (9-4)
vs Oklahoma St (9-4) bowl

#18 Oregon St Beavers (9-4) (7-2)
Key wins:
vs USC (12-1)
vs Cal (9-4)
at Arizona (8-5)
vs Pittsburgh (9-4) bowl

#26 Cal Golden Bears (9-4) (6-3)
Key wins:
vs Michigan St (9-4)
vs Oregon (10-3)
vs Miami (7-6) bowl

#36 Arizona Wildcats (8-5) (5-4)
Key wins:
vs Cal (9-4)
vs BYU (10-3) bowl

Atlantic Coastal Conference

#15 Virginia Tech Hookies (10-4) (6-3)
ACC Champs
Orange Bowl Champs
Key wins:
vs Georgia Tech (9-4)
at UNC (8-5)
at Nebraska (9-4)
vs Maryland (8-5)
vs Boston College (9-5) champ
vs Cincinnati (11-3) bowl

#21 Florida St Seminoles (9-4) (5-3)
Key wins:
vs Virginia Tech (10-4)
at Maryland (8-5)
vs Wisconsin (7-6) bowl

#22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4) (5-3)
Key wins:
at Boston College (9-5)
vs Florida St (9-4)
at Georgia (9-4)

#33 Boston College Eagles (9-5) (5-4)
Atlantic #1
Key wins:
vs Virginia Tech (10-4)
at Florida St (9-4)
at Wake Forest (8-5)
vs Maryland (8-5)

WF Demon Deacons (8-5) (4-4)
Key wins:
vs Ole Miss (9-4)
at Florida St (9-4)
vs Navy (8-5) bowl

UNC Tarheels (8-5) (4-4)
Key wins:
at Rutgers (8-5)
vs UConn (8-5)
vs Boston College (9-5)
vs Georgia Tech (9-4)

Maryland Terrapins (8-5) (4-4)
vs Cal (9-4)
vs Wake Forest (8-5)
vs UNC (8-5)
vs Nevada (7-6) bowl

Big Ten

#8 Penn St Nittany Lions (11-2) (7-1)
Big Ten Champs
Key wins:
vs Oregon St (9-4)
at Ohio St (10-3)
vs Michigan St (9-4)

#9 Ohio St Buckeyes (10-3) (7-1)
Key wins:
vs Troy (8-5)
at Michigan St (9-4)
at Northwestern (9-4)

#20 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-4) (5-3)
Key wins:
vs Penn St (11-2)
vs South Carolina (7-6) bowl

#24 Michigan St Spartans (9-4) (6-2)
Key wins:
vs Iowa (9-4)
at Northwestern (9-4)

#31 Northwestern Wildcats (9-4) (5-3)
Key win:
at Iowa (9-4)

Big East

#17 Cincinnati Bearcats (11-3) (6-1)
Big East Champs
Key wins:
vs Rutgers (8-5)
vs South Florida (8-5)
at West Virginia (9-4) OT
vs Pittsburgh (9-4)

#23 West Virginia Mountaineers (9-4) (5-2)
Key wins:
vs Rutgers (8-5)
at UConn (8-5)
vs South Florida (8-5)
vs UNC (8-5) bowl

#27 Pittsburgh Panthers (9-4) (5-2)
Key wins:
vs Buffalo (8-6)
vs Iowa (9-4)
at South Florida (8-5)
at Navy (8-5)
vs West Virginia (9-4)
at UConn (8-5)

#34 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-5) (5-2)
Key wins:
vs UConn (8-5)
at Pittsburgh (9-4)
at South Florida (8-5)
vs NC State (6-7) bowl

UConn Huskies (8-5) (3-4)
Key wins:
vs Cincinnati (11-3)
vs Buffalo (8-6) bowl

South Florida Bulls (8-5) (2-5)
Key wins:
vs Kansas (8-5)
vs UConn (8-5)
vs Memphis (6-7) bowl

Mountain West Conference

#2 Utah Utes (13-0) (8-0)
MWC Champs
Sugar Bowl Champs
Key wins:
at Air Force (8-5)
vs Oregon St (9-4)
vs TCU (11-2)
vs BYU (10-3)
vs Alabama (12-2) bowl

#7 TCU Horned Frogs (11-2) (7-1)
Key wins:
vs BYU (10-3)
vs Air Force (8-5)
vs Boise St (12-1) bowl

#25 BYU Cougars (10-3) (6-2)
Key win:
Air Force (8-5)

Air Force Falcons (8-5) (5-3)
Key win:
at Houston (8-5)

Conference USA

East Carolina Pirates (9-5) (7-2)
C-USA Champs
Key wins:
vs Virginia Tech (10-4)
vs West Virginia (9-4)
vs Tulsa (11-3) champ

#30 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (11-3) (7-2)
C-USA West #1
Key wins:
vs Rice (10-3)
vs Ball St (12-2) bowl

#35 Rice Owls (10-3) (7-1)
Key wins:
vs Houston (8-5)
vs Western Mich (9-4)

Houston Cougars (8-5) (6-2)
at East Carolina (9-5)
vs Tulsa (11-3)
vs Air Force (8-5) bowl

Mid-American Conference

Buffalo Bulls (8-6) (6-3)
MAC Champs
Key win:
vs Ball St (12-2) champ

#32 Ball St. Cardinals (12-2) (8-1)
MAC West #1
Key wins:
vs Navy (8-5)
at Central Mich (8-5)
vs Western Mich (9-4)

Western Michigan Broncos (9-4) (6-2)
Key win:
at Buffalo (8-6)

Central Michigan Chippewas (8-5) (6-2)
Key wins:
vs Buffalo (8-6)
vs Western Mich (9-4)

Western Athletic Conference

#11 Boise St. Broncos (12-1) (8-0)
WAC Champs
Key wins:
at Oregon (9-4)
vs Louisiana Tech (8-5)

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-5) (5-3)
Key win:
vs Northern Illinois (6-7) bowl

Sunbelt Conference

Troy Trojans (8-5) (6-1)
Sunbelt Champs
No Key wins

Independent
Navy (8-5)
Key wins:
vs Rutgers (8-5)
at Wake Forest (8-5)
at Air Force (8-5)