Under the leadership of Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson, the ‘Canes became the most talked-about team in the nation during the 1980s—and one of the most successful, too, winning three national titles during their remarkable run.
But here’s the thing: The ‘Canes weren’t the winningest team of the 1980s. No, instead, that honor goes to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who went 103-20-0 in the decade—good for a winning percentage of .837. Miami was second at .831.
Here, we list the top 10 winningest programs of the 1980s (ranked by winning percentage).
1. Nebraska: 103-20-0 .837
2. Miami (FL): 98-20-0 .831
3. BYU: 102-26-0 .797
4. Oklahoma: 91-25-2 .780
5. Clemson: 86-25-4 .765
6. Penn State: 89-27-2 .763
7. Georgia: 88-27-4 .756
8. (tie) Florida State: 87-28-3 .750
8. (tie) Michigan: 89-29-2 .750
10. Auburn: 86-31-1 .733
