Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 50. Air Force
Bombs Away!
On average, Air Force has a 10-win season once every 4 years. That is some outstanding consistency at reaching high highs, and Air Force easily takes the spot as the top service academy. Not just the top service academy, but the 4th best Group of 5 team! So they’re not just good for a service academy, they’re a good college football program period. You can consider them the Iowa of the Group of 5, as they’ve only had 2 coaches in the last 40 years (Fisher DeBerry and Troy Calhoun).
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+-----------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+-----------+------+--------------+--------+
| 8 | Air Force | 1985 | 33.429 | 12-1 |
| 8 | Air Force | 1998 | 30.808 | 12-1 |
| 22 | Air Force | 2019 | 22.651 | 11-2 |
| 20 | Air Force | 1983 | 18.116 | 10-2 |
| 27 | Air Force | 2014 | 14.346 | 10-3 |
| 29 | Air Force | 2016 | 13.226 | 10-3 |
| 23 | Air Force | 1997 | 12.949 | 10-3 |
| 33 | Air Force | 2021 | 11.949 | 10-3 |
| 31 | Air Force | 1991 | 10.367 | 10-3 |
| 35 | Air Force | 2022 | 8.057 | 10-3 |
| 35 | Air Force | 2010 | 7.09 | 9-4 |
| 37 | Air Force | 2000 | 6.963 | 9-3 |
| 31 | Air Force | 1987 | 6.941 | 9-4 |
| 40 | Air Force | 1984 | 5.304 | 8-4 |
| 41 | Air Force | 2007 | 4.886 | 9-4 |
| 38 | Air Force | 1994 | 1.956 | 8-4 |
| 50 | Air Force | 2009 | 1.639 | 8-5 |
| 38 | Air Force | 1989 | 1.554 | 8-4-1 |
| 37 | Air Force | 1996 | -0.839 | 6-5 |
| 45 | Air Force | 1995 | -0.931 | 8-5 |
| 51 | Air Force | 2002 | -1.937 | 8-5 |
| 52 | Air Force | 2008 | -3.865 | 8-5 |
| 65 | Air Force | 2020 | -7.091 | 3-3 |
| 60 | Air Force | 2003 | -7.334 | 7-5 |
| 51 | Air Force | 1992 | -7.342 | 7-5 |
| 55 | Air Force | 1990 | -7.839 | 7-5 |
| 66 | Air Force | 2015 | -8.754 | 8-6 |
| 58 | Air Force | 1999 | -9.451 | 6-5 |
| 62 | Air Force | 1986 | -12.729 | 6-5 |
| 75 | Air Force | 2011 | -13.341 | 7-6 |
| 68 | Air Force | 1988 | -19.647 | 5-7 |
| 79 | Air Force | 2004 | -21.278 | 5-6 |
| 80 | Air Force | 2001 | -21.962 | 6-6 |
| 97 | Air Force | 2018 | -22.424 | 5-7 |
| 96 | Air Force | 2017 | -23.966 | 5-7 |
| 86 | Air Force | 2006 | -26.778 | 4-8 |
| 87 | Air Force | 2012 | -27.828 | 6-7 |
| 91 | Air Force | 2005 | -27.973 | 4-7 |
| 92 | Air Force | 1993 | -38.1 | 4-8 |
| 115 | Air Force | 2013 | -58.062 | 2-10 |
+------+-----------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 21358 (50th)300-189-1 record
3 conference titles
14-11 bowl record
3 consensus All-Americans
7 NFL players drafted
Our first team with 300 wins. If I counted right, there’s only 24 programs with 300+ wins in the last 40 years, so Air Force is in rarefied air. They have nearly as many bowl games and NFL players as Navy and Army combined, and have more consensus All-Americans than the two combined. Consensus All-Americans include DB Scott Thomas (1985) who had 6 interceptions and a kick return, punt return, and interception return touchdown (3 total), DL Chad Hennings (1987) who won the Outland Trophy and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, and DB Carlton Mcdonald (1992) who led the NCAA with 8 interceptions. Top players include 3x 1st Team All-MWC DB Weston Steelhammer, 2007 MWC Offensive POTY RB Chad Hall whose sister is married to Matthew Stafford, and WR Jalen Robinette who put up 2700 career receiving yards in an option offense.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2013 (2-10 overall, 0-8 Mountain West)
I would be very nervous about the 2013 Air Force defense defending our country. Air Force’s defense fell off a cliff, giving up 40.0 PPG to the 81st ranked strength of schedule. The offense also quickly went down to their 4th string QB in freshman Nate Romine early in the year. Games 2-4 were a 20-52 loss to Utah State, 20-42 loss to Boise State, and 23-56 loss to Wyoming. Air Force would continue their losing streak, but even in their worst season, still managed to beat Army 42-28 to finish 2nd in the Commander in Chief Trophy standings. Romine threw for 603 yards 5 TD 1 INT but ran for just 205 yards and 3 TD on 2.7 YPC. He’d go on to start again in 2016, leading Air Force to a 10-3 record. No Air Force player made 1st/2nd Team All-MWC.
5. 2014 (10-3 overall, 5-3 Mountain West)
In 2014, starting QB Kale Pearson returned after missing the entirety of 2013 with an injury, and the improvement was evident, winning 10 games, becoming the first team since 2009-10 Miami (OH) to lose 10 games then win 10 games the following year. Air Force even beat Boise State in game 4, improving to 3-1 and immediately becoming a top Mountain West contender. They won the Commander in Chief Trophy, beating Navy 30-21 then Army 23-6 later. In the final week of the regular season, they beat #21 Colorado State, and in the bowl, beat a fellow turnaround team in 8-4 Western Michigan (1-11 in 2013) 38-24. Despite the 10 win season, Air Force somehow only finished 4th in their division, as Boise, Colorado State, and Utah State all won 10+ games. Pearson had one of the most efficient seasons by an Air Force QB ever, completing 59% of passes for 1590 yards and 14 TD 3 INT, also being a solid runner with 700 rushing yards and 6 TD. Safety Weston Steelhammer finished 1st Team All-MWC and would go on to finish on the 1st Team twice more, becoming the Mountain West’s career leader with 18 interceptions. Kicker/punter Will Conant won MWC Special Teams POTY, hitting 19 of 21 field goals while averaging 43.3 yards per punt.
4. 1983 (10-2 overall, 5-2 WAC)
You didn’t want to play early 80’s Air Force. Led by coach Ken Hatfield in his 5th and final season, Air Force would reach unprecedented heights in this season that barely makes the 40-year cutoff for this series. They opened, in their second game, with a win over Texas Tech, followed up by 2 immediate losses to fall to 2-2. After that? Couldn’t have gone any better. Air Force beat Navy 44-17, and a few weeks later Army 41-20. 7-2 Air Force travelled to Notre Dame, and after 4 quarters, blocked a FG on the final play to win 23-22. You might think this was impressive—but for the early 1980’s, this was customary for Air Force, who beat Notre Dame 4 straight years from 1982-85. Somewhat kidding, it was obviously a huge win for them. Air Force jumped all the way to #17 in the AP Poll and finished with wins over San Diego State and Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl. The #13 finish is Air Force’s third highest postseason ranking ever, averaging 30.6 PPG while giving up just 18.4 PPG. RB John Keshner was a 3rd Team All-American, and QB Marty Louthan spammed the ball to WR Mike Kirby, who had 862 of Air Force’s 1166 receiving yards. Coach Hatfield won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, and left for his alma mater Arkansas after the season, winning 10 games at both Arkansas and Clemson.
3. 2019 (11-2 overall, 7-1 Mountain West)
2019 Air Force rebounded from a 5-7 2018, winning 11+ games for the first time in over 20 years. Air Force laid claim as the best team in the state of Colorado, beating Colorado 30-23 in week 2 and Colorado State later in the year 38-21. Air Force started a respectable 4-2, before beating eventual MWC West division champs Hawaii 56-26 on the Island. DB Milton Bugg III and the Air Force defense combined for one of the best interceptions and returns of 2019 on the final score. Air Force continued rolling through the schedule, beating Army 17-13, and later had an INCREDIBLY RARE Air Force performance against New Mexico, completing 9 of 10 passes for 327 yards and 4 TD. You can thank none other than QB Donald Hammond III for that one. Only 2 Air Force receivers caught passes: Geraud Sanders with 5 catches for 156 yards and 2 TD, and Benjamin Waters with 4/171/2. Despite going 10-2 in the regular season, and this seems to happen to Air Force a lot, they missed out on the title game because of MWC 8-0 Boise State, who beat Air Force 30-19 earlier in the year. Air Force didn’t even win the Commander in Chief trophy, losing to Navy early in the year who beat Army to win it. I had an opportunity to go to Air Force’s bowl game vs Washington State that year, but I didn’t, and missed a nice 31-21 Air Force win. The Falcons finished #22 in the AP Poll, ranking top 25 in both offensive and defensive PPG.
2. 1998 (12-1 overall, 7-1 WAC)
Common Fisher DeBerry W. DeBerry was no stranger to 12-1 seasons—he had done it 13 years ago in 1985, winning national coach of the year awards. The 1998 team was special in their own way. Air Force blew out teams and had impressive wins all year long. Just in the first 3 weeks, they beat Wake Forest 42-0 and Colorado State (who had just beaten #23 Michigan State) 30-27. A 1 point loss to TCU would be their only loss all year, falling to 3-1. Air Force then won their next 5 games by an average score of 43-11. They even beat Navy 49-7 and Army 35-7 to handily win the Commander in Chief Trophy. #23 Air Force beat #25 Wyoming in a defensive stalemate 10-3 to take first place in the MWC West, and a win against Rice clinched a spot in the title game. 9-3 BYU came in as the favorite, but a late TD pass gave Air Force the 20-13 win and the Mountain West title. A 43-25 win in the bowl over Washington, who’d finish #3 in the nation just two years later, wrapped up the year with a 12-1 record and #13 finish. This team was dominant, averaging 36.0 PPG while giving up just 14.2 PPG, top 10 in both. QB Blane Morgan was the Mountain West Offensive POTY, and DT Bryce Fisher was the Defensive POTY. DeBerry would eventually retire as Air Force’s coach in 2006 with a 169-109-1 record, and has since been inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame.
1998 Air Force is my 35th best Group of 5 team since 1983.
1. 1985 (12-1 overall, 7-1 WAC)
Fisher DeBerry was just a young 47 year old lad at the time, in just his second year as Air Force head coach after spending 1981-83 as offensive coordinator. Air Force was dominant out the gate, beating UTEP, Wyoming, Rice, and New Mexico by a combined 205-42. #17 Air Force hosted #15 Notre Dame, who was riddled with future NFL players. Down 13-15 with 10 minutes left, Air Force blocked a Notre Dame FG and returned it all the way for a TD, winning 21-15. Air Force kept winning, getting to 10-0 and all the way up to #4(!!!) in the nation. Air Force had a chance to win the national title—fellow WAC team BYU had just won it the year prior. And lo and behold, #4 Air Force travelled to #16 BYU. Air Force lost a 21-7 lead at halftime to fall 21-28, in one of the most painful losses in school history. They were on a trajectory to play in the Fiesta Bowl, but instead fell to #13. They beat Hawaii to claim a share of the WAC title, and beat 8-3 Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl to finish the year 12-1 and #8 in the nation. Oklahoma won the national title that year, and they were 3 spots behind Air Force at #7 at the same time Air Force lost to BYU. So, if Air Force had beaten BYU and won out, you do the math. This is the best Air Force team of all time, and one of the most memorable seasons by a Group of 5 team ever. QB Bart Weiss had 8 passing TD and 12 rushing TD, while DB Scott Thomas was a consensus All-American.
1985 Air Force is my 25th best Group of 5 team since 1983.
5th Quarter
Would 1985 Air Force have won the national title had they beaten BYU? How would college football look today if the WAC had back-to-back national titles in 1984 and 1985 with BYU and Air Force? Who was better, the 1985 or 1998 Air Force team? Where does 1985 rank among the best Group of 5 teams of all time? What do you think makes the Air Force program so successful? It’s tough for Troy Calhoun to ever surpass Fisher DeBerry as the greatest coach in school history, but is it possible if he keeps winning?
Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years - Main Hub
