The 20 most dominant college football programs in the modern era

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It's the most wonderful time of the year.

That's right — college football season is back in full swing. 

And as co-eds gear up for tailgates, home games, and fierce rivalry matches, some schools' pride and atmosphere clearly surpasses the rest. 

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, ranked which colleges have the best football programs, primarily looking at the number of BCS bowl appearances, number of NCAA championship wins, and average attendance at home games. The ranking also took factors such as BCS bowl game wins, number of alumni in the NFL, and student survey responses into consideration.

For its ranking, Niche used the number of National Championships won recently (since 2000), but we included the number in the modern poll era — since 1936 — for reference. Check out a full breakdown of the methodology here.

Whether you prefer to sport Wisconsin red, yell "Roll Tide," or cheer the Fighting Irish to victory, scroll down to see the 20 best colleges for anyone obsessed with college football.