College Football's Last True Dynasty

What constitutes a dynasty?

That's a good question, especially given the chaos of the 2007 college football season

With powerhouses like LSU, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Michigan falling to lesser-known teams, some observers wonder if the age of the dynasty is finished.

It's a fair theory—and one that matters very greatly to the college football community. 

Parity makes college football fans uneasy. It's almost as if they need a dynasty to cling on to—without it, they're simply lost. 

Well, there's good news.

There is a dominant dynasty in college football these days—and it's certainly not USF. 

In fact, in the time USF has built their football program from scratch, this dynasty has won seven National Championships. 

Seven—and that's only since 1997. 

And that's not all. Don't hold your breath—there's a long list of accolades:

- 222-10-1 record since 1990 (the best in all of college football in any division)

- 55-game win streak from '00-'03 (longest in the history of college football in any division)

- 9 total National Championships since 1993 ('93, '96, '97, '98, '00, '01, '02, '05, '06)

- A current streak of 80 consecutive regular-season road wins dating back to 1991

- A current streak of scoring in 316 consecutive games

- 153-2 regular-season record since 1992

- An average of 44 points scored per game since 1999

- A 76-1 conference record since 1999.

- 6-0 overall this season, winning by an average score of 60-4.

So who's responsible for all these numbers?

You might recognize the name—but only from the bottom ticker of the most in-depth sports channels, or the ten seconds of annual highlights they get on SportsCenter.

Meet Mount Union College, a tiny Division III school with a total enrollment of just 2,193 undergrads.

Located in Alliance, Ohio (pop. 25,000), Mount Union is easy to overlook. Local fans are drawn to pro teams in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, to say nothing of Ohio State, Pitt, and Penn State.

Mount Union Stadium seats only 5,450 fans.  Compare that to over 100,000 at some D-I FBS stadiums.

Still, Mount Union continues to thrive despite being overshadowed by the bigger markets.

Head coach Larry Kehres, in his 22nd season at Mount Union, has won an impressive 92 percent of his games—best all-time in college football.

So, for all you fans needing a dynasty to cling to—here's your best bet. 

Have fun cheering on the Purple Raiders, and remember to keep your eye out for their yearly ten seconds on SportsCenter.

More info about Mount Union can be found at the school's website.

USF photo (AP Photo/Jon Way).

MUC photo and statistics (muc.edu/athletics)