When's the banner going up?
Which Fallen Power will win a National Title the soonest
- Thread starter Volbound1700
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Posts
- 27,321
- Reaction score
- 9,249
- Bookie:
- $ 786.00
IDk, most teams put up a banner in CBB for final four appearances.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Posts
- 30,612
- Reaction score
- 46,162
- Bookie:
- $ 20,806.00
- Location
- Fence Rider Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2020
- Posts
- 9,348
- Reaction score
- 6,832
- Bookie:
- $ 2,000.00
As crazy as this sounds, I think Miami has the hardest road. I also think Michigan should be further down the list.
Here is how I would pick it:
1. USC - They are kind of like Kentucky in Basketball. Not as strong of a league but Power program that can recruit at top level and dominate their league with right coaching/system. Oregon is primarily their main contender
2. Texas - Joining the SEC, eliminating the games against the weaker in-state schools that cannibalize their attention/recruits, and having the top $$$ means this program should win at a high level. Like everyone on the list, they just need the right coach/system
3. Florida State - FSU is the most recent program on the list to win a Title. FSU has been hurting since Fisher left (although even in his last years they were trending down). FSU is in fertile recruiting ground, has a solid fanbase, and has a semi-easy path to the Title game (they do have to deal with Clemson although I think Clemson might be in a downward spiral).
4. Florida - SEC team with rabid fanbase in the top recruiting grounds. There is no reason for this program to struggle.
5. Tennessee - I have them this high by virtue of the SEC logo. If they were in ACC or B1G, I would have them even further down. Most teams in SEC can recruit at high level as long as they have right coach and system in place. Tennessee has recruited at high levels under Jones and Pruitt but poor coaching, discipline, QB play, and just general bad luck messed it up for them.
6. Michigan - Mostly due to their recent success and having Harbaugh as coach. Michigan has some recruiting disadvantages compared to the others as well as the Ohio State hiccup in the way. If you were to rank teams based on being "back" this team would be higher and technically they are already "back" based on last season.
7. Nebraska - Nebraska was in every game last year. They have many of the same struggles as Tennessee on this list: Weak coaching, poor QB play, and just generally bad luck have kept them down. Unlike posters in here, I think Nebraska isn't done and can get back to prominence with right system in place. I also think we might see some life from this team soon. Getting to a National Title will be a big leap for them though. I do think getting back and making a Wisconsin-type run where they dominate the West and get 10/11 wins regularly is a realistic possibility in the near future.
8. Miami - I know that I am going to take heat for this one but I think Miami has the toughest road primarily based on the fact that they just do not have the fan support that these other programs have in play. Miami is one of those power programs that seems to be more of a flash in the pan moment (but man was it a moment) than a long-term power. However, Miami did come back in late 2000s after a down period under Butch Davis so it is possible with the right system. I just think with their challenges in the ACC and the lack of a solid fanbase, this is the one power program that could arguably fall into a secondary power. The one item that keeps them in the power category is just how dominate they were in the 1980s, 1990s, and even that 2000-2003 run. They have 5 National Titles and that is not anything to sneeze at.
I do have a second tier in mind of secondary powers. These are powers that did have a spurt or two of greatness but in the vast 150 years of their existence, they would come in overall as 7-5 or 8-4 program. These programs include but may not be limited to:
1. BYU
2. Arkansas
3. Texas A&M
4. Syracuse
5. Pittsburgh
6. Colorado
7. Michigan State
8. Minnesota
9. Washington
10. UCLA
11. Arizona State
12. West Virginia
13. Ole Miss
14. Georgia Tech
At one time, these programs had dominate stretches and won titles or competed for titles. Two current programs that would have fit this bill prior to recent runs are Clemson (prior to Dabo Swinney) and LSU (prior to 2003). So it isn't outside the world of possibilities that one of these programs doesn't come back from the dead and win at a high level as well.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Posts
- 30,977
- Reaction score
- 58,830
- Bookie:
- $ 23,000.00
- Location
- Land of the Red Man
I don't see these guys coming back.... at all
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2020
- Posts
- 9,348
- Reaction score
- 6,832
- Bookie:
- $ 2,000.00
I am not willing to say NEVER with anyone but I think they have the hardest road. They are in a great recruiting region, however. With the right coaching, system, and luck, any of these programs can come back.
Most of the posters are too young to remember how low Alabama fell prior to Saban. Corso went down to Tuscaloosa one-time on GameDay and said Alabama will NEVER be back to Bear Bryant type success (boy was he wrong).
Heck any team can win with the right system although odds are stacked against some.
If you had told me Baylor would be competing for Big12 titles and Playoff spots back when I first started watching College Football in the late 1990s-2000s, I would have laughed at you. Baylor was basically the Vanderbilt of the original Big12.
Clemson and LSU are two other examples of programs that came out of no where and all of a sudden became a powerhouse.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Posts
- 7,269
- Reaction score
- 6,039
- Bookie:
- $ 12,463.00
I don't think you said anything crazy. I'll just add a few points to defend my position.
1) I have Texas over USC because of the $$$ Texas has and the amount of HS talent in Texas. The talent in California has been in decline for a while now and it's the elephant in the room for the PAC 12 right now. There's obviously still good players in California but you have to recruit kids outside the PAC 12 footprint to have a national championship contender.
2) I don't think Miami can be last simply because of their location and recruiting. I agree that they have more challenges than you would first think but their location gives them a huge advantage over a team like Nebraska. It's going to be tough for Nebraska to recruit a national championship caliber roster given their location. I'm not saying it can't happen but of all the teams listed, their recruiting is by far the worst.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Posts
- 7,269
- Reaction score
- 6,039
- Bookie:
- $ 12,463.00
They will probably never be the dominant force that they were in the 80s-early 2000s. However, I think they can be a regular contender in the ACC. There's no reason for them to fall outside of the top 15/20 in recruiting, simply because of their location.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2020
- Posts
- 8,331
- Reaction score
- 4,738
- Bookie:
- $ 1,000.00
Simply stating facts. Don't get mad at me that Nebraska can't beat their rivals anymore. Wisconsin and Iowa are simply better than you.
I see Nebraska fans finally realize they are a has been.
And one team's coach announced his retirement from football and one team pandered in post game interviews begging for votes.........I will give you a hint. It wasn't Michigan. That being said -- that was 25 years ago. Time to let the past go and accept your reality. You are now just another team in the weaker division of the B1G -- who can't beat the regional rivals you now have. Sucks for you guys, but that is the truth. In the last 15 games you've played either Iowa or Wisconsin -- you are 0-15. That isn't easy to do.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Posts
- 30,612
- Reaction score
- 46,162
- Bookie:
- $ 20,806.00
- Location
- Fence Rider Extraordinaire
College football might be chewing us up and shitting us out, but we're built like a piece of corn.
GO BIG RED!!
GO BIG RED!!