Pipelines to the NFL

I realize that with the start of the Free Agency period yesterday this is a fluid situation, but SOD took a look at every NFL Team’s active roster to see if there was any evidence of a “pipeline” of sorts from one college team to one NFL Team. What we found is not too surprising.

Most NFL teams, of course, have a pretty diverse mixture of players from all over the place. Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cleveland, in fact, had no more than 2 players from the same school listed on their active roster on 3/10/2015. Fourteen other teams had no more than three players from the same school listed as part of their player profile. But, 1 team had 7 players who played on the same college team in their collegiate career; can you guess which NFL Team and which college has this connection?

Think of a NFL Team with a head coach who recently came over from a successful college program. That’s right – the Philadelphia Eagles have 7 players on their active roster who played college ball at Oregon. Like I said, not surprising.

No other team has any more than 5 players from the same school. Cincinnati has 5 players each from Alabama and Georgia – could make for a fun locker room following a certain SEC football game. Dallas lists 5 players from Oklahoma State on its roster; Arizona has 5 former Clemson players on its roster; and, with Russell Wilson listing the Badgers as his collegiate tie, Seattle has 5 from Wisconsin.

Colleges that have placed 4 players on the same NFL team include: Utah with 4 players at Miami; Illinois and Rutgers each have 4 players on New England’s roster; Stanford has 4 Cardinal currently listed on Indianapolis’ roster; there are 4 players from Miami-FL playing for Jacksonville – makes sense; there are currently 4 players from Tennessee playing for Kansas City; 4 Orange from Syracuse are listed as New York Giants; Notre Dame has 4 each with Minnesota and Detroit; USC also has 4 players with the Vikings; the Crimson Tide has 4 ex-Alabama players listed on Green Bay’s active roster; and, 4 players from Auburn are currently getting paid to play for St. Louis.

Based on the high numbers of players some of the big-time schools have playing in the NFL, you would expect to see some clumping on NFL Teams just through the law of averages, but, for the most part, they are pretty evenly spread throughout the league. The further Chip Kelly gets removed from his personal ties with the players from Oregon, you might expect to see that one existing, prominent “pipeline” start to dwindle.

So, no real surprises, but it was fun looking into it.

Trivia Tuesday – Power 5 Conferences

In recent years, there has been a lot of shuffling of College Football Conferences. And, if you believe Some Other Dude, there is more yet to come as we advance upon the age of the Mega-Conferences. But, SOD wonders, how well do you know the history of the current Power 5 Conferences?

THE TRIVIA CHALLENGE

Name the original teams in each of the current Power 5 Conferences.

THE BUFFER ZONE

THE ANSWERS

The Atlantic Coast Conference.  Even though we appear to be headed to 16 team Mega-Conferences, back in history there was an even mega-er conference; the Southern Conference.  The Southern Conference, at one time, consisted of 23 teams and eventually splintered into other, smaller conferences.  One of those splinter conferences was the ACC which officially formed as a conference in 1953.  The 7 charter members of the ACC were: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.  Only South Carolina no longer calls the ACC home as they eventually joined the other splinter conference with former Southern Conference brethren.  Link to information source.

The Big 12.  The history of the Big 12 is a little more convoluted than that of the other conferences.  The Big 12 itself wasn’t formed until 1994 when teams from the Big 8 merged with teams from the Southwest Conference.  The Big 8 Conference was originally chartered in 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and eventually became known as the Big 6 and then grew up to become the Big 8.  The original members of this conference were: Iowa (two-timing with the Big Ten), Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington University in St. Louis.  Only Kansas remains as a current member of The Big 12.  Link to information source.  The Southwest Conference was first formed in 1912, consisting of: Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Rice, Texas and Texas A&M.  Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas remain as current members of the Big 12.  Link to information source.

The Big Ten.  The name “The Big Ten” was actually not officially incorporated until 1987, but the conference referred to as the Big Ten has been around since 1905.  The original conference was made up of 7 teams in what was known as the “Intercollegiate Conference Athletic Association”.  In 1917, when the conference had expanded to 10 teams, it was labeled the “Big Ten” by members of the media.  The original members of this so-called Big Ten Conference were: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, University of Chicago and Wisconsin.  Only the University of Chicago is not a member of that conference today.  Link to information source.

The Pac 12.  The Pac 12 Conference started off as a little seedling conference that eventually grew up into the Pac 12.  Forming in 1916 as the Pacific Coast Conference, its original members stood at only 4 schools: California, Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College (later known as Oregon State) and Washington.  All four schools still remain in the conference today.  Interestingly, Idaho and Montana were one time members of this conference and the conference was disbanded and re-assembled in 1959 due to a pay-for-play scandal.  The re-formed conference was called the Athletic Association of Western Universities, commonly known as the Big 5. After growing once again, the conference started being referred to as the Pacific 8 in 1964 and officially became the Pacific 8 in 1968, the Pac 10 in 1978 and the Pac 12 in 2011.  Link to information source.

The SEC.  The SEC preceded the ACC in splintering away from the huge Southern Conference when 13 schools left in 1932 to form their own conference.  The 13 schools that made up the first version of the Southeastern Conference were: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Sewanee (University of the South), Tennessee, Tulane and Vanderbilt.  Georgia Tech now resides in the ACC; Tulane, although still an FBS school is no longer a member of a Power 5 Conference; and, Sewanee, after having decided to de-emphasize sports in 1940, currently competes in Division III athletics.  Link to information source.

Greatest College Football Games Never Played

As we sit in the off season and wait for August to roll around again, SOD likes to look ahead at the upcoming schedules. In so doing, I was wondering, “What are some great football match-ups that haven’t yet occurred?” What are the greatest games never played?

To answer this question, SOD looked at the schools with the all-time winningest records and identified which of these schools have never played each other.

Like all of SOD’s, unscientific research, the results are only as good as my internet search skills allow – so, my findings may contain some erroneous data, but, the following table lists those match-ups of current FBS schools listed in the top 30 of all-time winningest programs that have not matched up against each other, as best as I could discover.

Many of these unplayed games make geographic sense, but a few of them are surprising and, almost all of them, would make great match-ups in future schedules.

A few observations:

Probably the most surprising games not yet played are: Tennessee v West Virginia and Penn State v Virginia Tech. It is also surprising to see that Oklahoma has never played Georgia and Arkansas has never gone up against Clemson. All of these non-games should be played!

The one team that shows up most often on this list is Washington. The Huskies have not yet matched up against 8 of the 23 other teams on top of the list of winningest programs. I know that the Dawgs are tucked away in the Pacific Northwest corner of the US and many of these teams are Eastern and Southern schools, but, come on Dawgs, you need to get out more!

SOD looked over this list and tried to determine which game would most likely be a National Championship Game? I’d probably have to go with Oklahoma v Georgia.

As we venture deeper into the new world order of the FBS playoff and schedule strength starts to play a bigger and bigger role in who gets selected to participate in the playoffs, SOD believes that we will see fewer and fewer cupcakes on FBS teams’ schedules. As a result, the list of unplayed games shown above would be a great place to start in finding non-conference games to play. Really – which one of those games would you not want to see played and have your team go up against some patsy instead?

Oh well, a guy can dream can’t he?

FBS Stadiums Named After Former Team Players

When SOD was a young boy (yes, I once was a young boy) I read and became enamored with the story about Nile Kinnick.  Nile was a football player who attended the University of Iowa after not making the football squad at Minnesota.  Nile helped the Hawkeyes rise to prominence in the Big Ten culminating with a Heisman Trophy winning senior year in 1939.  Nile was also an accomplished student and is known for giving one of the most notable Heisman acceptance speeches of all time.  Following his Heisman speech, one sports writer was moved to write, “The country is OK as long as it produces Nile Kinnicks.  The football part is incidental.”  

Following graduation, Nile passed on his chance to play in the NFL opting, instead, to continue his education in law at Iowa.   Nile then joined the Naval Air Corps Reserve and reported for duty just three days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  While flying on an aircraft carrier training mission off the coast of Venezuela on June 2, 1943, Nile experienced engine trouble and tried an emergency landing in the water as opposed to on the deck of the USS Lexington so as not to endanger the lives of the men on board that ship.  Nile’s body was never recovered.  He was 24.

Nile Kinnick’s likeness now adorns the face of the coin tossed at the start of every Big Ten football game and, in 1972, the University of Iowa named their football stadium after this fallen hero – the only Heisman Award Winner from the university.

The story of Nile Kinnick stuck with me throughout the years, so I was always aware of the legacy behind Iowa’s Nile Kinnick Stadium.  But, I wondered, how many other FBS stadiums are named after former football players for their university?

So, through very unscientific research, SOD decided to find out.  Here is the result of my research, relying solely on my internet searching skills – so, take the accuracy in what I report as you will.

I tried looking into the official name for every FBS stadium.  Many of the stadium’s official name also includes a name for the field itself, such as So-and-So Field at Such-and-Such Stadium.  In the cases where either or both contained a person’s name, I tried to research the background on both names.

A relatively large number of fields/stadiums are named after accomplished coaches and or Athletic Directors from those schools.  Also, a significant number of the fields/stadiums are, of course, named after a prominent benefactor who helped fund the project to either build or significantly renovate the facilities.  And, as a sign of the changing world we live in, there are also a number of fields/stadiums named after companies or organizations that paid large sums of money for the naming rights.  I know this is a sign of the times (pun unintended) but SOD is not a fan of this unfortunate trend.

SOD did find, however, a few fields/stadiums that are, like Kinnick Stadium, named after a former football player.  Here is what SOD found:

Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium – University of Maryland.       

Byrd Stadium is named after Harry Clifton “Curley” Byrd who played football (amongst other varsity sports) at the Maryland Agricultural College (now, the University of Maryland) from 1905 – 1908.  The stadium, however, does not bear Byrd’s name because of his football prowess, but because Curley Byrd became much more than that at Maryland throughout his illustrious career.   After continuing his education, and athletic careers (there were no eligibility limits at that time) elsewhere, Byrd returned to Maryland where he taught English and History while also coaching football, baseball and track.  Byrd eventually assumed the position of Athletic Director and, later, became the President of the University.  Interestingly enough, while serving as President, Byrd hired Paul “Bear” Bryant to his first Head Coaching position.  But, the two men did not get along and Coach Bryant moved on to make a name for himself elsewhere.  In the final tally, Curly Byrd had coached the Maryland football team from 1911 – 1934 with a record of 119-82-15; coached the Maryland baseball team from 1913 – 1923, amassing a record of 88-73-4; and, served as President from 1936 – 1954.

Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field – Mississippi State University.    

The official name of the football facility at Mississippi State is Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.  The “Davis Wade Stadium” part of the name is in honor of longtime MSU supporter Floyd Davis Wade who helped finance a large expansion to the stadium.  But, the “Scott Field” part of the name is named after one of the University’s football stars and Olympic athlete, Don Magruder Scott.  Scott starred on the MSU football team from 1915-1916 prior to participating in the 1920 Summer Olympics, running the 800 meters event, and the 1924 Olympics in the modern pentathlon.

Jack Trice Stadium – Iowa State University.

   

Jack Trice was a football player for the Iowa State Cyclones in 1923.  Trice was Iowa State’s first African American athlete.  During a football game played on October 6, 1923 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Trice broke his collarbone early in the contest but insisted he was okay and returned to the game.  Later in the game, Trice was removed, once again, and, this time, sent to a Minneapolis hospital.  Trice was bandaged up and sent back to Ames, Iowa with the rest of the football team.  Two days later, the young man died from hemorrhaged lungs and internal bleeding resulting from his football injuries.  There were cries of foul play from some of the Iowa State players, claiming Trice was targeted throughout the game because of his skin color, but no official investigation was undertaken.  In 1975 the football playing field was named in honor of Jack Trice.  The facility itself was known as Cyclone Stadium until 1997 when it was renamed Jack Trice Stadium due to persistent requests from the student body.  Jack Trice Stadium is the only FBS Stadium named for an African American individual.

Jordan-Hare Stadium – Auburn University. 

   

The “Jordan” part of Jordan-Hare Stadium is named after the winningest coach at Auburn, Ralph “Shug” Jordan; and, the “Hare” part is named after Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn’s first football team who then went on to become the Dean of the Auburn University School of Chemistry and President of the Southern Conference.  Hare began his long-time relationship with Auburn back in 1888 when the institution was known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API).  Not only is Clifford Hare honored by sharing the name of the football stadium, but his legacy is remembered through the Clifford Hare Award, the highest honor an Auburn athlete can achieve.  The Clifford Hare Award is inscribed with his quote; “Athletics makes men strong, study makes men wise, and character makes men great.”

James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium – University of Cincinnati.    

Like Jack Trice Stadium, Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium is named in honor of a young man who died as a result of injuries sustained while playing this great game of football for his university.  During the final game of the 1923 season, against intrastate rival Miami University, UC footballer James Nippert sustained, what appeared to be, a minor spike injury.  One month later, the young man died from blood poisoning suspected to have been the result of infections received through chicken droppings from a chicken race held prior to the game in which James was injured.  Nippert’s grandfather, James Gamble of Proctor and Gamble, donated a large sum of money to help with the completion of Cincinnati’s football stadium being built at that time.  The structure, completed in 1924 was named the James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium.

Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium – Utah State University.     

Romney Stadium is named after Utah State’s most successful football coach and former athletic director, Dick Romney.  But, as of 2009, the official name of this structure became Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium in honor of Utah State’s football player Merlin Olsen whose bust now resides in the College Football and NFL Halls of Fame.  Olsen was a three-year lettermen playing defensive end at Utah State where he graduated in 1962.  Olsen was a first round (3^rd pick) draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams where he played for 15 years.  Olsen also earned a Master’s degree from Utah State in Economics in 1971 and was later awarded an honorary doctorate degree in business.  After his illustrious football career, Olsen continued to receive notoriety as a broadcaster and actor.  Olsen is a favorite son of Utah, hailing from Ogden, and will always be remembered as one of Utah State’s greatest alumnus.

Honorable Mention

Michie Stadium – Army.  Michie Statdium, on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy is named after Dennis Michie who was instrumental in starting the football program at the Academy.  Michie, while still a cadet, helped organize manage and coach the first Army football team in 1890, but SOD could not find any evidence that he actually played on that team.  Michie was killed in Cuba during the Spanish-American War six years after graduating from the Academy.

William-Brice Stadium – University of South Carolina.  Technically, William-Brice Stadium is named after Martha William-Brice who left a large sum of money in her estate to USC for the renovation of their football stadium.  It is mentioned here, however, because Martha William-Brice’s commitment to USC was in no small part the result of the fact that her late husband, Thomas Brice played football for USC from 1922 – 1924. William-Brice Stadium is one of only two FBS stadiums named after a woman – the other being Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Interesting Notes

Many FBS stadiums still in use today were originally constructed during or immediately after U.S. Wars and still a number of them still bear the name Memorial Stadium.  The football stadiums at Clemson, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Nebraska are all called Memorial Stadium; and, the stadium at Arkansas is known as War Memorial Stadium.

Interestingly enough, SOD also found two FBS football stadiums that are actually named after men who graduated from a rival school.  Oregon’s Autzen Stadium is named after philanthropist Thomas Autzen who graduated from Oregon State University.  Autzen’s foundation  was a large donor to the stadium project, linked to the fact that his son attended Oregon in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.  And, Washington State University’s  Martin Stadium is named after Washington University graduate, Clarence Martin who went on to become governor of the state of Washington.  Clarence Martin’s son, Dan made a large donation in support of the stadium project and Dan’s widow made several donations throughout the years.

Disclaimer

SOD may have, of course, missed a few.  There were a couple stadium names for which I could not find any information on the origin of the name.  And, some of the coaches and athletic directors that stadiums are named after may also have played football there, but SOD could not find evidence of that fact.

There are also a number of football structures that have plazas or wings or other facilities somehow linked to the stadium that bear the name of a past player, but, SOD tried to keep his research centric to the playing field and stadium itself.

All in all, this was a fun project and SOD actually learned a little bit more about the history of this great game.

Jimmys and Joes

If you are a college football fan then you have probably heard the adage, “College football is not about the X’s and O’s; its all about the Jimmys and Joes”. Well, a lot of the Jimmys and Joes fell into place yesterday as National Signing Day 2015 finally arrived and recruits sent in their Letters of Intent (LOI) to the colleges and universities they will call home for the next 2 – 4 years, or so. Now, we will have to wait and see who actually got the right Jimmys and Joes.

In the final analyses, the number of stars the recruits bring with them won’t necessarily be the determining factor. Each class has only about 15 – 20 five star recruits – so, obviously, not enough to go around. Just how much separates a 4-star from a 5-star, or a 3 from a 4, is hard to say and is just a judgment call from self-labeled experts. Each individual coaching staff does their own evaluation and has their own inside-the-program ranking for each recruit. Also, coaches are looking beyond what recruit ranking sites look at and try to determine if the potential recruit is, what some coaches like to label, “our kinda guy” – an OKG.

The OKG is that young man who, above and beyond knowing how to play football and may already play in a system somewhat similar to the one the college employs, but also shares the values of the program; is willing to be coached; and has, as far as the coaching staff can determine, the mental and emotional maturity to fit right in and be a productive member of the football family – as a key contributor or otherwise.

Yes, the 4 and 5 star recruits garner the attention and receive the most applause and acclaim. And, more times than not, those 4 and 5 star recruits become the young men who form a solid foundation for elite football programs each year, but, SOD believes that what separates a good team from a great team are those who get the most out of their 2 and 3 star guys. Everybody fights hard to get those 4 and 5 star recruits and persuade them to commit, but the real science and the advantage gained is in finding those diamond in the rough guys, those 2s and 3s that you know you can develop into value-added contributors on your football team.

Chris Petersen (and his predecessors and successors) put together a nice little program at Boise State by finding those 2 and 3 star recruits who fit their system and were OKGs. Now Coach Petersen is going to try to do the same with, hopefully, 4 and 5 star recruits at Washington to regain some Husky glory.

Meanwhile, Boise State continues to excel with their OKGs. According to Rivals.com, the 2015 Boise State recruiting class comes in at #64. The Broncos class of ’14 was ranked #65; the ’13 class was #62; the ’12 class was #54 – and, yet, Boise State finished 2014 ranked #16 in the AP Poll and finished ranked #18 in 2012 – so, something is working with those Jimmys and Joes. This either suggests that there is something Xs and Os bring to the table or the real value of your coaching staff is their ability to get the most out of the Jimmys and Joes who do play for you.

So, as we tie a bow on the 2015 Recruiting class – with everyone but ‘Bama fans sick and tired of seeing the Crimson Tide ranked #1 again – coaching staffs are already knee deep into working on the 2016 class. Almost every coach interviewed yesterday on one of the numerous shows covering National Signing Day indicated that they already have recruit visits scheduled for the rest of this week to meet next years’ prospective recruits. Although it feels like Signing Day ends one cycle and starts another, don’t be fooled. Your top-of-the-heap programs are already well into the Class of 2016 – just look at those teams who finished ranked in the Top 5 this year.

According to ESPN’s Recruiting Nation,
• Alabama already has 3 verbal commitments for their 2016 class.
• Florida State has 7.
• USC has 3.
• Clemson has 7.
• Tennessee has 8.

It never ends.

The recruiting game is just one fun aspect of what separates college football from the NFL. And, it is what makes coaching this game a full-time job. The college football off-season is that proverbial duck on a pond (no, not an Oregon Duck), it looks smooth and easy on the surface, but there is a lot of energy and movement going on underneath.

Good luck to all you Jimmys and Joes; SOD hopes your college decisions work out well for you and your university.

Colleges Represented on NFL Rosters

Today’s blog is almost an extension of yesterday’s article on “The Rich Getting Richer”.

Yesterday, we made the observation that the FBS schools on top of the Recruiting Class list are the same teams on the top of the Team Rankings at the end of the year, and, these teams seem to be pretty much the same year in and year out with little variation. Seems rather obvious, wouldn’t you say?

So, with it being a Friday and all, and, with Some Other Dude’s brain already in weekend mode, let’s make another obvious connection: One would expect that these same schools would lead the list of colleges with the most ex-players (I almost typed “graduates” – what was I thinking!?) on NFL rosters. And, you would be right. Let’s take a look.

The following table tallies the top schools in terms of players on NFL rosters; shows their current ranking in 2015 recruiting classes (according to ESPN); their ranking in most appearances in the Final AP Poll; and their final ranking in the 2014 AP poll.

Just the vicious cycle one might expect to see: do well in recruiting, and you will do well in the polls, and you will put lots of players in the NFL. And, the reverse is also true – put lots of players in the NFL and do well in the polls and it will help you with recruiting.

A few anomalies do stick out, however. Like … what is California doing so high up on the list of players on NFL rosters!? The Golden Bears do not have highly rated recruiting classes; they don’t finish in the AP Final Poll too often, and yet, they have the 11th most number of former players in the NFL. That was a little surprising.

Clemson and Texas A&M have highly rated recruiting classes for 2015 (3 & 8 respectively) but only rank 23 and 25 in number of players in the NFL.  You would expect them to start moving up that chart with the recent recruiting success they have achieved.

This chart also supports the observation made in yesterday’s blog that Oregon is a relative newcomer to the elite football programs club with a low ranking in the number of appearances in the final AP poll but high rankings in all the other categories.

This chart also seems to suggest that Miami-FL and Florida are programs that are slipping a bit of late.  Also missing from the table are Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State – all programs that rank in the top 10 for number of appearances in the final AP Poll but not in the top 15 for current NFL players. This may suggest that their fall from the top has gone on a little bit longer.

With the Super Bowl just two days away, this chart has been making its rounds through social media.

A neat little chart, but with only a two team sample it can skew the real results. A school like Rutgers can wave this banner at potential recruits as evidence that they put good players in the NFL. Even schools like Utah State and Kent State can be proud of this chart. But, when you look at the whole picture, Rutgers ranks tied for 34th with 18 players on NFL rosters; Utah State falls in at tied for 60 with 11; and, Kent State ranks tied for 70th with 9.

All of this is just fun facts to throw around while we await the Super Bowl on Sunday and Signing Day on Wednesday. The fun just never stops.

The Rich Getting Richer

National Signing Day, the first day High School seniors can officially commit to the college they will attend, is just around the corner, Wednesday, February 4.  If you have found yourself to this blog that is probably something you already know and are looking forward to.

No real surprises are expected, as regards to the top classes; there may be a few individual commit surprises, but not enough to drastically change the class rankings.  In some people’s minds it’s just more of, “the rich getting richer”.  Some Other Dude thinks of it more as, “the rich staying rich”.  One of the downfalls of signing such elite classes year after year is the resulting high number, relatively speaking, of early declarers into the NFL Draft each year – so, SOD thinks of it more as replacing your riches as opposed to adding to them.

If you look at the Class Rankings from any number of Recruiting Web Sites, you see the same, usual suspects at the top of the list.  The ESPN Top 10, for example, lists, in order from 1 – 10: Alabama, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, USC, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas, and Notre Dame.  All elite programs, maintaining their elite status.  To no one’s surprise, 6 out of those 10 teams finished 2014 in the AP Top 25 rankings.  Just the rich staying rich.

So, it seems to SOD that this pattern of Top Classes stays pretty consistent from year to year.  This would support the feeling that the elite schools in college football stay pretty constant from year to year.  I wonder, thinks SOD, am I influenced by recent events, or does history bear this out?  If we grouped college football programs into classifications, such as: Elite Programs; Near Elite Programs; Middle of the Road Programs; Below Average Programs; and Bottom Dwellers, how hard is it for one program to move from one grouping to another, and, how often does that occur?

Just relying on SOD’s instinct, it seems there are not that many programs that have moved into Elite or Near Elite status in recent history.  Just go down this years’ Final AP Poll and put a label on each program and how long they’ve been in that classification.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.

SOD, using only his instinct and, rather challenged, memory, labeled the Top 10 this way:

• Ohio State – Elite for a long time
• Oregon – Relatively new Elite
• TCU –Near Elite, moving upwards
• Alabama – Elite for a long time
• Michigan State – Moves between Elite and Near Elite
• Florida State – Moves between Elite and Near Elite – Mostly Elite
• Baylor – Newly Near Elite, moving upwards
• Georgia Tech – Fluctuates through all categories
• UCLA – Moves between Elite and Near Elite

Interested to see if facts support perception, SOD found this web page that lists the total number of appearances each school has in the final AP Poll throughout the years.

At the top of the list is Michigan, with 57 appearances.  The Wolverines have fallen on hard times of late but have had a long enough history of being an elite program that it is going to take more than a few years of mediocrity to knock them from this group.  And, Jim Harbaugh might have some magic to help get them back into the club.

Tied for 2^nd with 54 appearances are Oklahoma and Ohio State.  Elite and elite, although Oklahoma is at risk of slipping a bit if they don’t get back into Top 10 levels soon.

And, as you continue down the list there are no real surprises – one elite program after another.  Those with a deep history of being top programs are the same ones that are tops today – for the most part.  Certainly you have programs that have periods of mediocrity sprinkled in, but, you wouldn’t be surprised to see them bounce back to the top soon.  For instance, programs like Tennessee, which hasn’t had a Top 10 team for some time, weighs in at #9 all time.  The Volunteers haven’t finished in the final AP Poll since 2007, when they were ranked #12, and haven’t been in the Top 10 since 2001 (#4).  Tennessee is slipping down the list, but, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them back in the polls in the near future, especially given their Top 10 ranking in this year’s recruiting class.

This list does suggest that some of today’s better programs are new members to the Elite and Near Elite category, as SOD suspected.  TCU, a team that probably deserved a spot in this years’ playoff, ranks 29 on the all-time list.  Oregon, an elite program today, ranks only 39 on the list.  The Ducks have only 15 appearances in the Final AP Poll, 14 of them since 1994 and 11 appearances since 2000.  So, the Ducks are proof that a program can move up through the classifications – but, they are that rare breed.

And, there are programs, like Georgia Tech, that seem to enjoy a roller-coaster ride through the classifications.  The Yellow Jackets have 25 appearances in the final rankings scattered throughout the decades, never staying too long and never being absent for too long.

So, let’s do one final comparison; let’s compare the Top 25 in the Final AP Poll for the decade years against 2014.

• The 2010 Final AP Poll included 11 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 2000 Final AP Poll included 10 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1990 Final AP Poll included 6 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1980 Final AP Poll included 7 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1970 Final AP Poll included 6 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll
• The 1960 Final AP Poll included 7 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1950 Final AP Poll included 4 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1940 Final AP Poll included 3 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.

NOTE:  The 1940 – 1980 Polls only ranked the Top 20 teams.

So, if you go back far enough, the list of elite teams changes a bit more drastically, but, over the past 50 years or so, it appears that it is rather difficult for teams to move up on the elite program scale.  But, programs like Oregon and Baylor show that it can be done.  And, there are other programs, like Rutgers for instance, that have slowly moved up from Bottom Dwellers to Middle of the Road that could be on the precipice of Near Elite or higher, especially given the recent change in conference affiliation.

It is a slowly changing landscape, but, if you root for one of those teams on the journey, it can be a fun ride.