The 20th Century was the blueblood era of College Football. Michigan, Nebraska and Tennessee owned residency in that world.
The College Football Playoff era brought on a new brand of college elite programs, sparked by recruiting.
You know the six: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU and Georgia. Add Notre Dame into that mix, too.
"We are all aware of the lopsided nature of the sport we love. We know it’s the same collection of teams that dominate the recruiting rankings every year, and, for the most part, it’s those teams that are most represented in the postseason. You may be shocked to learn that the teams with the best players win the most." - Ali Wasserman
So, will the list of elites expand in the post-blueblood era?
“When you look at the teams that are getting the most players, (they) are the ones in the Playoff, but the Playoff results don’t come first,” a Big Ten recruiting coordinator said. “It’s consistency from those programs, not only with recruiting budgets and buy-in from their programs but also a strong track record of developing players into NFL picks. All the recruits want to go to the place that will get them paid in the long run. If people feel like the sport is going to be more balanced with an expanded field, I think that’s a short-sighted way of looking at things.”
“There is only one sales pitch a prospect really wants to hear,” a MAC recruiting coordinator said. “It’s about how you can turn them into a pro.”
Is Ali right?
In the end, though, it likely will still be the same six teams battling it out at the end because winning is about having the best players.
The College Football Playoff era brought on a new brand of college elite programs, sparked by recruiting.
You know the six: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU and Georgia. Add Notre Dame into that mix, too.
"We are all aware of the lopsided nature of the sport we love. We know it’s the same collection of teams that dominate the recruiting rankings every year, and, for the most part, it’s those teams that are most represented in the postseason. You may be shocked to learn that the teams with the best players win the most." - Ali Wasserman
So, will the list of elites expand in the post-blueblood era?
“When you look at the teams that are getting the most players, (they) are the ones in the Playoff, but the Playoff results don’t come first,” a Big Ten recruiting coordinator said. “It’s consistency from those programs, not only with recruiting budgets and buy-in from their programs but also a strong track record of developing players into NFL picks. All the recruits want to go to the place that will get them paid in the long run. If people feel like the sport is going to be more balanced with an expanded field, I think that’s a short-sighted way of looking at things.”
“There is only one sales pitch a prospect really wants to hear,” a MAC recruiting coordinator said. “It’s about how you can turn them into a pro.”
Is Ali right?
In the end, though, it likely will still be the same six teams battling it out at the end because winning is about having the best players.
