It’s not easy to go from middling program to college football elite these days.
While it might actually be easier than before thanks to NIL, the Transfer Portal and more, it remains incredibly difficult to get to that top level. Tons of programs are capable of winning 9 or 10 games in a season and maybe contending for a College Football Playoff spot in the 12-team field.
But how many programs are actually capable of winning a national championship?
Over the past decade or so, only a handful of programs have truly contended for a national championship. And only an even smaller group have taken gigantic steps in terms of where they are placed in the sport’s hierarchy.
Clemson and Oregon are probably the best examples of programs that have built themselves into the elite of the elite. Clemson has won two national championships under Dabo Swinney and has competed annually for top recruits, often beating out the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and others.
Oregon, thanks to Phil Knight and a whole lot of Nike money, has reached that top level, too. The Ducks haven’t won a national title yet, but they’ve been beating down on that door for years. It’ll come soon.
Who’s next, though?
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One college football coach has boldly predicted who the country’s next “Clemson or Oregon” will be.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham told On3.com this week that he believes his program is next.
“You can build something very, very unique,” he told Steve Wiltfong. “Every 10 years, a team shows up on the map, and they’re a blue-blood to the next generation. They’re not a blue-blood to the people my age, but they’re a blue-blood to the 10-year-olds, the 11-year-olds and the 12-year-olds who you’re eventually going to recruit.”
“You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020,” he continued. “They just showed up. People think they’ve been around forever. You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010. You can go back in history and figure out which teams have shown up in which era. There hasn’t been a team in this era, in the 2020s.”
Arizona State is coming off of a College Football Playoff berth, but the Sun Devils have a lot of work to do before they’re at a truly elite level.
Dillingham clearly believes it can happen, though.
