Classifying College Football Programs

According to Steward Mandel and SI. Most recent classifications from July 2012.

Kings
Alabama
Florida
Florida State
LSU
Miami
Michigan
Nebraska
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Penn State
Texas
USC

Barons
Auburn
Clemson
Georgia
Oregon
Tennessee
Texas A&M
UCLA
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Knights
Arizona State
Arkansas
Boise State
Boston College
BYU
Cal
Colorado
Georgia Tech
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas State
Maryland
Michigan State
Missouri
N.C. State
Oklahoma State
Ole Miss
Oregon State
Pittsburgh
Purdue
Stanford
Syracuse
South Carolina
TCU
Texas Tech
Utah
Virginia
Washington

Peasants
Arizona
Baylor
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Duke
Minnesota
Indiana
Iowa State
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisville
Mississippi State
North Carolina
Northwestern
Rutgers
Temple
USF
Wake Forest
Washington State
Vanderbilt

Obviously, this is a little dated. For example, West Virginia should no longer be a baron, and Michigan State probably should be.

Georgia Tech belongs in the third group, if you're going to put Iowa and Cal in there.

quasi blue bloods, i.e., benefiting from dominance in one era.  In these I noticed you listed both PSU and NE, both at this time less, far less, than being considered among the elite list, but they are both among the top 8 all time winningest programs, separated by one win only.

I have devised a simple plan - rule would be better rule than plan - in determing those that, despite what might occur - have built a program so strong, complete with your criteria, brands, large fan bases, long term, sustained success. I guess "Iconic" status is good enough to include the sub sections that would fall under that, i.e. AAs, Heisman winners, NCs, conference championships, et. al.  However, the true test, and I think this will make it easier for everyone to grasp those that are always one step away from returning to elite status, if they are, indeed, in a down period, and that is they are one hire away from returning to previous status.

You pretty much nailed the top 7 for this very reason. When they were experiencing bad stretches, their next great hire restored them to their previous status.

The two exceptions, and two schools that won't return to blue blood status, but could have easily been included in the top list are NE and PSU. Both enjoyed the majority of success in terms of accumulating wins due to reasons that no longer exist, but at the time they achieved those wins there was no reason to believe the events that would take place would,  No1) occur and No,.2) have such a profound effect on their football programs. 

Even considering this, PSU would be more likely to return to greatness than NE, given the current landscape of cfb with the biggest edge being population and PSU enjoying a huge advantage in one area that can't be denied, that population difference also includes a huge disparity in proximity and access to nothing more than home grown talent, with their state(s) being generally considered among the top 5 along with FL,TX, CA, OH and with the continued growth of Georgia coming it at numbers 5 and 5(a), depending on the partifcular year. Allegiance to state universities is real and both schools have only one other viable instate threat and the difference between academic requirements for admission between Ga Tech and Georgia so vast that this otherwise advantage that Tech might realize is realistically mitigated. Pitt, on the other hand, and it could be a false assumption, is considered a lesser academic school than PSU And PSU's acceptance into the then Big X widened this perception.

Although PSU's history is based, inarguably, on beating up on a virtual list of eastern schools, Pitt among them, and even with consideration to Syracuse's brush with greatness, due in large part to producing superior running backs during a period that possessing same played a huge role in outcomes of football games. For roughly over a decade they enjoyed having such a huge difference maker every year in the form of four players, namely Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka which lead to their being considered TB U, a distinction USC would take away in the next decade plus, going one better, and with black Heisman winners being no longer considered an anomaly, they gained added stature by producing, almost successively,  Mike Garrett (their first), followed by O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen and Anthony Davis. Sam "Bam" Cunningham did not win the Heisman, I don't believe, but played just as great a role in changing college football by merely being the dominant player on the field when USC faced Alabama, then coached by Bear Bryant, who after the defeat, instructed all of his assistants to concentrate of the best black football players in the south, was the first to introduce them into the conference, promote their importance to Bama's success, etc. and essentially ensuring them they no longer had to head north to realize their dream. As usual, the rest of the conference followed suit and we are all aware of the success associated with the SEC since that decision was made♣

But even though PSU did, indeed, enjoy their success by virture of it's inagruably weaker schedule, one fact is clear. Although untested throughout most of their regular season, with circling in 8 to 9 wins being a realistic outcome, and proven to be the case unless an epic upset occurred, there were periods that not having competition for the best players in the N.E. portion of the U.S. actually resulted in them being the best team in the nation as evidenced by beating the team the writers had agreed upon as being the actual best team in the country in the season ending bowl game, teams ranging in prestige from areas as diverse as Alabama, Oklahoma, NE, TX, ND, etc. Further, revisiting what I perceive to be the most important determinant in the iconic programs never being further than one correct hire away from restoration to elite status, go back no further than coming out of its horrific scandal of a non-football related nature and its hiring of O'Brien. Their accomplishments under him are considered, rightfully so, as surpassing realistic expectations, especially considering their depleted roster, a result of this scandal. Moving forward, with restrictions growing less and less each year, their "perceived" great hire of Franklin who won at off all places, Vanderbilt resulted them in losing to teams who either through lack of talent, i.e. IN, PUR, teams of that nature, lack of coaching, Hoke lead UM of all teams, heightens the importance of being "one correct hire" away from return to greatness.

While the success of Jim Harbaugh in his first year is possibly two years earlier than realistic expectations, when coupled with his success in his first recruiting cycle at UM, this merely speeds up the process of what most conceded as the realistic outcome of his hire. He has, as much as any hire on this list, proven he possesses what is necessary, and although have learned from some of the greats, he is directly tied to another repsonsible for providing what then was needed at the same university amost a half-century ago. Damn, age does grab us all, but there are times like this where memories of the events that took place can preclude need for google research.

USC, down for years due to the area surrounding itts campus, and when gentrification finally resulted in an area that did not automatically lead many of the nation's top high school prospects from immediately dismissing them from consideration, made their correct hire in the form of Pete Carroll, lead to surpassing even John McKay's achievements. Even when hit with NCAA sanctions, they maintained enough talent on the roster that any game they played minus a complete and shared lack of disinterest, in large part due to two bad hires, are still capable of beating any team on its schedule. Don't know if current coach is the answer, but do know the talent on their roster again places them "one correct hire." from success.

Bama, down for years after the Bear's retirement, even with a NC under Stallings, was one step away for its "correct hire" in Saban that, after the necessary time to reload its roster, complete with the best of modern weaponry, is the King of college football again. In the same conference, Les Miles has proven himself to be a good coach. And this is perhaps the best example of the difference, Les has always been good, and minus Saban, was able to keep LSU at the heights Saban had built it to, but the difference in his ability compared to Saban's, even with a fence around the state, will not allow LSU to realize its former greatness.

OSU is the only school I am aware of among these blueboods that has not suffered a prolonged period of sub standard peformance. However, OSU's ridiculous standards - as viewed by many - of not being merely satisfied with winning the conference, is probably the reason for it not hitting bottom to the same degree many others did. Having no instate rival for the abundance of h.s. talent scattered thoughout that state and its level of success vs. any given geogrhapical area, allows it to enjoy an advantage that may be unparralleled. For the same reason Lloyd's status as "Lifetime coach, if so desired" went to "will be gone within three years," was shared by John Cooper. Compiling a Win/Loss record possibly second to none during that era, his inability to beat his arch-rival, same as Lloyd experienced, was simply unacceptable. He was replaced, as we all know by Tressel, whose greatest transgression - and this is what separates the OSU fan base from any other - was not his disdain and virtual willingness to ignore NCAA rules, but getting caught, And like OSU, despite the reduction in scholarships that had to result, they could not force those on the roster, by and large products of Ohio high schools, from leaving so when Fickel was named interim HC, it was understood this would be used as a preparation season for those already on the roster, and when their real head coach was named, Urban inherited a roster so loaded with talent, and an undeniable ability to add to it merely by expressing interest - ask D.J. Durkin if you need clarification - Harbaugh's finished product will be the only thing that slows down the unprecedented success he has enjoyed.

Although Harbaugh has been mentioned at UM, there was a hire almost a half century ago that cemented Michigan's place in this elite status. Undoubtedly, the greatest program in the first half of the 20th century, the period where this "blueblood" status would be created, they went through a period, prior to the real importance of cfb - money - coming to the forefront, where simply winning at a rate greater than losses was somehow acceptable to all but one person, a former UM athlete who took over the reigns of its Athletic Department. Being lead by two former UM greats was satisfactory, but the drawing power of UM, simply by being UM, would be realized in its next "correct hire." No one knew for sure, but Canham and a little known coach with a difficult to spell last name might have had an inkling as to what was already on campus. This coach, who for some reason, was aware of Michigan, not just its storied football history, but how, when coupled with its academic prowess, a major element of his recruiting strategy, had the audacity to implement Harbaugh like demands on this team he inherited and to all players that would follow. This resulted in an unmatched attrition rate, hell it was a mass exodus but along with a promise to those who stayed. Canham, Bo and then the head coach from OSU were the only three people at that time who dared to predict what was about to happen. Well after all these players left, all Bo had to work with what was "the greatest number of future AAs to ever be assembled in one five year period of UM history." Elliot, a great player, a very average coach turned out to be among the greatest recruiters ever, and probably the only one who had no clue that he was. Imagine, of all the possibilities that existed, it turned out that a young man(who had applied and been turned down for the same position at WI), and from all all places, the state down south and who had worked for its arch rival would turn out to be the one man that not only was aware of what UM offered, but combining the best of all these offerings, not only took command of the best high school players in MI - at that time a decent number - challenged and beat his former boss for the services of some of the best in his state, and ratcheted up a policy that UM had always employed, recruitment on a national scale, with ND being primarily the only other big time program that ejoyed the same level of acceptance, regardless of the area it was recruiting.  This has long since changed to include many others, but at that time, they were the Big Two in implemenation of this strategy.

ND, another one of your list, righfully included, along with Michigan, Texas and OU, had separated themselves from the pack in the first portion of the century, certainly sufferered its droughts, always curtailed with the proper hire, and experiencing its longest period of mediocrity between the retirement of Hotlz and the hiring of of Kelly. Kelly went through a period of winning at their traditional winning pct, not exactly overwhelming, but considering he was still in the midst of on-the-job training based on the significance of the levels he had traversed from small Grand Valley State College, the next logical step to the MAC and then Cinnci, in hindsight a very rapid occurrence. Each and every strop was marked by his ability to grasp the differences in talent level, and now has put together a roster at ND that last season we saw, despite who and at what position one of his "indispensables" went down, he, with barely a backward step, quickly announced the right man and continued forward successfully. This included going as deep as his third TB, eventually manned by a player he had no inention of playing there.

OU, through Stoops, has answered their question as to the hire necessary to remain firmly entrenched among those a cut above, and when all the dust setttles in TX, there is still only one school that has everything, the tradition, unquestioned financial resources, and absolute and recongnized "clout" in regard to effecting change in that state as being the most likely to emerge. Just as we've seen with other schools hiring a man that is considered a good coach, but possibly not a good fit for that school, it is likely that Charlie, never to be consfused as less than good, might still not have accomplished that which will give automatic credibility as being "great." There are measurements for that, often times recognized only when they land in the right spot. But I have no doubt it witll be UT that emerges from what only now appears as a question mark, but that tradition and the ability to recognize and hire the correct man, they too will regain their rightful place at the table.

I do apologize for this being lengthy, but I thought it was an interesting topic. Once I got rolling, it was easy to recall the names and some of the events that took place that lead me back to recollection of the names that would give my claim credibibility. I still do believe this to be the most important aspect, if for no other reason, it is an undeniable common bond shared by those placed in this "rareified atmosphere." I also recognize times have change, and with that a few addition may be in order. There should be some school from Florida, although not yet holding all the other measureables the others do FSU seems to be the most likely to emerge, simply due to not being a member of the SEC. Clemson, too, with each great needing a rival to help them reach this goal is a few hires equal to Dabo from having realized the "sustatined" status you include, and which I agree is a good measurement, but I believe, with the forturne that all the others have shared, likewise Clemson could evlove to this lofty status.