Can a northern team win the FBS national championship anymore?

[tboyer]

Interesting thread. The history of the last 20 years kind of speaks for itself. The fact that northern football is not competitive at the highest level (with the singular exception of Ohio State) is undeniable -- the question is why.

Climate is probably the biggest explanation -- people develop skills playing year round.

But another factor could be culture and the worry over concussions.

Middle class parents in the North are, more and more, not letting their sons play football because of the health risks. That's a hard thing to measure quantitatively but I know it's happening -- I have firsthand knowledge of quite a few talented kids who wanted to play football but parents would only let them play baseball or basketball or lacrosse.

That means the pool of talented athletes available to high school football is smaller.

And my guess would be this occurs more in the north than in the south where football is religion.

That Clemson team that won has an incredible combination of overwhelming physical size and strength AND speed and skill on the outside. In the past, teams could win championships with muscle, speed and suffocating defense -- i.e. Jim Tressel's teams at Ohio State. Or sometimes teams could win with great receivers and QB -- USC. But now it's got to be both. And how many college football teams in the north would even be in the discussion?

 

[sammyk]

I gee, I wonder why.

Sorry if I am coming across as attacking you, I don't mean to. But this particular thing has irked me because population actually doesn't account for southern football. In fact, lets not give the whole SEC credit when we are really talking about Alabama.

Again, the final polls from 1970 aren't that much different than this year. That being said though, it would be foolish not to see that the south is doing pretty alright these days in football. But there are a variety of factors none population related.

Ok had to do some research here From 2010-2018 PA population went up about 100,000. In that same time NC population went up by 1,000,000. Here are the number of D-I kids signed by each state from 2010-2018.

2010 PA 71 NC 53
2011 PA 62 NC 81
2012 PA 84 NC 80
2013 PA 65 NC 88
2014 PA 61 NC 84
2015 PA 60 NC 72
2016 PA 63 NC 93
2017 PA 54 NC 73
2018 PA 62 NC 83

Yea population growth has nothing to do with it. And NC is not even a true football state but a growing one

 

[SoCalNYC]

So pretty much the same teams that have vied for it the last 50 years, throw in Miami and Nebraska

I agree with his list. I do think the game becomes more fairness and parity with a 8 or even 16 team CFP.

A lower team like a Wisc or Iowa has a pitch to recruits that we are also part of the biggest prize. The implications are massive and less boring than now.

Otherwise its all exhibition games.

 

[sammyk]

I agree with his list. I do think the game becomes more fairness and parity with a 8 or even 16 team CFP.

A lower team like a Wisc or Iowa has a pitch to recruits that we are also part of the biggest prize. The implications are massive and less boring than now.

Otherwise its all exhibition games.

I think if you expand it to 8 teams there could be an upset but if you are to win 3 games for a national title I would say that the Clemson's and Alabama's of the world would benefit. That would allow the depth of those teams to come into play, a war of attrition which is in those teams favor

 

[SoCalNYC]

I think if you expand it to 8 teams there could be an upset but if you are to win 3 games for a national title I would say that the Clemson's and Alabama's of the world would benefit. That would allow the depth of those teams to come into play, a war of attrition which is in those teams favor

Agree but as of now, would you not at least want even PSU, OSU etc to have shots as 5, 6?

And the Bama Clemson hegemony is not forever. Things go in cycle.

I know people assumed this about Miami or SC.

 

[AWS1022]

Let’s face it, in terms of giving teams a shot, the old poll system was better than what we have now.

 

[sammyk]

Agree but as of now, would you not at least want even PSU, OSU etc to have shots as 5, 6?

And the Bama Clemson hegemony is not forever. Things go in cycle.

I know people assumed this about Miami or SC.

I can agree with that

 

[heckmans]

I think these are the only teams who can/will ever win a NC going forward:

Pac 12 - USC, Oregon
SEC - LSU, Auburn, Bama, Florida, Texas A&M, Georgia
Big Ten - Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
Big XII - Oklahoma, Texas
ACC - Clemson, Florida State
Notre Dame

The last time any of these schools didn't win a NC was Miami, in 2001. Maybe a Nebraska, or Wisconsin, or Washington, or Tennessee sneaks in there, but really, that's about it with how big a role money has become.

You left off Pitt. They were just in the ACC Championship and according to the Lair, they are just a couple athletes away.