Before I begin this article, I must confess that I'm a die-hard Notre Dame fan. I live and die with the Irish and more recently, I've been dying.
I've seen a lot of criticism towards Notre Dame in recent years, with people saying that Notre Dame is irrelevant in college football. Part of this, I’m sure, is Notre Dame’s stellar streak of nine bowl losses.
Be that as it may, not every team that is near the top of college football now was near the top in past years. This season marks 20 years since the Irish have raised the National Championship trophy above their heads.
The last coach to deliver that trophy for the Irish can now be seen on College Football Live on ESPN sparring with Mark May on a regular basis.
In this article, I will examine the National Championship droughts of what some would call the some of the better teams in the nation.
Louisiana State University
It only seems fitting that I start with last year’s National Champion.
LSU won the National Championship last year (2007). They also won the title by split decision with USC in 2003.
Prior to 2003, however, the last time that the Tigers won the title was in 1958—that’s 45 years.
Ohio State University
The Buckeyes have been in the National Championship the past two years, both times coming up excruciatingly short by margins of 14 points against LSU and 27 against Florida.
This year, they are one of the favorites to win the title, but can they follow through? The last time OSU won the National Title was in 2002.
Prior to 2002, however, the last time the Buckeyes won the National Championship was in 1970—that’s 32 years.
University of Southern California
Since the Trojans hired Pete Carroll, it seems as though they have annually been included in the National Championship discussion, and this year is no exception.
The last time USC won the National Championship was in 2004, with Matt Leinart behind center. In 2003, they received the AP’s vote for National Champion while LSU took the BCS vote for National Champion.
Prior to 2003, however, the last time the Trojans won the National Championship was in 1978—that’s 25 years.
University of Michigan
Michigan has more recently been tagged as an up-and-coming team but hasn’t quite been getting it done on the field, partly thanks to losing at the hands of OSU five out of the last six years.
This year, Michigan is expected by many to be in a down year with the transition to a new coach and a new scheme. Nevertheless, the last the Wolverines won the National Championship was in 1997, which is 10 years ago.
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3 months ago
Good work, Jon. Just goes to show eveyone how truly difficult it is to win a NC in college football. I would like to see ND get back in the hunt soon. Good luck with that.
3 months ago
good article but Notre Dame is given more grief because until recently they have been the most consistent team year in year out and are always expected to compete for the championship. In the bowl game against Notre Dame was suppose to dominate with Brady Quinn but LSU with Russel just flat out embarrassed Brady Quinn and the Irish. Also the recent criticism has been Charlie Weis his first two years won with Ty's guys and last year with his own guys they were awful. So then it becomes if Ty had stayed what would have happened? Charlie only has one more win than Ty at this point I believe and Ty was fired after his third year.
3 months ago
But that's the thing, Charlie didn't have his own guys. The recruiting class he had when he came to Notre Dame about a month before National Signing Day wasn't very good. And they were juniors last year (David Grimes, etc.). That's the thing, the lack of recruiting that Ty brought in and left with Notre Dame when he left, that's what we saw last year. Lack of experience and depth at the skill positions and on the offensive line especially.
3 months ago
Until 7 years ago, you wouldnt consider LSU to be one of the best teams in the country.
And FYI, Ty Willingham's record to this point compared with Charlie's is far better.
from 3 months ago
Actually, at Notre Dame both coaches have the same amounts of losses (15) and Weis has one more win.
from 3 months ago
O well my bad, its just that the Domers praise Charlie and condemn Ty for doing the exact same thing.
Im just sayin.
from 3 months ago
Ty is condemned more for his lack of recruiting, not his win-loss record.
3 months ago
Nice article, Jon. Another way of looking at it is that since Notre Dame won their last national championship in 1988, only fifteen different teams have been crowned champions.
Seems like that's too long whether you like or do not like Notre Dame.
We won't talk about 1993.
3 months ago
Don't talk about 1993.
3 months ago
good read, it just goes to show how college football comes and goes in phases.
3 months ago
This article brings up a lot of great points, because when my friends and I are coming with the "top football schools" in the country list, it is tough. We start grouping it into different tiers, and it really depends on what decade you are making the list. As a fan, when you do not win that year it is always "too long" between national championships. If we are not winning national championships, we at least need to see our team get to BCS bowls - if a top tier team.
As far as Ty versus Charlie, CW is loved because he has taken us to 2 BCS bowls in 3 years. Not many coaches have done that in all of college football. In addition, the way he has recruited is going to setup the team for years of success. We cannot blame him for the dropoff in talent, however we will expect him to put out a team this year that is going to play their tails off, be competitive, and show progress. This turnaround is going to take time whether fans like it or not.
3 months ago
I dont know what your trying to get at here but maybe you should consider slimming down your articles. I'm not trying to be a jerk im just sayin.
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