Building Champions

The 4 states with the most college football teams are Ohio, Florida, Texas and California. Ohio has 8 teams, Florida has 7, Texas has 10 and California has 7. Not surprisingly, these four states are home to four of the most dominant teams in College Football. In this article I will quickly go over each teams and why they have been so dominant.

These four states are typically a "hot bed" for recruiting. The best players normally come from these four states. Along with that, 4 of the most dominant teams in college football year in and year out also come from these 4 states. These teams are Ohio State, Florida, USC and Texas.

Last year, according to Athlon Sports, Ohio produced 5 players in the top 100. The Buckeyes were able to grab 3 of these players and ended up signing 10 players from the top 100.

Florida produced a jaw dropping 17 players from the top 100. The Gators were only able to nab two of these players because of a more heated in-state competition for this talent. The Gators ended up signing 6 players from the top 100.

Texas produced an equally outstanding number of players from the top 100 with 16. The Longhorns were able to grab 5 of these players and those were the only players in which they signed from the top 100. The Longhorns rarely have to go out of state to recruit their talent because of how deep their state is.

California produced 9 players from the top 100. USC was able to sign 4 of these players and they also signed another 4 making it a total of 8 players from the top 100.

If you have been paying attention, you would realize that almost half of the players from the Athlon Sports top 100 were from these four states alone. These four teams grabbed 29 of the players from the top 100.

This should come as no shock after reading this but these four teams have each won the National Championship since 2002 and odds are that one of them will win it this year!

To continue to be powerful in College Football you must be able to sign players from your own state and occasionally pick players to pursue after from other states. Now you realize why these teams have been so dominant and will be dominant for years to come.

Photos courtesy of Google

College Football programs on the rise/decline

With the season just getting underway I am going to share my thoughts on which football programs are on the rise and which ones are taking a skydive. These are the teams that are not only going to be good (or bad) for this season but for many more seasons. First I will start off with the teams that are on the rise.

On The Rise



1. University of South Florida - The bulls, who have only been in the FBS since 2001, are now becoming a major factor in the Big East. Last year they quietly climbed to #2 in the nation before going on a slide. The bulls, led by gritty quarterback Matt Grothe, are poised for a breakout year not only this year but for many more years. Coach Jim Leavitt has been with the program for 11 years and has amassed a record of 79-47. Leavitt has been solid on the recruiting trail as well, bringing in the 45th ranked recruiting class of 2008 according to Athlon Sports.

2. University of North Carolina - After going 4-8 last season it is hard to say that this team is on the rise but many people are optimistic about the Tar Heels. The 'Heels return 19 starters this year most of which are sophomores and juniors. Many people are feeling that North Carolina is this years Kansas which went from 6-6 to 12-1 and a BCS bowl win. North Carolina brought in the 36th ranked recruiting class of 2008 according to Athlon Sports. Butch Davis is a great coach and he will lead the Tar Heels to the top of the ACC within the next couple of years.

3. University of Illinois - Illinois won a combined 8 games in 4 seasons from 2003-2006. Then all of a sudden, the Fighting Illini won 9 games including a major upset of #1 Ohio State and an appearance in the Rose Bowl. Not the average season of a team who won an average of 2 games over 4 years prior to the 2007 season. This year, Illinois is primed for another great season. With such a good season last year, the fighting Illini were able to bring in the #20th ranked recruiting class according to Athlon Sports. The Illini will be prepared to remain atop the Big Ten for years to come.

On the Decline

1. University of Louisville - With all the hype surrounding Louisville last season, no one expected them to go 6-6 with no bowl appearance. Now the Cardinals have only 7 starters returning and have no hope in sight. A brutal recruiting class which didn't rank in the top 50 and two new coordinators are not going to help the Cardinals get any better.

2. University of Hawaii - After going undefeated in the regular season Hawaii was a feel good story. But after getting humiliated by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Hawaii is in a serious rebuilding mode. Hawaii lost coach June Jones who led Hawaii to its first BCS bowl and basically was the face of the program. Hawaii also lost its record setting quarterback and four starting wide receivers. Hawaii also replaced both coordinators. Hawaii is starting from scratch now and they will be hard pressed to play in a bowl game this year. Hawaii shouldn't be a factor in the WAC for a couple of years.

3. University of Iowa - Last year, Iowa missed the postseason for the first time since 2000 and the outlook for the Hawkeyes is gloomy. Iowa has been in a downward spiral after the 2004 season when they won 10 games and a conference title. Since then they have been mediocre winning only 19 games over 3 years. Not only did Iowa's coach Kirk Ferentz fail to deliver a bowl appearance, he also failed to deliver a top 50 recruiting class.

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