What do all 8 CFB Blue Bloods have in common?
We've been asking ourselves the question throughout history: What makes a program a blueblood? The answers we've come up with have been very arbitrary and subjective
Now I think I've found a nice standard measuring after Michigan won this national title. There are a mere two criteria to meet that I think are very fair:
If you spent any major amount of time in a conference you must have at least 30 conference titles in your history AND you must have 3 wire service AP and/or Coaches' Poll national titles
This criteria as of now in the current membership of the Football Bowl Subdivision is mutually exclusive to bluebloods: all 8 traditional ones (Michigan, OSU, Bama, USC, Oklahoma, ND, Texas, Nebraska) have now achieve this standard and nobody else in FBS has
This is a very fun debate to have and I understand my argument is not the final absolute say on the matter, so I'd love to hear your input on this
January 17th, 2024 at 9:21 PM ^
The Rutgers - Princeton game was essentially a soccer game. It was played with 25 players on a side, with a round ball that you could not pick up or carry.
The first real football game was 1875 Harvard–Yale that had 11 players on a side, with an oblong ball, and running the ball, forward pass, and tackling.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:12 PM ^
I was being sarcastic, but the forward pass was not made legal until 1906. You did inspire me to look it up to double check myself, and apparently the forward pass was implemented illegally from time to time before 1906, including the 1876 Yale-Princeton game.
January 17th, 2024 at 9:08 PM ^
I would say that there is a 50 year "Blue Blood" threshold.
If you have had sustained excellence for at least the last 50 years, you reach Blue Blood status. That is what puts Penn State on the list, who came into major prominence in the 1960s.
Likewise, if you have fallen off for 50 years, you lose it. That is what takes Minnesota off the list, who has not been relevant since the 1960s.
The Florida schools / Georgia / Clemson are knocking on the door. Schools like Pitt have fallen off. The Ivy League fell off decades ago. Nebraska is still a ways from falling off even though they have not been great lately.
January 17th, 2024 at 9:19 PM ^
I'm just glad Clemson is not on anyone's list.
They are in sui generis category: a mediocre team whose fans cannot be dissuaded from believing that they belong in the blueblood tier, facts be damned. They had a good run recently with Trevor Lawrence, but are now reverting to form.
January 17th, 2024 at 9:45 PM ^
Never understood Texas being considered a blue blood. Historically, they are a very inconsistent team with losing seasons nearly every decade.
January 18th, 2024 at 1:49 AM ^
Recently, yes. Historically, no.
January 17th, 2024 at 9:56 PM ^
Many, many years ago I read a similar SI article about these schools, but they called it the "Gang of Nine". Penn State was included.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:13 PM ^
Clemson > Nebraska. Historically Neb is better or course but they sure don't feel like a blue blood program after the last 20 years. All of the 7 others have retained relevancy during the last 2 decades. Neb has not.
January 18th, 2024 at 12:18 AM ^
It’s more ephemeral in football than basketball. In basketball, it’s easy Duke, Kansas, UNC and Kentucky. There’s the was/close of UCLA, UCONN, UL and Villanova. To be a Blueblood, you have to be here now, but also always have been there.
January 18th, 2024 at 1:36 AM ^
Always throws me off that Tennessee ranks 10th in wins, ahead of USC, LSU, Clemson and many others. I guess they did win a title in '98, but have rarely been a factor in last 50+ years
January 18th, 2024 at 7:20 AM ^
Clemson meets this standard
January 18th, 2024 at 8:23 AM ^
Using this criteria would mean that we were *not* a “Blue Blood” Team until the last two weeks. And I don’t think that’s correct, or fair to us, or fair other teams who have long histories of success as, say independents (Penn State) or fair to other teams who have been good but not quite hit peaks enough years (Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, us until this month).
I would be interested in looking at what other criteria would create inflection points of when some teams would qualify for “Blue Blood” status.
Like, what combination of
- Wins
- Win %
- Bowl-game Wins
- Number of weeks in the AP/Coaches Poll (or only the Top-10? or Top-5? Or -1?)
- Conference Titles
- National Titles
would give us a list of how many schools?
Would there be any surprises?
Personally, I'd start with considering a 65% W/L Record, over 800 Wins, 10 weeks as #1 in AP/Coaches Poll, 20 Bowl Wins, and at least 1 National Championship
January 18th, 2024 at 8:48 AM ^
Imo it's always been a great debate. Bluebloods and Corner Stone Programs.
Corner Stone Programs
Michigan, ND, Alabama, USC Ohio St and Oklahoma
Blue Blood programs, long standing success, very much in the power of cf even if not at this moment.
Nebraska,Texas, Penn St, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Lsu, Florida St, Miami, Clemson, Washington, UCLA, Oregon and might be missing a couple but these are strong cf programs or have been very strong cf programs. Ucla of this group is the one really fading while Lsu and Oregon are recent.
Programs that are awesome for conferences but never took that step.
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan St for the big ten, might argue Maryland or Illinois..
South Carolina, Arkansas, aTm, Missouri for the sec, kentucky could be but two steps sideways and one step back after every step forward..
GaTech, North Carolina, Vatech, which feels like it should be stepping into the blueblood program but lost it's momentum when Beamer retired. Syracuse and Pitt decades ago but haven't even sniffed big success in decades... ACC has programs with tons of potential but never see it.. Miami and Fsu haven't been the same since joining the ACC but that could have something to do with pesky academic requirements for athletes.. but then North Carolina said hold my beer on that one.
Big12 idk, it seems like Colorado now that they are back what could they become again? Kstate and Okstate, Baylor and tcu? One of these programs are going to take the mantle voided left by texas and ou. Utah might be the next b12 power program?
January 18th, 2024 at 9:02 AM ^
I think Nebraska’s blood has turned a different color than blue over the last 25 years.
January 20th, 2024 at 5:14 PM ^
I prefer the Justice Potter method: I know it when I see it. The correct answer is Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, Penn State, ND, Nebraska, LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia. That list is also the 12 winningest teams, but I don’t think that’s a coincidence: “most wins” combines success and longevity.