No program is “dead” and can’t be restored with the right coach

It’s more than just the coach. It’s money and some luck. I never thought Baylor would be good, but they were for a while. It was a combo of aTm leaving the conference, Baylor spending their money Texas getting complainant and a coach with a high octane offense. Look at Rutgers in the early 2000’s when Penn State was bad.

That being said, it’s hard for a non power five team to become a long term winner. Too much competition from big schools. Look at Boise State, BYU, etc.

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I never thought Baylor would be good, but they were for a while.

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Baylor had a chance to become a consistent power but they just had to get all rapey.

Texas was a dumpster fire, aggie went off to be a mid tier sec team, tech fell off a cliff. That was Baylor's chance and they fricked it up.

SMU never recovered from the only official death penalty the NCAA handed out to a football program.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened years back when Alabama was in all their shite, because that deal was described by some as the worst they had ever seen. Bama was bucking for the second death penalty but some heavy political jockeying from the Governor's office on down resulted in their getting a stout probation.

However, it would have been interesting to see how they would have handled recovering from a death penalty if it had occurred.

A great hire can turn a program around but winning a division and Conference titles can’t bd won by any school. Mullen could win the division at State neither did Petrino at Arkansas and Franklin at Vandy . Supplier won the division at USCe but could win the conference championship.

PItt Panthers are another one.

Johnny Majors and Jackie Sherill in the 70's and early 80's brought them back but that was when they were an independent

As soon as Penn State joined the B1G the Nittany Lions told PItt they would not get a home and home anymore and Penn State wanted 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 at State College.

PItt then lost their Rivarly with West Virginia when they entered the ACC.
They still have Syracuse and BC but with the amount of coaches leaving, lack of elite talent in Western PA and their lack of fans I do not think anyone could get PItt back in the Top 5.

More importantly like Minnesota, PItt lost their home stadium and is force to play at Heinz Field.
Another former blueblood that crash. PItt was coll g football before the everyone except Michigan.

Nobody would have kicked Bama out of the SEC.


But Bama probably does not have Saban if they had the death penalty.

The massive injection of TV revenues and integration in the South did more damage to the Golden Gophers program than the Vikings did.

Pitt may be the best example. In an era when u could sign unlimited players there was a year Pitt only managed to get 16 recruits. When they brought in Johnny majors he got Dorsett, Peluzzi and Matt Cavanaugh to committ and won the 1976 title when in 1973 the sporting news had labelled Pitt the worst program in america.

Texas did not start booming until 1995 so I am sure the South did not boom until after 95.

Minnesota fell apart in the early 60's. Right around the time NFL hit Minnesota. The Vikings won from the beginning and quickly took the University of Minnesota thunder.

Full integration did not happen until the 1970's
Not meaning a few players but at least half the team integrated.

A lot of the team in the B1G and Northeast are the reason for college football.
The South just perfected it.

I do not think Tennessee will ever become a long time resident on this list.
If you remember they fell into a much smaller trouble spot before Johnny Majors.

The problem with Tennessee is the boosters are running the show and not the Athletic Department.
Everyone wanted to call Texas a cesspool but the other UT might take the cake.