re: Is LSU considered a CFB Blue Blood?

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Bob Devaney led the Huskers to the title in 1971

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My bad, AP title in 1970 as well.

But my point stands, Nebraska's success has mainly come since the 70s. Not exactly blue blood material.

Hell, I don't even consider Texas a blue blood. It seems to me that blue bloods should at least have one title from before WWII.

I think the question is how exclusive you make that group. If you include schools like Tennessee, Georgia and Penn St, then you have to give consideration to LSU as well. If you go for stricter entry requirements, then there would be 5-7 schools and none of those schools would make it.

I would argue that teams lose blue blood status when they no longer compete at the highest level of the sport. That would eliminate the Ivy League schools that dominated the early days of college football. It would also exclude Army and Navy who do not have Power 5 status.

The AP poll era gives us a more structured source of comparison and the reality is that there were limited programs outside the Northeast and Midwest with national stature prior to that time. Some weight should be given to the achievements of schools like Michigan, ND, Alabama and USC prior to 1936, but the poll era is a good starting point.

5 schools have more than 1000 poll points in the final AP polls since 1936: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio St, Notre Dame and Michigan. USC is next, followed by Nebraska, Texas and Penn St at over 700. Tennessee, LSU and Georgia are 10th, 11th and 12th.

Next let’s look at NCs in the poll era. Alabama is way in front with 13 with ND second at 8. There are a total of 7 schools with 5+: Bama, ND, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio St, Nebraska and Miami. LSU, Texas and Minnesota complete the Top 10 with 4. Georgia, Michigan, Penn St and Tennessee from the other list have 2 (behind Florida, Florida St and Clemson with 3).

Expanding the scope a little we can look at all-time wins for current Power 5 programs. There are 8 programs with more than 900: Michigan, Alabama, Ohio St, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn St and Nebraska. Tennessee, USC, Georgia and LSU are 9-12.

The 12 current Power 5 programs with more than 800 wins all-time are also the Top 12 all-time in the AP poll. That’s a fairly easy cutoff to make for blue blood status that would include LSU.

If you are going to start to pare the list down from there, Georgia and Tennessee would be the first to go. There are near the bottom of the 12 in wins and all-time poll standings and have only 2 NCs each in the poll era. That leaves LSU in the Top 10 if that’s your cutoff.

The next cut is probably where LSU gets dropped. The 4 NCs are strong but 3 of those are in the last 20 years. Beyond that they are just outside the Top 10 in wins and poll standings. Penn St is other team that would fall out next with only 2 NCs, 9th in the AP standings and 7th in wins, many coming against programs that weren’t in the upper echelon prior to the 1970s. You can make arguments either way as to which should be 9th and which should be 10th. Either way, if there are 8 or fewer programs on your blue bloods list, LSU is out.

Nebraska and Texas would probably fall off next if you just go with the Top 6 in the AP polls. Michigan is light on poll era NCs, but they had a number in the pre-poll era.

Upper Echelon:
Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio St and Oklahoma.

Next 2: USC and Michigan

Next 2: Nebraska and Texas

Next 2: Penn St and LSU

Next 2: Tennessee and Georgia

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Bama
Mich
Ohio St
USC
OK
TX
ND
Penn St
Tenn
GA

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LSU has been more relevant (21st Century) than all of those except Bama.

PSU, Michigan, Tenn, ND, Texas, USC living off past accomplishments.

no but getting there.

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No, we are not a blue blood. 2011 taught you that.

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So you don't understand the term blue blood. Got it.

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LSU never gets the "recognition" LSU fans think they should get.

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I've always felt that the people polls have not given LSU any benefit of the doubt in regards to the ranking respect it deserved. I always felt that after a loss to Bama then LSU was taken out to the dust bin by the pollsters.

Having said that, during the BCS era, the Computers loved, loved, loved LSU.

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But as far as powerhouses legitimate football programs now in no particular order:
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- LSU
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- USC
-UCLA
- Wisconsin

* Hon mentions: Tennessee, West Virginia, Auburn, Nebraska.

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Wut?
Omitted UTk has 6 claimed NCs while other listed with quite weak quantity.

- Georgia = 3 NCs
- Clemson = 3 NCs
- Penn State = 2 NCs
- Georgia = 2 NCs
- UCLA = 1 NCs
- Wisconsin = 0 NCs
- WVU = 0 NCs
So much fail in your list, as with most "Blueblood Lists".
Most lists fail due to yankee media bias, but this one is just dumb.

I'm going by older articles on this subject. Basically, they were looking at pre-BCS during the poll era.

I think if you look at just national championships pre-BCS during the poll era, it reflects those assessments of blue blood.

Notre Dame - 8
Alabama - 5
Oklahoma - 5
Nebraska - 4
Southern California - 4
Ohio State - 3
Michigan - 2
Texas - 2

Of the others discussed here, Penn St. maybe has the best argument to be included.

Penn State - 2

For the others that people mention.

Tennessee - 1
Georgia - 1
LSU - 1


Of course, this doesn't take record and Bowl wins/conference championships into account.

Is Ohio St. a blue blood when they are 1-10 vs. SEC in bowls? And until Texas A&M (0-4)and Missouri (1-10) vs. OSU joined the conference, we had a regular season dominance over the Bucknuts.

A

Really good question and fun discussion.

I think MikeTheTiger71 made a very solid case, well thought out.

When I think of Blue Bloods, I think of a team with a history of winning, over time. College football is cyclical, so teams will have peak and valleys, but the better teams are able to win consistently.

The game has also evolved due to many reasons including transportation, segregation, broadcasting, popularity, and NIL so some historical teams fade over time while others emerge.

Undisputed:

1. Michigan - the definition of a blue blood - they would not be who they are now without that early success. Most wins ever. They stacked up more wins than anyone in the early years and built up an insurmountable lead.
2. Alabama
3. Notre Dame - most storied program in history
4. Ohio State - model of consistency over time
5. Oklahoma
6. USC
7. Texas

8. Nebraska - Despite being mediocre the last 20 years, and a lull from 1940-60, they have historically been dominant. I think it will be VERY hard for them to come back to form.

I agree that LSU is somewhere in the 9-12 range historically. And they won’t move much over time. So draw the line where you will, based on your definition of blue blood.

9. Tenn - strictly on early historical success is ahead of LSU as a blue blood. BUT they were fading quickly until their resurgence this year. The game had changed so much and Tennessee does not have the recruiting ground to compete with LSU long term. I see LSU gaining ground on them over time, but Robert Neyland build a blue blood program over there and they do have a 10-21-3 head-to-head advantage over LSU.

10. LSU - they were the second non Ivey league team to win a NC (1908). That is their defining mark of early success (though claimed much later).

11. Georgia - I put LSU ahead of Georgia by a razor thin margin because of the 5 NCs and the 18-13-1 head-to-head. But from a blue blood argument, these two programs are very similar.

12. Penn State, For me LSU is ahead of Penn State because Penn State played independent until 1992. Penn State probably would not have had quite the same success playing against 2 other blue bloods (Mich and OSU). LSU had to earn theirs again Bama, Tenn, and Georgia.

LINK
This is a good website to see how teams have done historically.

Side note- I’m a West Point grad, and if I was making this argument 50 years ago, Army would be easily in the top 10, but the game changed so much and Army will never be able to compete on a level playing field again.