Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a look at the health of the last 15 programs to win a national title. Also, we review some embarrassing losses from the weekend and look at the latest in recruiting.
ASK FARRELL: Should LSU be viewed as the title favorite?
1. DR. FARRELL CHECKS UP ON LAST 15 TITLE WINNERS
There aren’t many programs that can brag on winning it all in college football. That is especially true in recent decades, as the sport hasn't had a first-time national champion since Florida finished No. 1 in 1996. Here are the last 15 national champions and a snapshot of how their programs stand today.
Clemson – It’s clear that Clemson is in great shape with Dabo Swinney at the helm. More national championships could be coming. STATUS: HEALTHY
Alabama – As long as Nick Saban is in charge, Alabama will compete for a national title every year. They are my pick to win it all this year as long as Mac Jones can deliver in Tua Tagovailoa's absence. STATUS: HEALTHY
Ohio State – Urban Meyer is gone but things look the same if not better under Ryan Day so far. You could argue that Ohio State is the best team in the country right now. STATUS: HEALTHY
Florida State – What the heck happened here? Willie Taggart is not the solution and the once mighty ‘Noles are now losing to teams that are better than them – and those teams are Wake Forest, Virginia, Boise State and others. STATUS: SICKLY
Auburn – Cam Newton led Auburn to a national title with Gene Chizik as the coach when everything came together. The Tigers have been back to the title game since then, and the program is in good shape from recruiting to roster talent. STATUS: HEALTHY
Florida – Dan Mullen has the Gators rolling and, despite the loss to LSU, they have a real chance to win the SEC East this year and beyond. STATUS: HEALTHY
LSU – Ed Orgeron was a controversial choice to take over the program from Les Miles but he has LSU, and the offense of all things, on a roll headed to a big showdown with Alabama. STATUS: HEALTHY
Texas – This is a tough one as the Longhorns haven’t won anything under Tom Herman but are in much better shape than they were under Charlie Strong. Despite a near loss to Kansas this past weekend, Texas is on the right track. STATUS: HEALTHY
USC – The Trojans are far from the dominant program they were under Pete Carroll and I’m not sure when they will get back there. Clay Helton is not the solution. STATUS: SICKLY
Miami – This one is depressing as I always loved watching those dominant Miami teams back in the day loaded with first-rounders. Will those days ever come back? I’m doubting it with each sub-par year. STATUS: SICKLY
Oklahoma – All is well with the Sooners with Lincoln Riley at the helm and the program being a consistent playoff contender. They will break through soon. STATUS: HEALTHY
Tennessee – The Vols haven’t been title contenders in the SEC for a long time and currently, under Jeremy Pruitt, things aren’t looking good. STATUS: SICKLY
Nebraska – Scott Frost was thought to be the answer and still could be but it’s not going to be this season clearly. The Huskers are far removed from their days of dominance. STATUS: SICKLY
Michigan – Expectations are high with Jim Harbaugh in charge but he hasn’t broken through and his record against top-10 teams is horrible. That being said, Michigan still wins 10 games under Harbaugh consistently. STATUS: HEALTHY
Washington – How long ago was that when Washington won it all? It feels like 100 years The Huskies have recently been to the playoff and are always near the Top 25 so the program is doing okay. STATUS: HEALTHY
2. FIVE TEAMS THAT WERE EMBARRASSED THIS WEEKEND
It was an embarrassing weekend for some teams, so it’s time to call them out. Here are five teams that should be ashamed of the losses they just suffered.
Wisconsin – No offense to Illinois, but how can Wisconsin lose this game? The Badgers were dominating everyone and were favored by more than four touchdowns. This is an awful loss and they can kiss any chance to the playoff goodbye.
Miami – Georgia Tech is one of the worst teams in college football this year and the Hurricanes played down to their opponent again and lost. This is not a well-coached team.
Boise State – There goes your top-25 status, Boise State. Yes, I know the Broncos were missing their starting quarterback, but so was BYU. No excuse here, the Broncos lost to a very average team.
Missouri – Just when we started to talk about Mizzou as a real contender to win the SEC East, the Tigers go and lose to a Vanderbilt team that started a third-string walk-on QB. Vanderbilt! No excuse for this loss, and the Tigers can probably say goodbye to their chances to win the division.
Stanford – How do you lose to this UCLA team by so much at home? I know Stanford isn’t very good this year, but this is still an awful home loss.
3. RANDOM RECRUITING MUSINGS
Some random college football recruiting thoughts…
... What Mack Brown is doing so far at North Carolina in recruiting is what many in the ACC feared. The Tar Heels have long been a sleeping giant when it comes to football and Brown has them recruiting very well in the state and elsewhere. The recent decommitment of linebacker Trenton Simpson from Auburn is a great example as he’s expected to end up with the Tar Heels. That would have never happened under previous staffs.
... Running back Zach Evans is in the news again after a visit to Alabama and now some feel that the Crimson Tide have the lead. So this is starting to come full circle. The first team, at least that I can remember, that was thought to truly have a true lead for Evans was Alabama after his teammate Damieon George committed in June. Then it was Georgia who was a lock for his services, shortly followed after that by Texas A&M, LSU and now Alabama again. OK, Georgia was the only real lock here, but this has been a very interesting recruitment to follow and changes weekly. And it’s mostly just speculation as Evans never seems to show his cards.
... Arizona State is heating up a bit and landed a key commitment from four-star St. Louis defensive end Joe Moore. Herm Edwards has done most of his damage in this class in California, so landing Moore was a big deal even though he had family ties to the area.
