SMQ: 5 teams that could win a first national championship soon

Out of 129 FBS teams, 99 have never won the college football national championship at the top level. Which five are best positioned to join the club?

The previous Sunday Morning Quarterback took a look at fallen powerhouses that could rebound for another national title in the near future. This week, let’s look at the flip side of the equation.

Of 129 FBS members, only 30 have won at least a share of a national championship going back to the introduction of the AP poll in 1936. That leaves 99 teams that have never won a national title, either in the poll era or the BCS era or the College Football Playoff.

Some of those teams are relative newcomers to the FBS, having worked their way up from the lower subdivision in Division I football. Teams like Appalachian State and Georgia Southern have won national titles at the FCS level, but cannot claim the honor in the higher subdivision. These teams linger in Group of Five leagues like the Sun Belt and Conference USA. As a result, these FBS neophytes are decades away from real contention.

Others are sad-sack institutions like Kansas and Rutgers. These are ostensibly major-conference teams. But they have historically failed to live up to that billing on the gridiron. These teams have rare bursts of relevance, but nothing that would put them anywhere near national championship contention.

Not every team outside the national championship club is doomed to perpetual irrelevance. But the last team to break into the club was Florida back in 1996. Every national champion during the BCS and College Football Playoff era already had a national championship before 1998.

Keeping that in mind, it is difficult but not impossible to join this club. There are teams that have the resources, the facilities, and the staff to recruit and develop talent into national contenders. These are the teams we are looking at today.

Who is positioned to make the leap to the national championship club?

A few factors must be taken into account:

• Conference Affiliation: A team in a Power Five league will always get the benefit of the doubt. That is why undefeated UCF was left out of the College Football Playoff equation last year, and why they do not make this list. The school has the facilities, the resources, and the ability to recruit well. But unless and until the Knights are invited to realign with a power conference, they will never be taken seriously by the CFP selection committee.
• Past Successes: A team that has come close to winning a national title is going to remain more relevant than one that is trying to achieve greatness for the first time. If a team reaches the BCS or the College Football Playoff in the past, it is likelier to appear on the radar in the future. At the very least, a team needs to be regularly in conference contention to merit consideration here.
• Current State of Affairs: A team that cycles through coaches is not necessarily unstable, but it does restrict recruiting. Stability in the coaching staff and a solid track record of recruiting are indicative of potential future success. These did not predominate the decisions made here, but they were taken into account.

So which teams are best positioned to burst into the national championship club in the next five to 10 years? Keep reading for five that could be next in line for the crown.