College football changing into elites, nobody else
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is clearly tired of the question: Do the Fighting Irish have something to prove as they again prepare to take on one of college football’s elite teams in the College Football Playoff?
“No, I mean, we’re knocking on the door every year playing really good teams and great opponents,” Kelly said. “I don’t know why this narrative continues to pop up when we’re always in the games.”
What often gets categorized as a Notre Dame problem is actually a major college football problem. A tiny group of teams have bolted away from the field simply because they are accumulating far more talent than their competitors.
The elite high school players are clustering at a small number of schools and creating an almost insurmountable gap between the very best and the rest.
No. 4 Notre Dame heads into its latest referendum game against No. 1 Alabama on Friday in the relocated Rose Bowl semifinal in Texas as a nearly three-touchdown underdog. In the other semifinal, a more fair fight is expected between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State at the Sugar Bowl.
Kelly has raised Notre Dame football to its highest level since Lou Holtz led the school to its last national title in 1988. The Irish are 43-7 over the past four years.
Still, Notre Dame drags into the playoff the recent memories of a BCS blowout against the Crimson Tide in 2013, a lopsided semifinal loss to Clemson two seasons ago and overall a six-game losing streak in BCS/NEW Year’s Six games that dates to the 2000 Fiesta Bowl.
“No, we haven’t won a national championship, that’s correct,” Kelly said. “I’m not changing the record. But we are there every single year and we’re grinding it out just like everybody else. And only one team gets to celebrate at the end of the year.”
No team has celebrated more than Alabama. Under Nick Saban, the Crimson
Tide have won five national titles since 2009. The dynasty is fueled by unprecedented success in recruiting. According to 247 Sports’ talent composite, the Tide had the second-most talented roster in college football this season behind Georgia after being No. 1 last year, second the year before and first two seasons before that.
Alabama came into the season with 12 former five-star recruits — including running back Najee Harris and linebacker Dylan Moses — and 58 former four stars on its roster. Alabama has signed 41 top 100 recruits from 2017-20.
Ohio State stacks up pretty well with the Tide this season, with 14 former five stars — including quarterback Justin
Fields — and 52 four stars. The Buckeyes have signed 25 top 100 recruits from 2017 to 2020. They have also won four consecutive Big Ten titles.
Clemson’s numbers: 11 former five-stars — the most important among them being quarterback Trevor Lawrence — 35 four stars and 23 top 100 signees from 2017 to 2020. The Tigers are up to six Atlantic Coast Conference championships in a row.
“I do think we both identify the same players from the same parts of the country,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said of Clemson. “The elite players have some really good choices, and those schools, they’re all battling for those guys.”