Ohio State’s standing in the historical hierarchy of college football will never be questioned. The Buckeyes’ on-field success, combined with school traditions, has made Ohio State a giant in a sport that
dates back to just after the Lincoln Administration.
But in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, it’s worth wondering if there’s a changing of the guard amongst the blue bloods. Ohio State won a national championship in 2024, but it has struggled in some ways to adapt to the advent of the transfer portal and NIL. Other programs that have been blue bloods over the years, including Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, and Texas, have not been as dominant in recent seasons.
To be clear, Ohio State is still a great program. They’ve been one of the winningest programs in college football over the last five, 10, 15, and 20 years. They have three national championships this century.
But with some of the other programs no longer what they once were, it begs the question of whether new blood is being injected into both college football and college basketball. Look at the teams that played in the national championship this season. Miami and Indiana aren’t considered blue bloods of college football. Sure, Miami had really good teams in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s. But they haven’t had the historical dominance a blue blood typically has.
Blue bloods have built their success on recruiting the best players, hiring the best head coaches, and having the most on-field success. But look at blue blood programs like Kentucky in college basketball. They’re struggling to recruit because they haven’t yet figured out how to navigate NIL most effectively. Other college basketball players, like Kansas, have struggled in recent seasons.
The transfer portal and NIL have brought parity to both college football and basketball. That’s great. But some blue-blood programs have struggled to catch on. They have been used to doing things a certain way for so long, and now they have to adapt quickly to a whole new era of college athletics.
Meanwhile, other schools, particularly at the Power Four level, that didn’t have much of a chance in previous seasons, now feel like they have an opportunity. The playing field has been leveled. It’s benefited schools like Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Auburn, Houston, and many others. Players don’t necessarily have to go to the historic blue bloods to get the best NIL deal and/or more playing time. These schools have athletic departments that are embracing a new era of college athletics.
Could the historic blue bloods be resistant to change? Maybe. Their ways worked for so long. Now, though, there are new ways that are working for programs that had a ceiling in the old era of college football.
Ohio State Football is still really good at roster building and recruiting. But the transfer portal and NIL are on track to make recruiting secondary. Therefore, it’s paramount that programs like Ohio State are fully aware of the new advances, especially in college football, so that they can stay amongst the top of the blue bloods for decades to come.
There are many changes happening in college football and college basketball. But being resistant to change can prove costly for historic blue blood programs. Parity is more prevalent than ever. That’s great. For the blue bloods, though, it could mean a changing of the guard is coming, or it could mean blue bloods are a thing of the past.
