Fansided

10 historic NCAA football programs set for a turn around

By Andrew Garda

Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Every year, right about now, college football fans start to get excited. No matter what level of disaster their team was last year, they believe this year will be different.

It’s a whole new year, a whole new season and a whole new chance to get things right.

More from College Football

Every fan has this moment, but nowhere is it more evident when you look at some of the more storied school programs.

Some of them have gone a long time since they were good. Some of them are historic not for records but for other reasons. Some keep flirting with greatness they once had.

A historic program can be any one of those things, or all of them.  And having that history is both a good thing and a bad thing for fans.

It’s good because you can always talk about how great the school is in terms that really point back to the time it was. You can talk about Heismans or National Championships or any number of awesome things and feel better about what isn’t happening now.

It’s bad because looking backwards like that gives you a crick in your neck and can be really depressing as you wonder why it isn’t happening now.

Fear not though —there are some historically significant schools which could be on the verge of a resurgence.  In some cases that might mean just being even slightly relevant. In others, it could be a return to greatness.

We’ve selected ten programs we think are about to turn themselves around. I’m sure the definition of historic won’t be considered appropriate for all of you for every team, though I will try to explain the ‘why’ of a selection.

In spring hope is eternal. Here are some teams we think will pay off on that promise.

Next: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Home/College Football