Pat Forde feels that Nebraska retaining Frost is acceptance of its new status as former Blue Blood.
Of the glory period under Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, Forde writes: "Those were outlier days, when a school from the heartland with scant local recruiting could carve out niches elsewhere and win with scheme, a weight program, walk-ons and an elite coach. Those days are gone, and this is a tacit acknowledgment."
Just as Nebraska is reeling decidedly away from being able to retain more than memories of its football Blue Blood Status, this era also means the rise of new powers.
Dook was a football Blue Blood from the hiring of Wallace Wade away from Alabama right into the early 2 platoon days. Rice also was Blue Blood back then. Tulane flirted with reaching Blue Blood a couple of times. Army was the very definition of Blue Blood for longer than Dook and Rice. Pitt had about 9 National Championships before Penn State ever got close to 1, and Pitt averaged more fans per game than PSU until about the mid-1960s. GT was one of the SEC's first 3 Blue Bloods (Bama and Tennessee) and remained Top 3 in the SEC in average attendance almost every year until the early 1960s.
As teams fall away from Blue Blood status, new teams have opportunities to reach Blue Blood status. If a school fails to reach at least close to Blue Status in an era of upheaval (and this is such an era), then it likely will settle again well below Blue Blood until at least the next era of upheaval.
What is tolerate in coaching that is less than top notch goes a very long way toward marking whether a school will accept more non-Blue Blood history or will fight and claw to become part of the Blue Blood group.
UNC football
could get there. But is there such a will in the administration and Ram's Club, and among UNC sports fans?
