College football giants in dormancy: Miami and Nebraska are two schools that could soon come to life

College football giants in dormancy: Miami and Nebraska are two schools that could soon come to life

Slumps lasting a decade or longer can be broken, though, so while a few of the historically dominant programs have not found much glory in recent years, all it takes is the right combination of ingredients to get things moving again. Rich tradition is no small part of what makes college football great, but for some programs, their most successful days are well behind them.

It’s difficult to maintain success in a sport where coaching changes occur frequently and roster turnover occurs annually. Because they are unable to rebuild and compete at the highest level almost every year, programs like Ohio State and Alabama are extremely rare.

Things are starting to turn around again thanks to certain traditional powers trying to emerge from droughts. Even while they might not be prepared to compete for championships just yet, the 2024 campaign could serve as their springboard to the top of the college football ranks.

30% off annual VIP membership! Get the latest football and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.

Late Kick host Josh Pate highlighted four sleeping giants that could wake up before long. Below are those schools taking steps back towards prominence:

Cornhuskers of Nebraska

At Nebraska, the era of national championships won by teams led by Tom Osborne and Bob Devaney is long gone, as are the seasons in which Bo Pelini consistently finished with nine or ten wins. The last time the Cornhuskers won ten games in a single year was under three different coaching staffs. However, it’s still early in the Matt Rhule era, so maybe things are changing. In his first season, the Huskers came one win away from their first bowl game in eight years, and this offseason, they addressed their most pressing problem: the quarterback position. If Nebraska makes even more progress the next autumn, it will return to a level it hasn’t been in ten years.

Pate: “Raiola, Dylan: Hopefully, you were able to check the quarterback box when they persuaded him to desist from Georgia. I have nothing but praise for their defensive personnel and defense. Their defensive staff is incredibly talented and sometimes overlooked. summit of a mountain? Is Nebraska able to return there? It would be wonderful to see. It’s unlikely that they’ll be playing for the championship this year—their over-under is 7.5 wins—but it would be entertaining and a great little experiment regarding what can and cannot be done in college football in the future.