Toughest football rebuild of p5 teams?

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JP4CY

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Kansas. Rutgers at least has a large population base nearby. They need Syracuse and Penn St's coaches to move on, and I think Babers will eventually.
Wisconsin was really bad for A LOT of years and now they are a power. Now, I don't think Rutgers will ever get to that point but becoming close to consistently bowl eligible is a possibility.

Kansas will forever and always be second fiddle to basketball there. Old gimmicky coach, KState has been more stable for decades, etc.

A sneaky dark horse is Illinois. That State is a mess.
 

1UNI2ISU

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I'll vote Vanderbilt. It's actually amazing they've had a couple of 8 win seasons.

Incredibly difficult academic standards (average ACT is 33), landlocked campus that isn't going to allow them to grow facilities unless they go 25-30 miles away, sharing a state and a conference with the delusional fan base at Tennessee, declining enrollment because Belmont has become the premiere music school in Nashville, total athletic budget is $27M (comparable to UNI) and their management structure doesn't give them a true AD just a VP that oversees athletics as part of his fundraising job.
 

harimad

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I would have to go with Kansas, because they play in the toughest conference. Maybe throw Arkansas in the hat as well. Rutgers is a tough job, but they play in a cup cake conference. Same with Oregon State.
I'm not sure I agree. Their schedule this year is pretty tough. The Big Ten East is nowhere close to a cakewalk. TheOSU, UM, PSU, MSU, Maryland, and even Indiana is showing some life this year. From the west they got Minnesota. Played Boston College out of conference.

Sagarin ranks their schedule #26.
 

AuH2O

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In the last 25 years or so I think we've seen KU good twice (under Glen Mason in the late 90s I think), Oregon St. when they had Chad Johnson in the early 2000s, and Rutgers under Schiano. However, Rutgers' peak was in a really bad Big East. I don't remember Vandy ever being good. They might have had a few decent seasons, but that's it.

Vandy might be the toughest. You're a school with high academic standards in the freaking SEC. Not to mention, they rarely accept students from Tennessee. So you've got a small student body that comes from around the US, so it's not like there is really a Vandy fan base to speak of. They get good SEC TV money, but it's tough to recruit there.

Rutgers has a lot of talent in the area, but they aren't cash rich despite the Big 10 TV money, and it's not an easy place to recruit to. And as others have said, you've likely got 3-4 games vs. ranked teams in the East alone, then typically will get 1 more from the west between Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern.

Oregon St. - poor conference exposure and financial condition. Completely overshadowed by fellow in-state school, and share a region and conference with more prestigious schools.

Hell, KU might be the easiest of all. We've seen it done recently, you've got a big Metro next door. If KSU has a prolonged period of instability or struggles, KU should benefit. Hell - you re between a metro with over 2 million people, and even the Witchita metro is almost 700k.
 
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NorthCyd

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Glass houses and all. Rutgers is down and the future looks bleak, but they went to 9 bowl games in 10 years prior to the last 4. They've also had an 11 win season. We've done neither.
So yeah, since they left a conference that amounted to an easy button for 6 wins and bowl eligibility it's been a precipitous drop. It's not getting easier any time soon unless they leave the B1G. This is today, not 6 years ago. It's a near impossible situation.
 

RonBurgundy

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Hell, KU might be the easiest of all. We've seen it done recently, you've got a big Metro next door. If KSU has a prolonged period of instability or struggles, KU should benefit. Hell - you re between a metro with over 2 million people, and even the Witchita metro is almost 700k.

I agree with others that pointed out Vandy and Rutgers. But on the other hand, I don't think Vandy really cares, so I would go with Rutgers.

If it can be done at KSU, it can be done at KU. It has been done at KU. They went to an Orange Bowl.
 

CycloneVet

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Hear me out on this, Nebraska

If we go with expectations, it has to be them. They will be unhappy unless they are in a title game. 10-3 will not cut it with them. They lost their advantages of the past and now even playing in one of the softest divisions in CFB, they can’t get any traction.

I see your point but the second they get traction then there will be an uptick in success. Granted the dipshits that aren’t happy unless they are in the playoff makes this reality much harder to attain.
 

heitclone

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I say between Kansas and Rutgers. I don't know what Rutgers has for Facilities but Kansas has down right bad stuff. I hear they may be redoing the stadium. Which would help since it's a horrible stadium.

BTW the thread title says Rebuild. Kansas, Oregon State, Rutgers, and Indiana have never been built.

I don't get how people dont' remember Oregon State having good teams. There were a bowl team nearly every season during the Dennis Erickson years, even Mike Riley had some good teams during the 2000's. They went to 11 bowl games from '99 to '13, winning 7 of them. They have been bad the last 5 years but are nothing like the other teams you listed with them.
 

NoCreativity

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Rutgers was my initial thought, but doing some further research Im voting Illinois. Rutgers has gone to 10 bowl games in the last 15 years, has multiple 9 win seasons, and even an 11 win year. Their recruiting base is also solid, and their facilities and stadium are alot nice than Kansas or Illinois.

Their main problem the last 5 years is with the divisions splitting into the East and West. They already have 4 automatic losses on their schedule every year unless they pull off a huge upset. Put them in the West and they would be closer to 5-7 and 6-6 every year going to bowl games.
 
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JM4CY

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Hear me out on this, Nebraska

If we go with expectations, it has to be them. They will be unhappy unless they are in a title game. 10-3 will not cut it with them. They lost their advantages of the past and now even playing in one of the softest divisions in CFB, they can’t get any traction.
**** Nebraska
 
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harimad

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Rutgers, and then Tennessee. Im surprised no one has brought up Tennessee yet. They are in a bad spot
Tennessee? I don't think so. They're in the same place Alabama was in the early 2000s. Rough stretch of bad coaching, but a sleeping giant that just needs the right coach. They had better be careful, though, as if they keep doing this for much longer, they may get to a point where they've got an entire generation of fans that have no idea what a good program they have historically.
 
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Tre4ISU

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Which team would be toughest to rebuild? I think id go with rutgers. No history, brutal schedule every. Kansas and oregon st a close second with indiana and vandy right there.

Thoughts?

Oregon St is up there. Iowa State is up there. Kansas is there. Rutgers isn't because they have a really good recruiting base. You can get a lot of talent from a pretty small area there.
 

jbindm

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Tennessee? I don't think so. They're in the same place Alabama was in the early 2000s. Rough stretch of bad coaching, but a sleeping giant that just needs the right coach. They had better be careful, though, as if they keep doing this for much longer, they may get to a point where they've got an entire generation of fans that have no idea what a good program they have historically.

It's a shame Peyton Manning hasn't indicated any interest in coaching. That'd be a perfect match.
 

jcyclonee

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Somebody mentioned Kansas State had done it. I'd say Northwestern would have been similarly, if not more, difficult.

Of the choices, I'd say Vanderbilt. The current ceiling is very low.

I'd say Oregon State would be the easiest. They've had decent success fairly recently.

Also, if Baylor ever goes into a prolonged slide it could be pretty tough for them to slip out of it.
 

kcbob79clone

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Hear me out on this, Nebraska

If we go with expectations, it has to be them. They will be unhappy unless they are in a title game. 10-3 will not cut it with them. They lost their advantages of the past and now even playing in one of the softest divisions in CFB, they can’t get any traction.

Nebraska expectations are amazing. They fired Solich who averaged 10 wins a year.
 
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Cyclone.TV

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Rutgers was my initial thought, but doing some further research Im voting Illinois. Rutgers has gone to 10 bowl games in the last 15 years, has multiple 9 win seasons, and even an 11 win year. Their recruiting base is also solid, and their facilities and stadium are alot nice than Kansas or Illinois.

Their main problem the last 5 years is with the divisions splitting into the East and West. They already have 4 automatic losses on their schedule every year unless they pull off a huge upset. Put them in the West and they would be closer to 5-7 and 6-6 every year going to bowl games.
They lost to Indiana by 35 and Maryland by 31 or something.
 

Knownothing

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I don't get how people dont' remember Oregon State having good teams. There were a bowl team nearly every season during the Dennis Erickson years, even Mike Riley had some good teams during the 2000's. They went to 11 bowl games from '99 to '13, winning 7 of them. They have been bad the last 5 years but are nothing like the other teams you listed with them.


Probably because they are sooo overshadowed by the instate Oregon Ducks. I forget they had some good teams. Also, the basketball team is so bad also.