On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman considered how many elite players college football teams need these days in order to win a national championship. The answer might concern the sport’s powers.
How Are College Football Rosters Changing and What Does It Mean for Teams’ National Title Hopes?
Fielding a roster with an abundance of talent last season, Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes marched to a College Football Playoff national title. Staples doesn’t believe we’ll see another squad of that ilk, with stars at almost every single spot on the field.
“Ohio State last year was the last of that particular brand of dinosaur,” Staples said Tuesday on “Andy & Ari On3.” “I think that species is extinct now.”
Wasserman pointed to days such as Tuesday for the reason for that, referring to five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell committing to Miami over Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon.
Staples further explained why the cream-of-the-crop programs aren’t always those that get the most-prized recruits, due in large part to the sport’s current nature and landscape.
“I saw in the chat, (someone said,) ‘I guess Oregon didn’t want him because they never get out-bid,'” Staples said. “No, Oregon wanted him badly. Oregon doesn’t always bid the most money. Like, it’s not an unlimited-fund pool at Oregon.”
Earlier on, Wasserman had asked Staples how many “elite-level players do you think you need to have on your team right now to win a national title?”
Staples couldn’t immediately answer, but did say that the number has changed even since 2020. Wasserman said a dozen players were needed then for a program to have a shot at a national crown.
“I don’t think you can have that many now,” Staples said.
Wasserman admitted that a team’s overall talent is a huge factor in how he rates it at this point in the year. He also gave his verdict on what teams need in order to even think about being the last team standing in the postseason.
“Why is Penn State No. 1 (in my post-spring top-25 rankings)?” Wasserman said. “Because they have eight legitimately elite players on their team. Right? They’ve got the two best running backs (Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen), Drew Allar, Trebor Pena, Dani Dennis-Sutton. I mean, like, you can get to that eight pretty quickly if you go down their roster. … It’s all theory, but, like, I think you need 7-8, maybe even six — six wouldn’t have been enough last year, but I mean moving forward.”
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
