College Football 2015: Five Programs On The Decline

At some point, they all fall down. Just like any other sport, college football programs cannot stay on top of the mountain forever.

Coaching changes, turnover, graduation, early entry into the NFL draft. The landscape of the sport and business changes yearly and dominant teams at some point must reload and then come back firing on all cylinders.

For the college football fan, it isn’t easy seeing the likes of Michigan, Texas, USC and Florida all go through the growing pains associated with change. Those teams appear to be on the right track of getting back to square one and making a run toward success. For some teams, the 2015 season will be a lesson in patience and growth as they will have a few hiccups of their own.

As Steve Lassan wrote for Athlon Sports …

College football’s 2014 season is officially in the books. The new four-team playoff was a success, and the new postseason format resulted in Ohio State claiming a 42-20 win over Oregon in the national championship. While the title celebration won’t stop in Columbus anytime soon, there are a handful of teams examining what’s next after key personnel departures.

Florida State and Oregon were playoff teams in 2014, but both programs have to overcome a lot of personnel question marks to reach that mark next year. The Seminoles and Ducks are due for a small step back in the win column in 2015. However, don’t expect either to disappear as a national contender in future years. There’s enough young talent and a track record at both programs to suggest any dip in the win total will be short-lived. On the flipside, Iowa is a program that seems stale. Can Kirk Ferentz find the right answers to get the program back on track?

With that in mind, here is a look at five teams that will trip, fall and hopefully get back up toward the top of the NCAA ladder, according to Lassan.