Finally

[NJCat]

Off the Top 10 list of "hardest places to win" in Power 5 football. A sign of respect for what old Fitz and Dr. Jim have accomplished.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...Rss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomsports-topstories

 

[T_Levine]

At first I thought it was football stadiums. But the story is about coaches/having a winning program.

We have arrived.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Great to be off this list. That is some pretty ugly company. Not sure why Duke is there.

 

[techtim72]

Many of those schools have been successful, however. Indiana, Kentucky, Duke, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Washington State have all been very competitive recently. Kansas State has been very successful for probably 20 years now. Oregon State struggles and Kansas has been dreadful. I think this article is more about the recruiting challenges for these programs than the on-field results.

 

[OblioCat]

Shouldn’t IllAnnoy be on this list? Moreso than KSU or TTech?

 

[Hungry Jack]

The general trend among high school grads is toward schools in larger, more cosmopolitan areas. Population shifts away from the northeast and Rust Belt is really an existential threat to many small liberal arts colleges in these areas. This is less of a threat for a major research university, but it doesn’t make building programs any easier, especially if local recruiting grounds are drying up.

 

[NJCat]

The general trend among high school grads is toward schools in larger, more cosmopolitan areas. Population shifts away from the northeast and Rust Belt is really an existential threat to many small liberal arts colleges in these areas. This is less of a threat for a major research university, but it doesn’t make building programs any easier, especially if local recruiting grounds are drying up.

Agree with your points. But Duke should be in a real sweet spot in Research Triangle with a natural recruiting base of VA, NC, SC,and GA plus a national reputation and the aura from Coach K and hoops. If anything, Wake Forest should be a much harder place to recruit than Duke, given the smaller school size in a smaller metro area. Wake is a clear #4 among the Power 5 schools in NC.