Staples: Penn State football among nation’s blue bloods, for now

The summer often brings with it discussion and debate reserved exclusively for the college football offseason. Recently, On3 analyst and podcast host Andy Staples helped to reignite a nationwide conversation regarding the blue blood programs of the sport. Led in large part by the accomplishments of Joe Paterno, Penn State football made Staples’ exclusive list of nine college football blue blood programs. However, success can often be fleeting, and the popular analyst also explained why the Nittany Lions may be one of the programs on the cusp of losing this elite status.

Andy Staples: Penn State football is one of the blue bloods of college football

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most popular online voices in college football media, this week Andy Staples offered his take on one of the most popular debates in the sport: who are college football’s blue blood programs?

While “blue blood” isn’t a static term, Staples offered his definition as a program with three generations of elite history, one of which has to be in the last two generations, and at least one national title.

With this definition in mind, Staples broke programs into two categories: blue bloods and contenders. The blue blood category included Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, USC, and Penn State. The contenders category included Florida State, LSU, Clemson, Nebraska, Miami, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and Oregon.

However, because his generational success requirement creates a rolling definition of blue blood, Staples argued that some programs, like the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions, need to experience success in the expanded College Football Playoff era to maintain their elite status.

“Joe Paterno’s best years spanned multiple generations, and Penn State has been good enough in recent years to stay on this list,” Staples wrote of the Nittany Lions. “Like Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions need to make the expanded CFP and win some games to stay on the list.”

What currently makes the Nittany Lions a blue blood program?

Unsurprisingly, Andy Staples’ rankings were met with scrutiny from fans. Penn State’s status as a blue blood was called into question by many. But, there certainly is evidence to support why Penn State should be considered among the blue bloods.

The Nittany Lions have a rich history and tradition in the sport, much of which was sparked by former head coach Joe Paterno. The winningest head coach in the history of college football, Joe Paterno has a total of 409 wins to his name.

The Penn State football program has 930 all-time wins, which is the seventh-best in the nation, and yields a ninth-best .689 winning percentage. The Nittany Lions also have 31 bowl wins, which is good for fourth most all-time.

Penn State is also among the top tier in AP top 10 finishes, and NFL Draft picks. The numbers against the Nittany Lions include National Championships (two claimed in the modern era) and conference titles (five).

While both sides of the discussion have valid points, Penn State football absolutely deserves to be in the conversation for blue blood status right now. However, as Andy Staples noted, that inclusion will only last as long as James Franklin and the Nittany Lions can continue to see success in the modern era of college football.

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