Who are the Cubs of college football?

Who are the Chicago Cubs of college football?

The thought occurred in the moments after the Cubs ended their 108-year championship drought and shed the loveable loser/longest suffering fans tags in the process.

College football invites a good comparison with the other American major sports leagues and associations because a national championship has been recognized since 1936.

The NFL lists standings since 1920, and the first championship game was played in 1933 (won by the Chicago Bears). But all teams that won titles before World War II won championships after.

Same with the NHL, which recognizes 1917 as a starting point, although under another name. By 1943 all Original Six teams had won a Stanley Cup, and all have been champions since.

The NBA started in 1946. College basketball’s first NCAA championship was held in 1939.

That doesn’t mean these leagues and organizations don’t have victory-starved franchises. With the Cubs’ triumph, the top three longest droughts in pro sports belong to the Arizona Cardinals, who won the 1947 NFL championship as the Chicago Cardinals, the Indians (1948) and the Sacramento Kings. The Kings won the 1951 NBA title as the Rochester Royals and have since played in Cincinnati, Kansas City (and Omaha) before moving to California.

College football has experienced realignment but not relocation. Loyalty and fandom are passed from generations perhaps more than in any major sport.

For decades, the weekly Associated Press and the coaches poll, currently sponsored by Amway, are cited as the major arbiters of college football champions with the AP list dating to 1936 and the coaches poll since 1950.

With the BCS starting in 1998, replaced by the College Football Playoff in 2014, championships are settled on the field after the finalists are selected.

But until this process, the college football championship was judged to be the best, leaving the claim of superiority to sportswriters and coaches.

Some schools recognize final No. 1 finishes from computers, polls constructed in retrospect and even after seasons have been disqualified by the NCAA for violations. It hasn’t been difficult for a school to claim a national championship.

Look at a complete list of national championships and in some years as many as five schools are listed.

Last month, the American Football Coaches Association announced it has retroactively awarded Oklahoma State its national championship for 1945. Did the Cowboys claim it? You bet they did.

So, back to the original question. There is nothing quite equivalent to the Cubs, but plenty of college football programs, some with many bowl trophies, don’t have a major poll or BCS/CFP national championship on the resume.

None for Kansas State, Kansas or Missouri, although the Tigers show up on the national title lists for 1960 and 2007 on rankings not widely recognized. Oregon doesn’t claim a national championship, neither does Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, West Virginia, Arizona or Arizona State.

But the most Cubs-like? Let’s look at a program not far from Wrigley Field in Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin started playing football in 1889, has won 14 Big Ten championships, participates in Division I’s most-played series with Minnesota, plays in historical Camp Randall, produced two Heisman Trophy winners, and “Jump Around” after the third quarter of home games have become one of the sport’s great modern rituals.

The Badgers have won 58 percent of their more than 1,200 games but not a national championship, a Cubs-like stretch that started after 1908 and ended Wednesday. Perhaps this means the next college football crystal ball will be raised in Madison.

Game of the week

Nebraska at Ohio State

The Cornhuskers could go one of two ways, motivated from a narrow loss at Wisconsin or emotionally spent. Coach Mike Riley said he wanted Nebraska to be angry for missing last week’s opportunity. A victory would allow the Huskers to remain in the division league. Ohio State looks to regain the form that made it look like Alabama’s top challenger for the season’s first month.

Upset alert

LSU over Alabama

Is Ed Orgeron coaching to remove the interim tag? A victory over the Crimson Tide would make his case stronger. The Tigers have won all three games since Orgeron took over for Les Miles, and they’re looking to end a five-game losing streak in the series after winning seven of the previous nine. LSU running back Leonard Fournette was held to 31 yards and essentially lost the Heisman Trophy in this game last season.

Others to watch

Arizona at Washington State

Washington’s unbeaten season and Colorado’s rise have been the biggest stories in the Pac-12, but the only other team undefeated in the conference is Washington State. The Cougars look to make it six straight and keep up with the Huskies in the division to set up an epic Apple Cup.

Florida at Arkansas

The Gators could have the East all but wrapped up with a victory. The defense is solid, holding Georgia’s Nick Chubb to 20 yards last week. The Razorbacks are coming off a 56-3 loss to Auburn weeks ago. Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen should be ready to go despite injuring his right knee against the Tigers.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Who are the Cubs of college football?."