💛 A quick favor, if you've got a second.
We're really happy that you chose to read one of our stories and sincerely hope you'll stick around to read more. We took our paywall down — for now — but that won't last forever, and when the gate goes back up, we'd love for you to already be on the inside.
It's free. So please enter your email here and don't forget to like and follow us on all of your favorite Social Media platforms!
The college football season arrives in seven days with week zero programming, bringing an end to months of offseason debate that has dominated social media discussions. Among the recurring arguments that surfaces both during and between seasons is the question of whether specific coaches will ever capture a national championship, a topic that has again ignited conversation across fan communities nationwide.
Coaches Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian have become targets of claims from fans asserting they “will never” or “cannot” win a national title. The debate, often stripped of necessary nuance and context, reduces a complex question to a simplistic conclusion that overlooks fundamental mathematical realities of college football competition.
The odds of securing a national championship become clearer when examining the structural realities of the sport. With 138 FBS teams competing in 2025 and only one national champion crowned annually, the probability of any single program achieving this feat remains extraordinarily low. Currently, just four active FBS coaches have won national titles: Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, and Curt Cignetti.
Lanning and Sarkisian, both relatively young in their coaching careers, possess the talent and resources necessary to eventually win championships. The distinction lies not in their inability to do so, but rather in their lack of having accomplished it yet. Continued playoff appearances and competitive rosters position both coaches favorably for future championship opportunities.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart exemplifies how trajectories can shift. Once criticized as unable to win the pivotal game, Smart faced relentless criticism before ultimately capturing two national championships. When Smart succeeded, detractors simply redirected their skepticism toward Ohio State’s Ryan Day, who won a title two seasons ago, before moving their focus to Lanning and Sarkisian.
The pattern demonstrates how fan sentiment shifts targets rather than acknowledging changing circumstances. Until Lanning or Sarkisian capture their first national championship, they will remain subjects of doubt, a predictable byproduct of the sport’s competitive nature and low odds of individual success.
More Stories
Austin Aries Pursues Third Title Defense, Confident in Willingness to Win at Any Cost
Seahawks’ Jake Bobo Suffers Serious Knee Injury During Practice With Titans
Paramount Condemns Ruffalo’s Rhetoric in Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Dispute as Antisemitic