Temperature and Championships

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I see two signifigant jumps, from the 40's to the 50's, and then from the 90's to the 00's. It between it's fairly flat with only a slight increase. I'd be more interested in seeing the top ten and top 25 related to temperature.

In any case, the temperature link seems incidental, it looks more geographical than meteorological. If higher temperature was the key to winning, shouldn't the champions come form the desert states?
 

This is just a random theory I though up, but perhaps because there were more schools independent years ago, they had to play cold weather games now and again, and the elements could have helped derail their championship hopes. Most SEC schools don't have to play anything close to a cold weather game anymore.

Could be completely wrong though.

I do hope that if the NCAA goes to a playoff system, it is modeled after the NFL in that the higher seeds would all have home games, until the actual championship.
 

I wonder what this would look like if the National Championship was played at Soldier of Lambeau Field.
 


The Big L said:
I do hope that if the NCAA goes to a playoff system, it is modeled after the NFL in that the higher seeds would all have home games, until the actual championship.
Click to expand...

I agree with you right up until the last part. In the NFL the idea of a warm weather locale for the Super Bowl can be forgiven since the players for the most part come from all over the nation and the teams pretty much all play at least some cold weather games. In a college playoff, I don't think there is any reason to play anywhere other than the highest seeds home field. Say tOSU goes 12-0 and is seeded #1, and Auburn goes 10-2 and is seeded #7 in an 8 team field and they win into the NC game by winning at say USC and Florida. If the NC game is in Miami, Atlanta or New Orleans, Auburn and its players from down south get a big advantage in both fans and surface. If fairness is the goal of playing for a title, make sure that the system is set up fairly as well. The only way I would advocate a playoff system is if it either A) was played at the higher seeds home field throughout the tournament or B) there was a guarantee that the games would be played in a northern climate every other year. I think the bowl system has benefited teams from down south disporportionately in terms of fan support and weather conditions. I'd love to have seen 'Bama play at Soldier Field against Penn State or Ohio State on January 5th. If you build a team for speed and never have to play on anything but a fast track, you do have an advantage when the NC/bowl games are played on that same field EVERY year.
 


But what's not being talked about, unless I missed it, is which group of people was finally allowed to enroll in state schools in the south (and participate in collegiate athletics) and how that has affected the makeup of college football's elite programs. Of course college football was colder in the 40's than it is today. Now, couple that with weather-related issues, like available quality practice and game time during high school and youth seasons, etc. and the climate becomes a distinct advantage.

I think the point made about always playing title games in warm weather locations makes some sense as well, but it seems to me the talent pool, length of season and reliable weather for implementing wide open offenses has a huge impact on where elite programs are most likely to flourish.
 

It has nothing to do with Temp and everything to do with demographics.
As the rust belt rusts, the population gets older. As industry develops in the south and the west, the population gets younger.
In the 40's-60's the rust belt was flourishing and young black kids couldn't play (especially in the south).
Younger population = Greater athletes = Better opportunity for schools in the area to be successful
This is why it was easier for colder climate schools to be successful in the middle of the century and why it is easier for southern and western teams now.

It isn't rocket science. It is more economics and demographics than it is temperature and weather.
 



And of course, one team being dominant in a decade can throw off this graph. It's interesting, but not really useful information.
 

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