Tennessee football is preparing for another season in which it could be at or near the top of the SEC and national rankings.
Josh Heupel and the Vols have the potential to make the College Football Playoff, but one major statistic eliminates them before the season has even started.
A team can win a national championship without a large amount of blue-chip athletes, although it isn’t as common as it used to be in years past.
CBS Sports looks at the blue-chip ratio to predict which teams have a realistic chance of winning this year’s national championship.
“Since its inception in 2013, the Blue-Chip Ratio has been referenced by all major broadcast networks and closely monitored by head coaches and administrators, CBS Sports’ Bud Elliott writes.
“Although it’s not the most complex calculation, it’s an excellent method for identifying the top 10% of teams that realistically have a shot at winning the title.
“In simple terms: To win the national championship, college football teams need to sign more four- and five-star recruits (AKA “Blue Chips”) than two- and three-star players over the previous four recruiting classes.”
This isn’t a solid list of teams that can or will win the national championship this season, but the percentage of blue-chip athletes (four or five stars) each roster has.
Some teams will overachieve as Tennessee did in 2021, while Florida won’t sniff the CFP or even a winning record in 2024.
Every national champion since 2011 has had a blue chip ratio above 50%, with seven champions’ ratios at 68% or higher.
Tennessee currently has a 46% blue chip ratio, just missing the mark to be a contender by CBS Sports’ standards, but that doesn’t mean the Vols still won’t be in contention when December rolls around.
