Decade rankings 31-50: Little Wake enjoys big success

Decade rankings: 51-70 | 71-90 | 91-110 | 111-120

As a lead-in to our preseason coverage, CBSSports.com continues to rank each Division I-A program over the next few weeks based on its performance this decade. We're calling it The Golden Decade.

The list continues with Nos. 31-50:

31. Maryland: Two January bowls and an ACC title in the first half of the decade. Only five games above .500 since 2004. The Terps have been sneaky good. The Ralph Friedgen era is about to end with the likely ascension of offensive coordinator James Franklin in a couple of years.

32. Iowa: Kirk Ferentz has brought stability and excellence. There also have been off-the-field problems that have been too numerous to ignore. From 2002-04 Iowa won 31 games and shares of two Big Ten titles. The 2003 Orange Bowl loss to USC served as the kickoff to the Trojans' dynasty this decade.

33. Texas Tech: Mike Leach has put Tech on the map. Well, if your map includes the West Texas outback. You are witnessing the high point of Red Raiders football. The 11-2 season in '08 produced the nation's best receiver (Michael Crabtree) and a win for the ages against Texas. Leach's offense has influenced almost every program in the country, and some in the NFL.

Despite injuries, Riley Skinner and Wake Forest found a way to reach the Orange Bowl three seasons ago. (Getty Images)

The Leach Decade has included a bowl each season (5-4 in the postseason) but no Big 12 South titles. Whether the program continues on a top 10 track is the question. Take away last season and Leach's average season has been 8-4.

34. Georgia Tech: Consider the broad body of work: nine consecutive bowls (three wins), an ACC division title (2006), two wins over Georgia. Not bad.

35. South Florida: One of the success stories of the reconstituted Big East. Jim Leavitt has had the Bulls in the top five while winning nine in both 2006 and 2007.

36. Southern Miss: The Jeff Bower era ended in 2007 with two division titles and one conference title this decade. Larry Fedora went to a bowl in his first season, making it eight of nine postseason trips for the Eagles.

37. Fresno State: The one-time BCS darling faces a stark reality. Fresno hasn't so much as shared a conference title since 1999 and hasn't won an outright title since 1989. Pat Hill has won 73 games this decade, though.

38. Arkansas: Say this fast three times, Hogs fans: Houston Nutt can coach, Houston Nutt can coach, Houston Nutt can coach. Everything else is background noise. We'll see if Bobby Petrino can match, or stay around for, 75 victories. That's how many Nutt won in his 10 years in Fayetteville.

39. Purdue: Drew Brees and ... what? Since the 2001 Rose Bowl, the Boilers have averaged 6.7 wins per season. The first coach-in-waiting to take over, Danny Hope, replaces Joe Tiller.

40. Pittsburgh: Is this the year for Wanny? It's been five years since the Panthers won the Big East with a modest 8-4 record.

41. Wake Forest: Let's get it over with and play the game everyone wants to see -- Rice vs. Wake Forest.

After analyzing these two programs, no one else has an excuse. Two of the three smallest schools in Division I-A have prospered in the second half of the decade. Rice went to a bowl for the first time in 45 years in 2006. In the last three years, Wake has won 28 games and an ACC title.

How? Well, Rice has done it with two different coaches. David Bailiff is taking up where Todd Graham left off. But Wake is lucky, damn lucky, to have Jim Grobe locked up to a 10-year contract, a contract that Grobe has no intention of breaking anytime soon.

Grobe's 2004 recruiting class was one for the ages. Of the 18 players signed, 13 became starters, five were drafted. Another, kicker Sam Swank, signed a free-agent deal in April. That's one-third of a recruiting class in NFL camps. That from a group that was rated 95th nationally five years ago, the worst among BCS conference schools.

Linebacker Aaron Curry ended up being the fourth player taken in the latest draft, the highest-drafted Demon Deacon in history. Wake had three more players drafted than Miami, one more than Nebraska.

Once again, how does this happen? Grobe happens to be the best molder of talent in the country. When injuries hit his program in 2006, he adjusted. The quarterback, left tackle and tailback were lost by the third game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Skinner was inserted and competently managed games. Steve Vallos alternated series between right tackle and left tackle to compensate for the injuries.

In other words, Grobe does what few do. He doesn't hang his head when injuries hit, he outthinks his opponents. In 2006, Grobe's famed "orbit" and "jet" sweeps replaced straight-ahead because the Deacons couldn't.

Sure, Wake took advantage of a down ACC to win it three years ago, but that's part of the success story. It took advantage. The program hasn't fallen off lately, winning nine and eight since '06. That doesn't usually happen at the smallest BCS program in the country.

"When I first got here," Grobe said, "that's all anybody talked about, 'If you're competitive we'll be happy.'"

Now Deacons fans are more than happy. There are expectations.

42. Cal: Quarterback guru Jeff Tedford has turned into the raja of running backs. Still no Rose Bowl since 1959.

43. Cincinnati: The new Miami (of Florida, not Ohio). Brian Kelly is turning around an urban program with plenty of untapped talent.

44. Virginia: Al Groh is no George Welsh -- or is he?

45. North Carolina State: This was the Philip Rivers Decade. The game's No. 4 all-time passer started a record 51 games, leading the Wolfpack to four consecutive bowls.

46. Missouri: Gary Pinkel began the decade at Toledo. He ended it having Missouri in national championship contention and getting to consecutive Big 12 championship games.

47. Arizona State: High point was sharing the Pac-10 title in 2007. Still, 0-9 against USC.

48. Air Force: Troy Calhoun has carried on for Fisher DeBerry, leading the Falcons to consecutive Armed Forces Bowls.

49. New Mexico: Rocky Long was the picture of consistency, winning at least six games from 2001 through 2007.

50. Washington State: Since Mike Price left there has been a steady decline. But don't forget the Cougars won 10 games from 2001-03, going to the Rose Bowl in the 2002 season.