Everything that held the North back on a national level – coaches, the geography of talent, and attitudes about how college football should be treated – seems to have leveled out. When Ohio State faced Notre Dame in Atlanta at the end of the 2024 season, it was a coronation for the North, one paved by the destruction of several of the South's biggest brands. In Episode 5 of The 25 Year Winter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss what the future holds for the sport, what trends have helped push the North back to the top, and whether balance has, at long last, returned to college football for good.

Thanks for joining us.

Producer: Michael Henahan.