Some bluebloods of sports world have underachieved, so which one returns to top fastest?
The Dallas Cowboys stink right now.
How bad are things in Dallas? A Titans player celebrated by dancing on the star as the Cowboys dropped to 3-5 with a 28-14 loss on Monday night.
Owner Jerry Jones said the team has “to recognize reality," and the reality is, something needs to change. The Cowboys haven’t won the Super Bowl — or the NFC, for that matter — since 1995. In the last 10 years, they won but three NFC East titles and just two playoff games.
The Cowboys' struggles got us thinking: Who are some other blueblood teams having troubles, and who will be the first to achieve that elusive title?
Notre Dame football
When a program that claims 11 national titles is known most for a movie from 1993 about a walk-on player, something’s wrong. The Fighting Irish haven’t won a football title in 30 years and are 5-8 in bowl games since 2000.
Yes, the Fighting Irish are 9-0 and ranked No. 3 in the Amway Coaches Poll. But what happened last time we lauded Notre Dame? Alabama rolled 42-14 in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. The Irish have won three bowl games in five years since, though we can't forget one of those wins was against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
► Title handicap: This Notre Dame team is different, but the road to a title is a bumpy one. This week's game vs. Florida State should be a win, but the final two games — against No. 13 Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and at USC — might be difficult. Notre Dame can make the playoff, where Clemson and Alabama will almost assuredly be waiting. With a little help from Touchdown Jesus, Notre Dame has more than a prayer's chance to earn a long-awaited title.
Los Angeles Lakers
Coach Luke Walton didn't have high expectations in 2017-18 when he was guiding one of the youngest teams in the NBA to a playoff-less season. But since LeBron James has arrived — even if the preseason chatter was about how shaping a contending team would take time — patience already is waning and pressure on Walton and this franchise to reach the playoffs is rising. That's because James likely came to Hollywood wanting Year 2 in Los Angeles to be a banner season.
The Lakers are 4-6 in a loaded Western Conference, and the sense of urgency has much to do with mediocrity for the past five losing seasons, which included the franchise's worst record (17-65 in 2015-16).
► Title handicap: The veteran players that arrived in the offseason are more about helping the young cast of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma mature. The reasons the Lakers are one of the most likely to have the quickest turnaround are LeBron James and the 2019 offseason, when this team figures to land a top-tier free agent. James chose L.A. for many reasons, but it was really a chess move about the future that he bought into with president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka.
Manchester United
If you’re a sports fan that doesn’t follow soccer, chances are you’re familiar with the name Manchester United. The Red Devils, one of the most successful clubs in soccer history, have won more trophies than any other English team, including a record 20 Premier League titles and three UEFA Champions League titles. In 2018, Forbes valued United at $4.8 billion, the most valuable soccer club in the world.
Though it has been only six years since United’s last Premier League title, that might as well be an eternity. The last time United went five-plus years without a Premier League title was its 26-year drought from 1966-1992.
► Title handicap: United has world-class talent at every position, including the bench, so that isn’t the reason for the lack of success. Jose Mourinho, one of the most successful managers in soccer history, was hired in 2016 and led the club to a second-place finish last season. Under Mourinho, United has consistently played down to opponents and currently sits seventh on the Premier League at 6-2-3. With three clubs atop the league without a loss, United’s return to glory may have to wait another year or two.
Montreal Canadiens
The franchise with a record 24 Stanley Cups last reached a conference final in 2014 and has not hoisted a championship trophy since 1993. The Canadiens failed to make the playoffs and finished with the fourth-worst record last year (29-40-13), seeming poised for a rebuild.
► Title handicap: This year's team (8-4-2) still has franchise goalie Carey Price and a solid coach in Claude Julien, as well as some young players — including newly acquired center Max Domi and rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi — who have started to show signs of promise. So the future might not be that bleak.
Tennessee women's basketball
It’s impossible to replace a legendary coach such as the late Pat Summitt, who took control of the Lady Volunteer’s program at age 22 in 1974. The Hall of Fame coach guided Tennessee into the NCAA and helped make it one of the most dominant and respected programs in college athletics.
Summitt officially turned the program over to assistant Holly Warlick after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease during the 2011–2012 season (she died in 2016). Since Summitt’s departure, the Lady Vols have made the NCAA tournament each year under Warlick but have failed to advance further than the Elite 8. The last two seasons, Tennessee finished fifth and tied for fourth in the conference, respectively, and were bounced in the Round of 32 both years.
► Title handicap: It's been 10 years since the Lady Vols won back-to-back titles, and though they're still competitive, the landscape has changed greatly. UConn hasn’t won the in last two years but is still the team to beat. As for their competition, the Lady Vols have been surpassed by Notre Dame, South Carolina, Baylor and Mississippi State. Though a title might not be too far off, it's definitely not too close, either.
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Coach Steve Alford finds himself on the coaching hot seat even though he has missed only one NCAA tournament and has three Sweet 16s in his five-year tenure in Westwood. Last year the Bruins (21-12) barely squeezed into the NCAA field as a bubble team, and that is the type of result that frustrates an impatient fan base. Alford thasn’t exactly failed at UCLA, but he also hasn’t flourished — which is part of the job security equation at a blueblood program that has 11 national championships, 10 of which came in the John Wooden era.
► Title handicap: Alford brings in another strong class, but his coaching chops will have to measure up to his recruiting. Another Sweet 16 would help silence doubters, and the Pac-12 is wide open. But he doesn't feature a roster that can make it to April. A Final Four has eluded this program since 2008. Its last title was '95.