A quick look at college football over the last 50-60 years shows that a handful of schools have more or less remained at the top, year in and year out. There was a time before scholarship limits when schools like Alabama, Ohio State, ND, USC, etc. could and would "bank" players in their respective programs, keeping them from going off to competitor schools. That doesn't exist today, but these schools have found other ways in terms of commitment, financial and other means, to remain at the top. It is a part of their identity, which they have funded handsomely.
Btw, you rarely see Sisyphus enter into conversations about college football, or politics for that matter. Two thumbs up.