Determining which college football teams have "done less with more" involves identifying programs that consistently recruit highly-ranked classes but fail to meet expectations in terms of wins, championships, or postseason success. Here are some examples:

1. Texas
Recruiting: Regularly ranks in the top 510 in recruiting.
Performance: Despite high-profile recruits, Texas has struggled with consistency since its 2009 national championship appearance, often failing to win the Big 12 or compete for the College Football Playoff.
Conclusion: "Texas is back" has become a meme for unmet expectations.

2. Texas A&M
Recruiting: Consistently in the top 510, including the No. 1 class in 2022.
Performance: Despite stellar recruiting, A&M has rarely competed for SEC titles or made it to the College Football Playoff.
Conclusion: Strong recruiting hasn't translated into consistent on-field success.

3. Miami
Recruiting: Historically a top-15 recruiting power.
Performance: Since the early 2000s, Miami has largely been irrelevant in the national championship conversation, struggling to win the ACC or maintain consistent rankings.
Conclusion: Far from its glory days, Miami consistently underperforms relative to its talent.

4. USC (Pre-Lincoln Riley)
Recruiting: Top-10 recruiting rankings almost every year.
Performance: The Trojans endured mediocrity for much of the 2010s, with only sporadic Pac-12 titles and no College Football Playoff appearances.
Conclusion: Poor coaching and instability wasted a wealth of talent.

5. Florida State (Post-2014)
Recruiting: Top-10 recruiting classes consistently.
Performance: After the 2014 College Football Playoff appearance, FSU had several sub-.500 seasons despite strong talent.
Conclusion: Poor coaching hires and program instability have squandered elite recruiting.

6. Tennessee (Pre-Josh Heupel)
Recruiting: Historically a top-15 recruiter.
Performance: Before Josh Heupel's success in 2022, Tennessee had over a decade of mediocrity, including multiple losing seasons.
Conclusion: Elite recruiting often failed to translate to on-field success.

Key Factors

Programs that underachieve with top-tier recruiting often share these traits:
Coaching Instability: Frequent coaching changes hinder program cohesion.
Poor Development: Teams may recruit well but fail to develop players effectively.
Cultural/Administrative Issues: Internal discord or poor leadership can derail success.

Would you like a more detailed analysis of one of these teams?

From Grok (on X):

"Based on discussions on social media and various analyses found online, Texas A&M University is frequently cited as a college football program that does less with more. Despite having significant resources in terms of recruiting, facilities, and financial support, the program has often been criticized for not achieving commensurate success on the field. Posts on X have highlighted Texas A&M as doing "less with more" than any other athletic department, and they've been referred to as the "Saudi Arabia of colleges" in terms of resources but with outcomes that don't match the investment. Similarly, web sources have discussed the financial aspects of college football, suggesting that even with substantial budgets, some programs, like Texas A&M, struggle to convert those resources into wins."

Another top 5 finish for the trophy case