Among the many casualties of college football’s commercial explosion this century: patience.
Virginia Tech hired coach Frank Beamer before the 1987 season, weathered six years of .379 (24-40-2) football, and enjoyed almost two decades of uninterrupted success. Kansas State, one of the worst teams in major-conference history up until the 1990s, swallowed an 18–26 start from coach Bill Snyder before graduating to consistent contention.
