Wednesday, Nov 6, 2013 12:03 pm
Auburn Flags
Everyone is talking about five teams in college football right now, or at least giving them an outside chance to win it all: Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State, and Baylor. But while those teams are the clear elite, don’t let them completely distract you from some other great football being played around the country.
So who is worth bringing up in conversation? Obviously, we have two other undefeated teams, so let’s put them in here by default. But there are a few other teams that are slipping under the radar that could surprise and make things really fun down the stretch. Here are five teams that can make things interesting, and deserve a lot more attention than they are currently getting:
1. Fresno State
Not exciting enough for you? The Bulldogs are 8-0, and you’re right, they haven’t played anyone. They’ve had a few close calls, pulling off a one-point victory over the crestfallen Boise State Broncos and sneaking out overtime wins against Rutgers and San Diego State. But nevertheless the Bulldogs are winning, and they’re averaging over 40 points per game while doing so. Their last three games are against Wyoming, New Mexico, and San Jose State, so there’s a pretty good possibility that they could bust the BCS in January.
Quarterback Derek Carr is putting up insane numbers on the year: he has 3,061 yards, 28 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, with a 69% completion percentage, per ESPN stats. It’s hard to say how Carr will translate to the pros considering the offense the Bulldogs run, but it’s pretty much guaranteed a team will take a chance on Carr at some point. Having Carr at the helm is a major reason for the undefeated start, and a reason to believe that Fresno State could upset a more well-known power in bowl season.
Twitter/@kcru11
2. Northern Illinois
They’re baaaaaack! Honestly, all you know to know about the Huskies is that their quarterback, Jordan Lynch, is 99.9999% (approximately) of their offense, and their most famous alumni was the guy who did Bart Simpson’s voice. But Northern Illinois is making noise again, now standing at 9-0 and ranked No. 18 in the country. NIU averages over 40 points per game and 300+ rushing yards each contest, mostly due to Lynch. He has 19 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns, along with over 1,100 rushing yards. However, I don’t know if the Huskies can sniff their way back to the BCS, and after last year’s performance, that may not be a terrible thing.
3. Auburn
Maybe the Tigers weren’t that awful last season… actually, I think they were. With a final record of 3-9 and an SEC record of 0-8, including huge losses to Texas A&M, Georgia, and Alabama, 2012 was a dreadful season for the Tigers, to say the least. Now, all of a sudden, Auburn is a contender. It’s running the ball, playing solid defense, and the attitude is completely different from a year ago. I guess a new coach can do that. Many expected Gus Malzahn to right the ship, but maybe not as quickly as he has. The true test is yet to come, however, when his team takes on Alabama in its last game of the regular season.
Matt Ortega/Flickr
4. Arizona
The only reason Arizona makes it on this list is because I expect everything Rich Rodriguez touches to explode. I know he had success at West Virginia, and if he gets the guys he wants, his offenses can be dangerous.
After the debacle at Michigan, I didn’t trust Rich Rod. I thought he was going to have trouble solidifying another above-average job. But he took a team that was below .500 the year prior to his arrival and made it an 8-win team. The Wildcats have once again improved, already at 6-2. Arizona’s ceiling is limited, especially this season, but it’s worth noting that Rich Rod has seemingly found a home and is putting together a respectable program.
5. Duke
Yeah, I know, we get it. Duke is just winning football games. And it’s not close to being able to compete with the big boys. But isn’t this fun somehow? I still have to remind myself that Duke even has a football program. The Blue Devils just beat Virginia Tech, getting their first win against a ranked team in about 20 years. Impressive.
You can certainly make the case that it was just poor Hokie football, but who wants to make that case? Duke! Duke! Duke! If the Blue Devils can keep things rolling and beat Miami in a couple weeks, they could find themselves in the ACC Championship game. Hey, it could happen.
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5 College Football Teams That Deserve A Lot More Attention Right Now
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