Our discussion of college football continues today with our third roundtable of the week. This spring and summer, the cast of writers here at the Student Section will discuss what’s going to happen on the gridiron this fall. On Wednesday, we discussed who we would pick as the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. On Thursday, we stayed on the topic of the NFL Draft by discussing which player will increase his draft stock the most this season. Today, we talk about sleeping giants…..
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Question: Which college football program is a sleeping giant?
Kevin Causey: On Twitter @CFBZ
When we look possible “sleeping giants”, we have to look at teams that have been very successful in their history. One team that sticks out to me is Nebraska.
Nebraska is fifth in college football history with 880 wins and a winning percentage of 69%. It has won 5 national championships and 46 conference titles.
Recently, the Cornhuskers have been good but not great. Ever since the move to the Big Ten they have lost at least four games per season and have only hit double-digit wins once. Prior to the move, they weren’t exactly lighting up the Big 12.
It begs the question….”Can Nebraska reach the heights it once did”? The landscape is definitely tougher than it has been in the past and with Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh upping the coaching ante in the Big Ten, it’s only going to be more competitive for the foreseeable future.
That being said, if Nebraska can find the right person for the job, it absolutely can get back to where it has been. Is Mike Riley the right guy for the job? I have no idea but if the Huskers can find their old magic they can build another dynasty.
Terry Johnson: On Twitter @SectionTPJ
Without question, it’s the Miami Hurricanes.
Make no mistake about it: UM hasn’t resembled the championship units that the “U” used to produce on an annual basis during the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s. Expected to compete with Florida State for the ACC championship year in and year out when it joined the league in 2004, the ‘Canes have yet to reach the league title game, and have finished third or lower in the Coastal Division seven times. More disappointingly, Miami has lost at least two conference games every season, posting four losing records in that span.
How can we explain these mediocre numbers? It certainly isn’t because of a lack of talent. Heading into the 2015 season, Miami had an amazing 37 players on NFL rosters, which was second to LSU, which had 40.
In other words, the problem wasn’t with the players; it was with the coaches.
That will not be a problem any longer. Former ‘Canes backup QB Mark Richt takes over the program, and will mold Miami back into what it was when it was the “U”. Despite what some Georgia Bulldog fans will tell you, Richt’s tenure in Athens was extremely successful, resulting in 145 wins, eight Top-10 finishes, and two SEC titles. Since he’ll be taking a more “hands on” approach with offense, expect to see the Miami offense resemble the explosive units that Richt had at Florida State, rather than the “boring, old man”-style that we saw during his last few seasons at Georgia.
Look for the Hurricanes to win the Coastal this season with a chance to win that elusive ACC Championship. They might not overtake Clemson/Florida State this season, but they will in the very near future.
Bart Doan: On Twitter @TheCoachBart
A sleeping giant sort of indicates that it’s a giant, sleeping, not a growing giant that no one notices yet and is getting its beauty rest. At any rate, I’ll go ahead and climb the beanstalk and find the Washington Huskies at the top, one of the titans of college football what feels like ages ago but really isn’t.
Washington has never really recovered from the sloppy departure from Rick Neuheisel, from the jilted lover scorn created when he batted eyes with the 49ers, lied about it, and left the red and gold lipstick on his collar to the gambling snafu that got Neuheisel, Washington, and the NCAA all in their own brand of hot water.
While it seems like forever ago that Marques Tuiasosopo was leading them to a Rose Bowl victory in 2001, the program has been on the gradual mend since hitting rock bottom and not going to a bowl game from 2003 through 2009. That string included seasons of 1, 2, and then 0 wins, which truly is rock bottom.
Since then, it’s been maddeningly consistent mediocrity, with four 7-win seasons in their last 6 and not a single season over 9 wins … but all bowl appearances. Chris Petersen seems to be settled into his own groove, and considering his history of success, that could mean big things on the horizon. They boast a talented, young, but experienced offensive backfield and a defense led by the back end.
If there are questions, it’s about the offensive line and the rugged Pac-12, but with the elites that took over the conference dropping back into more normalcy (USC, Oregon), Washington has a real shot to kick into the upper crust, just like old times, pretty darn soon.
Joe Dexter: On Twitter @BuckeyeRadio
Navy, Memphis, Temple, and Houston might have been the little five powers that put the American Athletic Conference on the map last season.
This year, college football fandom will be talking about the breakout season for South Florida and head coach Willie Taggart.
Despite going 6-18 to start his tenure with the Bulls, one of the game’s youngest coaches helped turned things around in 2015. USF went 8-4 during the regular season — winning seven of their final eight games.
Taggart’s offense nearly doubled it’s points per game total in 2015, scoring nearly 34 points per contest. Its running attack increased production by two yards per carry.
The key to winning is production and the end game to producing is execution. The Bulls got into the Red Zone 20 more times last season than in 2014. They also increased their scoring rate in those situations by 17 percent (70.37% to 87.23%).
Those changes were led by the emergence of quarterback Quinton Flowers and tailback Marlon Mack — who both return in 2016. So do the other three top rushers from 2015.
The defense also improved dramatically, cutting opponent yardage by nearly 20 yards a game in 2015. Finishing second in the conference in sacks, the Bulls also put together their first positive turnover margin differential since 2011.
Despite some significant losses on that side of the ball (DC Tom Allen, as well as Eric Lee, James Hamilton, and Zach Bulloch up front, and Jamie Byrd in the secondary), I expect USF to show even more improvement this season. All of the pieces are certainly in place.
The Bulls will face their toughest contest in the Eastern division on the road against Temple. A team they beat 44-23 in 2015. They’ll face Memphis and Navy from the West during the regular season — which could set up another great conference championship game with conference favorite Houston.
