FAVORITE TEAMS

I understand that we’re in a weird time since the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope everyone’s staying safe and healthy. It has cause some uncertainty for college football’s 2020 season. Despite the talks, announcements and debates about college football’s future, let’s be realistic here: there’s no guarantee for at least a full season. There’s already been a few schools across the country that have postponed their 2020 season and may have cancelled too. Schools will also be hit financially. Think about the players that have tested positive for COVID and others will likely be hit with it too. The Traveling should also be considered knowing that germs travel well through public transportation. There’s so much that has to be resolved by the NCAA before August 29th. But as of now, the season’s still on to start.

But let’s pretend there’s no COVID-19 and we have over a month before the season starts. I’m looking forward to it and already feeling two teams meeting in the championship that already played each other in the semis last season: Clemson and Ohio State. I won’t get into that conversation yet because this post is all about The Underrated. Outside of the obvious teams likely to go to the playoffs, I’m looking at teams that should exceed expectations through unexpected situations. I’ve had some success with these predictions in the past, including having one team in my 2016 underrated team make the playoffs (Washington Huskies), Buffalo winning 10 games along with Northwestern going to the Big Ten championship in 2018, and Minnesota having a stellar year last season. This season looks a tad promising with the current front runners below, but there’s still over a month to go.

I’ll briefly explain each team from each conference. I’ve also added an FCS for the first time in the six years of The Underrated. They’re considered an at-large with an Independent school to hopefully even things out.

AAC

• Cincinnati are serious contenders for the New Year’s Six Bowl. They return quarterback Desmond Ridder and running back Gerrid Doaks to take their offense a bit further alongside one of the best defenses in the AAC.
• Tulane is one of the underrated teams that could compete for the West once again. They return their entire defensive line and two experience linebackers. If So Miss transfer quarterback Keon Howard can produce better for Tulane, this offense could have a better passing team to compliment backs Amare Jones and Corey Dauphine.

ACC

• In the ACC Atlantic, it’s Clemson, then the rest. The potential second best could be Louisville. They return eight players on offense, including quarterback Micale Cunningham. If this defense makes improvements, they could compete with Clemson for the first time since Lamar Jackson was their quarterback.
• Two seasons ago, I said UNC was a better team than their record showed, which was 2-10. Once Mack Brown returned to coaching in UNC, they showed immediate promise with Sam Howell’s freshmen record performance being a bonus. This offense is the strength until the rest of the defense centered around Tomon Fox, Chazz Surratt, and Storm Duck gets acclimated.

BIG TEN

• Ohio State is the national champ contenders, but Penn State could play spoiler. Quarterback Sean Clifford will be better and this defense will compete. The only bugaboo on that side is the passing D, which the Buckeyes could easily exploit.
• Northwestern served me well twice when they finished 10-3 in 2017 and snuck to a West title and conference championship appearance. With a good amount of players returning, along with Indiana transfer quarterback Peyton Ramsey being the potential starter, I’m expecting the Wildcats to exceed all expectations for the third time in my underrated history.

BIG 12

• Texas are serious contenders for a conference championship appearance because of quarterback Sam Ehlinger. But Oklahoma hasn’t missed a conference championship or lost one since its return to the Big 12, and Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and potentially Baylor and TCU are all after the second spot.
• TCU’s defense stays consistent in an offensive-heavy conference and special teams should be even more of a key to their success. But look out for their offense this season because Quarterback Max Duggan could be special.

C-USA

• Marshall, Western Kentucky, and FAU are THE top three in the East. However, there’s something about Charlotte that could set themselves apart from the rest of the division.
• This conference will be the risk of 2020, but there’s no pick riskier than Rice. Last season, I said this team will be better in 2020. Well, it’s 2020 and they return 16 starters, 10 on defense (which made significant improvement last season), won the last three games, and adds TCU transfer quarterback Mike Collins in hopes of improving this offense.

INDEPENDENT/AT-LARGE

• BYU will be as interesting this season as they were last season. A balanced return on both sides with players returning from injury should help the roster improve. If they stay healthy and handle the first six games of the season, they could have a special season.
• North Dakota State is underrated for one reason: first game at Oregon. This is their toughest FBS opponent in the Bisons’ program history. Their last upset was against #13 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in 2016. Oregon will also be their first Top 10 FBS opponent all-time.

MAC

• Buffalo has the best duo backs (Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks) in college football this season after producing 1,000 rushing yards each. If the passing game can be a little better, Buffalo could be a dark horse for a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance.
• Ball State showed promise despite finishing 5-7. The two former backups that were starters last year (Drew Plitt and Caleb Huntley) played well and should be better in MAC play. Their defense must improve for the Cardinals to achieve five conference wins for potential bowl-eligibility.

MWC

• Wyoming’s defense can compete with virtually anybody. This offense has potentital to do the same no matter who the quarterback is. The passing game needs to be enough to move forward after losing 4 of 5 games by five points or less.
• San Jose State has slowly made strides in the past couple of seasons. However, the backfield and defense must be addressed.

PAC-12

• California may have the biggest upside of all Pac-12 teams because they return nearly everybody on both sides. But this offense must step up to prove that they can compete in a tough North division.
• UCLA is a wild card. They should be a much better team than their record showed in 2019, but recruiting has lately been a disappointment and their on-field performance hasn’t helped the cause. I saw sparks in UCLA that made me believe that they can bounce back, but it ultimately comes down to coach Chip Kelly in year 3.

SEC

• First off, the SEC once again disappoints with a team being banned from bowl eligibility for the season for the third straight year. This time, my potential underrated team was Texas A&M. With them out, I went with the former bowl banned team from 2017 and 2018, Ole Miss. The Rebels have offensive potential, but is Matt Corral or John Rhys Plumlee the guy? That’s where Lane Kiffin comes in.
• Florida has been on my radar since the end of last season. With quarterback Kyle Trask back and the Gators having a competent schedule, this could be Florida’s time to shine in the East. The roster’s health and performance against LSU and Georgia will play a key part in determining their season.

SUN BELT

• I went away from Coastal Carolina last season for good reason. But this could be their time moment if they can overcome their road woes since joining the FBS (6-12 overall and 3-9 in conference in 3 seasons).
• Another risk is being taken by the likes of coach Jake Spavital’s Texas State program. At times, there were spurts of success on defense, but lack of consistent play on offense made them pay the ultimate price. That side must be addressed.