Top Ranked College Football Teams Likely To Disappoint This Season
Posted by Joe Solari on Tuesday,August 23, 2016 6:39, EDT in
With great expectations in the NCAAF lines, you have to be equally prepared for great disappointments. It’s the reality that we forget so many times when betting, and timely reminders are very necessary if we are to keep our focus in check. Now, don’t mistake us for saying that the following teams will most definitely disappoint in 2015, what we mean is that there is great likelihood for these teams to underwhelm in terms of the high expectations pegged on them in the 2016 college football odds, based on the variety of reasons detailed below.
Analyzing The Top Ranked College Football Teams Likely To Disappoint This Season
Ohio State Buckeyes (#6 in AP Poll)
This one really is a no-brainer. The Ohio State Buckeyes are returning just 6 starters, so the team will be loaded with too many inexperienced starters on several key positions in squad. Urban Meyer has been a splendid coach and we expect him to have a competitive squad by the end of the year, but no way on earth will this team be challenging for the playoffs. Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa will make life unbearable for the Bucks and OU’s challenging non-conference schedule will also cut down on Ohio State’s wins, which will definitely keep Meyer’s boys out of best-4 teams in the nation, even if they somehow sneak their way into the Big Ten Championship game.
Michigan Wolverines (#7 in AP Poll)
The Wolverines are placed among the top betting favorites to win the national championship in Jim Harbaugh’s second season after the team impressed in Harbaugh’s first season. And to their credit, the Wolverines certainly have the potential to win the Big Ten, especially with the Spartans breaking into a new quarterback and Ohio State returning with just a handful of starters. Still, Michigan has big questions in the offense where the team will be experimenting with several starters. So while the Wolverines’ defense should rank among best in the country in 2015, the offense might end up not being good enough to contend with teams like Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Florida State or even Houston and Notre Dame on the national stage. With that in mind, Michigan’s chances to do it big in 2016 must be viewed cautiously, especially in regards to becoming a legitimate national title contender.
Stanford Cardinal (#8 in AP Poll)
Stanford lost just two games last season and Christian McCaffrey was the undeniable star of the team, as he broke Barry Sanders’ all-time single-season record with 2,019 rushing yards and eight touchdowns plus 45 catches for 645 receiving yards and five scores. Repeating or topping such numbers will nearly impossible now that every team will McCaffrey on its radar, sending double teams and all to limit him. And last I checked, Stanford’s quarterback situation is not pretty while the defense has its fair share of questions. More worryingly, the Pac-12 schedule that has nine conference games is going to be extremely challenging, with legitimate contenders in teams like USC, Oregon, UCLA and Washington all making a case for the Pac-12 crown. Come the end of the season, the Pac-12 will most likely be banged up with losses all over for Stanford and the remaining title contenders, making it difficult for the Cardinal to win the conference championship, leave alone representing Pac-12 in the playoffs.
Tennessee Volunteers (#9 in AP Poll)
For a team that hasn’t done much in terms of conference or national contention over the recent years, the Vols are receiving quite some praise ahead of the new season. Returning with 18 starters, including arguably the best dual-threat quarterback in the SEC and a solid running back tandem, will definitely give Tennessee a lot of edge. But this is a team that is short of the type of experience that teams like Alabama and LSU have. And last I checked, returning with the most starters in the Power Five conference is never a guarantee of success; we’ve seen many uber-experienced teams come and go without any titles, so you should be careful about buying into the Tennessee hype, as it could all be nothing but false hope for bettors.
Oregon Ducks (#24 in AP Poll)
Besides facing the same tough-schedule Pac-12 predicament as Stanford, the Ducks will be dealing with something else–Oregon had the worst Pac-12 defense in 2015, and that was a big reason why the Ducks lost too many easily winnable contests under Don Pellum. To solve their defensive vulnerabilities of 2015, the Ducks hired former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke as their defensive coordinator. Along with the some of the best recruits in the nation in offense, Oregon could be due for a decent season. But then again, with a daunting schedule and a defense that needs to make a difficult 180-degree turnaround in just a year, the Ducks could easily continue with the disappointing trend that already began in 2015.
