8 College Football Teams on the Rise Heading into 2015 Season
It’s finally over. Monday night, college football’s 2014 season finished with a bang as Ohio State wrapped up a triumphant run through the College Football Playoff with an emphatic 42-20 rout of Oregon in the first College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
For the Buckeyes, Tuesday was a day of celebration. For Oregon and the rest of the FBS, it was a day to reflect, look back briefly and then look forward. OK, let’s be honest. Many teams have been looking forward since the regular season wrapped up in early December, with 14 teams making head-coaching changes this offseason.
So we’re going to look forward, too. Tuesday morning, very, very early preseason Top 25 polls populated the Internet. We’re seven-plus months away from the opening of the 2015 regular season, but it’s never too early to highlight teams we think will make a bigger impact next fall. Here’s a look at eight teams that should be significantly improved in 2015.
Arkansas
1 of 8
In mid-October, it’s fair to say that Arkansas fans weren’t clambering aboard the Bret Bielema bandwagon. Following a 3-9 debut season in 2013, the Razorbacks were 3-4, and the bombastic coach had yet to collect his first SEC victory.
Fast-forward to late December, and the picture looks quite different. Following a rousing Texas Bowl rout of former Southwest Conference rival Texas, Arkansas clinched a 7-6 season, winning four of its final six games.
Bielema loves an offense predicated around a powerful running game, and he has built that at Arkansas. Next fall, a pair of 1,000-yard rushers returns in Jonathan Williams (1,190 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Alex Collins (1,100 yards, 12 touchdowns). So does quarterback Brandon Allen, who improved as a junior, throwing for 2,285 yards with 22 touchdowns against five interceptions. Arkansas averaged 218 yards rushing per game, No. 26 nationally.
The Razorbacks will lose six starters from a solid defense, and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney took the same job on Pat Narduzzi’s new staff at Pitt, as The Associated Press reported via USA Today. And the SEC West, despite its ugly bowl performance, won’t get any easier. But Arkansas has the foundation to take the next step back toward SEC relevance under Bielema next fall.
Auburn
2 of 8
Let’s face it. Auburn’s 2014 wasn’t pretty. Following a stunning run to the BCS title game in 2013, nothing seemed to go the Tigers’ way this fall. Gus Malzahn’s group began the season as a College Football Playoff contender but lost four of its final five games, including a 34-31 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was a casualty of the 8-5 season, which saw the Tigers allow at least 30 points to their final seven FBS opponents.
That said, 2014 appears much brighter. Johnson was replaced by former Florida coach Will Muschamp, who’ll make an immediate impact on a defense that loses only three starters and regains talented defensive end Carl Lawson, who redshirted 2014 with a torn ACL.
Auburn loses starting quarterback Nick Marshall, who accounted for more than 3,300 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns. But backup Jeremy Johnson, who’ll step into the starting role, looked highly capable in relief of Marshall. He’ll have standout receiver D’haquille Williams to throw to as well. It’s hard not to see the Tigers taking a big move forward in 2015.
LSU
3 of 8
Two years of significant early NFL draft departures took their toll on LSU in 2014. The Tigers, a perennial national contender, were just average, falling to 8-5 with a 4-4 SEC record. They had moments, like upsetting a top-five Ole Miss team and taking Alabama to overtime, as well as a win over Big Ten West champ Wisconsin, but they were too inconsistent in general.
Les Miles didn’t survive this draft cycle unscathed, losing defensive end Danielle Hunter early, but will return 16 starters next fall. Among them is one of the nation’s top tailbacks in freshman Leonard Fournette, who finished strong with 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns. A youthful wide receiver corps led by Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre is also dangerous.
Now, they just need someone to get them the ball. Neither Anthony Jennings nor Brandon Harris distinguished themselves at quarterback, and LSU managed only 162.9 passing yards per game, No. 116 in the FBS. And it’ll be interesting to see how the defense changes under new coordinator Kevin Steele, who replaces John Chavis, lured away by Texas A&M. Still, there’s enough talent here that with another year of maturity, LSU should make a run at the top of the SEC West again.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Notre Dame
4 of 8
Two-thirds of the way through 2014, Notre Dame appeared to be authoring a special season. The Fighting Irish were a controversial pass-interference penalty at Florida State away from an 8-0 start and looked like a College Football Playoff contender. Then, it all fell apart. The Irish lost four consecutive games, including blowout defeats at Arizona State and Southern California, and only a Music City Bowl win over LSU salvaged an 8-5 record.
However, that experience should pay major dividends this fall. After standout left tackle Ronnie Stanley announced that he’ll return for his senior season, Notre Dame should return 19 starters, including 10 on a young defense which had its ups and downs in 2014.
The Irish allowed 29.2 points per game, No. 84 nationally, but that should improve with a second season to pick up coordinator Brian VanGorder’s system. One of the most interesting storylines will be at quarterback, where Everett Golson was benched in favor of Malik Zaire for the Music City Bowl. Golson was too careless with the ball, and if he returns, he’ll have to beat out Zaire.
Regardless, Notre Dame appears poised for a much better 2015 under Brian Kelly.
Oklahoma State
5 of 8
2014 was always supposed to be a rebuilding year in Stillwater. No two ways about it. Oklahoma State was young, and the Cowboys suffered through highs and lows. After pressing defending national champion Florida State hard in the opener, OSU reeled off five consecutive wins followed by five consecutive defeats.
The season’s final two games gave Mike Gundy’s group serious momentum. The Cowboys upset rival Oklahoma 38-35 to get bowl-eligible and then held off Washington 30-22 in the Cactus Bowl. In the process, they found a quarterback in freshman Mason Rudolph, who responded to having his redshirt pulled in mid-November by throwing for 853 yards with six touchdowns against four interceptions in three starts.
The Cowboys return 16 starters, and while the defense must improve, they return their top three receivers, including junior Brandon Sheperd (39 receptions, 737 yards, five touchdowns). Gundy is a proven winner, and with a little defensive help, OSU will return to the Big 12’s upper echelon.
Stanford
6 of 8
Following back-to-back Pac-12 championships, 2014 won’t take up much space in Stanford’s annals. The Cardinal was 5-5 before a late-season surge that featured blowouts of Cal and UCLA, followed by a Foster Farms Bowl bashing of Maryland, clinched an 8-5 mark.
David Shaw does return plenty of talent and experience, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan will return for his final season after throwing for 2,792 yards with 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions this season, and tailback Christian McCaffrey looked like a real weapon near season’s end. The Cardinal has raised eyebrows nationally: USA Today's Paul Myerberg ranks them No. 4 in his very early Top 25.
Stanford lost left tackle Andrus Peat to the NFL draft and must replace eight defensive starters, but the Cardinal is not lacking depth and should be able to spackle those holes with fresh talent. An eight-win season feels like an aberration in Palo Alto, and Shaw should prove that in 2015.
Tennessee
7 of 8
Phillip Fulmer’s firing cast Tennessee’s football program into a rut from which it has yet to recover, thanks to the disastrous tenures of Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley. However, the Volunteers have recruited very well under Butch Jones, and 2014 showed that there is a light at the end of the tunnel—and it isn’t a train.
The Vols squeaked into the Taxslayer Bowl at 6-6 but showed they clearly belonged, belting Iowa 45-28 in an Outback Bowl rout that wasn’t even as close as it seemed (Tennessee led 45-14 before a pair of late cosmetic Iowa scores).
There’s plenty of room for growth, too. Jones played 23 freshmen from a talented 2014 recruiting class this fall, led by standouts like Derek Barnett, one of the nation’s top freshman defensive ends, tailback Jalen Hurd (899 yards, five touchdowns) and wideout Josh Malone (23 receptions, 231 yards, one touchdown). Sophomore quarterback Joshua Dobbs was also impressive, throwing for 1,206 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 469 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
The 2015 schedule doesn’t get much easier, but with another year of maturity, Jones’ group, which returns 19 starters, should be better equipped to handle its rigors and push the Vols forward next fall.
Virginia Tech
8 of 8
Frank Beamer is the longest-tenured FBS head coach, but he won’t want to remember much about 2014. The Hokies struggled all season offensively, averaging 24.1 points per game, No. 96 nationally, and needed a late comeback win over Virginia just to get bowl-eligible at 6-6. A 33-17 Military Bowl win provided optimism entering the offseason, as does a young roster which will return many key cogs.
Quarterback Michael Brewer was erratic at times, throwing 18 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, but he piled up 2,692 yards and should show improvement with a second year in Scot Loeffler’s system. The Hokies must replace three offensive line starters but return a number of talented young offensive players, led by freshman wideout Isaiah Ford (56 receptions, 709 yards, six touchdowns) and freshman tight end Bucky Hodges (45 receptions, 526 yards, seven scores). In fact, Tech returns 89 percent of its total yardage.
Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times says Tech is optimistic about its youthful offense in 2015.
"We've had so many things happen with injuries and certain circumstances arriving that it made it difficult for us. A lot of adversity," Brewer told Bitter. "But this team was able to pull together the last two games of the season and show glimpses all year. ... We're excited to get a full deck of cards back."
And, of course, the defense, led by cornerback Kendall Fuller and defensive end Dadi Nicolas, will be salty as usual under Bud Foster’s watch. If the offensive production matures, look for Tech to again be a factor in the ACC Coastal.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
