The 15 Biggest Disappointments from 2015 College Football Season
We’re three weeks into the 2015 college football season, and it’s been a fun ride so far. Week 3 alone featured Ole Miss’ rousing upset of then-No. 2 Alabama, No. 1 Ohio State barely hanging on against a determined Northern Illinois team and LSU’s Leonard Fournette running all over Auburn’s defense for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 rout.
There have been positive developments, but also some disappointments. Five teams that began the season in the Associated Press Top 25 are not in the poll this week, and some players have failed to live up to expectations. Here’s a look at the 15 biggest disappointments in college football through Week 3.
15. Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
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When Melvin Gordon left for the NFL, as expected, after putting up the second-best single-season rushing total in NCAA history, it was a blow to Wisconsin’s offense, but the Badgers had junior tailback Corey Clement waiting to step into a featured role.
Clement rushed for 942 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, averaging 6.5 yards per carry as Gordon’s understudy. Surely he’d respond well to a bigger role, right?
It hasn’t happened. Clement had eight carries for 16 yards in a season-opening loss to Alabama, and has missed the past two games with a strained groin. There’s still time left for him to get going in the Badger backfield, but the first quarter of the season has been far from encouraging.
14. BYU QB Taysom Hill
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One of the more intriguing stories of the 2015 season was the return of BYU quarterback Taysom Hill. Hill was very impressive in leading the Cougars to a 4-0 record last fall, flashing dual-threat skills and raising serious buzz for the independent program.
But BYU wasn’t the same after he broke his ankle against Utah State, ending his season. The Cougars went 4-5 to end the season, and it was clear that his health was crucial for a meaningful 2015.
This time, he didn’t even last a game, suffering a Lisfranc foot fracture in the season opener at Nebraska, ending his season. Freshman Tanner Mangum has been excellent, throwing late-game touchdown passes to pull out wins against the Cornhuskers and Boise State, and he kept them competitive against a Top 10 UCLA team. But it’s truly disappointing that we won’t get to see how good BYU can be with a healthy Hill at the offensive helm.
13. Arizona State
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Following consecutive 10-win seasons, Arizona State hoped this season would be part of a breakthrough to the Pac-12’s elite class. Three games in, it hasn’t been that way at all.
While a neutral-site opener against Texas A&M in Houston looked difficult, the Sun Devils weren’t really competitive in a 38-17 defeat. A week later, ASU went to the fourth quarter tied with FCS foe Cal Poly before pulling out a 35-21 win. A 34-21 win over New Mexico was a little better, but the Sun Devils simply haven’t been inspiring at 2-1.
The next two weeks, with Southern Cal visiting and a trip to No. 9 UCLA (which whipped Arizona State 62-27 last fall), will be telling. But Arizona State hasn’t done much to inspire confidence so far.
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12. Georgia Tech
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2014 was a bounce-back season for Georgia Tech and coach Paul Johnson, with 11 wins, an ACC Coastal Division title and an Orange Bowl win over Mississippi State. Despite losing a wealth of offensive talent, there was optimism that the Yellow Jackets could repeat and build on last season’s success thanks to the return of quarterback Justin Thomas, the team’s leading rusher and key to the flexbone option offense.
Season-opening routs of Alcorn State and Tulane did little to dampen that optimism, but a 30-22 loss at Notre Dame was a major step back.
The Irish held Tech to seven points until a pair of final-minute scores provided some cosmetic relief, but the Jackets managed only 216 yards rushing and 337 yards of total offense. That’s not a promising development.
Georgia Tech can still be a contender in the ACC Coastal Division, but October, with showdowns against Clemson and Florida State, will be very telling about how serious of an ACC title contender the Jackets really are. Saturday wasn’t an inspiring preview.
11. South Carolina
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Two years ago, South Carolina was establishing itself as one of the nation’s most successful programs. Steve Spurrier had built the Gamecocks into a consistent winner, with three consecutive 11-win seasons. Those days seem like a long time ago in Columbia now.
Following a down 7-6 record in 2014, Spurrier revamped his defensive staff, bringing in Jon Hoke as co-coordinator. Those changes haven’t improved the Gamecocks’ fortunes, though. Following an ugly 17-13 season-opening win over North Carolina, South Carolina is 1-2 (and 0-2 in the SEC) entering this week’s visit from winless Central Florida.
A surprising home loss to Kentucky was followed by an ugly 52-20 beating at Georgia’s hands. Quarterback Greyson Lambert set an NCAA record for completion percentage by completing 24 of 25 passes, throwing for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
Unless things get turned around quick, the Gamecocks could be staring at sitting home for Christmas. You have to wonder how much more of this Spurrier will take.
10. Nebraska
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Nebraska hoped that changing from volatile Bo Pelini to noted nice-guy Mike Riley as its head coach would be the spark that the program needed to take the next step and get beyond the nine-win plateau in the Big Ten West Division.
Three games in, the results have been disappointing. BYU’s final-play Hail Mary handed Nebraska a 33-28 defeat and its first season-opening loss in 29 years, and following an easy win over South Alabama, the Huskers played uninspired ball for three-plus quarters at Miami.
A furious rally erased a 33-10 deficit with nine minutes left and forced overtime, but Riley’s bunch couldn’t finish the job in a 36-33 defeat. At this rate, nine wins looks like a difficult plateau to reach this season, which is not what NU’s administration had in mind when it made the change.
9. Central Florida
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This fall, George O’ Leary is pulling double duty. Central Florida’s veteran head coach is serving as UCF’s interim athletic director, which is probably a good thing. If there were anyone else in the seat, O’ Leary would probably be feeling some serious heat.
Two years removed from a Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor, the Knights are 0-3. They suffered a 15-14 opening-game loss to Florida International, followed that with a dismal 31-7 loss at Stanford, and compounded the problem with a 16-15 loss to FCS foe Furman, which was the Paladins’ first win over an FBS team since 1999. Returning starting quarterback Justin Holman will miss several more weeks with a hand injury, which could make even postseason eligibility a tough task.
8. Texas
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Charlie Strong has to be wondering why he ever left Louisville. A year ago, Strong’s tough-love approach didn’t go over well, with the Longhorns finishing 6-7, including a Texas Bowl loss to Arkansas. This fall has unfolded no better.
The Longhorns were blitzed 38-3 in their opener at Notre Dame, and Strong stripped Shawn Watson’s play-calling duties in favor of a more up-tempo approach. A switch to quarterback Jerrod Heard sparked the offense, and he rolled up a program-record 527 yards of total offense against Cal, rallying Texas from a late 21-point deficit.
But kicker Nick Rose missed an extra point that would have forced overtime, sealing a 45-44 defeat and compounding Texas’ misery. With a tough Big 12 slate that starts with Oklahoma State, a trip to No. 3 TCU and the Red River Rivalry with No. 15 Oklahoma, Austin could soon be an even more miserable place to be this fall.
7. Louisville
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Bobby Petrino’s second stint as Louisville’s head coach started smoothly enough, with nine wins and a Belk Bowl appearance. The Cardinals hoped to climb into serious ACC Atlantic Division contention in 2015, but instead, they’re trying to put together the pieces following a miserable start.
Louisville is 0-3 for the first time since 1984 following losses to Auburn, Houston and Clemson. This week, FCS foe Samford should provide some relief, but that’s followed by road trips to N.C. State and Florida State, neither of which will be easy.
The Cardinals have used three different quarterbacks in Kyle Bolin, Lamar Jackson and Reggie Bonnafon, which is never optimal for offensive consistency. If Petrino can settle on one quarterback, it could really help Louisville find its groove and overcome an ugly beginning.
6. Arkansas
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Following a resurgent 7-6 season that finished with a Texas Bowl thumping of Texas, expectations were high for Arkansas this fall in Bret Bielema’s first season. The Razorbacks began the season in the Top 25, but quickly fell to earth in a 16-12 loss to Toledo, which came one week after Bielema called out Ohio State for a soft schedule.
Texas Tech’s 35-24 win in Fayetteville didn’t help matters much, either. Neither does an upcoming stretch of games that features a neutral-site game against Texas A&M, trips to Tennessee and Alabama and a home game with Auburn.
None of those are particularly inviting opponents, and things could get worse before they get better for the Razorbacks. Alex Collins remains a talented rusher, but backfield partner Jonathan Williams (who rushed for over 1,000 yards last fall) is sorely missed.
5. Rutgers
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Last fall, Rutgers made Jim Delany’s decision to invite the Scarlet Knights to the Big Ten look relatively smart with an 8-5 season, capped by a Quick Lane Bowl win over North Carolina. However, Kyle Flood’s program has completely fallen apart this fall.
The Knights are 1-2 following a loss to Penn State, but on-field results are almost the least of their concerns. Saturday marked the first game of head coach Kyle Flood’s three-game suspension imposed by the university following an investigation into his improper contact with a professor on behalf of player Nadir Barnwell’s academics, per NJ.com's Keith Sargeant.
In addition, six players, including Barnwell, have been kicked off the team following arrests including home invasion and assault. And standout wide receiver Leonte Carroo has been suspended indefinitely after an arrest for domestic assault which occurred outside the stadium following a loss to Washington State.
Flood has lost control of his program off the field, and whether Rutgers recovers to make a bowl or not, he’ll likely be fortunate to keep his job.
4. Southern California
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With 14 starters returning led by senior quarterback Cody Kessler and a talented recruiting class on board, this was supposed to be the season that Southern California returned to its former glory and made a run for the College Football Playoff.
Instead, it’s starting to look like another disappointing chapter of the post-Pete Carroll era in Troy.
Second-year coach Steve Sarkisian began the year on the defensive after being pulled from a booster event following drunken behavior, and the Trojans’ first significant test of the season wound up in a 41-31 loss to Stanford.
USC’s College Football Playoff hopes aren’t dead, but they’re certainly on life support. With trips to Notre Dame and Oregon, as well as a season-ending showdown with cross-town rival UCLA left on the schedule, running the table will be very difficult. It looks like another season that will fall short of expectations in Los Angeles.
3. Alabama
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Entering 2015, Alabama was considered talented but inexperienced. The Crimson Tide brought back only nine starters, two on offense, and had a very uncertain quarterback situation following Blake Sims’ graduation.
But a 35-17 season-opening win over Wisconsin, keyed by Derrick Henry’s power run game, raised expectations and pushed Alabama to No. 2 nationally entering Saturday’s visit from No. 15 Ole Miss. However, the Tide was very sloppy, committing five turnovers that led to 24 Ole Miss points in a 43-37 defeat. Chad Kelly threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns on the Tide’s defense.
Meanwhile, Nick Saban still has uncertainty at quarterback. Cooper Bateman started the game after Jake Coker started the first two games, but Coker finished the game. Bateman completed 11 of 14 passes for 87 yards and an interception while Coker completed 21 of 45 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
USA Today’s Dan Wolken wonders if we’re seeing the beginning of the end of Alabama’s run at the top of college football.
"We fought hard, but we shot ourselves in the foot too many times," Alabama center Ryan Kelly told Wolken about the loss. "It's hard to win when you turn it over so many times. We gave them 31 points and it's hard, especially in this conference, to do that and come out with a victory."
Alabama can still make the College Football Playoff (after all, it did so following a loss at Ole Miss last season) but the road won’t be easy. They still must travel to Georgia and Texas A&M and face a November that includes LSU, a trip to Mississippi State and a trip to Auburn for the Iron Bowl. The season isn’t over, but the Tide’s margin for error just got far, far thinner.
2. Ohio State QB Cardale Jones
14 of 15Last fall, Cardale Jones began the season as Ohio State’s third-string quarterback and ended it by leading the Buckeyes to their first national title since 2002 as the starting quarterback. He turned down a chance to declare for the NFL draft to return to OSU and battle J.T. Barrett for the starting role, but perhaps he should’ve struck while the iron was hot.
He beat Barrett for the starting role, but has struggled, throwing for 334 yards with two touchdowns against three interceptions, completing 56.5 percent of his passes. Saturday, he was pulled from a win over Northern Illinois after throwing a pair of interceptions. Per SI.com, he changed his Twitter bio to “3rd String QB @ The Ohio State University, Oh Wait, 2nd String” before leaving it blank entirely.
With a big arm, a big frame and the ability to bowl over tackles on the run, Jones has excellent tools but is clearly far from a finished product.
1. Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson
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Following an impressive spring performance, new Auburn starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson received plenty of hype from all corners of the college football media world, including perhaps unfair comparisons to former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton, given their similar size and skill sets.
Three games into the season, Johnson will be fortunate just to hang onto his starting role through the end of this month. He has thrown for 473 yards with five touchdowns against six interceptions, completing 59.6 percent of his passes.
Auburn’s offense has struggled, and the Tigers have gone from a preseason Top 10 team to out of the Associated Press Top 25 after escaping FCS foe Jacksonville State in overtime and suffering a 45-21 blowout at LSU. It’s obvious that the Tigers aren’t a College Football Playoff team, and at this rate, they have work to do just to match 2014’s eight-win total. Johnson needs to cut down on his interceptions and become a much more polished passer for Auburn’s offense to succeed.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
