10 College Football Teams That Have Improved the Most Since Week 1
In life, the first impression you make on someone is often the most important, and that can be the case in college football as well. A 12-game season leaves little to no margin for error if teams want to reach the game’s highest level, which gives college football a real “what have you done for me lately” feel.
The only thing that matters is the week at hand, but a bad week can linger and follow you for a while. However, that doesn’t mean we should write teams off if they aren’t immediately polished products in the first week. Teams can and do improve and emerge over the course of the season, and they’re worthy of our attention, too.
Here’s a look at 10 college football teams that have shown the most improvement with on-field results since the beginning of the 2015 season.
Arizona State Sun Devils
1 of 10
After consecutive 10-win seasons, Arizona State understandably had high hopes as 2015 began. But, let’s face it: The Sun Devils just weren’t very good against Texas A&M. The Aggies’ defensive line terrorized the ASU offense in a 38-17 neutral-site romp in Houston, and sluggish wins over Cal Poly and New Mexico didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Neither did an ugly 42-14 loss to Southern California in the Pac-12 opener.
But something clicked last week against then-No. 7 UCLA. The Sun Devils controlled the entire game en route to a 38-23 victory, showing signs that that they can fulfill their preseason promise. Quarterback Mike Bercovici threw for 273 yards with two touchdowns, and a beleaguered defense harassed UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen all night.
Arizona State forced four turnovers, and per SI.com's Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans, credit went to defensive coordinator Keith Patterson, who moved from the press box to the sidelines to get a better handle on how the game was unfolding.
"You let them see the confidence you have not only in them, but what we're doing," he said. "I was trying to be upbeat and positive and bring energy we just haven't had in the first four games."
Another 10-win season might be a stretch, but this team can still make noise in the Pac-12 South, especially if the defense keeps improving.
Florida Gators
2 of 10
Few expected much from Jim McElwain’s first Florida team. Will Muschamp left behind a talented defense, but the offense was moribund and didn’t have a ton of hope thanks to an inexperienced offensive line that would protect either Will Grier or Treon Harris at quarterback.
A 61-13 season-opening win over lowly New Mexico State didn’t answer a ton of questions, but the Gators have found themselves over the last three weeks. Following narrow wins over East Carolina and Kentucky, Florida gained huge momentum after erasing a two-touchdown second-half deficit and rallying for a 28-27 win over rival Tennessee, extending its win streak over the Volunteers to 12 games.
Last week, McElwain’s team got everyone’s attention.
Florida ambushed No. 3 Ole Miss 38-10 in The Swamp, and it wasn’t even close. Grier completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, cementing himself as the starting quarterback. He has 996 passing yards with 10 touchdowns against three interceptions.
Meanwhile, the Gators’ D completely shut down quarterback Chad Kelly and a potent Ole Miss offense. If the offense can keep carrying its weight, this is a team that can challenge for the SEC East title and perhaps more.
Georgia Southern Eagles
3 of 10
On the heels of a 9-3 FBS debut that included narrow losses at N.C. State and Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern surely had plenty of confidence going into its season opener at West Virginia. Instead, the Eagles had a major comedown in the form of a 44-0 blanking, getting 2015 off on a highly inauspicious note.
Coach Willie Fritz’s team didn’t despair, however. Georgia Southern is 4-0 since, averaging 46.5 points per game. GSU averages 377.4 yards rushing per game, tops nationally, and still ranks No. 28 nationally in scoring despite the shutout. That’s impressive, as is tailback Matt Breida’s 738 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Breida averages an incredible 10.1 yards per carry.
The Eagles look like the class of the Sun Belt, and they visit No. 19 Georgia Nov. 21. If the Bulldogs take them lightly, they’ll be in trouble.
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Iowa Hawkeyes
4 of 10
As 2014 wrapped up, there was reason for discontent in Iowa City. An easy schedule weighted with the biggest games at home produced a 7-6 record, capped with an ugly 45-28 TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Tennessee. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, the third-longest tenured coach in FBS, vowed a comprehensive look at his program to see what worked and what didn’t. That review has paid serious dividends early on.
Marc Morehouse of the Gazette says "New Kirk" has made the turnaround a "total team effort," including input from son and offensive run game coordinator Brian Ferentz.
While it was hard to tell much from a season-opening 31-14 win over FCS foe Illinois State, the Hawkeyes have improved each week. They pulled away for a 31-17 win at rival Iowa State, pulled out a gutty 27-24 win over Pitt on Marshall Koehn’s game-winning 57-yard field goal, routed North Texas 62-16 and ground out an impressive 10-6 win at Wisconsin.
New quarterback C.J. Beathard has been a dual-threat breath of fresh air, throwing for 1,039 yards with seven touchdowns against two interceptions and adding 163 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Meanwhile, senior tailback Jordan Canzeri has been a consistent backfield force with 441 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
Ferentz seems more open and willing to try fake field goals and go for fourth downs deep in his own territory. His team has responded with physical play and earned the program’s first Top 25 ranking since 2010. At 5-0, the Hawkeyes can be a force in the Big Ten West.
Michigan Wolverines
5 of 10
Thanks to Jim Harbaugh’s return to his alma mater, Michigan had one of the most closely watched openers of the college football season. And the consensus following Utah 24, Michigan 17? Harbaugh had some work to do before restoring the Wolverines to their former perch among college football royalty.
The month that has passed since has provided some serious perspective.
The Utes have emerged as one of the nation’s best teams, rising to No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25. And Michigan has looked highly competent in its own right. The Wolverines have outscored their last four opponents by a combined score of 122-14, including consecutive shutouts of BYU and Maryland (the first time Michigan has accomplished that feat since October 2000).
While Iowa transfer Jake Rudock has been anything but flashy and still has more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five), he has been a solid game manager and done more than enough to support the stingy defense, allowing 7.6 points per game (No. 2 nationally). The Wolverines have risen to No. 18 nationally, and while No. 13 Northwestern’s visit will be a test, this group looks ahead of schedule and like a dangerous team in the Big Ten East.
North Carolina Tar Heels
6 of 10
North Carolina had a huge showcase to begin the 2015 season. The Tar Heels opened the first Thursday night of the season with a neutral-site matchup in Charlotte against border rival South Carolina and promptly stunk up Bank of America Stadium.
Quarterback Marquise Williams threw a pair of back-breaking interceptions in the end zone, and UNC suffered a discouraging 17-13 defeat to the Gamecocks. A funny thing happened after that: Larry Fedora’s team got better. A lot better. The Heels’ offense has averaged 45 points per game in wins over North Carolina A&T, Illinois, Delaware and Georgia Tech.
The win over the Yellow Jackets, the defending ACC Coastal champs, was particularly impressive, as the Heels outlasted Tech 38-31 in Atlanta. UNC’s much-maligned defense has also been vastly improved, allowing 18 points per game, No. 25 nationally.
Williams has been solid, throwing for 845 yards with six touchdowns against four interceptions and adding 346 yards and four rushing touchdowns. In a wide-open Coastal, there’s no real reason the Heels can’t make a run for the division title. At the very least, at 4-1, they’ll quickly match last season’s six-win total.
Northwestern Wildcats
7 of 10
Following consecutive 5-7 seasons, a little heat built around Northwestern and coach Pat Fitzgerald entering 2015. While a 16-6 season-opening win over a Top 20 Stanford program built hope, there was reason for skepticism given the Wildcats’ recent track record.
Their performance since has erased many doubts. Northwestern has a pair of shutouts (against Eastern Illinois and Minnesota) and has a solid road win at Duke. The Wildcats have the nation’s best scoring defense, yielding just seven points per game. They also have a solid run attack that churns out 248 rushing yards per game, No. 14 nationally.
While we’ll know more about the Cats following games against Top 25 foes Michigan and Iowa, the nation’s No. 13 team looks very impressive right now at 5-0. They’re a lock to break the postseason drought and will challenge for the Big Ten West title.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
8 of 10
Oklahoma State had one of the strangest openers for any Power Five team. The Cowboys traveled to Central Michigan and were quite sluggish before pulling out a 24-13 victory. Since then, however, OSU has looked a bit more like a team that was expected to build on 2014’s 7-6 record achieved with a young roster.
The Cowboys are 5-0 entering this week’s trip to West Virginia, and they average 345 passing yards per game, No. 13 nationally. Sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph is showing progress in his first full season as a starter, throwing for 1,674 yards with nine touchdowns against four interceptions and completing 65.9 percent of his passes.
Wins over Texas and K-State were anything but pretty, but the Cowboys showed moxie in pulling out a pair of late victories. They’re No. 21 nationally and seem a sure bet to surpass last year’s win total quickly.
Stanford Cardinal
9 of 10
After closing 2014 with a three-game win streak all by at least 21 points, there was significant buzz that this Stanford team could regain the form that led to consecutive Pac-12 titles in 2012 and 2013. Then came the season opener at Northwestern, a team coming off consecutive 5-7 seasons.
An ugly 16-6 loss that saw quarterback Kevin Hogan throw for just 155 yards with an interception zapped that momentum, but the Cardinal weren’t deterred.
Stanford bounced back with a 41-31 upset of then-No. 6 Southern California and backed it with a solid 42-24 win over Oregon State and a 55-17 thrashing of Arizona. Hogan has thrown for 1,155 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, and sophomore back Christian McCaffrey has emerged as a serious threat, rushing for 601 yards and a touchdown. While Cal has been impressive, Oregon’s demise opens the door for the Cardinal to win the Pac-12 North.
Utah Utes
10 of 10
Despite a nine-win 2014 season, Utah entered this season somewhat off the national radar and the Pac-12 radar while programs like Oregon, UCLA and Southern California received more attention. Maybe it’s time to change that.
Coach Kyle Whittingham’s team began the season with what looked like a ho-hum 24-17 win over Michigan, but the Wolverines’ performance since (four consecutive wins, two by shutout) has made it look impressive in retrospect. The Utes got past Utah State, then ripped Fresno State 45-24 and gave Oregon its worst whipping in recent memory, waltzing out of Autzen Stadium with a 62-20 rout.
Utah has a nasty defense that allows 18.8 points per game, No. 30 nationally, and the offense is keyed by competent senior quarterback Travis Wilson and standout tailback Devontae Booker. If you haven’t taken notice of this group yet, now is most certainly the time. Utah looks like a real Pac-12 and College Football Playoff contender.
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