College Football's 25 Most Overhyped Players, Coaches and Teams for 2016
Have you purchased your tickets to ride college football's hype train yet? Don't worry, there are still a few more months left to hop on board, and there's always plenty of seating.
The long offseason lends itself to anticipation, hope and wonder, and more often than not this translates into boosting the profile of various college football players, coaches and teams. Either because of how they played the year before—particularly at the end of the season, with an extra emphasis on bowl games—or how they're expected to fare this coming fall, certain entities get hyped way more than others.
And there's really nothing we can do about it other than to ignore the noise or embrace it.
We've selected the most overhyped of the hyped in college football, a list of players, coaches and teams you'll end up hearing the most about this offseason. Some of them will be deserving of all the attention, others maybe not so much. Either way, they're going to be facing incredibly lofty expectations when the 2016 season begins.
J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
1 of 25
J.T. Barrett could have been the third consecutive freshman to win the Heisman had he not broken his ankle in the regular-season finale in 2014. Ohio State might have been able to repeat as national champions had it let Barrett be the starting quarterback all along last season. And despite losing 16 starters, including numerous players who turned pro, Barrett's presence makes the Buckeyes a strong national title contender this fall.
Notice the common element in all three of those previous hot take-level statements?
Barrett set numerous school offensive records two years ago when he was thrust into the starting role, but last year Ohio State turned to Cardale Jones more often early on. It wasn't until the second half of 2015 that Barrett began to get the bulk of the snaps, and he finished strong with 307 yards of total offense in the Fiesta Bowl.
Now the job is all Barrett's, without any competition or uncertainty, and he's the unquestioned leader of OSU's offense. He's also one of the biggest reasons the Buckeyes' lack of returning experience isn't diminishing their playoff chances.
Dino Babers, Syracuse
2 of 25
A free-wheeling uptempo offense that ran roughshod over the FCS ranks and the Mid-American Conference should have no trouble working in a power league, right? We'll find out this fall, as head coach Dino Babers brings his impressive resume to a Syracuse program that hasn't exactly been known for offensive production.
Babers' Bowling Green team ranked fourth last year in total offense (546.8 yards per game) and averaged 42.2 points, claiming the MAC title in the process. Quarterback Matt Johnson threw for more than 4,900 yards with 46 touchdowns, and the Falcons had two running backs top the 800-yard mark.
Prior to his two seasons at Bowling Green, Babers got Eastern Illinois to the FCS quarterfinals. The 54-year-old spent nearly three decades as an assistant coach, but since getting to run programs he's been on a fast rise.
Syracuse is banking on this to continue, with very little to show for itself over the past 15-plus years. Sharing a stadium with the Orange basketball team, which is headed back to the Final Four, only adds to the expectations.
Houston Cougars
3 of 25
If you're searching for a major playoff dark horse for 2016, look no further than the team executing the #HTownTakeover both on Twitter and the recruiting trail. Tom Herman accomplished quite a bit in his first season as a head coach, though the hype his program is getting makes it feel like we've seen nothing yet.
The Cougars went 13-1 last year, and as the highest-ranked “Group of Five” team earned a bid to the Peach Bowl. There they handled Florida State for their third win of the season over a power-conference team, and now in 2016 they have games against Oklahoma and Louisville to use as a springboard toward potentially crashing the playoff party.
Houston has had strong teams before—it produced a Heisman winner, quarterback Andre Ware, and served as Kevin Sumlin's springboard to the Texas A&M job—but at 80-1 its early national title odds, per Odds Shark, are the kind you'd normally see from a mid-level power team.
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Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
4 of 25
Did you know Joshua Dobbs is working toward a degree in aerospace engineering? Or that Tennessee coach Butch Jones refers to him as the “CEO” of the team, per Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee? If not, you've somehow avoided one of the most well-chronicled college quarterbacks in recent memory.
Dobbs is entering his senior year as the Volunteers' full-time starter for the second straight season, but in 2012 and 2013 he also garnered attention for his play after being inserted into the lineup midway through each year. His numbers—and Tennessee's win total—have gone up each year, though it feels like Dobbs should have accomplished more by this point.
"I hold myself to a high standard in how I play with my execution," Dobbs told Sallee.
Tennessee fans do too, which is why after another strong finish to a season they're expecting Dobbs to lead the Vols to the SEC title game for the first time since 2007.
Bob Diaco, Connecticut
5 of 25
Bob Diaco is heading into the third year of his first stint as a head coach, and his record to this point isn't the kind that warrants major praise. Connecticut is 8-17 under his watch, having gone 6-7 last year with a loss to Marshall in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
But that's a major jump from the Huskies' 2-10 record in his first year and also their best outing since Randy Edsall piloted them to the Big East title and a Fiesta Bowl bid in 2010.
However, Diaco's results aren't what gets him the attention and notoriety as much as his approach to the game and to building things up to be bigger than they are. Case in point: his out-of-nowhere creation of a rivalry (trophy and all) with UCF, known as the “Civil Conflict,” that didn't manifest until months after UConn beat the Knights in 2014. That was the second all-time meeting between the schools.
Louisville Cardinals
6 of 25
A team that started last season with three straight losses is among the top contenders to knock off Clemson for the ACC title in 2016. Did Louisville get that much better in such a short time, or is this a product of overvaluing a small sample of results?
There's some of that in play with early projections that the Cardinals will compete in the Atlantic Division with Clemson and Florida State.
Contributing to the hype is the promise of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had a breakout performance with 453 yards of total offense (including 226 rushing yards) and four total touchdowns in the Music City Bowl win over Texas A&M, as well as the return of several key defensive players who opted not to turn pro.
Coach Bobby Petrino's past success with the school, during his first stint from 2003-06, is also playing a role, as is Louisville's 6-1 finish to the 2015 season. But the only victory in that stretch against a winning team was in the bowl game, and A&M was a shell of its former self by that point.
Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
7 of 25
Myles Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney's SEC record for sacks by a freshman then last year improved on those numbers and cemented himself as one of the top edge-rushers in college football. Texas A&M's defense showed significant improvement in 2015, and Garrett is due some credit for that, but more of the accolades go to coordinator John Chavis.
The pairing of Chavis and Garrett is one that drew much praise last offseason, and it's the same this spring. And with Garrett projected as one of the top picks in the 2017 draft—WalterFootball.com has him going second overall—he should be primed for a massive year this fall.
Or the 6'5”, 262-pound defensive end could end up doing what a lot of top pro prospects do in that junior season: play it safe and avoid injury, knowing what's at stake. We won't know if that's the case until the games get played, but that shouldn't change the level of hype he gets or how much that correlates to the expectations for A&M's defense in 2016.
James Franklin, Penn State
8 of 25
We know James Franklin can recruit, with three consecutive top-25 classes, per 247Sports. We also know he can demonstrate a proper tackle after he destroyed a pinata while dressed as the Easter Bunny. Now all we need to find out is if he can coach at the level that warrants the kind of hype he's drawn at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions have gone 7-6 in each of Franklin's seasons, but that's no better than what Bill O'Brien did prior to his arrival. And he did that with a quarterback who might have been the top pro passing prospect in the country in 2014 but now isn't in Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller's first-round projections.
This offseason Franklin saw several players transfer, and he also lost a handful of coaches from his staff. But thanks to his charisma, the expectations remain high in Happy Valley, despite no significant results to this point.
LSU Tigers
9 of 25
The term "blue bloods" is more associated with college basketball teams than college football ones, though it has the same meaning: a program whose history of success makes it a regular contender on an annual basis regardless of recent performance.
Which explains why LSU seems to always open high in the preseason rankings, even after coming up short the year before.
The Tigers finished the 2015 season ranked 16th in the final Associated Press poll, though they were as high as second in the playoff standings thanks to a 7-0 start. They also almost lost their coach, Les Miles, because his team wasn't going to win the SEC West and had fallen out of the playoff picture thanks to three straight losses.
And yet here we are again, with LSU again likely to be high in the early rankings (ESPN has it sixth overall) despite having very much the same team as a year ago.
O.J. Howard, Alabama
10 of 25
If you thought O.J. Howard was among the most overhyped players in college football history before, just wait until this coming season. Now he's actually got some results to warrant this attention, having been the unsung hero of the national championship game with an amazing individual performance.
The 6'6”, 242-pound tight end, who hadn't caught a touchdown pass since November 2013, had two TDs as part of a five-catch, 208-yard effort in Alabama's 40-35 win over Clemson. It was almost as if Clemson wasn't aware Howard was on the roster, which made sense since he'd caught only 66 passes in his previous 41 games.
Howard's monster game could have been the perfect springboard to jump to the NFL, where his size would make him a coveted prospect. Instead, he's come back for his senior year, which gives us all another opportunity to rave at his measureables and wonder if this will be the season in which he's a regular part of the Crimson Tide offense.
"Howard will put together that final piece of the puzzle in 2016, become a focal point of the new-look Crimson Tide offense and be the best tight end in the country as a senior," Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
11 of 25
Love him or hate him, there's no denying that head coach Jim Harbaugh's over-the-top style keeps Michigan in the headlines. And after producing a much-better-than-expected first season of actual football, the off-the-field antics aren't going anywhere. Nor is the praise Harbaugh continues to get for returning the Wolverines to national relevance, even if not everyone agrees with his tactics.
The media adore Harbaugh, since he's almost constantly helping them out with new things to write about. Whether it's subtweeting Ohio State's athletic director, bringing in celebrities to announce his latest recruiting class or his frequent public appearances (including donning Indiana gear to support brother-in-law Tom Crean's basketball team during the Sweet 16), Harbaugh knows how to get headlines. If he says it or does it, it's going to get written about.
Harbaugh was drawing this kind of attention even before he coached his first game with Michigan, and after going 10-3 in 2015 it's become more warranted. That still doesn't mean it's not too much, however.
Michigan Wolverines
12 of 25
The 10-3 record Michigan posted last season was a significant accomplishment, considering it was done with a first-year coach and a roster that wasn't exactly overflowing in talent. The Wolverines' quality of players is better in 2016, partly because of the development made last year as well as two strong recruiting classes, but is it worthy of national championship consideration?
At 14-to-1, per Odds Shark, to win the national title, the Wolverines have some of the best early odds in the country.
These lofty expectations might be as much a product of the faith many have in coach Jim Harbaugh, who managed to so quickly get Michigan turned around, as in the actual strength of the team. The Wolverines need a quarterback, have holes to fill on defense and have a schedule that is heavily dependent on them beating Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State on the road over the final five weeks of the season.
Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech
13 of 25
Another two seasons like the one he just had, and Patrick Mahomes will challenge Graham Harrell for Texas Tech's career passing record. It won't hurt his chances if he's constantly playing from behind, which has regularly been the case.
Mahomes threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns while adding 456 rushing yards and 10 scores in 2015, helming the nation's No. 2 offense. The Red Raiders might have done better than 7-6 if they didn't also have one of the worst defenses in the country, one that allowed 43.6 points per game with five opponents scoring at least 55 points.
In a position where he had to produce, Mahomes couldn't help but put up big numbers. His 704 rushes or passes were second only to Washington State's Luke Falk, but he tied for 29th in yards per play thanks to 15 interceptions and 27 sacks taken. Many of those mistakes were when he tried to do too much, forced to make big plays to have Tech's offense keep pace with the defensive breakdowns.
Lane Kiffin, Alabama
14 of 25
There's no denying what offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was able to do with Alabama's quarterbacks the last two years, and it's why another uncertain situation at that position isn't dampening the Crimson Tide's odds to repeat as national champions. Able to focus solely on his work as an offensive coordinator, Kiffin has resurrected his career after getting left off by the bus by USC in 2013, midway through his second year as head coach.
Kiffin might be the best quarterback guru in college football, but that doesn't mean he'll do any better as a head coach if given another chance. Don't tell that to the hype machine, however, since it's fueled by stories of whether Kiffin should get to run another program and how things would go next time around.
A slew of FBS jobs were open this winter, yet Kiffin's name wasn't mentioned for most as a serious contender. Instead, he was reportedly offered UCLA's offensive coordinator spot as well as contacted by the San Francisco 49ers about their OC position. Is that because he's not really considered head coach material, or because he's happy with what he's doing?
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15 of 25
A good indication of being overhyped is having your own television network. Notre Dame's football team doesn't have to share TV profits with other schools, since as an independent it has an exclusive contract with NBC to air all of its home games through 2025.
But it's more than just TV exposure that keeps the Fighting Irish constantly in the spotlight. A national fanbase that has a sizable alumni group in nearly every major city also helps, as does a pretty good on-field product in most seasons. That's been an every-year occurrence under coach Brian Kelly, but even when Notre Dame was struggling under previous coaches it was never lacking for attention.
Notre Dame is usually on the short list of most top high school prospects, and when the NFL draft comes around there's no shortage of former players getting called.
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
16 of 25
If there's a triple crown for college football hype, Baker Mayfield is deserving of consideration. He's previously been garnered major notoriety for his choice to transfer from Texas Tech to Oklahoma, then while having to sit out the 2014 season he was arguably the most popular practice player in the country thanks to a stellar performance in the Sooners' spring game that year.
And after more than living up to expectations with a big 2015, Mayfield heads into his senior season as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate, per Odds Shark, and a huge part of what is projected to be a contender for both another Big 12 title and a return to the playoffs.
No pressure, Baker.
An extremely confident player, bordering on cocky, Mayfield seemed to welcome contact rather than avoid it last season. This resulted in suffering multiple head injuries, to the point where he might be wise to take it down a notch.
"I can try and tell him, but it's live by the sword and die by the sword," Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley told Jason Kersey of the Oklahoman. "It's what makes him a good player."
It also adds to the hype.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn
17 of 25
Is it possible to be overhyped and on the hot seat? Head coach Gus Malzahn could be the test subject for this debate, since his reputation for being an offensive genius is getting countered by a major drop-off in results since his first season with Auburn.
Malzahn's spread attack was unstoppable in 2013, helping the Tigers make the BCS title game after going 3-9 the year before. He started 12-1 but since has gone 15-12, winning only two of eight SEC games last season, and Auburn dipped to 94th in total offense in 2015.
Surely the Tigers will get it turned around this year, since Malzahn appears to be turning back to what worked for him at the beginning of his Auburn tenure, right? He's devoted to going back to a run-first offense and might again be turning to a junior college transfer (John Franklin III) at quarterback like he did with Nick Marshall three years ago.
It worked before, so certainly it will produce the same results. So says the hype, at least.
Ohio State Buckeyes
18 of 25
With only six projected starters returning, Ohio State will be the least-experienced team in FBS in 2016, according to noted college football expert Phil Steele. This doesn't translate to the lofty preseason rankings the Buckeyes have attained, including No. 11 in Bleacher Report's most recent Top 25 list, but returning starters isn't the only criteria.
Instead, OSU's expectations for this upcoming season are based more on 2014, when a similarly inexperienced squad steamrolled its way to the national title.
At 50-4 during his OSU tenure, head coach Urban Meyer has proved he's worth any hype he gets. By correlation, his teams are going to be perennial contenders regardless of their makeup until proved otherwise.
"Ohio State will be right back in the national title mix no matter what," the Sporting News wrote (h/t Yahoo Sports).
Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
19 of 25
No longer the highest-rated recruit in school history, thanks to Michigan's signing of No. 1 overall prospect Rashan Gary in February, Jabrill Peppers can still lay claim to the program's most-hyped player ever. This continues heading into 2016, when he's expected to play a major role in what the Wolverines do on the field.
The same was said before his freshman year in 2014, though an injury limited him to three games that year. It was also part of the narrative last season, when as a redshirt freshman Peppers was moved from corner to safety and also contributed on offense and special teams.
Peppers is getting worked out at linebacker this spring, a move that Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod thinks will "only improve his chances of winning" the school's first Heisman Trophy since Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson was also the last player who was primarily a defensive standout to win the award, and every year since there's at least one defender who is tabbed as the best shot to end that drought.
Les Miles, LSU
20 of 25
We love Les Miles for his quirks, which include a certain way with the English language as well as his love for eating grass and pulling out trick plays. And for this, we tend to give the LSU coach the benefit of the doubt each year when it comes to assessing its chances. Even when the previous year didn't go as expected, Miles seems to always enter the following season at the helm of a team with high hopes.
And that's in spite of the last few teams being made up exactly the same on offense, with too much reliance on the run game and not enough of a contribution from the passing attack.
Miles won 34 games in his first three years at LSU, leading the Tigers to the 2007 national title, then slipped back in 2008-09 before another title game appearance in 2011. Because he's bounced back in the past, the expectation is it will happen again. He might be running out of leash, as evidenced by his near-firing in November, yet most super-early rankings have LSU near the top once again in 2016.
Tennessee Volunteers
21 of 25
Stop us if you've heard this one before.
After a disappointing first half of the 2015 season, Tennessee came alive down the stretch by winning its final six games. That included a blowout victory over a Big Ten school (Northwestern) in a Florida-based bowl game (Outback Bowl), sending the Volunteers into the offseason brimming with confidence.
It's much the same way 2014 ended, with Tennessee winning four of five, including a game against Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl, and instantly becoming the hottest 7-6 team in the country. A program that hadn't had a winning record in five years was suddenly getting included in the playoff discussion, with nothing less than an SEC East championship expected.
Having failed to live up to the hype they generated last offseason, the Vols will want to push aside the attention this spring and summer. But they can't prevent what others think, such as being highly ranked in various way-too-early Top 25 polls such as the one from Colin Becht of Sports Illustrated in which Tennessee earned the No. 8 spot thanks to "a more experienced team and proven playmakers all over the field."
Dakota Prukop, Oregon
22 of 25Not everyone is a fan of the graduate transfer rule, except for the schools that manage to keep landing notable players as the result of it. Oregon is a big winner for the second year in a row, once again putting its future in the hands of a quarterback who put up big numbers at the FCS level.
But just because Dakota Prukop and 2015 passer Vernon Adams Jr. took similar paths to get to the FBS ranks doesn't mean their success will be similar.
Adams did very well with the Ducks last year, when he wasn't hurt that is, with 2,643 passing yards and 26 touchdowns in 10 games. This came after a prolific career at Eastern Washington. Prukop had 7,347 yards of total offense and 80 total touchdowns at Montana State with 37 scores last season.
While Adams didn't arrive until the summer, Prukop is part of Oregon's spring camp. Because of this, the expectations are that he'll do no worse than Adams did with the Ducks but should fare even better.
Charlie Strong, Texas
23 of 25
This is going to be the year Charlie Strong gets Texas back to its old standard of excellence. Never mind the fact there was a considerable amount of hype about that happening last season or in his first year with the Longhorns, both of which resulted in sub-.500 records.
So is the result of when hope is so great that it transforms into hype, most often with programs that aren't used to struggling and aren't willing to endure a lengthy turnaround. And Strong has both helped and hurt his cause along the way.
Stellar recruiting—Texas has signed a Top 20 class each year under Strong, per 247Sports—has made it possible for the process to be accelerated, but momentum has been stifled by constant staff and scheme changes. And while being confident is great, telling university faculty, per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, “we are going to steamroll everyone” once the turnaround happens only makes falling short of expectations more noticeable.
USC Trojans
24 of 25
Clay Helton is technically both the third and fifth coach USC has had since the ultra-successful Pete Carroll era ended in 2009. He was interim coach for the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl the year Lane Kiffin was fired (and after previous interim coach Ed Orgeron left) and then got the full-time gig late last year after a strong performance in an interim role after Steve Sarkisian's termination.
Such coaching turmoil is just part of the soap opera-like aura that surrounds USC, and with that comes a level of attention that is normally reserved for a team that should be in the mix for a title. And the Trojans could be there this season, much as they've been almost every year since Carroll went to the NFL, if they could just get out of their own way and stick to football.
In a city that—until this fall—hasn't had pro football since the mid-1990s, there's a desperate need to have a championship-level team. UCLA and USC have both seemed capable of this lately, but USC will always be the first choice of the community.
Josh Rosen, UCLA
25 of 25
Dubbed "Chosen Rosen" before his college career officially began, Josh Rosen lived up to most expectations in 2015 by throwing for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns as a true freshman. But he also performed often like a first-year player, with 11 interceptions (seven coming in losses) and eight games with a completion percentage below 60 percent.
Now comes Rosen's real test, to be able to show the necessary improvement between his freshman and sophomore year to go from phenom to true superstar. Or you could just believe the hype—that his production last season ensures he's on a path that he won't stray from.
Rosen is one of only two sophomores—along with Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley—on Odds Shark's early Heisman odds list, sitting at 20-1. He was at 40-1 last August, then rose to 14-1 after his stellar debut (350 yards, three TDs) against Virginia.
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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