College Football Frauds: 25 Teams, Coaches & Players We Don’t Believe
Every year in college football there are always teams, players, and coaches with unwarranted preseason hype and high expectations for the upcoming year.
Some believe that those on this list will actually deliver.
But I'm here to tell you that that's not going to happen.
Don't waste your energy and get your hopes up.
Here are 25 teams, players, and coaches that are more likely to let you down than anything else.
Oregon Ducks
1 of 25
The Ducks open the season ranked No. 11 by both the AP and the coaches' poll.
Gone is dual-threat quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, and the Ducks are facing some tough competition in the Pac-10.
Oregon went 10-3 last season. Do you really think their new quarterback—whoever it may be—will give them the same production as Masoli?
That's not very likely to happen in this stacked Pac-10.
Masoli fit this offense perfectly. Take Masoli out of the equation and you have a team that will struggle to repeat their production from last year.
Lane Kiffin, USC
2 of 25
There's always been a lot of hype surrounding Kiffin wherever he goes.
Now as the head coach of USC, expectations are again high. The guy may be young, but he has yet to prove that he can deliver.
With the Oakland Raiders, Kiffin became the youngest head coach in the NFL and he went 4-12 during his first season.
Four games into his second year, Kiffin led the team to a 1-3 record and was fired by Al Davis.
In his only season with the Tennessee Volunteers, Kiffin had a 7-6 record but suffered big out of conference losses against UCLA and Virginia Tech.
But people in Southern California still think he can rescue their program.
Matt Barkley, USC
3 of 25
It's tough when you're the starting quarterback at USC.
Of late, the position has produced top NFL talent such as Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassell and Mark Sanchez.
Now Barkley is the next quarterback in line. But he has yet to prove he belongs.
Barkley had spurts of brilliance during his freshman year but was very inconsistent. In 12 games, he threw for 15 TDs but also had 14 INTs.
That's hardly Heisman candidate-worthy.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Jake Locker, Washington Huskies
4 of 25
Locker in his senior season is being viewed as a potential Heisman trophy winner and a future top NFL draft pick.
But he plays for a Washington team that had a losing record last year at 5-7. His losses were against big-time teams such as UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford.
And his numbers haven't really been lights out. Last season, his pass completion percentage was at 58.2%
So how exactly is he worthy of the trophy if he can't even lead his team to win against any of the top Pac-10 competition and complete more than 60 percent of his passes?
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
5 of 25
Pryor was one of the most sought-after recruits to come out of high school.
Two years later, he still hasn't lived up to his billing.
Each of the past seasons, people were convinced that it will be a breakout year for him. But that hasn't been the case.
He may be one of the fastest Buckeyes, but Pryor has a woeful pass completion percentage of 55.5% in his college career.
Rich Rodriguez, Michigan
6 of 25
Rodriguez has yet to see the kind of coaching success he had with West Virginia, now that he's at Michigan.
In fact, his two seasons with the Wolverines have been far from impressive (3-9) in 2008 and (5-7) in 2009. He mustered a total of three wins against Big Ten competition over the last two years.
Now his team is facing possible sanctions from the NCAA regarding rules violations, and he's also been called out by former players for the lack of family values in his coaching staff.
Penn State Nittany Lions
7 of 25
The preseason coaches' poll had them ranked at No. 14, but media saw what a lot of people saw—they're overrated—and knocked them down a few spots to No. 19.
This team may be coached by Joe Paterno, but they still have questions in the quarterback position and the offensive line.
Florida State Seminoles
8 of 25
This is a team with that has a completely different look than years past.
There's no more Bobby Bowden.
There's a new coach, and a new defensive coordinator. And a defense that has yet to prove they can play in the new scheme.
And they're ranked No. 20 by the AP after a 7-6 season. Really?
Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
9 of 25
Jimbo's done a lot of talking this offseason and he's already got plenty of people convinced that this Seminoles team can do some damage.
Which explains why the coaches' poll have the 'Noles at No. 20 after being unranked with Bobby Bowden the previous season and Jimbo as the offensive coordinator.
He may be a highly regarded offensive mind, but we have yet to see what he can do as a head coach.
Christian Ponder, Florida State
10 of 25
The Florida State athletics marketing department recently launched a Heisman campaign website for Ponder.
This is the same quarterback that went 4-5 in nine starts last season before succumbing to a season-ending shoulder injury.
He did improve upon his previous seasons, but Ponder still failed to step up and lead the team to important victories.
You're not Heisman-worthy until you can prove to be a winner.
Jacory Harris, Miami (Fl.)
11 of 25
This junior quarterback is coming into the year with high hopes and people believing that he can finally prove to be consistent.
He's got the potential to be exciting, but has also yet to show that he make good decisions under pressure.
In his two years at Miami, Harris has thrown for 35 TDs and 24 INTs.
Virginia Tech Hokies
12 of 25
The Hokies open the season all the way at No. 6 in the coaches' poll and No. 10 in the AP poll.
But do they deserve to be ranked that highly?
This is a team that won 10 games last season, but that 10th win came in a bowl game against a weak SEC opponent in Tennessee.
Add to that, a rebuilt defense that has yet to prove itself. This team isn't as good as they're being made out to be.
Marvin Austin, North Carolina
13 of 25
Already expected to be a top NFL draft pick for his size and talent, the problem with Austin is that he hasn't really shown us what he's capable of doing on a consistent basis.
The other knock on him is that he's been known to take some plays off.
John Brantley, Florida
14 of 25
He's the successor to one of the most successful college players ever. Brantley's got some big shoes to fill.
But some people are already convinced that he's better than Tim Tebow and a future Heisman award winner.
Just because he went on to break Tebow's passing records in high school.
Is it really possible for lighting to strike twice? He does have the bloodlines. But let's just hold on first before we crown him the next Tim Tebow.
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
15 of 25
There's no question most fans and scouts are having a love affair with his size 6'7", 238 pounds, and arm strength.
Once that initial infatuation fades, you'll realize that he is not athletic, has poor footwork, no speed, and an inaccurate passer.
Forget his Heisman chances. This guy will get exposed in the SEC by playing tough defenses like Alabama.
Georgia Bulldogs
16 of 25
So the Bulldogs have a new redshirt freshman quarterback in Aaron Murray and the team is learning a new 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham.
But the coaches' poll already has them ranked at No. 21.
There are still playmakers on this squad, but there's also plenty of question marks.
LSU Tigers
17 of 25
The coaches poll had LSU at No. 16 but the AP dropped then down to No. 21 on their poll.
My opinion: that's still too high for this team.
They have one hell of a schedule with away games against Top 25 teams like North Carolina, Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas, then home games against Alabama and West Virginia.
With a schedule like that, they might actually finish the year out of the top 25.
Les Miles, LSU
18 of 25
Yes, he won a national title in 2007, but people are starting to take note that he probably just got lucky with that two-loss Tiger team.
Despite always finding himself with talent-laden LSU rosters, Miles' squads somehow always manage to underachieve.
The Tigers lost four games last year and five in 2008 under Miles.
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina Gamecocks
19 of 25
There's been a lot of love for Spurrier since he took the helm at South Carolina.
Each year is supposed to be the time when the Gamecocks will finally rise to prominence like his old Florida Gators teams.
But over the last five years, Spurrier's squads have lost six games each of the last three seasons and five games each in his first two years.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
20 of 25
Cam Newton already had high expectations when he was first slated to become the successor to Tim Tebow with the Gators.
However, his stint with Florida didn't work out.
This time around with Auburn, he's being viewed as a dark-horse Heisman candidate, and this is all based on his potential.
I guess 6'6", 247-pound quarterbacks with speed and arm strength don't grow on trees.
But, need I remind you, this kid hasn't even done anything on the field.
Florida Gators
21 of 25
Ah, the Gators.
So let me get this straight. The team loses Tim Tebow. They lose their defensive coordinator. They lose nine of their other top players in the offseason.
And they're ranked No. 3 by the coaches and aren't expected to lose a step this year?
That can't be right.
Julio Jones, Alabama
22 of 25
He's a big kid with big-time potential.
It's just too bad he hasn't fulfilled it with the Tide.
Last season, he only scored four touchdowns after being touted as one of the best wide receivers in the country.
Then Jones only managed one catch during the national championship game. That's disappointing.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
23 of 25
This one is pretty simple.
The 'Huskers finished last year No. 14 on the AP poll and start the preseason No. 8, according to media.
Hmm. Nebraska lost some key defensive pieces this offseason, including a really big component in Ndamukong Suh. So now they're No. 8?
That just doesn't make sense.
Von Miller, Texas A&M
24 of 25
So the story on this guy is his misleading nation-leading sack numbers: 8 of his total 16.5 sacks came in the first three games of the season, against weak competition.
Soon after that, his production tapered off as better teams learned to play against him.
Texas Longhorns
25 of 25
Texas is No. 5 on the preseason AP poll and No. 4 on the coaches' poll.
But gone are quarterback Colt McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley.
Do we really expect them to remain a Top Five team with Garrett Gilbert taking over at QB?
He's going to need some time to adjust, and Top Five is just too high and hopeful for this team.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
