12 College Football Teams with a Chance to Go from No Postseason to Bowl

We live in a day and time when making a bowl game is no longer a legitimate barometer of the status of your program. A moment where nearly half the teams that compete at the FBS level are capable of reaching bowl play; however, some programs still fail to achieve that goal.

Each season there are teams that manage to return from the depths and return to post season play, after a brief hiatus. 

We will take a look at twelve teams that are poised to return to postseason play in 2011. 

Arizona State Sun Devils

The Arizona State Sun Devils and Head Coach Dennis Erickson have failed to reach bowl eligibility over the last three seasons. They last tasted postseason play in the 2007 Holiday Bowl, where they were walloped by the Texas Longhorns.

Erickson and company have one of their most talented teams since his arrival on the Tempe campus and are poised to return to bowl eligibility. Led by quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Cameron Marshall, the Sun Devils possess a talented offense that will have them competing in the newly expanded PAC 12.  

UCLA Bruins

Rick Neuheisel has severely underachieved during his tenure with the UCLA Bruins, hitting rock bottom with 2010's 4-8 season. The Bruins return seventeens starters for the 2011 campaign, led by star running back Jonathan Franklin.

The Bruins must receive improved quarterback and defensive play to reach bowl eligibility in 2011; thankfully, they will be competing in a top-heavy conference that will afford them the opportunity to reach postseason play.

Oregon State Beavers

The city and fan base surrounding Corvallis, Oregon had grown accustomed to being a top-25 program and a consistent bowl representative. Disappointment reigned supreme when Mike Riley and company limped to a 5-7 record and failed to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2005. 

Riley must replace one of the school's all-time greats, Jacquizz Rodgers, but plenty of talent exists on the offensive side of the ball to lead this team to the postseason, once again. 

Purdue Boilermakers

Head Coach Danny Hope has struggled to rebuild the Purdue Boilermaker program, following the departure of long-time coach Joe Tiller. He has failed to lead his program to an elusive postseason berth in his first two seasons, and Purdue has failed to qualify for postseason play since 2007.

2010 was an injury riddled campaign for the Boilermaker offense, ending in a 4-8 season. Hope returns sixteen starters, including stud quarterback Rob Henry; accompanied by a favorable schedule and the faithful in West Lafayette are expecting to play in a bowl game in 2011. 

Texas Longhorns

Missing a bowl game for the Texas Longhorns is the equivalent of Armageddon in the Lone Star State, epic failure. Mack Brown and his coaching staff had continued a long standing tradition of being a quality program, but 2010 was a traumatic change from the normalcy of their tenure.

The Longhorns return only twelve starters, but are still among the most talented teams in the country and are poised to return to their winning ways. 

Virginia Cavaliers

The Virginia Cavalier football program was the epitome of consistency during the George Welsh tenure, but the program has struggled mightily since his departure. The Al Groh regime tasted mild moments of success, but were unable to sustain the program at a high level.

Mike London, in his second year on the job, returns eighteen starters, including ten on a much-improved defense. A favorable schedule should allow them to reach postseason play for the first time since the 2007 Gator Bowl. 

Cincinnati Bearcats

Head Coach Butch Jones continued to follow the path of his mentor, Brian Kelly, and assumed the role of the Cincinnati Bearcats lead man in 2010. Kelly had turned the Bearcat program into a legitimate power during his tenure, leading them to back to back BCS bowls, but Jones introduction failed to meet the high expectations laid by Kelly.

The Bearcats entered a slumber and struggled to a 4-8 season and were far from competitive versus the Big East's best teams; thankfully, Jones returns plenty of talent in year two.

Cincinnati returns fifteen starters, including ten from an underachieving defense, and have the opportunity to be one of the most improved teams in the country in 2011. 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Greg Schiano introduced the world to a new power throughout the opening decade of the 2000s. Rutgers football became a competitive program for the first time in the school's long history, and were a regular bowl representative for the Big East.

However, the 2010 season was a massive step back for a program that had worked so hard to achieve success. Youth  and injuries caught up with Rutgers and they slumped to a 4-8 record, including four straight devastating losses to end the season. 

The Scarlet Knights return nine quality starters on offense and a maturing group of young talent that should lead them back to postseason play. 

Colorado State Rams

Steve Fairchild and the Colorado State Rams have suffered through several miserable seasons to close out the last decade. The 2009 and 2010 season fell well below the expectations that the Fort Collins faithful had grown to expect; thankfully, improvement appears around the corner.

The Rams return fourteen starters and have their most complete roster since 2005, a roster capable of reaching postseason play for the first time since 2008.

Houston Cougars

The traumatic injury to Case Keenum in 2010 quickly derailed a season filled with expectations for the Houston Cougar football program. Head Coach Kevin Sumlin had hopes and dreams of attempting to make a run at a BCS bowl, but, following the injury, slumped to a 5-7 season.

Keenum returns, after being granted a 6th year of eligibility, and is armed and ready to lead the Cougars in 2011. With Keenum at the helm, the Houston program has an opportunity to run roughshod through Conference USA and become one of America's most improved teams.  

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Derek Dooley left the Louisiana Tech football team with plenty of young talent when he departed for Tennessee. Although they were competitive in 2010, they still fell short of reaching bowl eligibility for the second time in three seasons. 

Sonny Dykes, whom replaced Dooley at the helm, believes his returning talent will be enough to put them over the proverbial hump in 2011 and reach the program's sixth bowl since 1977. 

Idaho Vandals

Head Coach Robb Akey has done a tremendous job in turning the Idaho Vandals into a competitive program in the Western Athletic Conference. They reached a bowl game for only the second time in school history in 2009 and fell just short of repeating that achievement in 2010. 

Entering the 2011 season, the Vandals return eight starters on defense and have a solid nucleus on offense that will prove a pest to the WAC powers in 2011. If things fall the right way, they could find themselves in the upper half of the conference and playing in a bowl game for the third time in school history.