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After another disappointing season for the Miami Hurricanes, the hot seat under Al Golden is getting even hotter. Fans of the program are losing their patience as the team continues to be mired in mediocrity. And the issue certainly has been the talent, as evidenced by the litany of representation in February’s NFL Combine.
The SEC East was ripe for the taking last season, but the Georgia Bulldogs just had too many missteps to take advantage. The team will field another solid roster that will flirt with a top 10 ranking in the AP poll this upcoming season, but many will question the job security of head coach Mark Richt if the squad again fails to break through.
Virginia needed to go bowling a year ago in order to save head coach Mike London’s job – or so we all thought. The Cavaliers went 5-7, picking up just a single victory after Oct. 4. Last season, but London returns for a sixth season. London is a good recruiter, and the talent in Charlottesvile is improving, even if the results aren’t.
While the Alabama Crimson Tide were not able to break through and win a national title this past season, the team was once again right in the thick of the title hunt, winning the SEC and qualifying for the inaugural College Football Playoff, where they lost to the eventual national champions, Ohio State.
The Tennessee Volunteers are starting to come out the other end of what’s been a very long rebuild for a proud program. The Volunteers were once a breeding ground for NFL talent, and appears headed in the right direction in its efforts to get back to that elite level.
The Florida Gators gave Will Muschamp his last chance a year ago, and he didn’t do enough to save his job. Now Jim McElwain takes over in Gainesville with an eye on turning the Gators around in a hurry, but all signs point to a rebuilding year.
The Virginia Tech Hokies have won at least 10 games in eight consecutive seasons from 2004 through 2011, but has gone just 19-13 against FBS opponents over the last three seasons, and 7-6 in 2014. The Hokie defense remains among the best in the country, but finding some consistency on offense will be the key to a successful season.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs burst into the national spotlight as the darling team of 2014, picking up a rare double-digit win season. However, with that breakout now comes increased expectations for a program that hasn’t shown it can regularly put together that kind of success.
Describing the 2014 season Ole Miss just put together is tricky. The season was a success in some ways and a disappointment in others. Considering how difficult the SEC West wound up being, getting to nine wins is a heck of an accomplishment, but the Rebels certainly placed their sights higher after pulling down those goal posts after upsetting Alabama in Oxford.
Missouri has quietly won the SEC East in back-to-back seasons, though the program continues to be an afterthought in the division. The team has handled the move from the Big 12 to the SEC very well, but until they can break through and win something of significance, they’ll continue to be overlooked.
The Houston Cougars are typical of most mid-major programs. Just when they think they are getting things really rolling they lose a senior quarterback, or a hot coach, and they are right back to square one.
In 2011 they went 13-1 thanks to the combo of QB Case Keenum and HC Kevin Sumlin (both now gone). They might have even gone to a BCS game were it not for a loss in the Conference USA title game to Southern Miss. Since then they have been competitive but 8-5 is not 13-1. It wasn’t even good enough for Tony Levine to keep his job. This is Houston right?
The San Diego State Aztecs enter the 2015 NCAA Football Season following a 2014 campaign that saw them go 7-6. Although that’s not a terrible standing for a team that’s shown improvement over the past few seasons, it’s that exact improvement that makes a 7-win year a bit of a disappointment.
The Fresno State Bulldogs are coming off a disappointing season. Derek Carr, Davante Adams, Isaiah Burse, two starting offensive linemen and three top-tier defensive linemen all left. The defense took a step in the wrong direction, and the offense did as well.
The Nevada Wolf Pack found their way back to postseason competition in Brian Polian’s second season as the lead man. Now the challenge for the team is to carry that momentum into 2015 despite uncertainty at quarterback — not to mention the offensive line and wide receiver spots.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders’ 2014 NCAA Football season was a roller coaster of a year. Many times were they were inconsistent on both sides of the ball, while other times they looked unstoppable. They won back-to-back games just one time and fell three points short at UTEP in their season finale to miss out on a postseason bowl.
The Marshall Thundering Herd were starting to raise some eyebrows within the BCS Playoff Committee in 2014. They were not just beating opponents, but rather trashing them by nearly 30 points a game. The only thing keeping the Thundering Herd out of any sort of high ranking was their lack of schedule.
