Tulsa has largely flown under the radar over the last few years, but this is a very successful football program. The Golden Hurricane have won at least 8 games in all but one year since 2005. Bill Blankenship kept the tradition going in his first year with the program in 2011.
June Jones has turned around the SMU program nicely, and now the goals and expectations are much higher for the Mustangs. Texas transfer Garrett Gilbert will be eligible at quarterback at this year, and many people believe the Mustangs should have a powerful offense in 2012.
2012-13 Football Previews – Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) – North Carolina Tar Heels
After NCAA investigations (gosh, aren’t we getting used to hearing that phrase) cost former coach Butch Davis his job in 2011, defensive co-ordinator Everett Withers took over on an interim basis; he was just keeping the seat warm.
Arkansas State won the Sun Belt Conference last season. Hugh Freeze did a brilliant job in his first season as the Red Wolves coach, but Freeze left Jonesboro in the offseason to take over the top job at Ole Miss.
Florida International went 1-26 during a stretch between 2006 and 2008. That’s why it is so impressive that Mario Cristobal has taken this team to the place it is right now. FIU is one of the best in the Sun Belt. The Golden Panthers knocked off Louisville and UCF last year en route to a solid 8-5 year.
Louisiana Lafayette went 3-9 in 2010, and the team seemed destined for another disappointing year in 2011. Mark Hudspeth took over and changed the program right away. The Ragin’ Cajuns went 9-4 and picked up a bowl victory in his first year with the team.
The Troy Trojans are used to being at the top of the Sun Belt and being one of the best small-conference teams in the nation. After many successful years, the Trojans finished last year at a miserable 3-9. They lost seven of their last eight games.
Central Florida has been one of the top programs in Conference USA for the last few years. George O’Leary has done a lot for this program in his time at the school.
The 2011 season didn’t go as planned though, and the team finished 5-7.
The Houston Cougars went 13-1 last season, but big changes are coming in the 2012 season. Case Keenum is now in the NFL, and Kevin Sumlin now coaches for the Texas A&M Aggies. Tony Levine will take over a team that suffered major losses from last year’s team.
How about 50 wins and 3 losses? That is the Boise State Broncos record over the last four seasons. Chris Petersen has taken this team to the next level. There is a major question mark surrounding this season though: the departure of star quarterback Kellen Moore.
Southern Miss may have started the 2011 season with an ugly loss at Marshall in week two, but the Golden Eagles ended the season on an extreme high by thrashing Houston in the Conference USA Championship game and then winning the Hawaii Bowl.
Last year, the Clemson Tigers were the Figure 1A example of a “feast or famine” team in college football. The Tigers started out a flawless 8-0 and ranked #6 in the AP poll, only to lose four of their last six.
Ohio State and Michigan might have the most tradition in the Big Ten conference, but no one has been better in the last few years than the Wisconsin Badgers. If you were to pick a team that has been the most consistent at the top of the heap in this conference of late, you’d have to select Wisconsin. Michigan and Ohio State are gaining steam with great new coaches. Can Wisconsin stay on top?
Pat Fitzgerald still isn’t 38 years old, but he now has the second longest tenure of any Big Ten coach (behind Kirk Ferentz at Iowa). Fitzgerald is a young spirited coach who has gotten the most out of his teams. He recently signed an extension that keeps him in Evanston until 2020.
The timeless mantra we’ve all heard is that defense wins championships. The ’Noles look mighty powerful this year because of their outstanding defense. It’s been a pretty lengthy road back for FSU since the dominant Bobby Bowden-led years of the 1990s.
It’s hard to label Brady Hoke’s first season with the Michigan Wolverines as anything but a major success. Hoke led the team to an 11-2 record and a BCS bowl win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Last year showed that Hoke knows how to win in the Big Ten.
