The 2016 college football season is still a few months away but with the spring games in the books and the countdown to the fall underway it is that time of the year where everybody is trying to predict what is around the corner. Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson are among the early betting favorites to win the national championship this season but there are a handful of overlooked teams on the rise that could push their way in to the title conversation this season. Here is a look at the college football teams that are on the rise heading in to 2016.
Michigan Wolverines
Big Ten
The Wolverines took a major step forward in Jim Harbuagh’s first season as head coach with a 10-3 record. Michigan nearly upset the eventual conference champion Michigan State in a thrilling Big Ten showdown and then earned a measure of redemptions with a lopsided 41-7 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. The offensive line returns four starters with some intriguing talent at the skill positions while top recruit Rashan Gary leads an impressive defense that will be coached by new coordinator Don Brown. Three road dates at Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State will ultimately decide the Wolverines’ fate but nobody is sleeping on Michigan as a college football team on the rise in 2016.
Tennessee Volunteers
SEC
Tennessee improved to 9-4 last season and finished as the runner-up to Florida in the SEC East. With another year of experience and the development of Joshua Dobbs as one of the best returning quarterbacks in the SEC, the Volunteers are expected to take another step forward in 2016. Dobbs will be surrounded with some substantial weapons while four starters return on an improved offensive line that should be able to give him more than enough time to make big plays down the field. Tennessee ranked fifth in the SEC in scoring defense last year and the addition of new defensive coordinator Bob Schoop should help them to take another step forward. The Vols are listed as the betting favorite to win the SEC East this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they received a ton of attention on the national stage as a program that is clearly headed in the right direction.
Louisville Cardinals
ACC
The ACC’s Atlantic division projects to be extremely competitive at the top this year with Clemson and Florida State the favorites to win contend for a conference title. However, the Cardinals are coming off an 8-5 season in which they demonstrated marked improvement and there are plenty of reasons to believe they can take another step forward in 2016. Dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson put on an absolute clinic in Louisville’s spring game and the Louisville offense has the potential to be as explosive as another group in the conference. We’ve seen many times now what Bobby Petrino can do when he has a good quarterback guiding his offense and it looks like he finally found one. The Cardinals should be dangerous on offense.
As for the defense, linebackers Keith Kelsey and Devonte Fields lead an improved defense as two of the best in the ACC at their position. With a favorable schedule the Cardinals are clearly a team to watch this season.
Houston Cougars
AAC
Houston is coming off a 13-1 season in the American Athletic Conference a year ago and it won’t take long for us to figure out whether they can be a dark horse national title contender this season. The Cougars open the year against the defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma with key games against Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis that will play a big role in how they are perceived on the national stage. Tom Herman has built up a formidable program with an offense that has the potential to be one of the best in the entire nation and if Houston opens the season with a win over the Sooners there will be a lot of talk about the Cougars as a sleeper pick to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff even despite a relatively weak schedule outside of the Power Five conferences.
