Every single season, there are college football teams that come out of nowhere to surprise everyone with their strong play. That will almost surely be the case again in 2016 and we have narrowed down a small group of teams that we feel have the potential to shock the college football world. Last year, teams like the Florida Gators, North Carolina Tar Heels and Houston Cougars surprised a lot of people. We’ll definitely see some more like this in 2016 and we’ve got our eye on a few team. Here is a look at the four potential surprise teams to keep an eye on in 2016.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State head coach Mike Leach has one of the most dangerous passing offenses in the entire country with quarterback Luke Falk leading the way. Falk will be joined by seven other returning offensive starters and if their defense can step up they will be a team to watch out for in the Pac-12. That includes star receiver Gabe Marks. That tandem of Falk-to-Marks will be something that we hear very frequently this season as they could be the best one-two punch in the nation. Marks was on the All-Pac-12 First Team last year and was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
The Cougars will have the benefit of opening against three winnable non-conference games, although Boise State should provide a formidable challenge. That said, Washington State has the talent and depth to make a serious run in the Pac-12 and they shouldn’t be overlooked heading in to the 2016 season.
San Diego State
Remember when the Aztecs started 1-4 and many people felt that head coach Rocky Long was on the hot seat? Yeah, those days are forgotten. The Aztecs finished the 2015 season on a run of 10 straight wins and a Mountain West title. Now they’ll be looking to carry over their success into this season. They have some formidable returning talent including their star running back Donnel Pumphrey, who is one of the most dynamic weapons in the conference. The defense is what butters this team’s bread and it should be one of the best in the nation this year. On top of that, the schedule appears to be very favorable playing in the Mountain West. They’ll be one of the last two teams left standing as it should be down to them and Boise State this year.
San Diego State is among the true contenders to win a conference championship and that would mean playing in a major bowl game as well. The Aztecs aren’t getting a lot of attention leading up to the season but they are a potential surprise team to keep an eye on.
Appalachian State
Appalachian State had no problem making the transition from the FCS to the FBS a year ago when they went 7-5 in their first year and then posted an 11-2 record in their second year in 2015. The Mountaineers will return eight defensive starters and six offensive starters so there is plenty of reason to believe they will be one of the better teams in the Sun Belt conference. Appalachian State could very well receive enough national attention to be a top-15 team in the country this season.
Toledo
The Rockets tailed off a bit following a 7-0 start last season but they beat a talented Temple team in the Boca Raton Bowl. Now they will return with an absolutely loaded offense that has the potential to put up big numbers in 2016. Running backs Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson are back and they’ve both quietly been among the most productive in the country. They both finished shy of 1000 but tallied 19 touchdowns.
Jason Candle’s team should be able to take advantage of a fairly straightforward schedule and if they could beat BYU on the road they will have a very good shot at competing for a conference championship in the MAC. Toledo might not compete to play in a major bowl game but if their defense can play as well as last year when they allowed just 20.8 points per game, they should turn heads as a legitimate force in the MAC.
