The college football spring ball season has worked its way to a conclusion. Coaches enter the slowest part of their season, hitting the speaking circuit in late spring before they move into media days in July and then the beginning of training camp in August. With spring ball now in the rearview mirror, which programs have offered hints that they are going to be a lot better than they have been the past few years?
Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes seem to have a lot of forward momentum. It is no secret that coach Mark Richt is cleaning up on the recruiting trail and is restoring Miami’s reputation in that part of the college football industry. Miami has placed very favorably in recruiting rankings, and people in and around the program are noticing a considerable jump in enthusiasm and optimism. The on-field source of encouragement for the coming season is that Miami played a lot of freshmen on defense last season, particularly at the three linebacker spots, and managed to generate a lot of improvement over the course of 2016. Miami should have one of the better defenses in the ACC, and that alone should give the Hurricanes a strong chance of winning their first ACC Coastal Division championship, which would be accompanied by the program’s first appearance in the ACC Championship Game since the event was created in 2005. Few proud programs – with a considerable football tradition and pedigree – have suffered more than Miami over the past decade, but among those programs looking for a revival, Miami has to be at or near the top of the list as a candidate for a bounce-back season.
Oregon Ducks
The Ducks fell off the cliff last year, so that enables Oregon to become another team-on-the-rise possibility this year. Willie Taggart is an excellent coach with a proven track record as a man who fixes problems. He did just that at both Western Kentucky and more recently at South Florida. He is improving the Ducks’ recruiting. He brought in Jim Leavitt, a 2016 Broyles Award finalist, as his defensive coordinator. The Ducks are in good shape at quarterback with Justin Herbert at the controls, and while the defense is a big concern, Leavitt should be able to generate improvements, enough that Oregon can improve by four games from its miserable 2016 showing. Oregon used to be a respected, feared Pac-12 team. That was far from the case last year but Taggart might be able to restore that in the coming year.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
When thinking about teams on the rise, Notre Dame is in a situation very similar to Oregon. The 2016 season was a disaster, but that humbling and embarrassing experience opened a lot of eyes, chiefly the eyes of head coach Brian Kelly, who seems to be aware of all the missteps and flaws in his overall process in South Bend. Kelly has hired quality coordinators – Chip Long on offense, Mike Elko on defense – and he has responded to what his players told him needed to be different. Notre Dame is not a national championship contender, but it should improve by several wins this season, much as one should expect of Oregon.
Auburn Tigers
When the Tigers made the BCS National Championship Game at the end of the 2013 season, it seemed coach Gus Malzahn was going to have a superstar-level career as a coach. Instead, Auburn has struggled each of the past three seasons. This could be different in 2017, and the big reason is that Jarrett Stidham’s decision to transfer to Auburn from Baylor. That could give Malzahn the elite quarterback he has searched for – and failed to get – over the past three years. Auburn has the defense and the running game. If Stidham is the real deal and injuries are minimized, Auburn should be a national title contender this year. The Tigers could be that good. But there is the downside risk, of course. If Stidham isn’t the solution, then the Tigers could again be a run-of-the-mill SEC team and that will likely cost Malzahn his job.
Click here to bet on the college football futures for the 2017 college football season right now. DSI will have all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this year’s action!
