The annual reveal of the AP preseason rankings is the time of the year when college football fans and experts debate which teams are overrated, underrated and ranked right where they should be. All of the speculation comes to a close as the season is just about to start.
While some programs have a reputation for overachieving, there are others that consistently can’t seem to live up to the hype. Here is a look at the five college football programs that have underachieved the most over the past decade.
Texas Longhorns
No program has underachieved more based on where they have finished compared to where they started in the AP poll every season than Texas. The Longhorns were a top 10 team from 2005 through 2009 but the bottom fell out in 2010 when they went from national runner-up to finishing with their first losing record since 1997. Texas has never recovered since that terrible 2010 season with disappointments both in conference play and on the national stage. With other teams taking over as the big dogs in the Big 12, it’s clear the Longhorns are now playing catchup, which is hard to believe given their resources.
Oklahoma Sooners
Speaking of a former powerhouse program that has underachieved big time over the past few years in the Big 12, the Sooners are right behind Texas in that department. Oklahoma has consistently started high and finished low in the AP polls with only two seasons in which the program has improved on its preseason ranking over the last 10 years. The Sooners were ranked No. 4 in last year’s preseason poll and were widely considered a national title contender but they went 8-5 to finish fourth in the Big 12 behind Baylor, TCU and Kansas State. The Big 12 has seen a changing for the guards as Texas and Oklahoma were annual powers, but now it’s TCU and Baylor that carry the flag.
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins have the financial resources to compete with any school in the country but they’ve failed to do exactly that over the last decade. We’re talking about a program with such a rich history and brand name that they could have any coach, yet guys like Karl Dorrell, Rick Neuheisel and Jim Mora Jr. have been leading them to underachieve. Dorrell and Neuheisel were a complete mess as the Bruins suffered through a 24-18 stretch through five years under Dorrell (with just one bowl win) and then collected just 13 wins in 36 games under Neuheisel.
It has gotten better in recent years under Mora but recall that this is a team that was expected to contend for a BCS Championship over the last couple of seasons, yet only has an Alamo Bowl and Sun Bowl to show for it. Yes, bowl wins are nice but at UCLA, those aren’t considered as significant achievements unless the BCS is involved.
Michigan Wolverines
It’s been a dark decade for Michigan football. In 2006, Lloyd Carr led the team to a Rose Bowl. Since then, they’ve only been back to the BCS once – in 2011 – and that season looks more and more like a fluke. After Carr, there was the Rich Rodriguez debacle where the team finished 10th, 10th and seventh in the Big Ten. Brady Hoke was next and he seemed to capture lightning in a bottle in his first year in Ann Arbour, going 11-2 and collecting a Sugar Bowl win. However, the team went 20-18 after that. This is supposed to be a team that contends for the BCS each and every year but they’ve been miserable over the last decade. Now it’s up to Jim Harbaugh to turn things around.
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Miami Hurricanes
The final spot on our list goes to Miami, another team that has underachieved according to the numbers over the last decade. The Hurricanes haven’t been ranked in the Top 25 since 2010 when they posted a 7-6 record but that wasn’t the only time they disappointed. Memories of 2006 linger when they opened as the No. 11 team in the country and then fell out of the Top 25 only a couple of weeks later. The fact that Miami had seven players drafted in to the NFL following a 6-7 campaign might be the biggest testament to their underachieving last season. Despite some considerable talent, they once again could not finish above the .500 mark.
