Every single summer, there are those college football teams that receive a ton of hype on a national level. Whether they are bowl-eligible sleepers or conference championship favorites, these teams receive a ton of attention with seemingly endless talk about how dominant they have the potential to be. Here is a look at four college football teams that have received a ton of hype and we’re taking a closer look at whether or not they are for real.
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines are ranked No. 8 in the preseason coaches poll and are currently listed at 8-1 to win the national championship in Jim Harbaugh’s second season. Michigan certainly has the potential to win the Big Ten after nearly upsetting Michigan State a year ago, especially with the Spartans set to break in a new quarterback. Ohio State and Iowa will present tough challenges but the Wolverines have enough talent to overcome both of them on their way to a Big Ten title. The bigger question with Michigan is whether they have enough talent on offense to be considered legitimate national title contenders. The Wolverines’ defense should be one of the best in the country but their offense might not be good enough to contend with teams like Alabama, Clemson and Florida State on the national stage. The hype is certainly for real when it comes to the Big Ten picture, but we aren’t ready to anoint Michigan as a legitimate national title team just yet.
Houston Cougars
Houston has been talked about as a dark horse pick to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff for the last two years but there is reason to believe the hype is real heading in to the 2016 season. The Cougars are coming off an AAC championship and a 13-1 record in 2015, and after beating Florida State they aren’t being overlooked on the national stage anymore. Houston’s offense is absolutely loaded with dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr. leading the way and the defense should be just good enough to hold its own. The Cougars will get the opportunity to prove the hype is real from the outset when they play Oklahoma in week one and if they can win that game the stage will be set for Houston to contend for a spot in the playoff.
Washington Huskies
The Huskies are ranked No. 18 in the preseason coaches poll and are listed as a 40-1 pick to win the national championship this season. Those are high expectations for a team that isn’t even the favorite to win the Pac-12, especially following a 7-6 season. Washington head coach Chris Petersen has used words like “comical” and “ridiculous” when addressing the offseason hype surrounding the team and he certainly isn’t that far off. Running back Myles Gaskin has the potential to be one of the best at his position in the Pac-12 but there are legitimate concerns about sophomore quarterback Jake Browning’s progress as well as whether or not the defense can hold its own. The Huskies will have a tough time just getting out of the Pac-12 so the talk of Washington being a national title contender could be an example of a strong team that has definitely been overhyped this offseason.
Tennessee Volunteers
A lot of heaping praise has been sent Tennessee’s way even though they haven’t accomplished anything yet. They’re supposedly on the rise, some call them the team to beat and there are even a select few who think they can challenge Alabama and win the SEC. But is it all too much? The Vols have been building for this time for years as Butch Jones has done an excellent job rebuilding them. Yes, they are uber talented now and yes, they probably have the best or second-best quarterback in the conference. But they’re short on experience and that will likely be their doom. They’ll have a very good season by all accounts but they’ll also flop a couple of times in key moments.
Are they all hype? That’s probably a little too harsh. But they’re not going to be one of the final four teams left standing, competing in the College Football Playoff either.
