Interesting Notes and Analysis

 

Cincinnati's schedule: The Bearcats have two bye weeks to open the season before they host Toledo on Friday, Sept. 12th. This means four teams (BYU, Houston, Louisiana Tech, North Texas) will have already played 3 games, or a quarter of their schedule, before the Bearcats take the field. Cincinnati also has both Miami schools on their schedule. They are 0-9 all time vs. Miami (FL) and on an 8 game winning streak vs. Miami (OH). 

 

Jumping Ship: With a recently new rule, players are able to transfer schools and play without having to normally sit out a transfer year if they have already earned their degree. Many have taken advantage of this rule, but two quarterbacks in particular seem to get restless staying in the same place for too long. Jake Heaps and Pete Thomas will be playing for their third school this coming season. Heaps previously played at BYU and Kansas, is now at Miami (FL).  Thomas originally started at Colorado State, then NC State, and now UL Monroe. On top of that, Thomas committed to Arizona State out of high school before de-committing and signing with CSU.

 

Most flexible team: Minnesota. Check out their new routine

 

Best team who will not be bowling: Arkansas (#39)

 

Worst team who will be bowling: Troy (#112)

 

Who has the best chance to be the top Non-Power 5 team selected to a premier bowl?

Here are the top ten teams who have a legitimate chance at securing a spot in one of the six premier bowl games (Rose, Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Peach, Orange) 

 

#1 Boise State: They have recent history and national recognition on their side. The Broncos will be placed on center stage in their first game of the season vs. Ole Miss in Atlanta. If Boise is able to win this game, they are far and away the front runner for the automatic bid. Most other teams on this list must go on the road for a top 25 win. This neutral game gives Boise an advantage over most of the teams on this list. 

 

#2 Marshall: Of any of the teams on this list, Marshall has the best chance to go undefeated. Their schedule is downright awful, but there is a decent shot they will be the only undefeated team out of the Non-Power teams. With that said, the Thundering Herd must win all of their games or they have no shot. 13-0 or bust. 

 

#3 Central Florida: As the favorite from the American Conference, they have a better shot than other conference foes on this list. The Golden Knights have three tough non-conference games with Penn State, Missouri, and BYU. Along with those three games and a more challenging schedule compared to other teams on the list, UCF is probably the front runner if they go 11-1 and nobody else goes undefeated. 

 

#4 Utah State: Like Boise State, the Aggies have a chance to knock off a SEC team in the first week and gain attention. Other than trips to Provo and Boise, the schedule is manageable and they should be favored in most. Even an 11 win Utah State might not be enough to get the Aggies the bid, but 12 would definitely be hard to refuse. Utah State has the least amount of national recognition of the top 8 in this list, but a Heisman in Chuckie Keeton can balance out that disadvantage.   

 

#5 Cincinnati: Their non-conference schedule allows for some key victories and spotlight. With road games at Ohio State and Miami (FL), the chances are there. Will the Bearcats win both of those? Not Likely. Even if they win one of those games and goes perfect through conference play, it is hard to ignore what Cincinnati brings to the table. If by some miracle they are able to go undefeated, they would creat College Football Playoff buzz, not just a Non-Power bid push. 

 

#6 BYU: Another team with a ton of chances to turn heads are the Cougars. Are they going to go undefeated? Extremely unlikely, especially with a schedule including, Texas, Houston, Utah State, Central Florida, and Boise State. I find it hard to believe this team will escape with less than two losses over the season. The reason they make the list is their ability to have a legitimate fighter's chance in every game they play. And if they have a chance they make the list. 

 

#7 Houston: Already mentioned before, the Houston Cougars are a team to keep an eye on for a good season. At this point on the list, it goes without saying that these teams are not expected to win more than 10 games. The toughest game on the Houston schedule is probably a trip to BYU or Cincinnati. Most of the teams on this list face a much tougher obstacle so not having to face a top 20 team on the road gives them a shot. 

 

#8 Fresno State: If the trend isn't starting to become noticeable, it is all about chances to prove yourself as a Non-Power team. The Bulldogs have to have one of the hardest non-conference schedules among anyone in the nation. Here's Fresno State's first three games: at USC, at Utah, and vs. Nebraska. Wow. The "anyone, anywhere" motto is going to be put to the test big time. If they are able to steal two of these three games it would be amazing. All three would be absolutely ridiculous, right? If any team on this list controlled their destiny it's the Fresno State Bulldogs. We haven't even mentioned the conference schedule and the likelihood of having to beat Boise State twice. This is the least likely team on the list to get 10 wins, but they are one team that doesn't have to worry about other teams stealing their bid if they go undefeated. Not even close. 

 

#9 Toledo: With the party crashing from Northern Illinois, the MAC gained a little bit more attention as a respectable conference. The Rockets managed to convince Missouri to come to their place for a home game. If they found a way to win that game and carry that momentum into Cincinnati the following week, this dream shot could quickly turn into the real deal. Later would be a trip to Iowa State, which isn't exactly a terrifying Big 12 road game. The MAC schedule is filled with pesky teams and almost every top team seems to slip up against somebody. So winning 9 conference games may be easier said than done. Like Northern Illinois, this MAC team would need a 13-0 record to get any shot at the Non-Power bid. 

 

#10 Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin Cajuns have the best chance of any team on the list to go undefeated in conference play. The Sun Belt is almost always considered the weakest conference at the FBS level. So with that perfect conference record, just win the other four non-conference games, right? Problem is two of those games are at Boise State and at Ole Miss. Just pulling off one of those colossal upsets would be difficult. Sadly, UL Lafayette would likely need both wins to get the Non-Power bid. If you believe in magical beans, buy the ones with the Fleu-de-lis shape.