Each Power 5 Conferences Most Overrated & Underrated Team
Photo by Kelvin Kuo from the Los Angeles Times
College football season is almost here, and I can not wait.
So much so, that I’ve decided I’m going to write about it now. Because why not?
Today, we are going to go over each power 5 conferences most overrated and underrated team.
Simple enough.
Let’s get started.
ACC
Overrated: Pitt Panthers
Alright alright fine they aren’t actually the answer.
I just had to.
(Less than 100 days till the Backyard Brawl is back).
Overrated: Miami Hurricanes
There is a lot of hype around Miami this offseason, and for good reason.
Mario Cristobal is a great head coach, they have been extremely active in recruiting and especially the transfer market (thank you NIL), so they should be a great contender.
But I wouldn’t be too sure…
Don’t get me wrong, Cristobal is the right man for the job and he will get Miami back to what they once were real quick.
But this is about this season, and the Canes’ name doesn’t hold the same weight that it used to to be able to turn it around in year one.
Just give it some time.
Underrated: Florida State Seminoles
I considered putting NC State here, but NC State was good last year. It’s likely they’ll be good again.
Florida State was 5-7 last year, lost the top recruit to an HBCU out of nowhere on deadline day and set Twitter ablaze while trying to fire Mike Norvell.
What a day on Twitter that was…
Regardless of all of that, the Noles still brought in the 19th ranked recruiting class including transfers.
Bill Connelly has them ranked at #24 in SP+, his arithmetic to determine the top teams in college football.
Those who may not know that likely think Florida State is in shambles and will fall apart.
They’re going to be surprised.
Big 10
Overrated: Wisconsin Badgers
This really does hurt me, because I do love Wisconsin a lot.
I want them to be successful. There’s nothing better than turning on the TV at noon and seeing Camp Randall bouncing.
And it is the Big 10, so their ground and pound game should work like normal and they will win a lot of games.
But once again, there is an expectation of greatness for this Wisconsin team.
And once again, they simply do not have the quarterback to lead them there.
Maybe Graham Mertz will improve and prove me wrong.
But I’ve seen too many Wisconsin QBs fail to think otherwise.
Underrated: Nebraska Cornhuskers
This is going to sound stupid and kind of like a joke, but I genuinely mean it.
Nebraska was the greatest 3-9 team I have ever seen last year.
8 of the 9 losses were one score games, including five of them against ranked opponents.
They were right there all year. They were just one step away.
This year will make up for that. It just has to.
Big 12
Overrated: Oklahoma State Cowboys
It’s hard to describe it, but I’m sure any Pokes fan knows what I’m about to say is deep down sort of true.
Oklahoma State is the best team in the Big 12 this year, and I don’t trust Mike Gundy to have it come to fruition.
He is objectively a great coach, but there’s just something missing.
I can’t describe it.
Underrated: Oklahoma Sooners
What?
How in the hell is Oklahoma underrated?
Well, losing Lincoln Riley and a large chunk of offense has people believing the Sooners will take a downturn and really struggle.
Which is weird. Because this is still Oklahoma football.
I’m predicting a Baylor vs Oklahoma Big 12 championship game, and I feel like people will consider it a huge job by Brent Venables in his first year as if Oklahoma still isn’t absurdly talented compared to the rest of the conference.
Pac 12
Overrated: USC Trojans
Speaking of Lincoln Riley!
USC will be ranked high in the preseason. They’ll win games. The usual stuff.
But, just like Miami earlier, they don’t have the same name to have it be a one year turnaround that they used to.
There are going to be some growing pains that likely keep them away from a Pac 12 title, which could be done easily considering the state of the Pac 12.
It also doesn’t help that they aren’t even the best team in their own city.
Underrated: UCLA Bruins
That’s right. I’m calling my shot!
UCLA is much more likely to be the Pac 12 South champion than USC is.
Chip Kelly has been around long enough to build a good squad and establish a culture.
I have zero doubts that USC will eventually be better than UCLA, but it won’t be this year.
SEC
Overrated: Texas A&M Aggies
Was there really any other option?
Since joining the SEC, Texas A&M has won 10 games a whopping zero times.
Despite that, they still got the top ranked recruiting class! This has to be the year they contend against Alabama for the SEC West!
What could go wrong?
If you aren’t sure, you either don’t watch Texas A&M football or are a student there and therefore incapable of thinking anything bad about them.
Underrated: Mississippi State Bulldogs
This one was actually very, very tough.
I could have picked Arkansas, where Sam Pittman and K.J. Jefferson are helping build the Hogs back up.
I could have picked South Carolina, where Shane Beamer had a phenomenal first year despite giant questions at QB, and then answered them with getting Spencer Rattler as a transfer.
But I decided to go the safer route like a coward.
The Mike Leach air raid offense obviously means you need a highly capable quarterback, and Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers jumping into his junior year is poised towards a Gardner Minshew at WSU type of season.
They still won’t contend with Alabama (because who will other than Georgia) but it’s not crazy to say the Bulldogs will be fighting for 2nd best in the West alongside A&M, LSU and Ole Miss.
