In 2012, the USC Trojans were named the preseason No. 1 team in all of college football. Unfortunately for them, they ultimately finish unranked after earning those honors. A six-loss season was beyond disappointing, and as a result, head coach Lane Kiffin has been looked at as potential hot seat candidate in 2013.
In 2011, the UCLA Bruins made the Pac-12 championship game because of a formality. The USC Trojans were banned from postseason competition, meaning that UCLA was given the spot without truly earning it.
The 2012 Arizona State Sun Devils laid a solid foundation for the program moving forward. In Todd Graham’s first year as head coach, he helped improve the team to 8-5. The season was called an “unquestioned success” by ESPN’s Ted Miller (Pac-12 blogger), and it’s tough to argue anything else.
After the massive 11-2 season in 2011, the Michigan Wolverines 8-5 season in 2012 had to be seen as a disappointment. Still, it’s obvious that Brady Hoke has this program continuing on the right path.
Isn’t it about time that Pat Fitzgerald starts getting recognized as one of the best coaches in the country? Northwestern isn’t an easy job to get top notch recruits, so Fitzgerald had to start off winning games with far less talent than almost any other team in the Big Ten.
Jerry Kill has done an amazing job with this Minnesota Golden Gophers program. Someone looking on from the outside may not be terribly impressed by a 6-7 record last year, but those who have followed this team know just how much progress the Golden Gophers have made since Kill took over as the head coach.
Second-year head coach Rich Rodriguez is coming off a season that saw him go 8-5 with the Arizona Wildcats. That campaign was the first time he had put together a winning record in a season debut, as well as the first time his team went to a bowl game in a debut.
The Oregon Ducks have taken the NCAA by storm over the past few seasons, and 2013 should prove to be no exception. The fast-paced, up-tempo offense has been too much for most Pac-12 teams to handle, and even though head coach Chip Kelly has departed for the NFL, Mark Helfrich should be ready to carry forward the winning ways of the past.
The Michigan State Spartans were so close to having a big season in 2012, but their inability to come up with big plays in crunch time cost them in many games. Five of their six losses came by a grand total of 13 points.
It’s tough to figure out the Iowa Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz was seen as one of college football’s top coaches a few years ago when the Hawkeyes were shocking the Big Ten and playing like one of the nation’s top teams.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers went 10-4 last season, but it’s hard to consider their season much of a success thanks to the way it ended. Nebraska was absolutely embarrassed 70-31 by Wisconsin in the Big 10 Conference Championship Game.
The Oregon State Beavers shocked the world with their performance for much of the 2012 season. Because of a weather-influenced delay against Nicholls St., Mike Riley’s crew opened up the year against the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers.
Nevada moves from the WAC to the Mountain West this year, and the team hopes it will give them a chance for bigger things. Chris Ault’s Pistol system has recruits coming to the school to play in the exciting offensive system. The team went 12-1 two years with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, but they slid to 7-6 last season.
Hawaii slipped to 6-7 in 2011, and the team decided to part ways with Greg McMackin. Fortunately for the Warriors, they landed a huge name in offensive guru Norm Chow. Chow has been behind the success of quarterbacks such as Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and many others. Hawaii fans have high hopes that Chow can move this program forward in the coming years.
Doc Holliday and the Marshall Thundering Herd took a nice step forward in 2011. The Thundering Herd loaded up the schedule and managed to go 6-6 in the regular season and then win in the St. Petersburg Bowl against FIU. Marshal finished 7-6 even though they had to play the 16th toughest schedule in the nation.
Western Kentucky started the season 0-4 and it looked like it was going to be another miserable season for the Hilltoppers. The team came together and went 7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference to finish 7-5 on the year. This is a team that just a few years ago lost 26 games in a row. Clearly, Willie Taggart is doing something right at Western Kentucky.
