Every season some teams come out of nowhere to make a run at either their conference championship or in today’s world of the expanded playoff, a run that has the fanbase dreaming of a CFB title.
Last year we called for Indiana to be one of the big surprises of the season and they did not disappoint. The five teams we’re picking here may or may not make the playoff but we anticipate that all of them will make some noise and some of them will find their way into the final 12. Just like with Indiana last season we’re not predicting that one of these teams will win the natty only that they might make the playoff.
We’re only looking at teams that weren’t in the playoff last season who have a chance to crash the party.
Five Teams Who Might Surprise And Make The Playoff
Michigan Wolverines
Head coach Sharrone Moore not only went undefeated in his interim head coaching stint during the national championship season, but he also proved himself last season by leading the Maize and Blue to three straight wins to end the season which included the win at Ohio State and then against Alabama in the bowl game.
Last season the offense was a major problem. In comes the best quarterback in the country out of high school in Bryce Underwood. He’s already said publicly “it’s my time now “. The offense will undoubtedly be much improved.
On defense, the Wolverines lose a lot but those guys all opted out of the bowl game and the defense played great anyway against the Tide to close the season. We’re not concerned about the defense they will be good.
Michigan gets Washington at home this year in a revenge game and hosts the Buckeyes with a chance at a five-peat.
LSU Tigers
Everyone seems to be down on head coach Brian Kelly and for good reason. He was brought in to take the Tigers to the promised land and hasn’t delivered.
Fortunately, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier returns for a final season in Baton Rouge. He was an under-the-radar Heisman candidate last year and will be one of the favorites heading into this season.
The defense should be improved however they have a tough road slate with games at Clemson, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
The Tigers will have to navigate a difficult schedule with two losses or less to have a realistic chance at the CFB playoff but they are certainly capable.
Iowa State Cyclones
Last season the Cyclones were right there in position to make the CFB playoff all season long but faltered late with a couple of late-season losses. Then they were blown out by Arizona State in the conference championship and the playoff dream was gone.
Quarterback Rocco Becht and the top two backs return and even though they lose their top two receivers, help is on the way via the transfer portal.
The Iowa State defense is always good and this season won’t be any different. The Cyclones have one of the best secondary’s in the country.
Home games against conference foes BYU and Arizona State help the cause as they might have to win the conference championship to make the playoff.
North Carolina Tarheels
New head coach Bill Belichick takes over in Chapel Hill for his first head coaching job in college. The defense has been poor the last several seasons and we expect Billichik to fix that quickly. He will also instill a culture of discipline that has also been lacking for some time.
Belichick wasted no time landing freshman quarterback Gary Merril out of New York. While his passing yards weren’t off the chart in his senior season, he did rush for almost 2,000 yards and had a ridiculous 32 rushing touchdowns. The new headman has also hit the recruiting trail and the transfer portal hard. This roster will be much improved.
The new defense will be tested early against a TCU squad that can score. The Heels get Clemson at home. A road game at Syracuse could be tricky as the Orange had a rebound season last year and the Carrier Dome is always a tough place to play.
The rest of the schedule looks manageable and we know this team will play hard. With the ACC down from what it used to be this team has a chance.
South Carolina Gamecocks
This team never really had a chance to make the CFB playoff last season because they had three losses one of which was to Alabama who was on the bubble and didn’t get in. However, the Gamecocks were one of the hottest teams in the country by season’s end and may have actually been one of the best 12 teams in the nation.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers returns after one full season under his belt as the starter. Sellers continued to improve as the season went on. His passing yards were decent with over 2,500 passing yards with 18 touchdowns. He will need to reduce his interceptions as he did throw seven. Sellers was also a threat on the ground picking up almost 700 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Gamecocks defense was more than respectable in 2024 giving up just under 18 points per game.
The losses on defense are significant although they did pick up two good defensive linemen and a solid linebacker through the portal. If the defense can be as good as last year they can make a run.
The schedule makers did give the Cocks a significant challenge with road games at Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M to go along with a home game against Alabama. They also can’t sleep on Virginia Tech in the opener.
There you have our picks for the five teams who didn’t make last year’s CFB playoff with the best chance of getting in this season. Now all we can do is wait for another exciting season of our favorite sport.
Main Image: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
