By RUPackers30
Published: March 11, 2007 PrintEmail
There's no playing the homer card here...any college football fan out there couldn't help but love the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this past year. A 9-0 start culminating in a thriller of a win over Louisville. A heartbreaker loss the following week against Cincinnati. An overly successful campaign ended with a 10-2 record and a trouncing of Kansas State. So now, while many of you have put the crystal ball away, I'm keeping mine in front of me, in search of next year's Rutgers. In search of the team that will, next year, win the hearts of a nation and make a push for their respective conference title. The team that will steal headlines and Sportscenter airtime. I'm going off of the following criteria: 2006 success, big games played (and won), recruiting class, and my overall gut feeling on their ability to make a push for greatness. They'll either be accepted, or denied admission. Here we go!
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
There are still some people out there that don't even know that this school exists, let alone has a 1-A football team. Shame on them, however, for the South Florida Bulls are very much on the college football grid, and look to be a force to be reckoned with among the Big East. Their 2006 campaign was an overall success, quietly achieving an 8-4 record and smacking Eastern Carolina in the Papa John's.com Bowl, led by their surprise freshman phenom Matt Grothe. A sound passing D only allowed 176 YPG, undoubtedly leading to some of their biggest wins. Case in point, how about their season finale against West Virginia, shutting down Pat White's aerial assault, and defeating the Mountaineers 24-19? Though, as no good deed goes unpunished, the Bulls saw a few bumps in the road, getting trounced by Cincinnati and Louisville, and coming only a dropped 2-point conversion from some extra time away from beating then 23'rd ranked Rutgers. Their recruiting was hardly anything to celebrate, which may, in fact, be a blessing in disguise. South Florida hardly lost any impact seniors (2 of whom are NFL-eligible, scout.com gives them only 1 star out of 5), but they didn't recruit any impact players either. But with Grothe improving, and this team of no-name players (Patriots anyone?) cohesively improving, I can see them very easily making a name for themselves in the NCAA this coming year.
Admission: Accepted
BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS
I have to admit it, last September, if you were to ask me what division BYU was in, I'd give you every answer in the book besides 1-A. Similar to USF, this team has been off the grid for a substantial time, yet they're finding their way into the fray. And with good reason too, considering their blockbuster 2006 season. They outscored their opponents 478-191. They won 11 games including the Las Vegas Bowl over previously-ranked Oregon, defeating them 38-8. They won 9 in a row. And sure, you can say "yeah but...they didn't really play anyone decent, blah-de-blah-de-blah," which is merited, considering the only two teams they played(excluding Oregon) who was anywhere near an AP ranking was Boston College (lost in OT 30-23), and a 31-17 defeat of the TCU Horned Frogs. But still, when you outscore your opponents by a ratio of 2.5-1, you have to think they can compete with most teams out there. How about recruiting, you ask? How about four 4-star players, and numerous 3-star guys? One of whom is the 27th best QB in the nation, set to replace John Beck as the pilot of the offense. With BYU sitting pretty in the lukewarm Mountain West conference, look for another strong campaign to lead to prosperity.
Admission: Accepted
CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Sticking with the Big East trend here (cause, let's face it...it's my specialty), we now turn our attention to Cincinnati, the defensive-minded club getting pushed further and further into the depths of the Big East. A hit-or-miss campaign in 2006 resulted in an 8-5 record, ekeing by Western Michigan in the International Bowl 27-24. The Bearcats I've truly had trouble figuring out, as one week they look sluggish against West Virginia, then the following week they smack higher-ranked Rutgers after their win over Louisville. And before you know it, they're slipping by the lowly UConn Huskies by a field goal. However, always one to give credit where credit is due, props for sticking with the Cardinals until the nitty-gritty, and getting the W's when they needed them the most. Recruiting went reasonably well for the Bearcats as I mentioned in my previous article, with the linebacking corps being beefed up. What concerns me the most about Cincinnati is the fact that, with the exception of a 3-star TE, not much is being done to reinforce the offensive unit, leaving Dustin Grutza (or whomever takes the reins) a mighty tricky task. While I'm expecting another .500+ season from Cincy, I don't feel they have the tools to make the right push and have the season Rutgers did this past season. Give it a few years or so.
Admission: Denied.
If there's any other 1-A teams out there you think oughta be considered, let me know!
