Controversy aside, this is one heck of a College Football Playoff field: Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama.
How did we get here?
The regular season saw the just-in-time return of the Pac-12 as a national player, scandals galore involving the Wolverines alone, one of the most unpredictable races for the top four of the playoff era, Georgia’s quest for college football history and the Longhorns’ prominent return before this summer’s move to the SEC.
And that doesn’t even include the weekly mathematics involving Iowa, Brian Ferentz and the Hawkeyes’ underperforming offense.
With bowl play close on the horizon, here’s looking back at the best coaches, biggest surprise teams and most disappointing teams in every Bowl Subdivision league during the 2023 regular season:
American
Coach of the year: Rhett Lashlee, SMU
Biggest surprise: South Florida
Biggest disappointment: East Carolina
Lashlee and SMU went unbeaten in conference play and captured the AAC title over Tulane to allay any concerns over the Mustangs’ post-Sonny Dykes future and give the program a boost entering life in the ACC.
South Florida was picked ahead of only Charlotte in the preseason media poll but managed to win six games under new coach Alex Golesh. East Carolina seemed very much on the climb under coach Mike Houston but took a huge step back with just the second 10-loss season in program history.
POSTSEASON LINEUP: Complete bowl schedule for the 2023 season
LOOKING AHEAD: What if a 12-team playoff was in place this year?
ACC
Coach of the year: Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Biggest surprises: Louisville and North Carolina State
Biggest disappointment: North Carolina
It would take a magical, out-of-nowhere season for an ACC coach to draw the nod ahead of Florida State’s Mike Norvell, but that’s exactly what Brohm delivered: Louisville won 10 games and reached the ACC…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/every-college-football-conferences-biggest-112639259.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2023-12-08 11:26:39
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