College Football’s Most Pleasant Surprises of 2014
What were the most pleasant surprises of college football‘s 2014 season?
All that remains for the 2014 college football season is bowl match-ups after another exciting year. For a number of teams with playoff and conference championship aspirations, 2014 did not go as planned, but for others, the results were pleasant beyond their wildest dreams. Here is a look at college football’s five most pleasant surprises of the 2014 season:
5. Utah
2013 Record: 5-7 (2-7 Pac-12)
2014 Record: 8-4 (5-4 Pac-12)
Bowl Match-up: vs. Colorado State (Las Vegas Bowl on December 20th)
After consecutive 5-7 finishes, Utah aims to finish the season ranked for the first time since 2010. Behind the running of Devontae Booker and a defense led by Nate Orchard, who ranks second in the nation with 17.5 sacks, the Utes were the biggest surprise in the Pac-12 in 2014. Utah defeated a pair of ranked teams in UCLA and USC while managing to eek out a pair of double-overtime road victories over Oregon State and Stanford.
4. Georgia Tech
2013 Record: 7-6 (5-3 ACC)
2014 Record: 10-3 (6-2 ACC)
Bowl Match-up: vs. Mississippi State (Orange Bowl on December 31st)
Expectations were hardly high for Georgia Tech entering the 2014 season. The Yellow Jackets finished with just seven wins for a second straight season in 2013 and were losing highly-touted quarterback Vad Lee, who transferred to James Madison. In 2014, Justin Thomas was able to hit the ground running under center in Paul Johnson’s triple-option offense leading the team in not only passing, but rushing as well. Georgia Tech won its final four ACC games to advance to the conference title game for the third time in six years and gave third-ranked Florida State its closest game of the season. The Yellow Jackets were also able to notch an overtime victory over in-state rival Georgia, giving Georgia Tech its first victory over the Bulldogs since 2008.
3. Memphis
2013 Record: 3-9 (1-7 AAC)
2014 Record: 9-3 (7-1 AAC)
Bowl Match-up: vs. BYU (Miami Beach Bowl on December 22nd)
One of the more overlooked turnarounds in 2014 belonged to American Athletic Conference co-champion Memphis. After winning just a single game in its first season in the newly-named AAC, the Tigers shared the conference crown with last season’s champion, UCF. Senior running back Brandon Hayes led a balanced offensive attack, but in 2014, the Tigers won games with their defense. Senior cornerback Bobby McCain and Memphis allowed the fifth fewest points-per-game in the entire country. Memphis not only won a school-record tying nine games, but it hung tough into the fourth quarter against the likes of UCLA and Ole Miss. Memphis will face BYU in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl as the Tigers look to win 10 games in a season for the first time ever.
2. Mississippi State
2013 Record: 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
2014 Record: 10-2 (6-2 SEC)
Bowl Match-up: vs. Georgia Tech (Orange Bowl on December 31st)
After a 7-6 finish in 2013, Mississippi State was the nation’s biggest surprise throughout the middle part of the 2014 season. Led by quarterback Dak Prescott and the power-running game spearheaded by junior Josh Robinson, the Bulldogs defeated then top 10 teams in three consecutive games during the early parts of the season. Mississippi State held off #8 LSU in Baton Rogue before notching double-digit home victories over sixth-ranked Texas A&M and second-ranked Auburn. For the first time in the school’s history, Mississippi State ascended to the top spot in the human polls this season. With a victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, the Bulldogs would win a school-record 11 games.
1. TCU
2013 Record: 2-7 (4-8 Big XII)
2014 Record: 11-1 (8-1 Big XII)
Bowl Match-up: vs. Ole Miss (Peach Bowl on December 31st)
Though the 2014 regular season ended in disappointment for TCU with the Horned Frogs dropping from third to sixth in the College Football Playoff rankings and being left out of the sport’s first official national semifinal, TCU enjoyed arguably the best turnaround in the country. After winning just four games in 2013, TCU went 11-1, beating four ranked opponents in the process. Behind junior quarterback Trevone Boykin, who has been forced to play both quarterback and wide receiver throughout his career, the Horned Frogs ranked second nationally by putting up nearly 47 points-per-game. The defense for TCU led by safety Sam Carter yielded the fewest points in the Big XII.