Every year there seems to be at least four to six teams that seem to catch Vegas by surprise and if you get on them early enough they can be a cash cow! Last year we had Tulsa, Navy, Houston, Rutgers and Utah that came out of nowhere to not only have decent seasons but also stellar records against the spread as these teams went combined 44-13-3 against the closing line last year. We could also throw in a handful of other teams such as USC, Texas Tech, Toledo, Purdue, NW, Miami OH, LSU, Ole miss and Iowa as each of these teams also covered at least 66% of the time but these teams for the most part were expected to field solid teams compared to the previous mentioned teams. I was wondering if we could possibly catch lightning in a bottle to start this year by coming up whom we think will be sleeper teams that could become cash cows before the books start believing in them? Below are the teams that Ithink could fall into this cash cow trend and if anyone has any ideas on whom else they feel could be this years Navy or Tulsa then please feel free to post!
ACC- Maryland and Va Tech, I think this is the most talent the Terps have had returning during Ralph's reign and the schedule is set up nice for them. Va Tech has always overachieved whenever the heat is off them and although the step up from the Big East to the ACC is quite large I still think Beamer will field a solid team.
Big East-Rutgers
I still don't Vegas is going to respect the Knights this year especially in league play but this team has now had two straight years of solid recruiting and they have a solid coach in place.
Big Ten-Illinois
I think they are going to be a team that will be able to finally find the end zone this year, if you recall last year the Illini were one of the better teams at moving the ball from their 20 to the opposing 20 then self destructing that should change this year with more experience and speed. The defense is still sad but you would have to believe that they will not give up a avg of 33 points a game again this year. Another thing in their favor is that this is going to be adown year offensively in the Big Ten so that should help there defense!
Big 12-Colorado
Even with all of the distraction's this year I think this team could be a sleeper in the north division, many times when a teams back is put to the wall they rally around each other and come out stronger! Although this team will be hard pressed to win more than two road games they still should be a bowl team!
Conf USA-Cinci and UAB
Both teams return a boatload of experience and will have senior leadership to guide them. With this conf there are multiple teams that you could label as sleepers but I went with these guys because of the QB's that are returning and the possibility of both having strong defenses.
MAC-Akron and Wmich
Frey alone is worth the admission to Zips games so he should be able to keep the team in most games and if only the defense can improve slightly the Zips then would be a nice dark-horse to contend for the east title. I went with Wmich over CFU because of Gary Darnell, wasn't it just about five years ago that he was one of the hottest coaches around? Now Darnell has his back to the wall he must produce a winning team this year or more than likely be terminated! The Broncos lost alot on offense but return a solid receiving core and Ryan Cubit has transferred in to play QB!
MWC-San Diego State
Will have one of the best defenses in the country and a solid running game which usually translates into a productive season. If they can get any type of passing game going then this team will be tough to beat in the MWC!
Pac 10-ASU and Wash State
ASU finally scrapped the 4-2-5 defense they have run for the past few years and went to a hybrid of the traditional 4-3 defense with a Monster back and this should really help this team. The offense is already in place if they can cut down on the number of mental mistakes then they very well could go 9-2 this year. WSU, most projections have them near the bottom of the Pac 10 but I think they can go bowling because of their defense which is not the typical soft Pac 10 defense but actually a physical defense that can shut a team down. They must find a QB but that never seems to be a problem in Pullman as they seem to have a solid QB each year.
SEC-South Carolina
I think this may be Holtz's best team as far as depth since he took over the program and if he can get any QB play to compliment Summers and Turman running the ball the Cocks could be a dangerous team! I also think this is the year that Vandy stuns someone in the SEC with a home win over either Florida or Tenn!
Sun Belt-New Mexico State
Tons of talent this year and they will be using a two headed QB to start out the season. With very few teams having much defensive capability in the Sun Belt besides Troy St and North Texas there is no reason why this team with their offensive and defensive returning starters cannot make a run at the title. They open at Arkansas so this could be more of a game then most people think!
WAC-Rice
Lost alot of close games last year and the schedule this year sets up nicely for them. They have a strong offensive backfield returning and the defense only loses two linebackers so the pieces to the puzzle are in place. It's tough to pick anyone out of this league since the drop-off after Fresno and Boise is huge!
ACC- Maryland and Va Tech, I think this is the most talent the Terps have had returning during Ralph's reign and the schedule is set up nice for them. Va Tech has always overachieved whenever the heat is off them and although the step up from the Big East to the ACC is quite large I still think Beamer will field a solid team.
Big East-Rutgers
I still don't Vegas is going to respect the Knights this year especially in league play but this team has now had two straight years of solid recruiting and they have a solid coach in place.
Big Ten-Illinois
I think they are going to be a team that will be able to finally find the end zone this year, if you recall last year the Illini were one of the better teams at moving the ball from their 20 to the opposing 20 then self destructing that should change this year with more experience and speed. The defense is still sad but you would have to believe that they will not give up a avg of 33 points a game again this year. Another thing in their favor is that this is going to be adown year offensively in the Big Ten so that should help there defense!
Big 12-Colorado
Even with all of the distraction's this year I think this team could be a sleeper in the north division, many times when a teams back is put to the wall they rally around each other and come out stronger! Although this team will be hard pressed to win more than two road games they still should be a bowl team!
Conf USA-Cinci and UAB
Both teams return a boatload of experience and will have senior leadership to guide them. With this conf there are multiple teams that you could label as sleepers but I went with these guys because of the QB's that are returning and the possibility of both having strong defenses.
MAC-Akron and Wmich
Frey alone is worth the admission to Zips games so he should be able to keep the team in most games and if only the defense can improve slightly the Zips then would be a nice dark-horse to contend for the east title. I went with Wmich over CFU because of Gary Darnell, wasn't it just about five years ago that he was one of the hottest coaches around? Now Darnell has his back to the wall he must produce a winning team this year or more than likely be terminated! The Broncos lost alot on offense but return a solid receiving core and Ryan Cubit has transferred in to play QB!
MWC-San Diego State
Will have one of the best defenses in the country and a solid running game which usually translates into a productive season. If they can get any type of passing game going then this team will be tough to beat in the MWC!
Pac 10-ASU and Wash State
ASU finally scrapped the 4-2-5 defense they have run for the past few years and went to a hybrid of the traditional 4-3 defense with a Monster back and this should really help this team. The offense is already in place if they can cut down on the number of mental mistakes then they very well could go 9-2 this year. WSU, most projections have them near the bottom of the Pac 10 but I think they can go bowling because of their defense which is not the typical soft Pac 10 defense but actually a physical defense that can shut a team down. They must find a QB but that never seems to be a problem in Pullman as they seem to have a solid QB each year.
SEC-South Carolina
I think this may be Holtz's best team as far as depth since he took over the program and if he can get any QB play to compliment Summers and Turman running the ball the Cocks could be a dangerous team! I also think this is the year that Vandy stuns someone in the SEC with a home win over either Florida or Tenn!
Sun Belt-New Mexico State
Tons of talent this year and they will be using a two headed QB to start out the season. With very few teams having much defensive capability in the Sun Belt besides Troy St and North Texas there is no reason why this team with their offensive and defensive returning starters cannot make a run at the title. They open at Arkansas so this could be more of a game then most people think!
WAC-Rice
Lost alot of close games last year and the schedule this year sets up nicely for them. They have a strong offensive backfield returning and the defense only loses two linebackers so the pieces to the puzzle are in place. It's tough to pick anyone out of this league since the drop-off after Fresno and Boise is huge!
