Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with his list of teams that could disappoint in 2021 based on preseason expectations, part eight of his 10 most underappreciated college players since 2000 and the Mount Rushmore of Indiana football since 1980.
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1. Five teams that could disappoint, based on preseason expectations.
I hate to be negative, but that’s kind of how my mind works. I'll try to make up for it with a positive spin in my follow-up column. So, today I’ll focus on five teams in real danger of disappointing next season, based on high preseason expectations.
In my next column I’ll pick five programs that could surprise based on low preseason expectations. But let’s get the bad out of the way first.
1. Iowa State – The expectations are so high with so many players returning that a top five preseason ranking is possible and top 10 is very likely. But the Big 12 isn’t a cakewalk, obviously, with Oklahoma still the dominant offense and teams such as Texas, Oklahoma State and others expected to be better. The Cyclones should win 10 games, but if they don’t they most likely won’t sniff the top 10.
2. Georgia – If the Bulldogs lose to Clemson early and lose another bad game like they did last year, they will be considered a disappointment. That’s a high bar that is set for likely the No. 1 preseason team in the country.
3. Notre Dame – The Irish are breaking in a new quarterback and have Wisconsin, Cincinnati, USC and North Carolina on the schedule. So, a 9-3 or 8-4 season is possible, and you know they’ll likely be preseason top 15.
4. North Carolina – The schedule isn’t bad at all and the Tar Heels have Sam Howell, but they lost a lot of offensive weapons and that defense is still a question mark. They will be expected to win their division and give Clemson a hard time, but what if the pressure gets to them?
5. USC – The talent is there to win the Pac-12 South, and Kedon Slovis is impressive, but this team tends to underachieve. The Trojans will be expected to win big.
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2. Ten more underappreciated players.
Part eight of the most underappreciated players since the year 2000 is here with some names you may remember – and a few that might surprise you.
QB Dennis Dixon, Oregon - Despite effectively missing the last four games of his senior season because of injury, Dixon was still the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. One of the great dual-threat QBs of the 2000s, he had limitless potential.
WR Jarett Dillard, Rice - The first All-American for the Owls in more than 50 years, Dillard still holds the career receiving TD mark with 60, after leading the country in both his sophomore and senior seasons. He went over 1,000 yards three consecutive seasons, finishing with 4,138 for his career.
QB Dave Ragone, Louisville - The back-to-back-to-back Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year at the beginning of the 21st century, Ragone lit up opposing defenses while passing for 74 TDs in his three seasons as a starter. His sophomore season was truly special: He accounted for 33 total TDs in 11 games.
LB Mark Herzlich, Boston College - The 2008 All-American won both the Lott and Butkus awards as a junior that year while also capturing the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year after accumulating 110 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, six INTs and two pick sixes. He missed all of the 2009 season while battling Ewing's Sarcoma, but he returned in 2010 after being declared cancer-free. A remarkable player with an even more remarkable story.
QB Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky - Doughty put up some ridiculous numbers in his three seasons guiding the Hilltoppers offense - 12,855 yards, 111 TDs, and two Conference USA MVPs. During both his junior and senior seasons, he led the country in yards and TDs, and was the most accurate passer in the country during his final year.
DE Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois - The two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year was a consensus All-American as a sophomore in 2017, leading the country with 14 sacks and 30 tackles for loss. His junior season was just as prolific, as he tallied 15 sacks and 27 TFLs, and he was a true menace for opposing offensive linemen.
RB Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona - One of the shiftiest players of the early 2010s, Carey amassed 3,814 rushing yards and 42 TDs over his two years as a starter. A two-time consensus All-American, Carey was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 as a junior, and lead the nation in rushing as a sophomore.
DT Will Sutton, Arizona State - A force on the interior, Sutton's junior season was spectacular, leading the country in sacks and tackles for loss on the way to a consensus All-American nod, as well as the conference Defensive Player of the Year. He would once again win the Pac-12 DPOY as a senior despite a lesser statistical season, due in part to being double and triple teamed on nearly every snap.
DE Jason Babin, Western Michigan - The Broncos all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss (38 and 75 respectively), Babin was the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the MAC and an All-American as a senior. In his junior and senior seasons, he amassed a total of 30 sacks, 209 tackles and 59 tackles for loss.
WR Brennan Marion, Tulsa - Do you like home run threats? Marion was the ultimate big-play receiver. In two seasons, he had 2,356 yards on only 82 catches – a whopping 28.7 yards-per-catch average, including a junior season that saw him average 32 yards per reception. Marion still holds the record for yards per catch for a single season and career, both marks unlikely to be broken.
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3. Indiana's Mount Rushmore
And, finally, I continue my Mount Rushmore series in the Big Ten with the four best players from Indiana football since 1980.
QB Antwaan Randle El - When you think Indiana football, the first player that's going to pop in your head is Randle El. The Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year and MVP in 2001, he was a first-team All-American that season. He was a three-time all-conference selection, the Freshman of the Year and finished his career as the leading passer and second-leading rusher in school history. He finished his career with 86 total touchdowns, more than 11,000 total yards and was one of the most electric players in the history of the game.
RB Anthony Thompson - The runner-up for the 1989 Heisman trophy, Thompson is still the Hoosiers' all-time leading rusher and the only player in school history with his number retired. As a senior, he won the Maxwell and Walter Camp Award. A two-time consensus All-American, Thompson finished his career with 5,299 rushing yards and 67 TDs.
DE Adewale Ogunleye - Ogunleye was a terror in opponents' backfields for his three seasons as a starter in Bloomington, racking up three All-Big Ten nods and setting the school records for sacks (34.5) and tackles for loss (64) along the way. And despite breaking his leg and subsequently getting a staph infection that made him lose 50 pounds in his senior season he still managed to become an All-Pro in the NFL for the Dolphins.
QB Nate Sudfeld - The owner of numerous passing records, Sudfeld would have had even more impressive numbers had he not been hurt midway through his junior season. As a senior in 2015, he threw for nearly 3,600 yards and 27 TDs. He added another five scores on the ground while leading the Big Ten in nearly every passing category.
