We’ve looked at the most overrated teams for the upcoming college football season. Now, it’s time to pick out three teams that may be overlooked before the season begins.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are unranked heading into the season, but don’t be surprised when they make their way into the top 25
soon.
Oklahoma State finished last year’s regular season at 6-6, but don’t dismiss how the Cowboys ended the season. Oklahoma State suffered through five consecutive losses before upsetting Oklahoma and then winning a bowl game against Washington.
One of the reasons for the optimism is the return of quarterback Mason Rudolph, who led the late-season surge last year. Oh, and several starters return from last year. The Cowboys are a dark horse conference sleeper pick, and there’s time to step into the action in week one, with the Cowboys favored by 22.5 points against Central Michigan. Oklahoma State opened as a 20-point favorite, but oddsmakers seem to be high on Oklahoma State as well.
Georgia Tech
The schedule is difficult and the over/under is only 7.5, but Georgia Tech is ranked outside of the top-15, despite
being a team that should own top-10 talent.
The Yellow Jackets should employ an offense better than last year’s unit that dominated Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. If the defense can improve a little, the Yellow Jackets should be able to compete against a schedule that features Notre Dame, Florida State and Clemson. Those are three teams currently ranked ahead of Georgia Tech, which sits at preseason No. 16.
There’s plenty to like about the Yellow Jackets, so it would be wise to take notice, especially in the early part of the season.
Arizona
Oddsmakers and the general public have low expectations for the Wildcats, but there’s no reason for the Wildcats to take too much of a step back this season. Last year, the Wildcats won 10 games, and this year, they return their
starting quarterback and best defensive player.
There are some holes to fill, but head coach Rich Rodriguez’s system has proven to work in the desert, so bettors shouldn’t back away from Arizona based on the low over/under at seven wins and the No. 22 preseason ranking. The schedule is difficult, but Arizona should be competitive in every contest this season.
It might be difficult to expose the line in the first game of the season, though, as the Wildcats open with the University of Texas-San Antonio. The line currently sits at 31.5 in favor of Arizona.
