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The 5 Most Underrated College Football Teams in 2016


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http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/michigan-state-and-the-five-most-underrated-college-football-teams-in-2016/ar-BBsRNV0?li=BBnba9I

Michigan State

Yes, the Spartans lost their starting quarterback in Connor Cook and stud pass rusher Shilique Calhoun, but Michigan State is a perennial powerhouse that always seems to wind up near the top. Mark Dantonio has worked wonders with this program, and the talent is still there despite several losses from last year's team. Tyler O'Connor is a fifth-year senior who should see a fairly smooth transition to a starting role with LJ Scott there to hand the ball off to.

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) dives in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Conference football championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers have flown somewhat under the radar in the Big Ten despite finishing in the Top 25 in each of the past five seasons. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has been somewhat inconsistent, but he has the tools to be a great dual-threat weapon on offense. Last season, he threw for 3,030 yards and rushed for 400 more, totaling 29 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. And if he and the rest of his squad can close out games unlike a year ago -- Nebraska lost six one-score games -- they'll be in good shape.

Washington

Since coming over from Boise State, head coach Chris Petersen has led the Huskies to back-to-back winning records. Washington also upset the likes of USC and Washington State a year ago, doing so in the midst of a 7-6 season led by true freshmen at quarterback and running back. Now with Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin gaining a year of experience under their belts, Washington is poised for a breakout season in the Pac-12.

Iowa

The Hawkeyes burst onto the scene last season in the Big Ten despite being tabbed as an overrated squad. C.J. Beathard is one of the best signal callers in the conference and has a stellar defense to limit opponents when the offense doesn't put up big numbers. Desmond King is a future first-round pick at cornerback and is a top cover guy in all of college football.

Auburn

Expectations were sky high for Auburn last season, mainly due to the raw talent of quarterback Jeremy Johnson. The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 6 but only dropped from that preseason ranking, finishing outside the Top 25 at season's end. The team's success rides heavily on Johnson and the defense's ability to make key stops in the SEC. It won't be easy for the Tigers to climb the ranks in the daunting conference, but it's certainly possible.

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Talking about drinking the koolaid... This guy really has some beliefs in how underrated we are next year: link

The Auburn Tigers enter the 2016 season trying to rebound from last year's extremely disappointing season, and while some think those struggles will continue, we know better. This team has as much talent as anyone in the country, and they have a history of rebounding from disappointing seasons with SEC championships. Here's why Auburn will do just that and win the SEC in 2016:

3) Gus Malzahn's greatness

USATSI_8827153-650x342.jpg

There were rumors about Malzahn being on the hot seat after last season, but we know that's just fans being frustrated after a disappointing season. There's a reason why Malzahn is considered to be one of the best coaches in the country - his offense is unstoppable when he has a reliable quarterback (more on that in a second) and almost always gets the most out of his team. He'll use the "us against the world" mantra to rally this team to a successful season.

2) Weaker SEC West

SOTS_044-650x342.jpg

Not only is Auburn vastly more talented than last year's team, but the division isn't as good. Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss will take major step backs after multiple key departures to the NFL, Texas A&M still can't play defense, and LSU doesn't have a passing game. All of those games are very winnable, and anything can happen in the Iron Bowl.

The door is definitely open in the division, and Auburn has the ability to take advantage of the opportunity..

1) John Franklin III's breakout season

John-Franklin-III-by-Kenny-Moss-DSC-2648_uipwza.jpg

I expect Franklin to win Auburn's starting quarterback job and become arguably the best quarterback in the conference. The JUCO transfer and former Florida State QB as former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall's speed and athleticism, but also has a rocket for an arm. He's the perfect fit to run head coach Gus Malzahn's offense to perfection.

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Talking about drinking the koolaid... This guy really has some beliefs in how underrated we are next year: link

"I expect Franklin to ... become arguably the best quarterback in the conference."

Credibility lost.

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Talking about drinking the koolaid... This guy really has some beliefs in how underrated we are next year: link

"I expect Franklin to ... become arguably the best quarterback in the conference."

Credibility lost.

This was a poorly written satirical article. Look at the author's bio page. He covers the "humor" angle. Not funny really.

Edit: I think he was being serious. He's an idiot regardless.

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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.
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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Just a sportswriter filling space without feeling a need to do much actual research. I wouldn't read too much into it.

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Talking about drinking the koolaid... This guy really has some beliefs in how underrated we are next year: link

The Auburn Tigers enter the 2016 season trying to rebound from last year's extremely disappointing season, and while some think those struggles will continue, we know better. This team has as much talent as anyone in the country, and they have a history of rebounding from disappointing seasons with SEC championships. Here's why Auburn will do just that and win the SEC in 2016:

3) Gus Malzahn's greatness

USATSI_8827153-650x342.jpg

There were rumors about Malzahn being on the hot seat after last season, but we know that's just fans being frustrated after a disappointing season. There's a reason why Malzahn is considered to be one of the best coaches in the country - his offense is unstoppable when he has a reliable quarterback (more on that in a second) and almost always gets the most out of his team. He'll use the "us against the world" mantra to rally this team to a successful season.

2) Weaker SEC West

SOTS_044-650x342.jpg

Not only is Auburn vastly more talented than last year's team, but the division isn't as good. Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss will take major step backs after multiple key departures to the NFL, Texas A&M still can't play defense, and LSU doesn't have a passing game. All of those games are very winnable, and anything can happen in the Iron Bowl.

The door is definitely open in the division, and Auburn has the ability to take advantage of the opportunity..

1) John Franklin III's breakout season

John-Franklin-III-by-Kenny-Moss-DSC-2648_uipwza.jpg

I expect Franklin to win Auburn's starting quarterback job and become arguably the best quarterback in the conference. The JUCO transfer and former Florida State QB as former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall's speed and athleticism, but also has a rocket for an arm. He's the perfect fit to run head coach Gus Malzahn's offense to perfection.

Now that's funny!
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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think Johnson see's the field much next year. I do believe that flower has already blossomed and died. IMO anyways.

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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think Johnson see's the field much next year. I do believe that flower has already blossomed and died. IMO anyways.

That's depressing WDE.
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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think Johnson see's the field much next year. I do believe that flower has already blossomed and died. IMO anyways.

That's depressing WDE.

Refreshing IMO. Johnson is a great kid. Just isn't a SEC QB. Think Gus finally see's this. And AU is still looking at bringing in a grad transfer QB. Not heard any updates on Eli or any other names.

IMO Gus puts a O around White's abilities, White would LITE it up.

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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think Johnson see's the field much next year. I do believe that flower has already blossomed and died. IMO anyways.

That's depressing WDE.

Refreshing IMO. Johnson is a great kid. Just isn't a SEC QB. Think Gus finally see's this. And AU is still looking at bringing in a grad transfer QB. Not heard any updates on Eli or any other names.

IMO Gus puts a O around White's abilities, White would LITE it up.

I watched Jeremy play ball at Carver all through HS - he comes from a good family and is a hard working kid. I've hated to see him not reach his goals at AU and that's what depresses me. I wish he would have transferred to a D2 program if the SEC is too much for him. On a personal level I really wanted him to succeed.

Sean will do fine though, he has a head for the game and if Gus will step out of the box and design a scheme to utilize SW's abilities, then I think we will see great things from him. Mix in a little JF3 for some diversity and a change of pace to get the opponents defense shaken up and we may see a productive unit on the field. Pair that with a defense like we saw in the Memphis game and I'm thinking AU will jump up and shock some folks.

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They're assuming Jeremy Johnson is going to be our starting QB?

Yep. IMHO, Jeremy will be much improved this season, I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think Johnson see's the field much next year. I do believe that flower has already blossomed and died. IMO anyways.

That's depressing WDE.

Refreshing IMO. Johnson is a great kid. Just isn't a SEC QB. Think Gus finally see's this. And AU is still looking at bringing in a grad transfer QB. Not heard any updates on Eli or any other names.

IMO Gus puts a O around White's abilities, White would LITE it up.

I agree with this completely! I think SW will have a break out year!
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If we had blogs back from 2004 you could have heard the same crap about how JC was just not an SEC QB and would not play for AU in 2004. After a decade in the NFL to go along with an undefeated 2004 how did that work out ? That was when I was pretty sure that fans gossiping about what they thought about football at AU was about as worthless as breast on a bore pig. WDE

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If we had blogs back from 2004 you could have heard the same crap about how JC was just not an SEC QB and would not play for AU in 2004. After a decade in the NFL to go along with an undefeated 2004 how did that work out ? That was when I was pretty sure that fans gossiping about what they thought about football at AU was about as worthless as breast on a bore pig. WDE

i remember it well myself. Even coach had harsh words for JC at one point.

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If we had blogs back from 2004 you could have heard the same crap about how JC was just not an SEC QB and would not play for AU in 2004.

We fans don't always see the whole picture. In 2003 JC wasn't the problem. We were extremely talented and the blame was on Nall and Ensminger, and I'm sure there was some fans who saw this. It was evident in game 1 how poor the coaching and development was. Those guys got another shot when we ran Tony Franklin off due to the lack of coaching and cooperation from the "good ole boy" staff. That cost Tubbs his job. It wasn't Tony Franklins fault but I'm sure he was wrongly buried (on forums). Good to see him putting the number 1 overall draft pick in the NFL. Pretty cool.

I'm hoping the offense's problem is with Rhett and I hope Gus has taken back majority control of the offense. I'd like to see him and Herb come up with some good ball plays and strategy.

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The QB position will wind up being a major strength for this team for 2016. I do not think that this is a stretch whatsoever. The defense will be a good deal better in 2016 once we get through the disciplinary actions for the first half of the Clemson game. Who knows, this may not be that big of a factor after all is said and done.

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If we had blogs back from 2004 you could have heard the same crap about how JC was just not an SEC QB and would not play for AU in 2004.

We fans don't always see the whole picture. In 2003 JC wasn't the problem. We were extremely talented and the blame was on Nall and Ensminger, and I'm sure there was some fans who saw this. It was evident in game 1 how poor the coaching and development was. Those guys got another shot when we ran Tony Franklin off due to the lack of coaching and cooperation from the "good ole boy" staff. That cost Tubbs his job. It wasn't Tony Franklins fault but I'm sure he was wrongly buried (on forums). Good to see him putting the number 1 overall draft pick in the NFL. Pretty cool.

I'm hoping the offense's problem is with Rhett and I hope Gus has taken back majority control of the offense. I'd like to see him and Herb come up with some good ball plays and strategy.

That's his second #1 QB too. Personally, I think Tony Franklin is a great offensive coordinator/QB coach, and his success really speaks for itself. I also think he was a poor choice as a coordinator for whatever Tuberville was trying to do. Franklin is a die-hard Air Raid guy, and that's what you bring a coordinator like him in to run. You don't give him the BBQ Gang to work with, or try to get him to coordinate a hybrid offense. If you're not committing to the Air Raid, and giving him control of the offense, he's not the coordinator you want. The same thing would have probably happened to Malzahn if Tuberville had hired him.

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