College football’s 10 most surprising teams: From Indiana to Colorado
Surprise!
After five weeks of football, plenty of teams have emerged to turn up their nose, pound their chest and tell the world, "Hey! You were wrong about us!"
People were wrong about Florida State this year, but there's another side of the coin, too. Which teams have been the biggest surprise successes of 2024?
We examined the 10 best.
The Hoosiers, led by first-year coach Curt Cignetti, were picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten. Vegas oddsmakers set their over/under for wins at 5.5.
Cignetti's brash style inspired enthusiasm and skepticism after he talked a big game all offseason.
"I don't plan on taking a back seat to anybody," Cignetti told the crowd at a basketball game in December after being hired. " Purdue sucks, but so does Michigan and Ohio State . Go IU."
When asked about Indiana's trip to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA , Cignetti said, "We're just going to an old stadium to kick somebody's ass."
So far? Indiana did just that, winning 42-13 in Week 2 against the Bruins on the way to 5-0. We'll see about Michigan and Ohio State, though Purdue did fire OC Graham Harrell on Sunday after an ugly 1-3 start.
The Hoosiers have been dominant and dynamic on offense, in part because of 31 incoming transfers headlined by MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke . He's completing over 73 percent of his passes for more than 10 yards per attempt and 11 touchdowns with two picks through five games.
Cignetti brought over 13 players from his previous school, James Madison. The Hoosiers' four leading tacklers are all transfers, and three came from JMU . The team's top two rushers are transfers, and one is from JMU. Leading receiver Elijah Sarratt is from JMU. It's a wild piece of roster building in the modern era, and thus far, it couldn't be working any better at a place that's been to just four bowl games since 2007.
The Cougars took a big step back in their first year in the Big 12, going 2-7 in conference play and missing a bowl for just the second time since 2005 last season. In Year 2, Kalani Sitake's team seems to have figured a few things out in a 5-0 start.
The defense has been the biggest reason for the resurgence. Through five games, it ranks 16th nationally in yards per play allowed. Last year, it ranked 92nd.
Picked 13th in the preseason poll, BYU looks like a team capable of being a serious competitor in a wide-open Big 12 title race. The Cougars ranked 17th in the AP poll this week after starting 2-0 in conference play and demolishing preseason favorite Kansas State in Provo in Week 4.
Jake Retzlaff , the nation's No. 1 juco quarterback in the Class of 2023 who spent last year behind Kedon Slovis , is in the midst of a breakthrough season and is the Mormon school's first Jewish quarterback.
Pitt's offense is back thanks to new OC Kade Bell from Western Carolina and Alabama transfer Eli Holstein at quarterback. Last year, the Panthers had one of the worst offenses in the Power 5, ranking 97th in overall passer rating on the way to a 3-9 season, the school's worst mark since 1998.
This year, after being picked 13th in the ACC, the Panthers are 4-0 behind coach Pat Narduzzi with dramatic comeback wins over Cincinnati and rival West Virginia , which some expected to contend in the Big 12. This year, Pitt ranks sixth nationally in offensive yards per play and Holstein is 15th nationally in passer rating. In the fourth quarters of games, his passer rating is 268.5 and he's completing just under 85 percent of his passes. Only three quarterbacks have been better in that spot this season.
Kyle Monangai was good a season ago with over 1,200 yards rushing. He's been great in 2024, averaging just under 150 yards a game and over 6 yards a carry. Only two running backs are averaging more rushing yards per game this year.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis , who transferred from Minnesota and wrestled the starting job away from Gavin Wimsatt this offseason, has been efficient and smart with seven touchdowns and one interception. The Scarlet Knights have turned the ball over just twice this season, are tied for fifth fewest nationally and are off to a 4-0 start.
The Dukes (4-0) were the flip side of the coin after losing Cignetti to Indiana. The roster was gutted, with much of it following Cignetti to Bloomington. Quarterback Jordan McCloud ended up at Texas State after entering the portal.
What have the Dukes done under new coach Bob Chesney? They've forced the sport to take notice after hanging 70 points on North Carolina in a win two weeks ago that thrust them into the College Football Playoff picture.
Quarterback Alonza Barnett III stuck around, won the starting job in his third year in the program and has blossomed into an early-season star. He's thrown 12 touchdowns to one interception, while rushing for 247 yards and three scores, averaging more than 10 yards a carry.
Four Dukes receivers have 150 yards receiving this year, and Holy Cross transfer Terrence Spence has three interceptions, including two against UNC. He returned one for a score.
UNLV's Go-Go offense under OC Brennan Marion keeps churning despite a revolving door at quarterback. Jayden Maiava enjoyed a breakout freshman season last year and promptly left for USC . And last week, Holy Cross transfer Matthew Sluka left the program after alleging promises of name, image and likeness money had been unfulfilled, making front-page news and igniting a whirlwind of takes around the sports world.
The Rebels (4-0) stayed focused and routed Fresno State , two weeks after beating Kansas for their second Big 12 win of the season. This week, they'll host Syracuse (3-1) in another massive game, but Barry Odom's team is well positioned to compete for the Playoff spot from the Group of 5 if it can edge out Boise State (3-1) to win the Mountain West. UNLV was expected to contend in this league, but few expected it to knock off a pair of Big 12 teams and crack the Top 25 for the first time since moving up to Division I in 1978.
The team realignment forgot lost star quarterback Cam Ward as one of 27 outgoing transfers after the Pac-12 imploded and the Cougars were left piecing together a Mountain West-heavy schedule alongside Oregon State in the aftermath. It was unclear what this team would look like.
Coach Jake Dickert found a hidden gem in speedy John Mateer , whose 453 rushing yards are the most among non-service academy quarterbacks.
Wazzu (4-1) rallied to beat San Jose State but already beat rival Washington with a dramatic goal-line stand in the final seconds and rolled over a Texas Tech team that's now 2-0 in the Big 12. Boise State ended any dreams of an undefeated season, but nobody is writing off the Cougars yet. A double-digit win campaign is still in play.
New coach Manny Diaz brought in quarterback Maalik Murphy from Texas, but after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, the Blue Devils only returned 56 percent of their production from last year, which ranked 91st nationally. Riley Leonard was the biggest loss, but Diaz has upgraded Duke's defensive numbers despite the turnover.
Duke ranks seventh nationally in yards per play allowed, up from 28th a season ago. And picked to finish 11th in the ACC, the Blue Devils have notched three one-score victories and started 5-0, one of three undefeated teams remaining in the conference. Diaz's team already has a road win at Northwestern , beat UConn and this week rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat North Carolina 21-20 for its best win of the season.
The Illini logged wins over Kansas and at Nebraska to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2011. Bret Bielema's team was picked to finish 13th in the Big Ten, and Vegas oddsmakers set their over/under of wins at 5.5.
The Illini trailed Penn State in Happy Valley by just seven late into the fourth quarter. Luke Altmyer threw his first interception of the season in the loss but has thrown for 11 scores, six to Pat Bryant , who is third nationally in touchdown catches.
The Buffaloes won a single conference game last season and finished last in the Pac-12 under Deion Sanders. This year, they look headed to the program's third bowl game since 2007. Two-way star Travis Hunter is on the Heisman short list and Shedeur Sanders is sixth nationally with 1,630 passing yards in five games. Colorado's roster still has plenty of well-chronicled flaws, but to this point, they haven't mattered. Outside of an ugly loss to Nebraska, the Buffs (4-1) delivered a beatdown to rival Colorado State and rolled over UCF on the road as a 14-point underdog Saturday, 48-21.
New defensive coordinator Rob Livingston, along with adding defensive front seven pieces like Chidozie Nwankwo from Houston, BJ Green from Arizona State , Pitt transfers Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola and Nikhil Webb Walker from New Mexico State , has helped the Buffaloes ascend from 115th nationally in yards per play allowed last year to 75th this year, and up to 65th in scoring defense from 124th last year. The running game has improved the last two weeks, too.
We'll see whether they can compete for the Big 12 title over the long haul, but they've exceeded expectations thus far and are one of just three Big 12 teams to start 2-0 in league play.
(Top photos of Kurtis Rourke, Jake Retzlaff: Rich Janzaruk / Herald Times / USA Today via Imagn Images; Rob Gray / Imagn Images)
