College Football Articles
After slipping to 4-8 in 2016, the Duke Blue Devils rebounded to 7-6 and earned the program's fifth bowl appearance since 2012. David Cutcliffe's team returns one of the ACC's top quarterbacks in Daniel Jones, while linebacker Joe Giles...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Mike Leach's rebuild in Pullman has been a huge success: The Washington State Cougars have won 26 games in the last three years and have finished no worse than third in the Pac-12 North. The 2018 season, however, could be a struggle. The...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Tom Allen was dealt some bad luck in his first season as Indiana's head coach. The Hoosiers were hit hard by injuries on both sides of the ball, posted a minus-seven turnover margin and lost four games by eight points or fewer against a tough...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Nebraska has slipped from the ranks of college football's elite, but the program's long-term outlook has changed significantly thanks to Scott Frost's return to Lincoln. While optimism is running high for Frost's debut, the...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
USF's prosperity will be defined by continued improvement on defense. Don't be surprised if the Bulls find themselves in another do-or-die showdown against UCF for an AAC Division title in the regular-season finale.
Previewing USF...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
To those Nebraska football fans who had forgotten/were trying to forget the Bill Callahan era via the passage of time or perhaps excessive consumption of alcoholic libations, forgive me, but at the same time, bear with me. In 2004, Callahan's...
Brandon Cavanaugh
2 months ago
Games matching FCS teams against FBS teams can serve a useful purpose. The big paychecks from FBS schools shore up the budget for FCS programs. Playing FBS schools also offers FCS teams a chance to put themselves on the college football map with an...
John Coon
2 months ago
The Pac-12 never lacks for intrigue, but the conference heads into 2018 looking to rebound after a disappointing 2017 slate. The league did not produce a playoff team, had only two programs reach double-digit victories and went 1-8 in bowl games....
Steven Lassan
2 months ago
The Mountain West Conference heads into 2018 with familiar faces projected to be at the top of the league. Boise State claims the top spot in Athlon's Mountain West predictions, and coach Bryan Harsin's team should challenge for a...
Steven Lassan
2 months ago
The Temple Owls have 18 conference wins in the last three seasons, second most in the AAC. They made it to the title game in 2016, when they won their first championship in a half-century. This team won't be the favorite -- not in a division...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
The Arkansas Razorbacks are a team in transition. Chad Morris' innovative offense and recruiting ties to the state of Texas should help the program move forward in the brutal SEC West. However, the switch from a pro-style offense to a spread...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Matt Luke proved last year to be a capable head coach, coaxing six wins out of an Ole Miss team burdened by more than its share of off-the-field drama. Luke's job once again is to keep his team motivated without the carrot of a bowl game (...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
In four seasons, coach Jeff Monken has taken Army from a program that lost to Yale to one that has defeated Navy and won a bowl in consecutive years. Suddenly, the team has a number of players who have no idea what it is like to experience a losing...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Tennessee won nine games as recently as 2016, but getting to six victories would be a step in the right direction for new coach Jeremy Pruitt. The first-year coach inherits a team with major question marks on both sides of the ball, along with one...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
It's been said that the College Football Hall of Fame has equal or more meaning than the Pro Football Hall of Fame, especially since many college greats didn't exactly succeed in the pros. This week the National Football Foundation released...
Gabe Salgado
2 months ago
It isn't surprising that the most projected 2018 playoff qualifiers out of FCS college football come out of CAA Football and the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
They led the way last season. Basically any season recently....
Craig Haley
2 months ago
The MAC hasn't had a repeat champion since 2011-12, and it's likely that streak extends to five years in a row in 2018. That's due to Ohio taking the top spot in the 2018 MAC predictions as the favorite to win the league. The...
Steven Lassan
2 months ago
The Big Ten heads into the 2018 college football season with five candidates to reach the playoff. After winning the conference championship last year, Ohio State is the favorite in Athlon's Big Ten predictions to win the league title once...
Steven Lassan
2 months ago
Kentucky was two plays away -- against Florida and Ole Miss -- from winning six SEC games in 2017. That's the good news. The bad news: The Wildcats were outgained by nearly 75 yards per game in league play and lost four of their final five...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Texas Tech's comeback victory over Texas -- a win that made the Raiders bowl eligible -- likely saved Kliff Kingsbury's job last year. However, the former Tech quarterback begins 2018 squarely on the hot seat once again. Kingsbury has...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Baylor will be the Big 12's most improved team in 2018. The Bears were one of the youngest programs in the league last season and suffered some bad luck in losing five games by 10 points or fewer. Matt Rhule's rebuilding effort is far from...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Whether a joke or not, Houston president Renu Khator turned heads when, shortly after coach Major Applewhite's hiring, she defined success as 10-win seasons and said, "We'll fire coaches [for going 8-4]." Two seasons since a New...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Injuries -- especially at the quarterback position -- wreaked havoc on Maryland last year. After a 3-1 start, the Terrapins finished 2017 by losing seven out of their last eight games. With better luck in 2018, Maryland could be the Big Ten's...
Athlon Sports
2 months ago
Any given Saturday... that's the hope teams cling to when they face FCS juggernaut North Dakota State.
It may seem fleeting, but it's true, Bison opponents only have to get it right once. And in the one-and-done playoffs,...
Craig Haley
2 months ago
After winning its fifth title in nine seasons last year, Alabama is primed for another run at the national championship and SEC title in 2018. The Crimson Tide are the pick in 2018 SEC predictions to edge Auburn and win the West Division and knock...
Steven Lassan
2 months ago
