There were few surprises when the first AP Top 25 poll of the season was released on Monday, with Alabama topping the rankings and a whole set of national title contenders in the top ten.
However, it’s worth taking note of the teams that failed to make the initial rankings. Here are five teams that didn’t appear in the AP’s first Top 25 of the season but may well end up there once the games start.
Utah
The Utes are always a factor nationally, it seems, and 2017 should be no different. The AP voters haven’t ranked them, but the respect is still there — they had 85 votes, and perhaps tellingly, landed at No. 25 of the season’s inaugural Coaches’ Poll.
If Troy Williams — or sophomore challenger Tyler Huntley — can step up and make their quarterback job his own, Utah has a chance to make a real big splash. They have a good enough defensive unit to keep them in pretty much any game. If their offense can step up and score enough points, which is the real question mark, the Utes should end the season in the top 25, potentially with a Pac-12 championship appearance.
TCU
The last team out of the top 25, TCU, like Utah, will always have a solid defensive base under head coach Gary Patterson. That should be the case again in 2017, with an experienced secondary in particular returning to offer stability.
TCU’s offense is the question mark. Quarterback Kenny Hill turned the ball over way too much in 2016, and that was arguably the biggest factor in the Horned Frogs’ poor year. He must be better, and the same goes for the team’s receiving corps, which they hope will be boosted by the arrivals of highly-touted recruits Omar Manning and Jalen Reagor.
Notre Dame
The Irish will definitely miss DeShone Kizer, but it’s easy to see how things could fall into place for Notre Dame during the season. Brandon Wimbush will be the new quarterback, and he has the potential to eventually become what Kizer was to the program, though that may not happen instantly. The team’s offensive line is strong, and the success of the offense will be predicated on the team’s receiving corps. Defensively, a strong set of cornerbacks and linebackers are poised to lead the defense.
Notre Dame got 65 votes in the initial AP poll, with the voters clearly and understandably wanting to see more after a four-win campaign last season. That said, it’s telling that they got that many votes at all coming off a season such as that.
Boise State
The Broncos won 10 games in 2016 but finished unranked, losing in a blowout to Baylor in the Cactus Bowl. They start the same way in 2017, but they have the tools in place to change that pretty quickly, despite a relative lack of experience across the roster.
Quarterback Brett Rypien has ample experience despite being a junior, and he will pace the otherwise inexperienced offense. The talent is there to put up points.
Defensively, the team returns a few key members of the secondary, but will have to restock a defensive front that did not force nearly enough turnovers last season. If they can do that, Boise State will once again be a factor in the Mountain West.
Northwestern
Yes, the Wildcats have a very real chance to win the Big Ten West for the first time ever. For that to happen, however, they’ll need to find some extra contributors to help their core offensive and defensive players.
If Northwestern’s offensive line does the job, the offense should be very good. Running back Justin Jackson is one of the nation’s more unheralded players, and Garrett Dickerson should be a key piece on offense as well. They’ll miss Austin Carr, but they still boast the talent they need in the skill positions.
Pat Fitzgerald’s defense will be the team’s calling card, though, and that is what makes them such a dangerous team. They have depth everywhere and will make things difficult on opponents. A comparatively straightforward schedule means Northwestern is a team to watch. They may well surprise some people.
