The college football regular season has finally come to an end. It has been 13 weeks of non stop action on the gridiron. There are many of you out there who are happy with your favorite team’s accomplishments this season while there are others of you who are wondering what the heck happened to my team, we were supposed to be good. Well I am here to hand out an award. This award is not something you will want to brag about to your fellow fans, but it is something worth recognition. For those teams who were major underachievers this year, this award is for you. Here is a list of the top 5 most disappointing teams in the 2006 college football season in no particular order…
1. Florida State – The Seminoles were ranked number 11 in the preseason polls and opened the season with a win over the number 12 Miami Hurricanes. After this game that featured absolutely no offense, and supposedly was a game between two powerhouses, people were raving about FloridaState and their defense. Well, the lack of a running game and an inconsistent quarterback led FSU to a less than spectacular 6-6 record. Bobby Bowden is already hearing to rumbles for his resignation. Nice season FloridaState.
2. Miami – There really isn’t a word to describe what kind of condition this program is in. Miami was supposed to fight for a chance to play in the ACC title game this season, but instead they finished 6-6 in a season that included a melee versus Florida International, the shooting death of one of their players, and ultimately the firing of one Larry Coker. The Miami Hurricanes are in shambles. There have already been many people rumored to be the next head coach at Miami, but all of those candidates have said they want no part of that job, and I can’t blame them.
3. Iowa – Drew Tate was supposed to lead a Hawkeye team that was supposed to be near the top of the Big Ten this season. With a senior quarterback running the show, there were many people that had the preseason #16 Iowa Hawkeyes challenging the likes of a Michigan and OhioState for the league championship. However, Iowa could not win any big games and finished a pathetic 6-6 on the season finishing a solid 8th in the Big Ten.
4. California – Some of you may not agree with this one, but California has to be in this spot. California was a preseason top 10 team and was picked by many to challenge USC in the Pac-10 and even make a run at the national championship. With a high powered offense, the expectations for the Cal Bears were through the roof. All of this was shattered in their first game of the season when Cal was throttled by a rejuvenated Tennessee team. California was a solid team this year, but to me they failed to meet expectations. They finished 9-3 and lost two out of three down the stretch including losing to USC 23-9 and weren’t even competitive. Wasn’t a complete failure as a season, but wasn’t what the Cal faithful was looking for.
5. Clemson – Now for those of you who are die-hard Clemson fans (I’m a student at Clemson by the way) this news will be a shock to you. Clemson fans will gladly accept an 8 win season. Come on guys! Clemson was 7-1 through eight games and their only loss was a fluke mistake in the kicking game which lost Clemson the game by one point. After beat Georgia Tech 31-7 there were many people who claimed Clemson as the best one loss team in the country. Ha, that was funny. Clemson lost three of its last four games, including two at home to inferior opponents. Quarterback play really hurt the Tigers this year, but 8-4 is underachieving with the amount of talent on the depth chart and after starting 7-1. Enjoy the Music City Bowl (yay?!?)
There you have it. Here are five teams who can all officially begin the cry “there’s always next year.” These teams were supposed to be good this year and all stumbled along to mediocre seasons at best this year. Congratulations to these five schools for being awarded the 5 most underachieving teams this season!
