21 for 2021 key college football offseason topics: Which five college football teams have the potential to disappoint?
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2020 was a strange year for everyone so a free pass has to be given to everyone who had a rough year, but …
Wisconsin was supposed to be good enough to play for the Big Ten title. That didn’t happen – global pandemic things had a wee bit to do with that.
Penn State seemed like it had top ten talent, and then it had the worst start in the program’s history.
Michigan struggled, Virginia Tech wasn’t that great, Minnesota wasn’t special, Mississippi State didn’t break through, and LSU took a massive step back.
Last year we got it close to the pin, hitting Florida State, Minnesota, and Baylor. Give us a mulligan on USC because the schedule changed, and for what the piece is about, Georgia was right considering it didn’t play for or win the SEC Championship and didn’t get to the College Football Playoff.
No one’s saying these teams are going to be bad, but …
It’s all relative. Keep those three words in mind with each of the five teams on the list, because for all of them, anything but less an appearance in the respective conference championship game – at least – will be a disappointment.
Which Power Five teams will start the season with big expectations and will likely fall short?
2021 Power Five Possible Disappointments
Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
ACC: North Carolina Tar Heels
There isn’t any one team in the ACC that appears to be overvalued too much when it comes to the preseason win totals, so this is more about overall expectations.
North Carolina is going to be fantastic, but will it win the ACC Championship? Clemson still appears to be miles ahead of the rest of the conference
Will the Tar Heels win the Coastal Division and get to the ACC title game?
Across several board, the win total line is 10, but Mack Brown’s club has to go to Notre Dame, it starts out at Virginia Tech, ends with NC State, and has to deal with Pitt on the road and Miami at home.
– 2021 CFN North Carolina Preview
That’s not to say it won’t or can’t win any of all of those meetings, and it’s a huge help to not have Clemson on the regular season slate, but is there a defensive meltdown coming like the 44-41 loss to Virginia last year? Is there a brain-cramp like the 31-28 thriller of a defeat to Florida State?
This is when just about everything should be in place after a few years of great recruiting – along with the third year at the helm for QB Sam Howell – but again, the bar is set on ACC Championship appearance or bust.
Anything less than being the second-best team in the ACC – at least – and a ten-win season will be a disappointment.
By the way, North Carolina has one double-digit win season since 1997.
2021 Power Five Possible Disappointments
Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
21 for 2021 Preview Topics (so far)
21. Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes for 2021
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches
15. Expectations For 2nd Year Head Coaches
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. 21 Key Transfers You Need To Know
12. Group of 5 over Power 5 Upset Alerts
11. 5 of College Football’s New Superstars
10. Group of 5 Teams In New Year’s Six Hunt
9. Power 5 Sleeper Teams
8. Ranking The Power 5 Quarterback Battles
– CFN 2021 Preview: All 130 Team Previews