Every year we get a few teams that come out of nowhere to have great seasons, and 2024 is no different. Let’s take a look at the most surprising teams so far.
The biggest surprise college football teams in 2024
Honorable Mentions: Iowa State, Washington State, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, & Navy
None of these teams really had much hype going into the season. You could make an argument that a few people were talking about Iowa State in the wide open Big 12, but other than that, not much talk. Iowa State, Washington State, and Arizona State all sit as two-loss teams and Pitt and Navy each have three losses. They have all had much better seasons than expected so far.
6. SMU
SMU has come out of nowhere in their first season as a power conference school. The Mustangs sit at 9-1 overall and are the only remaining team in the ACC without a conference loss at 6-0. Preston Stone looked to be the starting quarterback headed into the season, but Kevin Jennings had other plans and has taken control of the QB1 spot and hasn’t really looked back. Their only loss is to the next team on this list and they have good wins over Louisville and Pittsburgh. SMU will face Virginia and Cal to end the season as they look for a spot in the ACC Championship and a College Football Playoff birth.
5. BYU
BYU was undefeated up until this past weekend when the Kansas Jayhawks came to town and won a close one. Nonetheless, the Cougars have had a great season and all of their goals are still ahead of them. They and Colorado sit atop the Big 12 at 6-1 with Arizona State and Iowa State right behind them with two conference losses.
Speaking of the Sun Devils, BYU will face them on the road this upcoming Saturday and that one looks to be a good one. Arizona State is a slight favorite and a win here would put them ahead of BYU because they would have the tiebreaker. After that, the Cougars host Houston to end the regular season.
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4. Army
Army is the only non-power conference team in my top six, but they should not be taken lightly. We will get to really see how good they are this weekend as they face eighth ranked Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Jeff Monken seems to always have this team ready to play, but this season has been something different.
Army has been blowing out everyone and haven’t had a single game settled by single digits. Their closest game was last week vs North Texas, where the Black Knights won 14-3. They have been real solid on both sides of the ball and could potentially be headed to the CFP if they can win out.
3. South Carolina
The Gamecocks were an afterthought in the elite SEC before the season started. Nobody really gave them a chance. They have been really solid so far and have some very good wins. Their three losses are to LSU by three, Alabama by two, and a 24 point loss to Ole Miss. They have wins over Missouri, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma, with the last three all coming by double digits.
LaNorris Sellers has been solid and trending upwards and that defense has been good all year. Freshman defensive lineman, Dylan Stewart, has been a huge bright spot for them. South Carolina has Wofford on Saturday, then have their annual rivalry game vs No. 20 Clemson where they look to pick up another ranked win.
2. Colorado
Deion Sanders and Colorado have improved a lot on their 4-8 record from 2023. The Buffs are 8-2 and tied for first in the Big 12 at 6-1 in the conference. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have been balling and are both in the Heisman conversation. They have also improved a lot on both lines of scrimmages and it has shown.
The Buffs only two losses are to Nebraska and Kansas State, who are both respectable. Colorado seems to be hitting their stride now and playing their best ball of the season. The Buffaloes have upset-minded Kansas next and then host Ollie Gordon and Oklahoma State, who have been very disappointing this year.
1. Indiana
Easily the most surprising team of 2024 so far has been Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers. They currently sit at 10-0 and ranked fifth in the country. They are 7-0 in the conference and have a great shot of making the playoff. If they can beat No. 2 Ohio State this weekend, they will have a real shot at a top four seed.
QB Kurtis Rourke has been great and has a 21 to 4 touchdown to interception ratio. Indiana has wins over Nebraska, Washington, Michigan State, and Michigan. After their huge trip to Columbus, they host rival Purdue to round out this magical regular season.
