By: Luke Brumm
Every year, a few teams come out of nowhere and have much better seasons than expected, i.e. TCU last year. 2023 has been no different. I’m going to hone in on my five most surprising teams of the season so far.
Duke
Duke had a pretty good season last year, going 9-4, but I don’t think many people expected them to be a one-loss team at this point in the season. The Blue Devils started off this season with a 21-point win over Clemson and their only loss came a few weeks ago to Notre Dame in a close one. The final of that one was 21-14. Quarterback Riley Leonard has been really impressive and has put himself in many NFL Draft conversations. They have a huge test this Saturday as they travel to Tallahassee to take on fourth-ranked Florida State.
Missouri
Mizzou is another team that has surprised many. They also currently sit with just one loss. That came to LSU in a back-and-forth game. Brady Cook has been slinging the rock around and Luther Burden has been on the receiving end of many of those throws. They really have improved offensively and the defense hasn’t been too shabby either by any means. The Tigers face South Carolina this weekend before facing a Brock Bower-less Georgia Bulldog team. They finish out with Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas. I’m intrigued to see what their record is come December.
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Louisville
The last one-loss team on the list is Louisville. It seemed like they came out of nowhere after smacking Notre Dame. They then went on to get upset by a previously 1-4 Pitt team, but that’s not the point. They have been impressive thus far and have surprised a lot of college football fans. They will still be tested as they go because they still have Duke, Miami, and Kentucky on their schedule. They will be able to rest as they have a bye week this weekend.
Washington State
It feels like Wazzu went just as fast as they arrived, but that shouldn’t take away from what they have accomplished. The Cougs started off 4-0 with wins versus ranked Wisconsin and Oregon State teams and quarterback Cameron Ward had been playing lights out. They have lost their last two, however. One was a close one on the road at UCLA, but the other one was ugly. They got blown out at home by Arizona, a surprise team in its own right, 44-6 this past Saturday. Washington State looks to bounce back in a big way this Saturday as they take on number nine Oregon.
Air Force, James Madison, & Liberty
I put these three together as they are the remaining GO5 unbeatens. While James Madison isn’t eligible for a bowl to due recently moving up, they all currently sit at 6-0 and the others could be battling it out for an NY6 bowl come New Year’s. It’s especially good to see one of the service academy teams having success. Air Force is in the AP top 25 at number 22. James Madison and Liberty also received AP poll votes. James Madison plays Marshall tomorrow night and Air Force will take on Navy on Saturday. Liberty’s next matchup is next Tuesday vs Western Kentucky.
