Eight weeks into the 2024 school soccer season, readability remains to be exhausting to come back by.
Who will win the Heisman Trophy? Who will make the Faculty Soccer Playoff? The candidates pool for each has shrunk, however it nonetheless feels as vast open because it has in a very long time, a credit score to the brand new 12-team CFP format holding extra groups within the hunt than ever earlier than.
The place we lack readability on who will win school soccer’s most essential trophies, we’ve got lucidity on those that anticipated to be in these mixes however will fall far brief. Greater than halfway by means of the season, these are the ten applications which have disenchanted probably the most thus far.
Auburn (2-5)
In Yr 2 of the Hugh Freeze regime, Auburn was alleged to take a leap into the eight or 9 win territory. Auburn closely invested in buying high place gamers, believing with the proper surrounding solid, quarterback Payton Thorne would return to the model that guided Michigan State to a 11-2 document in 2021. As a substitute, Auburn has regressed, TV cameras hold displaying Thorne and Freeze bickering at one another on the sideline and the Tigers are all however assured of lacking a bowl sport. Like one other crew on this record, Auburn has displayed an unimaginable skill to blow video games it ought to have received. All of it builds to Freeze having a worse document (8-12) than his predecessor Bryan Harsin (September 11) had by means of 20 video games. Harsin, after all, was fired after his twenty first sport.
Arizona (3-4)
Preseason AP rating: No. 21
With tremendous duo Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan coming again after a 10-3 season, the Arizona Wildcats had been a well-liked decide to win their first yr within the Huge 12. The transition to first-year head coach Brent Brennan, although has been bumpy, magnified in a 34-7 loss to Colorado final weekend. Brennan rapidly yanked play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Dino Babers, however what was alleged to be a high-powered offense nonetheless seems out of sync. All of the hope and goodwill Arizona had using into this season has rapidly evaporated.
Florida State (1-6)
Preseason AP rating: No. 10
The Seminoles win the ignominious honor of being probably the most disappointing crew within the nation if we needed to single out solely one in all these 10 applications. A step again was anticipated after a 13-1 2023 season, however nobody might have imagined it’d embody losses to Boston Faculty, Duke and Memphis. On this new period of faculty soccer, Florida State affords an excellent warning of the hazard of making an attempt to construct an excessive amount of of your roster by means of the switch portal. It will possibly work wonders as Mike Norvell proved in 2023, however it’s troublesome to have success year-over-year if the majority of your key contributors are popping out of the portal annually.
Kansas (2-5)
Preseason AP rating: No. 22
A pleasing shock a yr in the past, Kansas crashed again to earth in a season that retains getting worse. It’s painfully apparent watching the Jayhawks’ wretched offense how a lot they miss offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who’s dialing up unique play requires Penn State now. Poor Kansas has a completely brutal upcoming schedule, too: at No. 16 Kansas State, No. 10 Iowa State, at No. 11 BYU and Colorado. That is probably a nine-loss crew a yr after profitable 9 video games.
Michigan (4-3)
Preseason AP rating: No. 9
This one was straightforward to see coming, however disappointing nonetheless for Wolverines followers hoping to indulge in final season’s championship for somewhat longer. The awkward timing of Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the NFL left Michigan with restricted skill so as to add a badly-needed switch quarterback as my colleague Chris Hummer detailed effectively right here. Michigan’s offense has been a large number beneath first-year head coach Sherrone Moore who has needed to rotate between Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle and Davis Warren to restricted success. Michigan fell out of the Prime 25 following its loss to Illinois final weekend, and with a schedule that also contains Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana, there is not any assure the Wolverines will even go bowling this season. Michigan has no selection however to be aggressive within the subsequent switch portal window to improve its offense beginning on the QB place.
Ole Miss (5-2)
Preseason AP rating: No. 6
In a playoff-or-bust yr, Ole Miss hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations. The Rebels went all-in this offseason, grabbing the highest switch portal class within the nation, in a bid to capitalize on the expanded 12-team playoff. That dream is not useless, however there isn’t a margin for error now after already dropping to Kentucky and LSU. That loss to a 15.5-point underdog Kentucky crew that has since misplaced to Vanderbilt and Florida is very egregious. The unhealthy information is No. 2 Georgia is coming to city subsequent month. Lane Kiffin has struggled to win the large video games as a head coach, however he’ll need to discover a solution to beat the Bulldogs. It’d assist if he could make the offense extra environment friendly. The Rebels lead the SEC with 41.4 factors per sport, however have but to attain a second-half landing in SEC play.
Oklahoma State (3-4)
Preseason AP rating: No. 17
Oklahoma State is winless (0-4) in Huge 12 play after dropping within the final minute to BYU final weekend. A dejected-looking Mike Gundy after the sport embodied what this yr has been like for the Cowboys. Returning one of many nation’s high offensive gamers, Ollie Gordon, who rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns a yr in the past, Oklahoma State was billed as a preseason Huge 12 and CFP contender. Gordon, nonetheless, hasn’t seemed himself this season, breaking the 100-yard mark in solely two of his seven video games. He acquired banged up within the BYU loss. Accidents, inconsistent QB play and a protection that gave up 255 dashing yards to BYU have Oklahoma State on a skid that should finish this week in opposition to Baylor.
USC (3-4)
Preseason AP rating: No. 23
The hits carry on coming for Lincoln Riley who has excelled at discovering new and dumb methods to blow video games the Trojans ought to win. The most recent Hollywood bust is the centerpiece of Tom Fornelli’s B1G Time this week, with Fornelli writing:
There’s loads of blame to go round for the gradual decline of a once-great school soccer program, and Riley’s performed a a lot smaller function than many. However proper now, it is Riley’s job to place an finish to it, and he isn’t. The Trojans are 1-4 in convention play and 5-9 general since beginning final season 6-0. How do they repair it?
USC began the yr with a win over LSU in Las Vegas that instantly raised the bar of expectations. Riley was all too desirous to implode these vibes, blowing video games late in opposition to Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State and, most lately and grievously, Maryland. It is nearly incomprehensible how USC retains blowing late leads, however it’s the explanation what might have been a return to nationwide prominence as a substitute lands the Trojans again to the island of greatest disappointments. That is not what USC thought it was getting when it dedicated to paying Riley $10 million a yr.
Utah
Preseason AP rating: No. 11
Utah was the media’s preseason decide to win the Huge 12 and for good measure. Kyle Whittingham, ranked as school soccer’s sixth-best coach in our preseason rankings, took Utah to back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances in 2021-22. Cam Rising was coming again for a seventh yr and had an argument because the Huge 12’s finest quarterback. However the Rising scenario has been a perplexing will-he-or-won’t-he-play mess, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigned Sunday after a loss to TCU and the Utes look utterly out of kinds. In a wide-open Huge 12, Utah felt nearly as good a guess as any to emerge because the convention’s playoff participant, however now there are actual questions on whether or not it is going to even qualify for a bowl sport.
Virginia Tech (4-3)
The Hokies had been a stylish preseason playoff decide to win the ACC, although the bandwagon emptied quick after a Week 1 loss to Vanderbilt. Virginia Tech had a controversial name go in opposition to its manner in what might have been a win in opposition to Miami that may have us viewing this season in a completely totally different mild. Nonetheless, the Hokies should not have three losses this quickly into the season, particularly with video games in opposition to Clemson and Syracuse nonetheless to come back. In Yr 3 of Brent Pry’s time in Blacksburg, followers rightfully had been anticipating greater than what they’ve seen thus far this season.
