Another entry in GameRosters.com’s series of college football “top 5’s”. These teams may not be on the radar of most college football fans, but they should be. All of them hail from non-BCS conferences (3 from the Mountain West) and receive little television exposure. That doesn’t mean these teams aren’t worth checking out. You want offense? Check out Houston and Boise State. Defense? TCU will smother offenses all year. Rivalries? Attend the Holy War between Utah and BYU and then we’ll talk. This Top 5 list has a little bit of everything for the college football fan, so let’s look at each team a little more in-depth.


5. Houston, C-USA, Coach: Kevin Sumlin
It’s all about offense at Houston, where the Cougars posted over 560 yards per game and over 400 yards through the air last year. QB Case Keenum is the returning conference player of the year, and why not with over 5,000 yards and 44 TD’s. He returns a 1,000 yard rusher in Bryce Beall and 6 of his top 7 receivers; opposing defenses will struggle to hold this team under 40 points. The defense will likely struggle again, which will lead to a lot of high-scoring affairs. We will get a feel for how good Houston can be early on as the Cougars travel to Oklahoma State and then get Texas Tech at home in back to back games. Don’t be surprised if both games go over 100 points between the two teams. After the Texas Tech game Houston gets three straight road games, so the schedule is not friendly, but the talent is there for a conference championship and some national recognition. At the very least this team will be exciting to watch every week.

4. BYU, MWC, Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
Max Hall is the best QB in the conference, and one of the best in the nation. The defense returns 6 of the front 7 and will improve on last season’s mediocre season (numbers-wise). We think BYU has a chance to finish in the top 25 for the 4th straight year, but the thing that might prevent that is the schedule. Non-conference games against Oklahoma and Florida State will be brutal, but luckily the Cougars get both TCU and Utah at home. If they can split those 4 tough games, BYU will again reach double-digit wins and contend for the conference crown and a top 25 ranking. Another 10-win season and Bronco Mendenhall will become an even hotter commodity in the coaching world.

3. Utah, MWC, Coach: Kyle Wittingham
The Utes are coming off an undefeated season that culminated with a national spotlight stunner over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, so you’d think we would have them higher on this list. Utah does return a dominant defense largely intact, but the offense will miss a lot on offense, including outstanding quarterback Brian Johnson. Replacement Corbin Louks is one of the fastest players on the field, so keep an eye on him. Much like TCU, the Utes face an early season road test: at Oregon. Expect another bowl season for sure and another run at a conference title, but we don’t think the Utes will be making another splash in the BCS picture this year.

2. TCU, MWC, Coach: Gary Patterson
When we think of TCU we think of one thing: defense. The Horned Frogs had the #1 defense in the nation last year, allowing just 11.3 points per game, 47 rushing yards per game, and just 218 total yards per game. They have to replace several guys on defense this year, but expect another dominant defense led by DE Jerry Hughes. Hughes is one of the top defensive linemen in the entire country; he had 15 sacks and 6 forced fumbles last year. The offense will be no slouch either, led by talented QB Andy Dalton. Although we think TCU is the 2nd best non-BCS team, don’t be surprised if their record doesn’t indicate it. Early season road tests against Virginia and Clemson will show us what to expect from the Frogs this season. Expect them to battle with both Utah and BYU for what might be the most exciting conference race all year; it will certainly be the best one that nobody pays attention to.

1. Boise State, WAC, Coach: Chris Petersen

Kellen Moore will be just a sophomore but is the focal point of the offense and is capable of carrying the load on an explosive offense. The defense could be equally good after allowing just 12.6 points per game last year. The Broncos are far and away the class of the WAC, and should cruise to another undefeated season in the conference. The real test this year will be the season-opener against Oregon. With such a generous pre-season ranking this year (top 15 in most early polls), if Boise can get a win over the hyped up Ducks, they will be set-up for a BCS-bowl season. And don’t think they can’t do it; the Broncos beat Oregon 37-32 at Oregon last year on their way to an undefeated season.

There is our top 5 non-BCS conference teams. We feel confident in the top 4, but that 5th spot was a tough one to fill out. We went with Houston based on the strength of their thrill-a-minute offense and outstanding QB. You can do a lot worse than watching Houston hang 50 points week in and week out.

Let us know what you think in our comments section.

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Tags: boise, boise state, byu, college football, houston, non bcs, tcu, top 5, utah

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