5 Dark Horse Teams that Could be the Next Colorado in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
The Colorado Buffaloes surprised to win their division in 2016. Which teams could make a similar leap to College Football Playoff contention in 2017?
Perhaps the most surprising team of 2016 was Colorado. The Buffaloes were picked by the media to finish dead last in the Pac-12 South this season. Instead Mike McIntyre’s team rebounded from losses to Michigan and USC to win six straight and sweep the South. Though they fell in the Pac-12 championship game to Washington and missed out on a spot in one of the College Football Playoff-affiliated New Year’s Six bowls, Colorado proved a worst-to-first turnaround is possible.
Who might be among those teams to finish 2016 with a losing record that could launch to conference and College Football Playoff contention next season? Click through to see our picks for our early picks of the dark horse candidates from each Power Five conference that could potentially make the College Football Playoff committee sweat in 2017.