Top 25 College Football Teams Who Exceeded Expectations the Past 10 Years
The Wolf Pack started the year unranked but scored wins agains Cal and BYU to get to 6-0 before dropping out of the Top 25 after a loss to Hawaii. After winning four straight to get to 10-1, they truly solidified the season on a Friday night just after Thanksgiving.
Nevada beat Boise State in overtime as the Broncos were trying to position themselves for a spot in the national championship game, and all of a sudden Nevada, not Boise State, was the face of the mid-majors.
They followed that up by winning the Mountain West Conference championship, and then they beat another major program in Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
The success of the Wolf Pack as a mid-major that year made them a surprise, and they earned this spot on the list. Now, the Pistol Formation is taken seriously.
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22
Nevada Wolf Pack 2010
Last week: 2010 Record: 13-1
Last rank: No. 11 (Final AP Rank)
For years at this point, the Boise State Broncos, TCU Horned Frogs, and Utah Utes were the faces of the mid-major powerhouses in college football The Nevada Wolf Pack were just a football team that ran some weird pistol offense and had some success.
But in 2010, under the leadership of Colin Kaepernick, that all began to change.
The Wolf Pack started the year unranked but scored wins agains Cal and BYU to get to 6-0 before dropping out of the Top 25 after a loss to Hawaii. After winning four straight to get to 10-1, they truly solidified the season on a Friday night just after Thanksgiving.
Nevada beat Boise State in overtime as the Broncos were trying to position themselves for a spot in the national championship game, and all of a sudden Nevada, not Boise State, was the face of the mid-majors.
They followed that up by winning the Mountain West Conference championship, and then they beat another major program in Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
The success of the Wolf Pack as a mid-major that year made them a surprise, and they earned this spot on the list. Now, the Pistol Formation is taken seriously.
Next: #21: 2005 TCU