The 2015 college football season is just around the corner, and if you are planning to watch plenty of it on Sundays throughout September, October, November and into December, but don’t have a team to support yet, you’ve come to the right place!

In Part I, I detailed a few teams who favour running the football or passing it. In Part II, I’ve listed a few programs boasting Heisman-worthy quarterbacks, a few traditional football powerhouses, and a few schools who have recently ascended to the top of the college football tree.

Traditional Powers

Southern California: the USC Trojans are my team, and unless you love them, you hate them. For a long time, the Pac-12 was USC and no one else, but the Reggie Bush scandal saw the school hit with big scholarship reduction penalties (not to mention a lengthy probation and Bowl ban) which sent a lot of talent to other schools in the conference.

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The Trojans are on their way back to national prominence, and will be strong in 2015, behind an offence led by QB Cody Kessler, who has ridiculous skilled-position talent to target.

Notre Dame: like with USC, you either love Notre Dame or you hate them passionately, and most in America hate the Fighting Irish, who have a very rich and influential alumni fan base and (I say this as a USC fan) an incredible sense of entitlement.

The Fighting Irish have had a rough trot in recent times, not often figuring in the national championship race, but coach Brian Kelly has brought them back to prominence on a national level, and with highly-touted QB Malik Zaire running the show in South Bend, Indiana, optimism is high amongst the Golden Domers.

Notre Dame’s rivalries with USC, Boston College, Michigan and Stanford are the stuff of college football legend.

Texas: a long-time dominator of the Big XII conference, the Longhorns have also suffered through a lean trot in recent years, but the arrival of coach Charlie Strong last year to Austin has begun a rebuilding process, and the massive Texas fan base, used to success and large helpings of it, are looking for a big step forward this year. They get Notre Dame first up in 2015, and, like the Irish, are quick to call for coaching change when things don’t go well. One of the great rivalries in the college game is Texas and Oklahoma, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas as part of the State Fair of Texas each year.

Michigan: it’s fair to say that this new decade hasn’t been great to perhaps the four biggest programs in college football history – USC, Notre Dame, Texas and Michigan – but the Wolverines, who have 915 all-time wins, the most in all of college football, from the Big Ten have cause for optimism, with school legend Jim Harbaugh departing the NFL for a chance to rebuild a school that hasn’t seen much success in the last decade.



Harbaugh is the sort of big-name coach who will bring major recruits through the door. College football is better when the Wolverines are good, and their rivalry with Ohio State is considered perhaps the greatest in all of college football.

Emerging Powers

Boise State: once a gimmick program with their blue turf, the Broncos are now regulars in the Top Ten national polls, and have made a habit of going anywhere to play anyone, usually winning. Aside from famous Bowl victories over Oklahoma, Arizona and Texas Christian, the Broncos have beaten stacked teams like Oregon, Virginia Tech and Georgia in recent years.

A change in coach from Chris Petersen to Bryan Harsin hasn’t slowed down the Broncos, who captured a Fiesta Bowl win last year and have snared some impressive recruits since. Boise is a great town, and Bronco Stadium is a wonderful place to see a game.

Oregon: first Chip Kelly and now Mark Helfrich have elevated this Pac-12 squad to the very top of the college football tree. With lightning offence that’s usually been able to compensate for a sketchy defence, players like Marcus Mariota, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, De’Anthony Thomas and the returning Royce Freeman, the Ducks can slash and burn just about every team. Their home base, Autzen Stadium in Eugene, is a veritable fortress.

Baylor: anyone who thought the Bears were only good with Robert Griffin III under centre have been given a rude awakening in recent seasons. Once the also-rans of the Big XII conference, the Bears are one of the success stories of the last few years, fuelled by a group of high-profile recruits wanting to work under coach Art Briles.

Nick Florence and Bryce Petty have both put up eye-popping numbers in recent seasons. Petty owns the Cotton Bowl Classic record for most passing yards in a game, notching 550 last year in a loss to Michigan State. Even so, Baylor, with a new stadium and a new lease of life, don’t look to be going anywhere.

Michigan State: For so long, the Spartans were considered the little brother of Michigan football, sitting in the large shadow cast by the Wolverines – and that exact phrase was used by former Michigan running back Mike Hart a few years back – but with the problems the Wolverines have endured in recent times, it’s the Spartans who have emerged as the best team from that state, mixing hard-nosed defence with a stout running attack.

It’s led them to two Big Ten championships, a Rose Bowl and a Cotton Bowl win since 2010. And they’ve beaten Michigan for Paul Bunyan’s Axe six of the last seven years – domination!

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