When you’re a member of the hunted in college football, you get every team’s best shot on a weekly basis. But being the hunter is a role every program relishes, an opportunity at turning heads against vaulted competition to prove you belong.
There are several title-capable teams this season that aren’t getting enough love in the preseason lead-up according to college football analyst Phil Steele.
The longtime media veteran prides himself on preseason predictions that come true and his 352-page 2021 season preview is jam-packed with prognostications for all 130 FBS teams this upcoming season. His robust early look at each program and who he feels will be the teams to beat this fall in their respective conferences also includes a group of “surprise teams” he feels are flying under the radar a bit nearing the start of fall camp.
A few of these underrated teams are ranked inside numerous preseason polls while others are enjoying the cloak of relative anonymity, anxious to prove their worth.