College football teams to watch and root for now that your team is out of it

Are you an Auburn Tigers fan who has seen your title hopes dashed by a lackluster offense? Maybe you root for the Wisconsin Badgers, and you are sweating it out thanks to their loss to BYU. Or, perhaps, you support UCLA, and you’ve quickly realized that Chip Kelly can’t turn it around in a day. If you are a fan along those lines, this college football season may have lost its fun. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There are a lot of fun college football teams out there. Even if you don’t root for them, you can enjoy watching their games. They may not be the elite of the elite — nobody needs to tell you to watch Alabama. However, you should give the Tide a gander if you need to relieve some of your stress and disappointment that stems from watching your own team.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

It’s been years since Mike Leach has been around, but Texas Tech remains one of the most exciting offenses in college football. No team has put up more yards per game, as the Red Raiders have averaged a whopping 591 yards per contest. They aren’t a terrible team, either, as they’ve scored wins over Houston and Oklahoma State.

Colorado Buffaloes

If you haven’t been paying attention, you might not realize that the Buffaloes are currently undefeated. If everything breaks right, they might even end up in the Pac-12 title game. Steve Montez is an exciting quarterback, and the team has a good running game led by Travon McMillian. But it’s Laviska Shenault Jr. who is the star of the show. He has 708 yards through five games and has totaled 10 touchdowns, including four in the run game.

Ole Miss Rebels 

Are shootouts your thing? Then you’ll want to check out Ole Miss. The Rebels’ offense has racked up 541 yards and 42.3 points per game. That’s great! Meanwhile, their defense has allowed 504 yards and 35.5 points per game. Ole Miss games are rarely boring. Plus, they have two of the best receivers in college football in A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf.

Syracuse Orange

Thanks to Dino Babers, the Orange have a high-flying offense, although they’ve been doing it through the air and on the ground this year. However, they also have a big-play defense. Syracuse has racked up 20 sacks and nine interceptions already. A couple of weeks ago, they almost pulled off an upset against Clemson. Any team that can hang with the Tigers is a team with legitimate talent and a team worth watching.

Houston Cougars

Let’s dip down into the “Group of Five,” in case you want to watch a team that maybe doesn’t get as much publicity. Houston’s offense is right up there with Texas Tech’s, as it ranks second in yards per game (582). On top of that, it's averaged 50 points per game. The guy to watch is quarterback D’Eriq King, who would be contending for the Heisman if he was putting up these numbers at a bigger school. Through five games he’s thrown 18 touchdowns against three interceptions, and he’s added seven more scores on the ground. The junior quarterback is a human highlight reel.

Appalachian State Mountaineers 

Fifty points per game is a lot. You know what’s more than 50? That would be 51.8, which is how many points Appalachian State is averaging. The Mountaineers' offense is potent and it’s balanced, as they averaged more than 250 yards per game both passing and rushing. In their season opener, they almost upset Penn State before falling 45-38. Had they done that, you’d already be excited about the Mountaineers, but there’s still time for you to hop on the bandwagon.

Miami Hurricanes 

You may be saying, “Offense is all well and good, but what I really love is defense.” In that case, check out the Hurricanes. Miami ranks seconds in yards allowed per game, as it's given up a mere 237 per contest. The top team is Michigan, and as long as Jim Harbaugh is there nobody is overlooking that team. However, after the Canes lost their opener to LSU, their title hopes ended, and they are basically an afterthought to Clemson in the ACC. Of course, if you love defense, you can always wait for Miami to pick up a turnover, because that means the chain is coming out and that’s still fun.

Oregon Ducks

Chip Kelly is gone and so is his protégé Mark Helfrich. But Oregon’s offense is back. The Ducks have scored 45.6 points per game, and they would be undefeated right now if not for a few weird plays against Stanford. Quarterback Justin Herbert makes the Ducks really exciting, but freshman running back C.J. Verdell has averaged 6.2 yards per carry as well. If you are into uniforms, the Ducks are also always worth checking out because there’s a 50/50 chance they will be wearing something new, and it will likely be either amazing or awful.

Memphis Tigers

You might look at Memphis quarterback Brady White’s numbers — 1,549 passing yards with 15 touchdowns against one interception — and think he’s the proverbial straw that stirs the drink on this offense. Well, let us introduce you to running back Darrell Henderson. The junior leads the FBS in rushing yards, with 934 on 79 carries. If you want some quick math, he’s averaging a staggering 11.8 yards per carry.

Purdue Boilermakers 

Purdue may seem like an odd choice given its 2-3 record, but hear us out. For starters, the Boilermakers rank in the top 25 in total yards per game and also bottom 25 in total yards allowed per game. Additionally, they have a future star in freshman Rondale Moore. He has 437 yards and four touchdowns receiving, plus 136 yards and a score rushing. When the ball is in his hands, magic can happen, and maybe a little freshman magic is what you need to buoy your spirits these days.