College football summer reading list: Extra credit – Notre Dame and Group of Five

“Team Esteem” by Brian Kelly

Confidence will be key this year for the Fighting Irish, particularly when it comes to quarterback Brandon Wimbush. Luckily the senior’s arm is stronger than Brian Kelly’s suit game and his accuracy is vastly improved. But Wimbush will be looking over his shoulder, keeping an eye on backup Ian Book and dual-threat freshman Phil Jurkovec throughout the season. The Irish have a stable of new receivers to break in and solid talent at tight end, but they will need more durability at the running back position. Mike Elko’s rebuild on defense leaves new defensive coordinator Clark Lea sitting pretty with nine returning starters and a deep, experienced line. Unfortunately, none of the returning safeties has made an interception, but that just means they will be hungry for turnovers this year. If the Irish can confidently navigate their treacherous schedule, Notre Dame will likely experience its first back-to-back, double-digit winning seasons since 1992-1993.

“Chasing Perfection” by Josh Heupel

The University of Central Florida Knights have all the makings of another great season — junior quarterback McKenzie Milton and his 4,037 passing yards return in all their offensive glory, free safety Kyle Gibson is back to pick off passes and senior linebacker Pat Jasinski will be tackling his way through the AAC. But the big question is — can they repeat last year’s undefeated perfection? And the answer is — probably not. Not because they lack the talent or ability but simply because they need to navigate through all the change — the addition of head coach Josh Heupel, the loss of Shaquem Griffin. If the Knights can take it all in stride, they will definitely repeat as conference champs. But they might have to pump the breaks on the National Champions stuff this season. Either way, whatever happens at UCF ends up all over Twitter. 

“Avoiding Rat Poison: A Guide to Tempered Expectations” by Lane Kiffin

FAU has been my favorite offseason follow and if you are riding the Lane Train like I am, you know this team has the possibility of being something special.  The storylines alone are enough to make a college football fan salivate — a 25-year old offensive coordinator, a dark-horse Heisman contender and a quarterback candidate who was kicked out of Oklahoma. Golden. Running back Devin Singletary has the ground game on lock and when a quarterback is named, that signal-caller will have solid targets at wide receiver. New defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro will disguise more formations and utilize a fire pass-rush unit to blitz far more often. Plus the secondary returns most from a unit that tied for second nationally with 20 interceptions. But there are also newbies at kicker and punter. All that turnover could mean inconsistency early for the Owls. Hopefully they figure it out sooner rather than later, as Game 1 features a mean Oklahoma squad in Norman. 

“Teaching Sustainability” by Bryan Harsin

Boise State is basically the Alabama of the mid-majors — the Broncos have won 42 games in four years since Bryan Harsin took over for Chris Petersen, they have won three Mountain West conference titles since joining the conference seven years ago and they are second in the Group of 5 in the two-year recruiting rank. And this season you will see more of the same from the conference favorite. Senior quarterback Brett Rypien, active leader in the FBS in career passing yards (9,876), is back and five new receivers and two tight ends were added in the offseason so Rypien will have plenty of targets. The Broncos also show improvement on the offensive line, which will help establish a better run attack. They return 10 of the top 11 tacklers on defense and Avery Williams on special teams, who averaged 11.2 yards per return last season. If Rypien can elevate the new pass catchers, Boise State will repeat as Mountain West champs and be a top New Year’s Six bowl candidate.

“Consistent Contenders” by Frank Solich

The Ohio Bobcats have been consistently good enough. But good enough doesn’t win conference titles. This season though, junior quarterback Nathan Rourke — of the 2,203 passing yards, 912 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns fame — is set to lead the Bobcats to victory and possibly end their Mid-American Conference championship drought, which extends back to 1968. They will need to limit turnovers and plug some holes on defense, specifically on the line and at linebacker. The defense definitely holds the key to a 10-win season, as the Bobcats will need to replace six of the front seven starters. Luckily Ohio boasts the best offensive line in the conference which, coupled with a super athletic Rourke should be enough to give the Bobcats an edge. They are a favorite to win the East (again), but total conference domination depends on the defense.

“Replacing Riley” by Mike Norvell

This whole college football summer reading list started with one thought: How is Memphis head coach Mike Norvell going to replace quarterback Riley Ferguson? And the short answer is that he can’t. But the QB competition is strong, with sophomore dual-threat David Moore leading the pack, his running ability and strong arm setting him apart from others such as Arizona State transfer Brady White. Luckily the ground game is solid, returning Darrell Henderson, who became the programs first 1,000-yard rusher in eight years. The Tigers lost 2,000 receiving yards with the departure of Anthony Miller and Phil Mayhue, but the offensive line will stay strong led by first team all-conference tackle Trevon Tate. Say that three times fast. The defense needs to improve on the 466.2 yards per game allowed last year, but luckily the secondary returns sophomore CB T.J. Carter, who set a school record for interceptions by a freshman with five. Carter also recorded 11 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Plus the Tigers have Tony Pollard, my all-time favorite college football player this year. Pollard scored six touchdowns on kickoffs last season, one shy of the NCAA record, which he is sure to break this year. The schedule is also in the Tiger’s favor, with UCF and Houston both at home.

“The Justice System” by Blake Anderson

It’s no secret the Arkansas State Red Wolves will be relying on senior quarterback Justice Hansen to navigate the Sun Belt this season, what with his 3,967 yards, 37 touchdowns and his 62.6 completion percentage. Arkansas State is also blessed with tall targets to catch Hansen’s passes — the Red Wolves have five receivers who are 6-foot-3 or taller. It’s no surprise that Arkansas State led the league (and ranked fifth in FBS) by throwing 342.2 yards per game. Defensively the Red Wolves need new cornerbacks to emerge, and their pass-rush game isn’t nearly as terrifying as their passing game. If they can plug holes on defense and clean up the mistakes from last year, they could very well reach the Sun Belt title game. Plus, we hear first-year strength coach Pat Ivey has installed a new mental conditioning program called “Professor X Mondays,” which teaches players the skills to focus, enhances preparation and works on emotional stability. Accountability is a big focus for head coach Blake Anderson this year and if players can step up, the Sun Belt could be theirs.

“Just Run Baby Run” by Rocky Long

The San Diego State Aztecs love to run the ball and have produced some of the nation’s best running backs in recent years. This year will be no different with junior Juwan Washington ready to follow in the footsteps of Rashaad Penny and Donnel Pumphrey. Just because everyone knows that Rocky Long loves the run and the Aztecs primary points come from the ground game doesn’t mean they can stop it — look what happened to Stanford last year. But the passing game has made progress in the offseason thanks to hard work by senior quarterback Christian Chapman, who is noted for his efficiency. The Aztecs also have a stingy defensive unit that boasts the best young secondary in college football, including ball-hawks Tariq Thompson and Ron Smith. San Diego State is 32-9 over the past three seasons, coming off its fourth consecutive season of 10 or more wins. Opponents beware. 

“High Expectations are just Fine” by Seth Littrell

Seth Littrell is literally thriving in Denton, Texas. He turned a 1-11 team into a 14-win team with two bowl games and a division title all in two years. This season, North Texas is going to continue that upward trend with a big number of returning players, including quarterback Mason Fine who ranked sixth nationally with 4,052 passing yards and 11th with 31 passing touchdowns. Plus four of his top five receivers are back. But the Mean Green will need to do a better job protecting Fine — they allowed 39 sacks last year, tied for eighth most in FBS. They also need to make strides defensively, bringing more pressure and executing better pass protection. North Texas has the roster to repeat as Conference USA West champs and the home schedule helps, with Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Florida Atlantic all in-house. The offense is dynamic so if the defense can be better, Littrell will keep living his best North Texas life. 

“When Your Non-Conference Kills Your Vibe” by Rod Carey

Think about this lineup: Iowa, Utah, Florida State and BYU. That’s who Northern Illinois faces in its non-conference slate. Huskies are not known to be particularly self-loathing, but that slate of teams is downright detrimental for their mental health. It’s being said that budget cuts forced head coach Rod Carey to make money moves, and hopefully that doesn’t derail what could be a good season, considering. The offensive line is solid, returning five starters and led by the gritty Max Scharping. The wide receiver group is a concern, and quarterback Marcus Childers definitely needs to play more aggressively. Defensively, the Huskies return most of a unit that ranked 26th nationally in total defense. This includes sack master Sutton Smith who recorded 14 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss last year. The talent level is high across the board, like 10-wins high. But the schedule might hold Northern Illinois to eight. With the stacked schedule comes the worry of injury, but depth at QB and a stellar defense should ward off most evil.