COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS THIS SEASON
RELATED: SEC’s 5 biggest disappointments
5. Derek Mason’s first season at Vanderbilt: Things got downright ugly in Nashville in the wake of James Franklin’s departure to Penn State. At first glance, it appeared the Commodores hit a home run when they were able to lure Mason away from Stanford, but it quickly turned sour when Vandy stepped on the field. An opening loss to UMass was a microcosm of a dreadful fall, one that included a four-quarterback nuisance and several near losses to teams the Commodores paid to play. At least Mason has shown he wants to turn it around. He has fired his offensive and defensive coordinators since the season ended, but another winless SEC campaign in Year 2 will prove the supposed defensive guru is in over his head in the nation’s toughest league.
4. Jeff Driskel: Thanks to new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, Florida’s junior quarterback was scheduled to return to 2012 form — even better perhaps — for the East-contending Gators. Similar to the struggles Chuck Knoblauch suffered throwing to first base in the latter stages of his pro baseball career, it became a mental issue for Driskel who turned into a turnover-prone passer lacking confidence. Simple completions became balls heaved out-of-play and third downs were treacherous. Replaced by Treon Harris after a loss to Mizzou, Driskel grabbed a headset and looked on from the sideline. His future is up in the air in Gainesville under recently-hired coach Jim McElwain.
3. Stanford: A preseason contender slated to challenge Oregon for a Pac-12 title this fall, Stanford avoided chaos by prevailing in its final two games on the road to reach seven wins — the fewest since managing eight victories in 2009. Ranked No. 10 in Week 2, the Cardinal lost five times against ranked teams (three by 3 points) before finally snapping the streak in the regular-season finale at UCLA. They received a Foster Farms Bowl bid for their troubles. After playing in four straight BCS games, the short trek to Santa Clara on Dec. 30 is tough to stomach.
2. Kliff Kingsbury: Not to pile on the Big XII, but Texas Tech’s heartthrob of a head coach was anything but sexy on the field, leading a squad that stunk it up with a 4-8 record despite entering the season as a ‘team to watch’ in the Midwest. The Red Raiders never saw results after the second-year coach received a $1 million bump to $3.1 million annually and an extension to 2020 before the season. The lowpoint came at TCU on Oct. 25 when Texas Tech’s embarrassing defenses yielded 82 points to the Horned Frogs.
1. Oklahoma wilting under preseason pressure: We all fell for it after the Sooners’ emphatic victory over Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma was a College Football Playoff lock with a returning quarterback, elite coach in Bob Stoops and several studs on defense anxious to win the Big XII and grab the top spot in the polls. We’re in mid-December and Oklahoma’s unranked after its fourth loss of the season, a letdown in the annual Bedlam rivalry. Oklahoma State erased a 14-point deficit with five minutes left for the overtime win in Norman. Stoops’ seat is scorching.
