College football plays 10 most surprising teams: from Indiana to Colorado

Surprise!

After five weeks of football, plenty of teams have emerged to turn their noses up, thump their chests and say to the world: Hey! You were wrong about us!

People were wrong about Florida State this year, but there is another side of the coin. Which teams were the biggest surprise successes from 2024?

We have researched the 10 best.

The Hoosiers, led by first-year coach Curt Cignetti, were picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten. Vegas oddsmakers put their over/under for wins at 5.5.

Cignetti's brash style drew enthusiasm and skepticism after playing a big game all offseason.

I have no intention of taking a back seat to anyone, Cignetti told the crowd at a basketball game in December after he was hired. Purdue sucks, but so do Michigan and Ohio State. Go IE.

When asked about Indiana's trip to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA, Cignetti said, “We're just going to an old stadium to kick someone's ass.”

So far? Indiana did just that, beating the Bruins 42-13 in Week 2 on its way to 5-0. Look at Michigan and Ohio State, although Purdue fired OC Graham Harrell on Sunday after an ugly 1-3 start.

The Hoosiers have been dominant and dynamic on offense, thanks in part to 31 incoming transfers headlined by MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke. He is completing more than 73 percent of his passes for more than 10 yards per attempt and 11 two-tip touchdowns in five games.

Cignetti brought 13 players from his previous school, James Madison. The Hoosiers' four leading tacklers are all transfers, and three came from JMU. The team's top two rushers are transfers, and one is from JMU. Leading receiver Elijah Sarratt is from JMU. It's a wild piece of roster building in the modern era, and so far it couldn't have worked better in a place that has only hosted four bowl games since 2007.

The Cougars took a big step back in their first year in the Big 12, going 2-7 in conference play and missing a bowl for the second time since 2005 last season. In Year 2, Kalani Sitakes' team seems to have figured out a few things in a 5-0 start.

The defense has been the biggest reason for the resurgence. Through five games, it ranks 16th nationally in yards allowed per play. Last year it ranked 92nd.

BYU was picked 13th in the preseason poll and appears to be a team capable of being a serious contender in a wide-open Big 12 title race. The Cougars were ranked 17th in the AP poll this week after starting 2-0 in conference play and beating preseason favorite Kansas State in Provo in Week 4.

Jake Retzlaff, the nation's No. 1 juco quarterback in the class of 2023 behind Kedon Slovis last year, is in the midst of a breakout season and is the Mormon school's first Jewish quarterback.

3. Pit

Pitt's offense is back thanks to new OC Kade Bell from Western Carolina and Alabama, who brings in Eli Holstein at quarterback. Last year, the Panthers had one of the worst offenses in the Power 5, ranking 97th in overall passer rating en route to a 3-9 season, the school's worst mark since 1998.

This year, after being picked 13th in the ACC, the Panthers are 4-0 behind coach Pat Narduzzi with dramatic comeback wins over Cincinnati and rival West Virginia, which some expected to compete in the Big 12. This year, Pitt ranks sixth nationally. offensive yards per game and Holstein ranks 15th nationally in passer rating. In the fourth quarter of games, his passer rating is 268.5 and he completes just under 85 percent of his passes. Only three quarterbacks have been better at that spot this season.

Kyle Monangai was good a season ago with over 1,200 yards rushing. He was great in 2024, averaging just under 150 yards per game and over 6 yards per carry. Only two running backs are averaging more rushing yards per game this year.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who came from Minnesota and stole the starting job from Gavin Wimsatt this season, was efficient and smart with seven touchdowns and one interception. The Scarlet Knights have turned the ball over just twice this season, are ranked fifth nationally and are off to a 4-0 start.

5.James Madison

The Dukes (4-0) were the flip side of the coin after Cignetti's loss to Indiana. The roster was gutted and much of it followed Cignetti to Bloomington. Quarterback Jordan McCloud found himself entering the portal at Texas State.

What have the Dukes done under new coach Bob Chesney? They forced the sport to take notice after scoring 70 points over North Carolina in a win two weeks ago that put them in the College Football Playoff picture.

Quarterback Alonza Barnett III stuck around, won the starting job in his third year in the program and has emerged as an early-season star. He has thrown 12 touchdowns after one interception while rushing for 247 yards and three scores, averaging over 10 yards per carry.

Four Dukes receivers have 150 yards receiving this year, and Holy Cross transfer Terrence Spence has three interceptions, including two against UNC. He returned one for a score.

6. UNLV

UNLV's Go-Go offense under OC Brennan Marion continues to roll despite a revolving door at quarterback. Jayden Maiava had a breakthrough freshman season last year and promptly left for USC. And last week, Holy Cross transfer Matthew Sluka left the program after claiming promises over name, image and likeness money had not been kept, making headlines and setting off a whirlwind of takedowns across the sports world.

The Rebels (4-0) stayed focused and defeated Fresno State, two weeks after beating Kansas for their second Big 12 win of the season. This week they will host Syracuse (3-1) in another big game, but Barry Odom's team is well positioned to compete for the Group of 5 playoff spot if it can beat Boise State (3-1) to win the Mountain. West. UNLV was expected to compete in this competition, but few expected it to knock off a few Big 12 teams and reach the Top 25 for the first time since moving to Division I in 1978.

7. Washington State

In the team's realignment, lost star quarterback Cam Ward was forgotten as one of 27 outgoing transfers after the Pac-12 imploded and the Cougars had to put together a tough Mountain West schedule along with Oregon State in the aftermath. It was unclear what this team would look like.

Coach Jake Dickert found a hidden gem in speedy John Mateer, whose 453 rushing yards are the most among non-service academy quarterbacks.

Wazzu (4-1) rallied to beat San Jose State, but already defeated rival Washington with a dramatic goal-line stand in the final seconds to roll over a Texas Tech team that is now 2-0 in the Big 12. Boise State ended any dreams of an undefeated season, but no one is writing off the Cougars yet. There is still talk of a double-digit profit campaign.

New coach Manny Diaz brought in quarterback Maalik Murphy from Texas, but after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, the Blue Devils returned just 56 percent of their production from last year, which ranked 91st nationally. Riley Leonard was the biggest loss, but Diaz has upgraded Duke's defensive numbers despite the turnovers.

Duke ranks seventh nationally in yards allowed per play, down from 28th a season ago. And picked to finish 11th in the ACC, the Blue Devils have recorded three one-score wins and are off to a 5-0 start, one of three undefeated teams remaining in the conference. Diaz's team already has a road win at Northwestern, defeated UConn and rallied from a 20-0 deficit this week to beat North Carolina 21-20 for its best win of the season.

The Illini posted wins over Kansas and Nebraska to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2011. Bret Bielema's team was picked to finish 13th in the Big Ten, and Vegas oddsmakers pegged their over/under wins at 5.5.

The Illini trailed Penn State in Happy Valley by just seven late in the fourth quarter. Luke Altmyer threw his first interception of the season in the loss, but threw for 11 scores, six to Pat Bryant, who ranks third nationally in touchdown catches.

The Buffaloes won one conference game last season and finished last in the Pac-12 under Deion Sanders. This year, they appear headed to the program's third bowl game since 2007. Two-way star Travis Hunter is on the Heisman short list and Shedeur Sanders is sixth nationally with 1,630 passing yards in five games. Colorado's roster still has many well-documented flaws, but so far they haven't mattered. Aside from an ugly loss to Nebraska, the Buffs (4-1) delivered a loss to rival Colorado State and rolled over UCF on the road as a 14-point underdog Saturday, 48-21.

New defensive coordinator Rob Livingston, along with adding seven defensive front pieces like Houston's Chidozie Nwankwo, Arizona State's BJ Green, Pitt transfers Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola and New Mexico State's Nikhil Webb Walker, has helped the Buffaloes to rise from 115th place nationally. yards per play allowed last year to 75th this year, and to 65th in scoring defense from 124th last year. The running game has also improved over the last two weeks.

Let's see if they can compete for the Big 12 title in the long run, but they have exceeded expectations thus far and are one of only three Big 12 teams to start 2-0 in the league.

(Top photos of Kurtis Rourke, Jake Retzlaff: Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times/USA Today via Imagn Images; Rob Gray/Imagn Images)