NCAAF Power Five Conference Dark Horses

Here is one dark horse for each Power Five Conferences that is worth paying attention to for College Football predictions.

• ACC: Duke

After Clemson, sportsbooks favor Florida State or North Carolina to play a significant role in competing for an ACC championship. However, a school that could make some noise is Duke. Last season the Blue Devils surprised everyone by going 9-4 and winning a bowl game against UCF. That was after winning three games in 2021.

Duke will also have its starting quarterback, Riley Leonard, returning. He threw for 2,967 yards, ran for 699, and contributed 33 touchdowns. If he can put together another solid season for the Blue Devils, and the team takes another step forward,there is a chance they could push for a championship game spot.

• Big 12: Texas Tech

Headed into 2023, the Big 12 might have some of the biggest questions, marks, and uncertainties out of any Power Five Conference. The conference is changing, adding new schools, to replace some of the usual favorites leaving in following seasons. That does leave the conference up to chance a little, despite most NCAA football odds siding with Texas, which is known for inconsistency.

On the other hand, it opens the door to a surprise team winning the Big 12, and Texas Tech could take advantage. Last season, the Red Raiders had their second consecutive winning record, including a bowl win. That was all without a consistent starting quarterback, having three make over 160 attempts and 1,100 yards. If one quarterback could take over, that should put Texas Tech in an excellent position to compete.

• Big Ten: Wisconsin

The East of the Big Ten will be intense, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State battling. Each school is extremely talented and will be highly rated. However, the West is more balanced, giving Wisconsin a path to the championship game.

The Badgers have a decent team, headlined by running back Braelon Allen, who had 1,242 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Furthermore, they also made College Football news by adding transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai from SMU, which will be an upgrade from last season. Wisconsin also has a favorable schedule outside of a matchup with the Buckeyes Week 8. That, combined with the other schools in the West not improving, opens the door for the Badgers.

• Pac-12: Oregon State

The Pac-12 might be among one of the more exciting Power Five Conferences with a few top-end teams. Oregon State did end last season with a 10-3 record, which should make them no longer a dark horse. On the other hand, five different schools had double-digit win seasons in 2022.

There is also a decent chance that the Beavers will improve in 2023. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei transferred from Clemson and will immediately be an upgrade over what the Beavers had last season. Adding Uiagalelei should help elevate the offense, alongside running back Damien Martinez getting better in his sophomore season.

• SEC: South Carolina

With how good the SEC is, it might be impossible for a dark horse to win the conference. Alabama and Georgia have dominated college football for seemingly a decade now and aren’t going away soon. Plus, with LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee making noise in 2022, it is hard to take them to be an underdog.

South Carolina could make a case for itself, having closed out the regular season with massive wins over Tennessee and Clemson, each ranked in the Top 10. Spencer Rattler was an enormous part of those wins, throwing for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. The Gamecocks play fell flat in their bowl game but maybe they showed enough to be competitive in 2023.