UCLA

The Bruins are probably the outlier on this list, but not because they should be below the honorable mentions. Actually, it is because they have already shown that they have made a massive jump in 2021. A team that all of 2 and 3 years ago were predicted to win one or two games each season, has an extremely high chance of winning nine to eleven games this season. Chip Kelly can go from probably the second hottest seat before the season, to one of the coldest seats in college football if the Bruins can continue their trajectory. Kelly has finally gotten the Bruins to believe in the identity of the team, they are not the West Coast team that is going to throw the ball for 350 plus yards a game. They are going to focus on the run game on offense, and they finally have the pieces to be elite. Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown are one of, if not the best one-two punch in the backfield in all of college football, let alone the Pac-12. The offensive line has shown in back-to-back weeks that it can be absolutely dominant. If Dorian Thompson-Robinson continues to be efficient and not turn the football over, this offense has very limited holes. The defensive front seven have been elite at slowing down the run game and blitzing the quarterback in passing situations. The secondary has had some tackling issues that do need to be resolved, but even with that this could be one of the best UCLA teams we have seen since the late 1990s. The fact that truly shows the Bruins have made a massive jump this year, was that they dominated Hawaii, a team that they were supposed to dominate, and pulled off a solid win against a ranked opponent in LSU, where they pretty much controlled the entire game. The Bruins teams of the past two decades, including the Brett Hundley teams that reached top 15 in the rankings, would have struggled with Hawaii and not shown up for LSU. Look for the Bruins to not only push the Trojans in the Pac-12 South, but push Oregon for the Pac-12 championship.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies were the reason the first massive upset in college football happened this year. Many would say North Carolina should not have been ranked as high as they were, but the Hokies looked in control throughout the entirety of the game. The offense at times looked to be able to move the ball at will and sometimes sputtered, but the saying is not that offense wins championships, defense does, and their defense had one of the most elite showings this season. They limited a potential NFL quarterback in Sam Howell to 208 passing yards in the game with three interceptions and held the Tar Heels to 146 rushing yards as a team. Ideally the rush defense improves, however they can take advantage of an ACC schedule that does not include Clemson and their toughest remaining conference game being Miami (FL) who still has not shown up in big games in recent years. The games that will truly prove if they make the jump to contending for the ACC are the game Week 6 against Notre Dame and their game Week 13 against the Hurricanes.

Florida State

The Florida State Seminoles lost this week; how could they possibly have shown they are ready to make a massive jump in 2021? Well, it is due to the way that they lost the game and not the fact that they did lose the game. Florida State has been a middle of the road to bottom feeder team in the ACC ever since Jameis Winston went onto the NFL. In their biggest games, they have not been close and have not looked good in them since Winston. However, in their game against the ninth ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, there was something different about this team. The defense, while giving up a lot of passing yards to the Irish, shutdown the running game of Kyren Williams, one of the premier running backs in all of college football. Their offense looked good outside of three turnovers by quarterback Jordan Travis who did get hurt in the game. Despite that, when McKenzie Milton came into the game, the offense looked even more dynamic. This is a Florida State team that can take advantage of a weak ACC this year and potentially make a run to the ACC championship game. Is it likely? Not really, but is it likely that they contend in the ACC this year? Absolutely.

Iowa

Many may see the Hawkeyes here and be wondering how they could possibly make a massive jump in 2021. They were contending for the Big Ten West last season and have been ranked countless times over the last couple of seasons. The jump that the Hawkeyes showed that they can make this year is that there is potential for them to not only make the Big Ten championship game, but get over the hump and win the Big Ten championship and either play in the College Football Playoff or the Rose Bowl. Their defense gave Michael Penix and the Indiana Hoosiers nightmares last Saturday, forcing three interceptions and returning two for touchdowns. The two fumbles lost can be chalked up to early season mistakes most likely. The offense is going to need to see Spencer Petras be a little more dynamic throwing the football, but the true focus of this offense is the run game. Much like many other Iowa teams they are strong on the defensive end, however if the secondary can continue to play near this level and the rest of Iowa plays Iowa football, look for this team to be in a New Year’s Six Bowl come December and January.

Michigan State

Michigan State has almost been a joke in the Big Ten for the last couple years and a convincing win over Northwestern in Week 1 could just be the beginning of the Spartans return to prominence. Against a team that is supposed to live and die on the defensive end of the football, the Spartans managed to rack up 326 rushing yards as a team, led by Kenneth Walker who had 264 yards on 23 carries. Payton Thorne completed 60 percent of his passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers could be exactly what the Spartans need game in and game out with potentially one more passing touchdown a game. They did give up 21 points to a much improved offense, however they will need to step it up in their matchups against Miami (FL), Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State if they want a chance at the Big Ten championship. However, they showed this week that they are ready to take that leap to start contending in the Big Ten again.

Honorable Mentions

Penn State

Penn State is a team that as recently as last year was considered a contender for the Big Ten championship, so how do they fall into the honorable mentions in this category? Their early season performances last year put them on the back burner in a lot of the nation’s minds. However, their performance against Wisconsin on the road should show people why they have been contenders for years. The defense played phenomenally, and their offense finally played to Sean Clifford’s strength of throwing a deep ball. The reason they are an honorable mention is the jump they will make is not as big as the teams that made the list.

Minnesota

Minnesota falls into the honorable mentions category for one reason and one reason only: Mohammed Ibrahim got injured. When he did get hurt, he was on pace for well over 200 yards on the ground and 4 touchdowns. This team was pushing and beating Ohio State until the injury happened. Even if they had lost with Ibrahim healthy Minnesota had a high likelihood to be one of the toughest matchups in the Big 10 but the potential has now officially been sidelined.

Maryland

Maryland is a team that showed glimpses of their potential last year but could never maintain it for a long enough period of time. The reason they fall into the honorable mentions simply comes down to who they played in Week 1. West Virginia is not the team that would warrant making the actual list. However, keep an eye on Maryland; Taulia Tagovailoa has loads of potential to lead the Terrapins, and if Tayon Fleet-Davis can continue to rush for over a hundred yards, the offense is set. The defense would also need to continue to hold teams to around 24 points in conference play. Look for Maryland’s Week 5 game against Iowa to really show if they will make a massive jump this year.