Article:Top 5 Overrated College Football Programs

Every so often  Handicapper Craig Trapp of CT Sports Picks  loves to breakdown his top 5 of a college or pro sports. So in continuing with a long line of top 5 lists that have included Craig's top Five: Overrated Basketball Coaches, 2009 NFL Draft Prospects, NCAA Bracket Tips, and College Basketball Coaches.

Today Craig will look at the top 5 most overrated college football programs. Of course this is more slanted towards recent results say in the last 5 years but does have some historical input also.


 * 1) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES: Without a doubt the most overrated football program in all the land. Much of it has to do with an overrated BIG Ten Conference. This very weak conference has masked the very average Buckeyes and put the OSU team in BCS Bowls when they were nowhere near good enough to compete.  Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes want you to forget about there very poor bowl record in recent years. When all the chips are down this program has not stepped up to the plate and in several big games been embarrassed. Last year the USC game was one of the bigger games of the year and OSU forgot to get on the plane heading West.
 * 2) Texas Tech Red Raiders: Even a very good season last year has this team still staring at a # 2 ranking in Craig's most overrated teams. If you take away the last second win against Texas this team would have lost to all the top 10 teams they have played in the last 10 years. The new run and shoot with the mad genius has made this team relevant with ridiculous passing yards in recent years. But when you look at the wins and losses verse the teams that matter they fall short of being considered anywhere near the top of even there own league.  Look at the stats they are impressive but none of that has turned into big bowl wins or any significant players into the NFL.
 * 3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish: My Catholic School education has me always rooting for the Golden Domers but you just can't ignore the very average results in recent years. This programs has not had a signature win in over 4 years and even the most die hard supporters are started to get restless.  This program is no longer one of the elite programs when it comes to talent or performance but still we are made to watch them on national television almost every weekend. Enough already this program is average at best put them in the Big East where maybe they can win that sorry conference.
 * 4) Virginia Tech Hokies : Frank Beamor has rebuilt a once very poor program into a legitimate football program again. But this team is not an elite program along the same lines of Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. Every year they are highly ranked in the preseason and remain there throughout the season. But when it comes bowl season they just can't run with the big dogs. Finally this year VT and Coach Beamor broke through and won a BCS bowl game but even that win was against the very average Big East Conference. VT has made the most of there opportunities but with both FSU and Miami U falling on hard times they really don't have to beat much all season long. Call a spade a spade Virginia Tech is the best of a very average conference!!
 * 5) Alabama Crimson Tide: Before the nation of fans jumps on me let me lay out my argument. How many times does this program have to change coaches or get caught cheating before we realize that the best year of this program are behind them? Even with a great start to last season this team completely fell apart with two losses in a row. The second of the two losses was definitely the one that brought this program back to earth. Now in the off-season we have more NCAA sanctions in another cheating scandal at this once great University. The pressure to win at Alabama is so great that maybe even the Great Nick Saban can't bring them a nation title. Even a true fan of the Crimson Tide must say that this team is at best fourth best in recent years in there own conference.

Of course there are always several other programs that are very close to being in the top 5 most overrated College Football programs but really think the five that in Craig's top are well deserved. The best thing about Sports is that we can look forward to some teams changing the outlook but don't think it will be any of these overrated programs in 2009.

Get all of  Craig Trapp's free sports handicapping plays daily at his website  www.CTSportsPicks.com !!