http://campusinsiders.com/news/group-of-...06-17-2016
10. Memphis
The Tigers are trending in the right direction again. The key will be to remain on course now that Justin Fuente is a Hokie and Paxton Lynch is a Bronco.
With Fuente on the sidelines and Lynch under center, Memphis delivered its best two-year run in program history, winning 19 games - including one over eventual Sugar Bowl champ Ole Miss last fall. Off the field, the administration is thinking like a Power 5 program, even drawing the attention of the Big 12. And it has the well-heeled backers, like FedEx founder Fred Smith, who are willing to inject the capital infusion needed to upgrade the university’s academic and athletic facilities.
9. East Carolina
Considering how tough the Pirates have been on the ACC, who’s to say they couldn’t be Wake Forest or better as a full-time member of the conference?
East Carolina has had a long and fruitful history as a prolific mid-sized program, whether it was Sonny Randle, Pat Dye, Bill Lewis, Steve Logan, Skip Holtz or Ruffin McNeill in charge. Consider this when evaluating ECU as a possible Power 5 team: Since 2008, the Pirates have knocked off eight opponents currently playing in major conferences, including seven from the ACC. They’ve handled Va Tech three times and NC State and North Carolina twice apiece, slapping 125 combined points on the Heels in 2013 and 2014. Yeah, ECU would hold up in the ACC.
8. South Florida
The Bulls have a limited history, beginning play in 1997, and still have a lot to prove on the field. But there’s plenty to like about their potential to evolve into the Sunshine State’s fourth Power 5 program.
Planted in Tampa, USF is in the right location to compete on a higher level and attract the attention of one of the five major conferences. USF already conducts business in an NFL stadium and in a fast growing market, both in terms of population and TV audience. The Bulls just need a spark, a la the Gators when Steve Spurrier arrived in 1990, to begin gaining greater access to a few more of the local region’s coveted recruits.
7. Navy
The Midshipmen are more than just a rock-solid service academy. They’re a rock-solid football program, with no need for specific labels.
Under Ken Niumatalolo, and previously Paul Johnson, Navy has become the gold-standard among military programs, winning at least eight games in 12 of the last 13 years. And by going 11-2 in last season’s AAC debut, the Mids showed they can handle the unique rigors of conference play. Navy is tough on Notre Dame, winning in 2009 and 2010, boasts recent victories over Indiana, Wake Forest and Rutgers, and has taken two straight over Pitt, including last year’s 44-28 bowl win.
6. UCF
Last year was an anomaly. The Knights still have a very high ceiling that could reach the Power 5.
Yeah, UCF was winless in 2015. It happens, especially when an aging coach is on the cusp of retirement. However, the Knights are a lot closer to the program that won at least eight games in seven of the previous 10 years. And don't forget the one that went 12-1 in 2013, shocked Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, finished No. 10 nationally and popped out a first-round quarterback in Blake Bortles. In terms of recruiting, UCF is in a great location, Orlando, with outstanding facilities and an enormous built-in fan base among alumni. Now that Scott Frost has replaced George O’Leary, it’s only a matter of time before the Knights begin to rock on the field and generate Power 5 looks.
4. Cincinnati
Coaches change, leagues change. Cincinnati remains a model of consistency throughout the better part of the last decade.
Just how good have the Bearcats been lately? Their last four head coaches either came from a larger program - Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech, Auburn and Ole Miss) - or left to pilot one - Butch Jones (Tennessee), Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) and Mark Dantonio (Michigan State). Cincy has won no fewer than nine games in seven of the last nine years, and being in Southern Ohio means short recruiting trips to some top talent both in-state and across the border in Pennsylvania. Given a chance, this program would be every bit as formidable as West Virginia, Pitt, Rutgers or Louisville, who’ve all been called up to the bigs in recent years.
3. Houston
The Cougars are all the rage entering 2016, but this past year is no fleeting phenomenon. Houston has a long history as a member of a marquee conference.
Back in the day, Houston used to rub elbows with Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M on a weekly basis in the defunct Southwest Conference. The Cougs even won the league outright in 1978. And with Tom Herman in charge, a two-year-old building to call home and a stiff wind at its back, Houston is working hard to build a bridge to the past. There’s a lot of potential here, and Herman recognizes it. Other than Texas and Oklahoma, which Big 12 program has a clear edge in potential that the Cougars would not be able to erase in time?
/
16 Go5 schools who could immediately compete in a P5 conf
