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4. San Diego
USD Athletics
The Toreros are in such a good spot as a program. As a non-scholarship team in the Pioneer League, their No. 1 goal is to win the conference and make the playoffs. Once there, whatever happens, happens. And in the last two seasons, USD has been the darling of the FCS tournament, upsetting two Big Sky teams in convincing fashion.
This program hasn’t lost a conference game since 2015, has sent talent to the NFL lately and has proven to be better than teams with full scholarships. The train doesn’t appear to be slowing down with senior quarterback Anthony Lawrence leading the charge once again. Will the Toreros ever make a deep run into the playoffs? Probably not. But that’s not their expectation. And they’ve exceeded expectations the last two seasons by just reaching the second round.
