The 2016 college football season had an incredible mix of teams coming out of nowhere to impress and teams struggling to live up to the expectations they've built at their respective programs.
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While teams like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and many others did exactly what people expected them to do, many teams fll short of pre-season expectations or program expectations in general.
Not all of those teams are doomed to repeat that failure again this season.
Here's a look at some teams who could turn things around quickly from a disappointing end last year.
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Texas
2016 record: 5-7
Things got so bad for the Longhorns last season that Texas decided to cut bait and fire head coach Charlie Strong after three seasons under his leadership saw the Longhorns fail to win more than six games.
Now it's former Houston head coach Tom Herman's ship to sail, and Texas should be excited at their prospects for the upcoming season.
Texas was in a lot of game sit lost last season — in fact, five of Texas' seven losses were one-possession games. Couple a bunch of close losses with 17 returning starters this year and a new head coach, and the Longhorns could be back in business quickly.
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Michigan State
2016 record: 3-9
What the heck happened to the Spartans last season? Mark Dantonio's crew was not only disappointing in 2016, they were downright awful. After winning their first two games — including what looked like a good win on the road at Notre Dame, Michigan State lost its Big Ten opener to Wisconsin in ugly fashion — 30-6 — and lost 9 of its final 10 games.
A close game late against then-No. 2 Ohio State (17-16 loss) and a tough showing against then-No. 2 Michigan (32-23 loss) gave Spartans fans hope, but the season was a head-scratcher.
Michigan State returns just nine starters, but has had incredible recruiting classes in recent seasons and can usually rely on Dantonio to put a solid product on the field. Michigan State should revert to the norm this season.
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Notre Dame
2016 record: 4-8
The 2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish squad never strung together a pair of wins on the way to a 4-8 season last year. The Irish made coaching changes mid-season and failed to win any close games (lost 7 one-possession games) on the way to the dismal finish.
While the 2017 version of the Fighting Irish will be without soon-to-be NFL draft pick quarterback Deshone Kizer, the Irish should rebound this year with 15 returning starters and four seniors coming back on the offensive line.
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UCLA
2016 record: 4-8
The Bruins were another team people expected more from in 2016. An injury to starting quarterback josh Rosen certainly put UCLA in a bind, and the season spiraled out of control. UCLA lost six games by 10 points or less, including 4 one-possession losses.
This year UCLA returns a senior-laden team with 13 returning starters, so expect the Bruins to leap up the Pac-12 standings.
