We're nearly halfway through the college football season and there have already been a slew of surprises _ teams that appear to be either underachieving or overachieving on the gridiron.
Meet the underachievers:
_Oklahoma (2-2): The Sooners were preseason favorites to not only win the Big 12 again but also compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, that quickly went out the window after dropping games against Houston and Ohio State. The team has struggles to limit turnovers and protect quarterback Baker Mayfield.
_Michigan State (2-2): The Spartans hadn't lost back-to-back regular season Big Ten games since 2012 and few expected a slump, but Michigan State has stumbled to losses during consecutive contests against Wisconsin and Indiana. It's not for a lack of talent, but Mark Dantonio's team is making too many uncharacteristic mistakes and now could be saddled with its worst season since 2012.
_Oregon (2-3): Mark Helfrich went from golden prodigy to hot seat occupant in two short seasons. The Ducks are off to their worst start to a season since 2004, dropping three consecutive games. Offense has never been a problem, it's the defense that has been the issue with the team allowing close to 500 yards per game.
_LSU (3-2): Few programs began the season with loftier expectations than the Tigers, entering 2016 ranked among the top five teams in the country, thanks to experience and talent. Both weren't enough in close losses to Wisconsin and Auburn, which ultimately cost Les Miles his job. LSU responded and helped interim coach Ed Orgeron score a win this week, but is it too little too late?
And meet the overachievers:
_Colorado (4-1): Colorado hasn't started a season this well in more than a decade (2005). The Buffaloes are thriving thanks to a defense that leads the Pac-12 and an offense that is averaging more than 500 yards and 43 points per game. Mike MacIntyre's team snapped a six-game losing streak to Oregon, beating the Ducks for the first time since 1998.
_Wake Forest (4-1): The Demon Deacons haven't won four games in a season since 2013 and haven't started a season 4-1 since the Jim Grobe days in 2011 _ the program's last bowl appearance. Granted, the team's strength of schedule isn't among the top 50 in the country and Wake Forest suffered its first loss during the weekend against NC State, but it's still an impressive start.
_Eastern Michigan (4-1): The Eagles have won more games this season (4) than its past two seasons combined (2 and 1). Eastern Michigan is off to its best start since 2011. The team's only loss was to Missouri _ a Power 5 foe _ and the wins have come against teams that have a combined record of 4-11.
_Troy (4-1): Neal Brown has done an amazing job in just his second season with the Trojans, who are off to their best start since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2001 thanks to a high-scoring offense led by quarterback Brandon Silvers.
