The 2011 NCAA football season is kicking off this week, and therefore, it’s time to reveal my top 25 teams. Each team will have a brief explanation as to why they are ranked there. Also included are important players and games to watch not mentioned in the team paragraph. Each week I’ll to update my top 25 rankings (without a breakdown) to reflect the changing landscape of college football.
Photo by Charlie Lyons-Pardue
1- Oklahoma Sooners: The consensus number one team in the nation deserves every bit of it. The Sooners have a well balanced team led by a potential Heisman candidate in Landry Jones. As much as Bob Stoops runs up the score on his opponents, there should be no shortage of number one votes for the Sooners. The defense should be able to rally behind one another after the passing of linebacker Austin Box. The key to their making the BCS title game, and actually winning it, will be the running game. Replacing DeMarco Murray will not be an easy task, but the Sooners should be able to pull it off with a committee of backs. Player to watch: Senior WR Ryan Broyles. Game to watch: Sept. 17 at Florida State.
2- Alabama Crimson Tide: If you saw Alabama demolish Michigan State at the end of last season, you’ll know how good this team can be. It’s not every year that a team can lose a Heisman-winning running back (Mark Ingram), it’s starting quarterback (Greg McElroy) and a receiver drafted in the top five of the NFL draft (Julio Jones) and still be ranked as high as this. However, Alabama returns four starting offensive linemen and nine starters on defense. Running back Trent Richardson has shown he can be just as good, if not better, than Ingram, and receivers Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze should fill the void left by Jones. It’ll be up to sophomore quarterback A.J. MacCarron to keep the Tide rolling on offense while the defense shuts opponents down. Player to watch: Senior MLB Dont’a Hightower. Game to watch: Nov. 5 vs. LSU.
3- Oregon Ducks: Last year, the Ducks nearly won the national championship with a stellar offense and an aggressive defense. Some of those pieces are gone, but many return as well. Potential Heisman candidate LaMichael James returns along with sleepy quarterback Darron Thomas to give the Ducks yet another potent offense. The defense has plenty of experience on the front line, but will have to find a way to get around the loss of Casey Matthews and the suspension of Cliff Harris. If the Ducks are to win the Pac-12 North, they’ll have to put all distractions behind them and play their fast-tempo style of football. Player to watch: Freshman RB/WR De’Anthony Thomas. Game to watch: Sept. 3 vs LSU (at Arlington).
4- Boise State Broncos: America’s favorite underdog should be in line to crash the BCS party once again. Now in the Mountain West Conference, the Broncos will face a bit more competition but should still run the table with the exception of TCU. Kellen Moore will once again torch the skies on his way to running for the Heisman, and if he were just a bit taller, everyone would be comparing him to Andrew Luck for next year’s NFL draft. The defense returns an experienced and athletic front seven. The only thing that may hinder Boise State this year is not being able to wear blue uniforms at home. Personally, I enjoyed it, but apparently the MWC didn’t. Player to watch: Senior running back Doug Martin. Game to watch: Nov. 12 vs. TCU.
Manuel will fill Christian Ponder's shoes at Florida State
5- Florida State Seminoles: Believe the hype. Jimbo Fisher gave the Seminoles it’s first 10 win season in seven years, and could possibly take them further this season. Replacing Christian Ponder won’t be too hard as the Seminoles have EJ Manuel, who will make plays with his arm but can do so with his legs as well. The defense will terrorize its opponents this season as they return eight starters, led by senior linebacker Nigel Bradham and junior defensive end Brandon Jenkins. As long as the running back committee does the job asked of them, the ‘Noles should find themselves atop the ACC for the first time since 2005. Player to watch: Junior CB Greg Reid. Game to watch: Nov. 26 at Florida.
6- Stanford Cardinal: You’re in good shape as long as you have Luck on your side. For Stanford, that’s exactly the case. Jim Harbaugh is gone, but Heisman frontrunner Andrew Luck decided to pass on the NFL Draft and stay in school. Luck, perhaps the best pro prospect since Peyton Manning, is a huge reason why the Cardinal will contend for the Pac-12 title and another BCS game. Luck won’t have Ryan Whalen back, but he’ll have Griff Whalen along with the talented Chris Owusu to get the ball to. The defense will be led by a strong secondary to battle the fierce air attacks of the Pac-12. As long as Stanford doesn’t become complacent and maintains the fire they had under Harbaugh, expect them to finish in the top 10 once again. Player to watch: Junior RB Stepfan Taylor. Game to watch: Oct. 29 at USC.
7- Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys will have one of the best offenses in the country this season. Nine starters return for Oklahoma State, but the most important two are quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Weeden has the strong arm needed to get the ball quick to Blackmon, who is better than former Cowboy (and current Dallas Cowboy) Dez Bryant in my opinion. With all five starting offensive linemen returning, four of whom are seniors, Weeden should have all day to play pitch-and-catch with Blackmon. The Cowboys have some question marks in the defensive front seven but will be well taken care of by the secondary led by senior Markelle Martin. A strong secondary is needed when you’re slated to play teams like Arizona, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The Cowboys will do everything they can to prevent their riva Oklahoma Sooners from winning the Big 12 title and making it to the national championship game. Player to watch: Sophomore RB Joseph Randle. Game to watch: Nov. 26 vs. Oklahoma.
8- Wisconsin Badgers: The reigning Big Ten champion Badgers figured to be a top 15 team at the beginning of the summer because of their strong running attack and physical defense. The only question mark was at quarterback and whether or not Jon Budmayr would be able to lead the team as a sophomore. Now, he doesn’t have to. The Badgers will be led by transfer Russell Wilson, formerly of NC State. I expect Wilson to have a Cam Newton-like impact on the Badgers, as he is an athletic quarterback with a rifle for an arm. With Wilson taking his talents to Wisconsin, opposing defenses will have to change their minds about stacking the line of scrimmage to stop running backs Montee Ball and James White. The defensive line is experienced enough to withstand the departure of J.J. Watt, and should be as good as it was last year. Expect the Badgers to repeat as Big Ten champions. Player to watch: Senior WR Nick Toon. Game to watch: Oct. 22 at Michigan State.
9- Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies have been second fiddle to other Texas schools like UT and Texas Tech within the past decade, but last year things changed for them, and it started in the seventh game of the season. That game was when head coach Mike Sherman decided to replace Jerrod Johnson with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback and start Cyrus Gray at running back. The duo electrified the Aggie offense, and both players return for their senior season, along with eight other starters on offense. The Aggies also return nine starters on defense, but they need to stop giving up so many points. If the defense plays like they did in the 9-6 win over Nebraska and the offense plays like the 42-30 win over Baylor, then there is no stopping the Aggies from winning the Big-12 We’ll see if they can in what could be their last season as a part of the conference. Player to watch: Senior WR Jeff Fuller. Game to watch: Sept. 24 vs. Oklahoma State.
Taylor Martinez and Nebraska look to improve on last season
10- Nebraska Cornhuskers: A school winning a BCS conference in its first year as a member is no easy task, but Nebraska is capable of doing it. Head coach Bo Pelini has molded a tough team in his short time period there. Nebraska doesn’t have gaping holes at any position on defense, and Jared Crick looks to be a future NFL star at defensive tackle. The offense though, will go as Taylor Martinez goes. Martinez showed flashes of brilliance last season as he did his best Denard Robinson impression a lot of the time. However, an ankle injury hampered him late in the year and exposed his inexperience as a passer. Martinez will have to shake off the inconsistency he showed last season in order to truly make Nebraska a national threat. Player to watch: Freshman WR/QB Jamal Turner. Game to watch: Oct. 1 at Wisconsin.
11- LSU Tigers: While making this top 25 list, I have been under my self-constructed rule of “If you can’t finish there by season’s end, you can’t be ranked there”. LSU is the definition of this rule being put into place. LSU has plenty of talent, just as they always do because the program recruits well being in the SEC. However, this team won too many games last year which it should have lost (see Tennesse, Florida and Alabama as examples) and face a tougher schedule this year. Plus, LSU may have to play without starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson after his suspension for his arrest (seriously, who kicks a marine in the face). With Jefferson, LSU is a top 10 team. Without Jefferson, and especially with Jarrett Lee starting, LSU is not a top 10 team. Jarrett Lee is an interception waiting to happen on every throw he makes. Transfer quarterback Zach Mettenberger might be a better option. A tough defense, without Patrick Peterson, will keep the Tigers in games, but with Les Miles’ crazy ways and Lee throwing pick sixes left and right, LSU may have a disappointing year. Player to watch: Junior CB Morris Claiborne. Game to watch: Oct. 15 @Tennessee.
12- Virginia Tech Hokies: Perennial ACC contenders now face a threat with the reemergence of Florida State. So how do you fight of this foe? Well, simply with Frank Beamer football: good defense and mistake-free special teams. Beamer has a solid defense once again, especially at the linebacker position and in the secondary. Virginia Tech usually develops good defensive backs, but perhaps none have been as potentially good as All-American Jayron Hosley, who returns after a nine interceptions last season. The offense will have to find a way to replace graduated quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The six-foot-six-inch sophomore Logan Thomas is in line to be the new starting quarterback (who would’ve thought, a big and tall QB at Virginia Tech). If Thomas gets close to the production Taylor gave to the program, the Hokies should well equipped to fight off Florida State. Player to watch: Junior RB David Wilson. Game to watch: Sept. 10 at East Carolina.
13- TCU Horned Frogs: America’s second favorite underdog will have to replace Andy Dalton who, after years of success at TCU, was taken in the second round of the NFL draft. In to fill Dalton’s shoes will be Casey Pachall, a 6-4 quarterback who was a sought-after recruit coming out of high school. Assisting Pachall will be the dangerous backfield Dalton had last season, led by Ed Wesley, as well as receivers Josh Boyce and Antoine Hicks. The defense should continue to dominate the MWC despite having lost a few players, and if linebacker Tank Carder doesn’t scare you with his name alone, his play will do the trick. The key is the offensive line, as they return only one starter. If they hold their end of the bargain, TCU should be able to give Boise State a run for their money in the program’s last season in the Mountain West. Player to watch: Junior LB Tanner Brock. Game to watch: Sept. 2 at Baylor.
14- South Carolina Gamecocks: At 14 begins the run of SEC teams. There was never any doubt in my mind that Stephen Garcia would return to quarterback the Gamecocks, but his being back with the team has to put many fans at ease. Together with sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore and junior receiver Alshon Jeffery, Garcia leads arguably the best trio in the nation. Lattimore is a potential Heisman candidate, and Jeffery could very well win the Biletnikoff award. The Gamecocks will have to deal with a rather inexperienced offensive line, however, as they must replace three starters. The defense returns seven starters and should be relatively solid, but must avoid inconsistency and injury due to lack of depth. The Gamecocks could win the SEC East, but it is not a sure bet. Player to watch: Freshman DE Jadeveon Clowney. Game to watch: Sept. 10 at Georgia.
Childs will lead a potent offense for Arkansas
15- Arkansas Razorbacks: If the Razorbacks played in another conference, they would be surefire contenders to win it. But since they’re in the SEC West, they’ll have to fight hard to win it. The weapons which made Ryan Mallett look good are back, minus Mackey-Award winning tight end D.J. Williams. Greg Childs is one of the best receivers in the country, and his talents will have to be on display on a weekly basis. Tyler Wilson, Mallett’s replacement, should do fine as he already has big game experience; he played in the Auburn and Ole Miss games last season when Mallett went down. He’ll have Knile Davis, all 230 pounds of him, to rely on in the running game. The defense looks to be the best the program has seen in recent memory, and should have a dominant defensive line. If Petrino is smart enough, perhaps Arkansas can surprise the nation in the SEC. Player to watch: Senior FS Tramain Thomas. Game to watch: Oct. 1 vs. Texas A&M (in Arlington).
16- Mississippi State Bulldogs: Call me crazy, but I like what Dan Mullen has put together at Mississippi State. Last year, the Bulldogs were sixteenth in the nation in rushing as a result of Vick Ballard’s record setting year. Ballard, who reminds me of LenDale White at USC before the massive weight gain, returns along with LaDarius Perkins to give Mississippi State yet another formidable threat on the ground. As for the aerial attack, Chris Relf will have to improve from his above-average season. He’ll be able to do just that with Chad Bumphis back from injury and junior wideouts Arceto Clark and Chris Smith back as well. The defense returns all four starters in the secondary and three on the defensive line. There are no returning starters at linebacker, which may be seen as a weakness, but Clemson transfer Brandon Maye should fill in nicely. Playing against the likes of Alabama, LSU and South Carolina is never easy, but Mississippi State may be able to do enough to improve on last year’s 9-4 record. Player to watch: Sophomore FS Nickoe Whitley. Game to watch: Oct. 1 at Georgia.
17- Georgia Bulldogs: Another group of Bulldogs has the SEC looking for a kennel. Sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 3,216 yards as a freshman and will only get better as he ages. Murray will lead other young Bulldogs with potential for having a ferocious bite, like freshman running back Isaiah Crowell. Crowell was ranked as the number one running back prospect by many. With Caleb King now out of the picture, look for Crowell to do his part in electrifying the Georgia offense. Replacing A.J. Green will be tough though, and could hinder Murray from having an even better season than last year. The defense will have to help the offense, but more youth and inexperience could keep the Bulldogs from truly competing at the top of the SEC. Player to watch: Sophomore LB Jarvis Jones (transfer from USC). Game to watch: Sept. 3 vs. Boise State.
18- Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans have six starters returning on each side of the ball, but none are more important than senior quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins looks to be the real deal, and he has senior receivers B.J. Cunningham and Keshawn Martin to target. Also returning are all three top rushers from last season for the Spartans, led by Edwin Baker. The defensive line looks strong and should be the focal point of the defense. The line and the secondary should mask an inexperienced group of linebackers early on while they grow as a unit. This team has quite a few seniors, and last season they showed plenty of heart and determination, most likely because that is the example set by head coach Mark Dantonio. With the decline of Ohio State, the Spartans toughest road game is now Nebraska. This team could easily surprise once again and take the Big Ten outright. Player to Watch: Senior TE Garrett Celek. Game to watch: Oct. 15 vs. Michigan.
19- Missouri Tigers: The Tigers will have an experienced team all around to compete in the Big 12 this season. Missouri returns 15 starters (nine offensive and six defensive) from last season, several of which are seniors. Who better to run Gary Pinkel’s offense than a big group of seniors? Sure, Blaine Gabbert would have been nice to have for another year, but the Tigers were ready and should do just fine with sophomore James Franklin. Franklin will have senior wide receivers Wes Kemp and Jerrell Jackson to throw to, along with senior tight end Michael Egnew. The offensive line has four senior previous starters and junior Travis Ruth at center. The only somewhat inexperienced position on the team is at cornerback, but not to worry when the front seven is as stacked as Missouri’s. The Tigers will not be phased by Aldon Smith’s departure as Jacquies Smith and Brad Madison will still rush the passer. As long as Franklin gels early with the team, Big 12 opponents will have savvy Tigers to tame. Look for the early season shootout with Arizona State to be an indicator of Franklin’s progression. Player to watch: Junior WR T.J. Moe. Game to watch: Sept. 9 at Arizona State.
Luke Fickell has his hands full as interim head coach
20- Ohio State Buckeyes: Remember when I mentioned my rule of, “If you can’t finish there by season’s end, you can’t be ranked there” for these rankings? Ohio State is another prime example. Everyone is well aware of the Buckeyes’ situation, so I won’t go into detail about what happened. Nor will I go into my thoughts on how unfair the NCAA’s findings are compared to what they did to USC. Without the loss of Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor as well as the suspensions of LT Mike Adams, RB Dan Herron and WR DeVier Posey, the Buckeyes would have barely managed to crack my top 15. With all the subtractions, this team is luck to make the top 20. Not having Posey and Herron will be fine for the first two games as the Buckeyes have scheduled Akron and Toledo, but will hurt when they have to travel to Miami. Posey and Herron will be rusty when conference play comes around, and they are severely needed without Pryor. Pryor is far from the best quarterback on the planet, but he gave the team a special confidence and dynamic that will be lost for the entire season. If Joe Bauserman can’t get the job done early at quarterback, look for Braxton Miller to see some time. With only four returning starters on defense, interim head coach Luke Fickell will have to work wonders to keep the Buckeyes in Big Ten contention. Player to watch: Senior DE Nathan Williams. Game to watch: Oct. 8 at Nebraska.
21- Auburn Tigers: As irreplaceable as Newton is, he was not the sole reason behind Auburn’s title last season. The Tigers return only four starters on each side of the ball, but some of those on offense are true weapons. Sophomore Michael Dyer, the running back with the infamous national title game run, returns along with speedster Onterio McCalebb. Receiver Emory Blake should also provide big plays for the offense. Getting the ball to these targets will be Barrett Trotter, who would have been the starting quarterback if Newton hadn’t come around. Don’t be surprised if Auburn also gives time sophomore Clint Moseley at quarterback as well though. The defense will severely miss defensive tackle Nick Fairley, but will at least have protection in the secondary with junior cornerback T’Sharvan Bell and senior strong safety Neiko Thorpe. By the time the Iron Bowl comes around, this team could be well prepared to take out their bitter rival. Player to watch: Junior H-back Philip Lutzenkirchen. Game to watch: Nov. 26 vs. Alabama.
22- Notre Dame Fighting Irish: With Florida State, it was about believing the hype. With Notre Dame, it’s about not believing the hype. Yes, Brian Kelly is a brilliant coach and yes, Michael Floyd is every bit as good as advertised. However, Kelly’s team is a recruiting class or two away from truly being a BCS contender. Whether it’s Dayne Crist or Tommy Rees taking snaps for Notre Dame, they’re no Brady Quinn. The team returns nine starters on offense and eight on defense, but is that a good thing when this is a program who lost to Navy and Tulsa last season? Many people point to a strong finish by Notre Dame at the end of last season, but look who their opponents were: Army, a shaken Utah team, a careless USC squad with an injured Matt Barkley, and a lackluster group of Miami Hurricanes (which was played in snowy El Paso, Tx; it was clear Notre Dame had the advantage when they came out sleeveless and Miami was bundled up). Other than that, this was a team who could not beat strong teams like Michigan, MSU and Stanford. The one thing to really buy into on defense is junior linebacker Manti Te’O; he is a beast. Other than a few bright performances here and there, don’t expect Notre Dame to crash the BCS like everyone hopes they will. Player to watch: Junior RB Cierre Wood. Game to watch: Nov. 26 at Stanford.
23- Florida Gators: How do you replace Urban Meyer? Well, an all-star coaching staff certainly helps. Head coach Will Muschamp inherits plenty of talent at Florida, and has Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn to help his offense and defense, respectively. The offense is still rather young and inexperienced, but the two seniors on the team should provide some excitement. John Brantley and Chris Rainey return for their final season and will be the focal point of the offensive attack. The defense also only has two seniors starting. Junior Jon Bostic will have to step up and lead the defense with cornerback Janoris Jenkins being kicked off the team. Despite their youth, the Gators should be an x-factor in the SEC as they will spoil a few conference championship dreams. that alone merits a top-25 ranking. Player to watch: Sophomore DE/LB Ronald Powell. Game to watch: Nov. 12 at South Carolina.
24- USC Trojans: Last season, the Trojans had a woe-is-me mentality as they began the first year of their post-season ban. They didn’t have depth, which led to head coach Lane Kiffin’s no-tackle practices, which resulted in terrible defense. Barkley was banged up at the end of the year and did not play anywhere near his potential. This season, however, expect the Trojans to have an us-against-the-world mentality in post-season ban year two of two. The offense, which was really good last season, has potential to be great this year. If there were no Luck up north, Barkley would be talked about as the best quarterback in the Pac-12. Get to know this phrase as you’ll be hearing it all season long: Barkley to Woods. Game breaking sophomore receiver Robert Woods is back and will have a year to remember. The biggest question on offense is at running back. With the indefinite suspension of Marc Tyler, look for sophomore Dillon Baxter to lead a committee at the position. As bad as the defense was last year, they are still extremely talented and athletic, especially on the defensive line. While Monte Kiffin’s complex Tampa-2 was difficult for the team to grasp in it’s first year, cornerback Nickell Robey and free safety T.J. McDonald excelled in it. Both are back and will shine again in Kiffin’s system. With a year of Kiffin’s system under their belt, look for the linebackers to finally resemble USC caliber players at the position. With tackling finally allowed in practice and a dangerous duo on offense, look for the Trojans to do everything they can to stick it to the NCAA and win the Pac-12 South. Player to watch: Senior TE Rhett Ellison. Game to watch: Nov. 19 at Oregon.
Arizona State will have new uniforms to go with a new mentality this season.
25- Arizona State Sun Devils: It’s funny how one player can change an entire dynamic on offense. A big reason why the Sun Devils were 4-6 entering the final two games of their season was because Steven Threet was their starting quarterback. Threet was unsuccessful at Michigan and did not fair any better at ASU. So when Brock Osweiler took over for Threet after his concussion, it became a whole different ballgame. Osweiler can make better decisions, throws and plays with his feet than Threet. With Threet calling it a career due to his concussions, Osweiler is now the full-time starter. There to assist him will be the entire starting offensive line from last season, as well as running back Cameron Marshall. The defense, who gave teams fits last season, would have been great if not for injuries. ASU lost starting cornerback and All-Pac-10 senior Omar Bolden as well as senior linebacker Brandon Magee to ACL injuries. However, the Sun Devils still have a demon (he punched a teammate in practice) in junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who will be the scariest sight in college football when wearing the new black uniforms. The slogan around the ASU athletic facilities reads, “It’s Time,” which is fitting in more ways than one: It is time for some awesome uniforms, and for Dennis Erickson to show he still has what it takes to win at this level of college football. Player to watch: Sophomore DE Junior Onyeali. Game to watch: Sept. 24 vs. USC.
Honorable mention for last five out: Texas Longhorns, West Virginia Mountaineers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Utah Utes, Michigan Wolverines.
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