College Football 2011 Top 25 Poll: An Early Look at Next Year's Top Teams

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Orange bowl MVP Andrew Luck of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after Stanford won 40-12 against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Stanford QB Andrew Luck
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Tonight’s National Championship bout between Auburn and Oregon out in Arizona officially marks the end of the 2010 college football season. It was another exciting year of action filled with great plays. thrilling victories and just a little bit of scandal.

A few of the top underclassmen players in the nation have already declared their intent to chase their pro dreams in the 2011 Draft, which has impacted teams from Alabama to Illinois.

While we won’t get to watch guys like Julio Jones, Ryan Mallett or Mark Ingram play on Saturdays anymore, we will get one more look at players such as Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Oregon’s LaMichael James. Both have said they will return to school.

We still have to wait and see if Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton, the top player in the country, will turn pro.

If Newton does indeed declare for the 2011 Draft, which seems very likely at this point, it will open the flood gates for other teams to rise to the top and challenge for supremacy.

Let’s have a look at some of the top college football teams for 2011.

With Andrew Luck back at the helm, Stanford takes the No. 1 spot, but teams like Oklahoma and Oregon are lurking.

1. Stanford Cardinal

2. Oklahoma Sooners