College Football 2011: The Top 10 Powerhouses in Danger of Becoming Irrelevant
As we gear up for the spring practices and anticipate the NFL draft to see which teams our favorite college superstars will be playing on Sundays, it’s time to look ahead to the 2011-2012 college football seasons.
Each year we see teams take a stumble down the rankings. There are plenty of exciting storylines heading into the 2011-2010 season, which could cause some of our favorite powerhouses to slide.
Our 2010-2011 BCS National Champs Auburn Tigers will be without superstars Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. Will Gene Chizik be able to overcome their absence?
Florida replaces Urban Meyer with Will Muschamp.
Five Ohio State players face five-game suspensions to open the season.
These are just a few of the interesting storylines entering the season but new ones could be created as these top 10 powerhouses could be in danger of becoming irrelevant during the 2011-2012 season.
10. West Virginia Mountaineers
1 of 10
Let’s get this out of the way first. West Virginia was beat down by North Carolina State 23-7 in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Good, now we can move on to why West Virginia will continue its downward spiral from that premonition.
In preparation of a new-look Big East sooner than later, we’re going to see a new-look coaching staff in West Virginia. Although he has done a good job with the program, head coach Bill Stewart could be constantly looking over his shoulder since Oklahoma State’s Dana Holgorsen was signed.
Also don’t think for a second that this team won’t miss the great Noel Devine at the running back position. He missed time in 2010 due to injury, but his presence on the sidelines still mattered. He also still led the team in carries and yards and still scored six touchdowns as he was the focal point of the offense.
In 2011, his teammates won’t even have him around as he looks to dazzle fans in the NFL.
The Mountaineers take a major hit on defense as safety Robert Sands also heads to the NFL as potential second-round selection. Sands is one of the best safeties entering the NFL draft and is absence may be even more concerning than Devine’s.
With two of their most important players heading to the NFL, don’t expect another nine-win season.
9. Utah Utes
2 of 10
Utah surprised me in 2010 but they won’t in 2011. Everyone will be on the lookout for the Utes, but they probably won’t even have to since they won’t even be as good as they were in 2010. Utah isn’t ready to hang with the big boys of the nation as they showed in the MAACO bowl against Boise State and midseason against TCU.
I don’t predict Utah to win 10 games again, especially heading to the Pac-12. Utah’s biggest hit, after moving to the Pac-12, of course, comes at the cornerback position. Starting cornerback Brandon Burton is heading to the NFL and projects to be a second-round selection. Burton is a top six corner in this year’s draft on my big board.
Utah is not only losing a valuable asset in Burton, but other starters such as center Zane Taylor, wide receiver Jereme Brooks and running back Eddie Wide.
The only news we may hear from Utah in 2011 is how they should never have entered the PAC-12.
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
3 of 10
The Hokies were dominated by Andrew Luck and Stanford in the Orange Bowl 40-12. Maybe it’s a good thing after all Tyrod Taylor is gone since he couldn’t lead the Hokies to a more competitive performance, but I’ll disagree.
Taylor did a great job leading the Hokies all season and his athleticism and playmaking abilities will be sorely missed after heading to the NFL. Taylor scored 30 touchdowns for the Hokies last season, think that’s going to be easy to replace? Exactly. You watch Va Tech stumble without his guidance, leadership and playmaking.
The Hokies offense takes another hit as running back Ryan Williams also heads to the NFL as a possible second-round selection. Williams was a beast for Va Tech as he scored nine touchdowns in limited playtime time. His teammates will wish he was still part of the Hokies as they watch him on Sundays even though there’s still two other capable runners on the team.
Still, the Hokies are going to stumble down the rankings without Tyrod Taylor leading the pack.
7. Missouri Tigers
4 of 10
How does it feel to lose a potential No. 1 overall quarterback selection in the NFL draft?
Ask Missouri after next season when they see how important Blaine Gabbert was to the offense.
How does it feel to lose a pass-rushing freak and potential top 15 selection in the NFL draft?
Ask Missouri after next season when they see how important Aldon Smith was to the defense.
Missouri surprised me last year going 10-3. Now, two of their most important players are heading to the NFL as solidified first-round selections.
The Tigers’ Insight Bowl loss to Iowa was a close game, but don’t expect many of their losses to be close ones. Yeah, I’m expected a lot more than three losses in 2011 now that their two underclassmen stars are no longer with the team.
Missouri may have been disappointed losing to Iowa, but the way they lost should have been even more embarrassing. They were bullied by Iowa running back Marcus Coker for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
Missouri didn’t just lose these two stars, but also both starting cornerbacks Kevin Rutland and Carl Gettis, as well as starting center Tim Barnes.
Nobody will fear these Tigers’ blunt claws in 2011.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions
5 of 10
Penn State has been up and down in recent years, down more than up. Their slide will continue in 2011 with quarterback issues. The Nittany Lions have a good defense, which should improve, especially after retaining defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. This offense is going to fall way short of matching any defensive success though.
Not only do the Nittany Lions have trouble at the quarterback position, but they lost Evan Royster and guard Stefan Wisniewski to the NFL. They also lost center Doug Klopacz. Royster isn’t the biggest loss, as running back may just be the easiest position to replace in the sport, but two offensive lineman, including All-American Wisniewski, spells doom heading into 2011.
5. Stanford Cardinal
6 of 10
Granted, Stanford boasts Andrew Luck, who would have been the clear cut No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft. Luck is flat out awesome. He’s a smart, athletic kid with great size and strength. He has fantastic vision. I’m not wishing anything on him or Stanford, but they’re done if he goes down. Keep in mind that this offensive line lost All American center Chase Beeler and will be replaced by sophomore Khalil Wilkes.
The glaring weakness off the bat heading into 2011, of course, is the loss of head coach Jim Harbaugh. This is huge. Yes, Luck came back, oddly enough. Yet Harbaugh bolted to the San Francisco 49ers. Not only did Harbaugh leave, he took Greg Roman and Vic Fangio of the coaching staff.
People are already underestimating Harbaugh’s leadership on this team since Luck decided to stay. He was a great coach who was able to motivate this squad. Roman and Fangio were also vital parts of the staff and will be missed in 2011.
This team can either go to the top, or fall to the bottom with one injury and the unknown of new head coach David Shaw.
4. Michigan State Spartans
7 of 10
Mark Dantonio did a fantastic job with this team and they really surprised me. Actually, they surprised most people and the other teams in the nation.
You know what that means, right?
Yup, you guessed it! The target is now on their backs. These Spartans won’t surprise anybody in 2011. The Spartans won’t be able to creep up on any team this year like they did last. Nope, everyone has now taken notice of the Spartans and they’ll be getting everyone’s best… sort of like what happened in the Capital One bowl when the Alabama Crimson Tide steamrolled these Michigan State Spartans 49-7.
A bit of foreshadowing? I think so.
The biggest loss for these Spartans is their defensive leader and fantastic linebacker Greg Jones heading to the NFL. It’s tough to replace a player of Jones’ elite caliber on defense. You’re going to see that in 2011.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
8 of 10
We’re going to see how great Jim Tressel really is if he can weather this storm. Ohio State’s starting star players quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams are suspended for the first five games of the season.
Defensive end Solomon Thomas doesn’t start, but with Cameron Heyward heading to the NFL, the defensive line takes a hit depth-wise with Thomas’ suspension. They’ll hope to get the suspensions reduced, but the NCAA make just makes examples out of the Ohio State players in light of last year’s Reggie Bush and Cam Newton controversies.
Cameron Heyward wasn’t the only loss for this Buckeyes defense. Starting cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence both graduated. The Buckeyes have lost valuable pieces in the past, but it’s always interesting to see how a defense will react when two starting cornerbacks leave.
If the Buckeyes stumble out of the gate, they’ll stumble down the rankings as well.
2. Auburn Tigers
9 of 10
I keep saying it and I’ll keep on saying it.
Mark my words, the Auburn Tigers will not win back to back BCS National Championships, nor will they go undefeated.
I know, I know, not the biggest statement considering the facts, but I’m sticking to my guns.
I’ve seen plenty underestimate the loss of Heisman winning quarterback Cam Newton and defensive star Nick Fairley.
Wrong answer, folks. You’ll see just how invaluable these two were the team, especially Newton. He’s an athletically gifted freak who did it all for these Auburn Tigers.
He had the leadership, field vision, strong arm, speed and power on full display each and every week.
Oh, you needed a clutch throw? Newton did it.
Wait, maybe you needed a big first down? Newton did it.
There are players on this Auburn team I like, notably BCS Championship game star Michael Dyer, but nobody on the offense even comes close to comparing to Newton’s ability heading into 2011. And ask yourself, why did anybody on else this Tigers offense have the success they did? You already know where I’m going with this: Cam freakin’ Newton. He was a monster. We’re all going to see a different Auburn team in 2011.
Especially in the ever-so-tough SEC, these Tigers are going to miss having their dream-come-true Newton and their defensive motor Fairley.
1. Florida Gators
10 of 10
Florida may not be in the top 25 at all next season. The team took a bit hit in 2010 with the loss of Tim Tebow. They will suffer an even bigger hit now that Urban Meyer retired. Will Muschamp enters and will have a ton of work to do with this offense. Florida is losing very good talent to the NFL, as usual. Yet with a new head coach, this is far more disconcerting than it was previous years.
I like John Brantley, I do. Yet he disappointed me in 2010. I’m hoping for him to turn it around but I don’t like the odds.
Arguably the biggest hit will be Mike Pouncey’s absence. Pouncey was one of the best interior linemen in college football. We saw the offensive line take a hit last year after Maurkice left for the NFL. The offensive line will be something to look out for heading into 2011, with Puncey and Carl Johnson absent. It could be the biggest glaring weakness throughout 2011.
Janoris Jenkins did return for his senior season despite being a first-round lock in the NFL draft. Still, this secondary will miss Ahmad Black, who is one of the better safeties entering the NFL draft. Safety Will Hill also left for the NFL draft, mind you.
Florida is in a weird position. There is still some talent, but for the most part, they are heading towards a rebuilding phase under Muschamp rather than a preferred retooling and regrouping. I’ve said it in the past; every program seems to have its ups and downs. Now is Florida’s time.
