College Football 2011: Predicting the First Loss for Every Top 50 Team

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The best part about the opening week of the college football season is that every program starts with a clean slate and has the belief that this will be the year its team goes undefeated and heads to the national championship.

As week after week ends another team's dream, the pool of undefeated teams becomes smaller and smaller. Some teams will make a serious run at an undefeated season while others will have those dreams dashed in the first couple of weeks.

Here is a look at the top 50 teams coming into 2011 and the game that could ultimately end that dream of going undefeated.

No. 50: Boston College

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When: Oct. 8

Who: Clemson

Bottom Line: Boston College has a fairly easy opening to its schedule. Four out of its first five games are at home, and when the Eagles head on the road to take on Clemson, they will suffer their first loss.

No. 49: Connecticut

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When: Oct. 8

Who: West Virginia

Bottom Line: In the crazy Big East, you never know what will happen on a week-in-and-week-out basis, but with a light schedule to start off with, Connecticut will head on the road to take on West Virginia undefeated but will leave with its first loss.

No. 48: Cincinnati

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When: Sept. 10

Who: Tennessee

Bottom Line: In only the second week of the season, Cincinnati heads on the road to take on Tennessee. Cincinnati will struggle against the crowd and a more talented team.

No. 47: Arizona

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When: Sept. 8

Who: Oklahoma State

Bottom Line: Arizona may have the most difficult starting schedule in America. After an easy opening week, it plays Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon and USC.

While the Wildcats have some outstanding offensive talent, the Week 2 game on the road against the Cowboys will be too much for them. If Arizona comes out of those first five games with three wins it will have been a success.

No. 46: Georgia Tech

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When: Sept. 24

Who: North Carolina

Bottom Line: Replacing the starting quarterback and running back in the triple-option offense will take time for the Yellow Jackets. As soon as the schedule gets tough, they will see the effects of that lack of experience.

No. 45: Southern Miss

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Virginia

Bottom Line: Led by senior quarterback Austin Davis, Southern Miss is aiming at a 10-win season. While the talent is there to repeat last year's 8-5 record, its 10-win goal will take a hit when it is on the road against Virginia.

No. 44: Northwestern

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When: Sept. 3

Who: Boston College

Bottom Line: Heading on the road for your first game of the year is a difficult task for any team. In this case, Northwestern heads to Boston College, and unless Dan Persa is able to take over this game, the Eagles will be the team starting 1-0.

No. 43: Maryland

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When: Sept. 5

Who: Miami

Bottom Line: The dreams of a perfect season will end quickly for Maryland as Week 1 opponent is Miami. While Danny O'Brien will do his best to keep the game close, Miami is too deep and will win a close one.

No. 42: Utah

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When: Sept. 10

Who: USC

Bottom Line: While the Utah faithful are excited about the transition to the Pac-12, the Utes go on the road to USC in their first conference game. USC has far too many playmakers and will hand Utah its first loss in its first conference game.

No. 41: Iowa

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When: Oct. 8

Who: Penn State

Bottom Line: While James Vandenberg has experience at the quarterback spot, this will be his first year as the starter. He should be in control of the offense by this point, but playing on the road against Penn State will prove to be too much.

No. 40: BYU

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When: Sept. 10

Who: Texas

Bottom Line: While BYU returns nearly its entire offense, the defense took some hits in the secondary and will be tested early against Texas in Week 2. BYU should manage to keep things close, but playing on the road will prove to be the ultimate factor.

No. 39: UCF

When: Sept. 10

Who: Boston College

Bottom Line: While UCF may be able to surprise some people with dual-threat quarterback Jeff Godfrey, in the first four weeks of the season the Knights have to take on Boston College and BYU. Boston College will be a tough matchup for the Knights and will end up being their first loss.

No. 38: Pittsburgh

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When: Sept. 17

Who: Iowa

Bottom Line: Big East teams will struggle when going out of conference because of the lack of talent in their own conference. Pittsburgh will be no different as it will head to Iowa and get hammered by the Hawkeyes.

No. 37: San Diego State

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Michigan

Bottom Line: Michigan welcomes San Diego State at the end of September, and head coach Brady Hoke will deliver a loss to his old program.

No. 36: Penn State

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When: Sept. 10

Who: Alabama

Bottom Line: Flat out, Alabama is the better team in most of its games and this one is no exception. The speed, skill and depth of 'Bama will be too much even while playing at home.

No. 35: Air Force

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When: Sept. 10

Who: TCU

Bottom Line: Even without Andy Dalton, TCU has great depth and talent and is something that Air Force will struggle to compete with.

No. 34: Baylor

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When: Oct. 15

Who: Texas A&M

Bottom Line: With the return of electric quarterback Robert Griffin, Baylor could turn some heads in 2011. One team it won't catch off guard is Texas A&M, who will be able to grind out a victory at home over Baylor.

No. 33: USF

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When: Sept. 3

Who: Notre Dame

Bottom Line: Heading on the road to South Bend for the first week of the season is not an ideal way to start for South Florida.

While the Bulls are improving, Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish have too much depth and talent for them to keep up with.

No. 32: Texas Tech

When: Oct. 8

Who: Texas A&M

Bottom Line: With the loss of Taylor Potts, Texas Tech will get away with an early schedule that does not present a serious problem, but when the Aggies come to town Potts will be missed as the Red Raiders lose their first game.

No. 31: North Carolina

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When: Oct. 22

Who: Clemson

Bottom Line: The schedule early on for North Carolina is extremely favorable and should allow it to get deep into October without a loss. Late in October, North Carolina has to head on the road to face Clemson and the offensive talent will prove to be too much.

No. 30: Clemson

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Florida State

Bottom Line: Florida State is primed to make a run at the national title game and in late September Clemson will get in its way. The game will stay tight through halftime, but eventually the Seminoles will wear Clemson down.

No. 29: Michigan

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When: Sept. 10

Who: Notre Dame

Bottom Line: Bringing in Brady Hoke as the new head coach was a move in the right direction for Michigan. While the offense is talented, the defense is still suspect and will be the source of pain for Michigan all year long.

No. 28: Texas

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When: Oct. 8

Who: Oklahoma

Bottom Line: After a losing season last year, Texas will be anxious to get back on the field and back to winning. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Oklahoma is in a different class right now and will win this rivalry game handily.

No. 27: USC

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Arizona State

Bottom Line: This early season game could prove huge in the Pac-12 South division. While USC does have the firepower on offense, the Sun Devils defense will make enough stops to earn a victory at home.

No. 26: Miami

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When: Oct. 8

Who: Virginia Tech

Bottom Line: The temptation would be to believe that Miami will drop its game to Ohio State, but with the suspensions and offseason losses the Buckeyes have run into that will not be the case.

After starting out 4-0, Miami heads on the road and will suffer its first loss to Virginia Tech.

No. 25: Arizona State

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When: Oct. 15

Who: Oregon

Bottom Line: Last year was a shootout between these two teams, and if the Sun Devils could have controlled their turnovers better they may have had a shot at the home upset.

This year, they head to Autzen Stadium, where they have had limited success. Too much Oregon offense will put an end to Arizona State's perfect record.

No. 24: Auburn

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When: Sept. 17

Who: Clemson

Bottom Line: Last year saw these two teams go to overtime and play a thrilling game. The game proved to be a springboard for Auburn and helped keep its perfect season intact.

This year, the game is at Clemson and without Cam Newton, the three-point difference will shift to the Tigers' side of the scoreboard.

No. 23: Missouri

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Oklahoma

Bottom Line: Like most of the Big 12, if you head into a game in Norman without a loss, odds are you will leave with one. Missouri will put up a decent fight, but after halftime the Sooners will pull away.

No. 22: Michigan State

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When: Sept. 17

Who: Notre Dame

Bottom Line: Notre Dame will also end the dreams of an undefeated season for Michigan State. Last year, these two teams hooked up in a thriller that was won on a fake field goal by Michigan State.

With the game in South Bend this year, the Irish will be more then ready to avenge last year's loss.

No. 21: Mississippi State

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When: Sept. 10

Who: Auburn

Bottom Line: After last year's 9-4 record, the Bulldogs are hoping to make a run at the conference championship. Things will hit a bump early as a trip down to Auburn gives Mississippi State its first loss.

No. 20: Florida

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When: Oct. 1

Who: Alabama

Bottom Line: After a down year by Florida's standards in 2010, the Gators have hopes of getting back on top of the SEC in 2011. While the talent and depth is there to have a great season, John Brantley will still continue to hamper the offense.

No. 19: Notre Dame

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Pittsburgh

Bottom Line: As crazy and unpredictable as the teams from the Big East are, so are the Fighting Irish. After pulling off back-to-back victories over the Michigan teams, Notre Dame will be set up for a letdown when it heads to Pittsburgh.

No. 18: West Virginia

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When: Sept. 24

Who: LSU

Bottom Line: Late in September, LSU will come to town and will not go easy on West Virginia. The Mountaineers will not see this much talent on both sides of the ball anytime else in the season.

No. 17: Wisconsin

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When: Oct. 1

Who: Nebraska

Bottom Line: Nebraska will be making waves on its first year in the Big Ten, and Wisconsin will see that in person as it opens the conference schedule.

Despite the addition of Russell Wilson and playing at home, Nebraska will pound out a victory on the ground.

No. 16: Georgia

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When: Sept. 3

Who: Boise State

Bottom Line: As much as people will be pulling for a Georgia victory, Boise State has been finding ways to win these big games every year and this will be no different. Kellen Moore should put up big numbers in a Boise win.

No. 15: TCU

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When: Oct. 28

Who: BYU

Bottom Line: While TCU still has talent on both sides of the ball, not having quarterback Andy Dalton will eventually catch up with the Horned Frogs. While the front end of the schedule is relatively light, things get more difficult in the second half.

No. 14: Ohio State

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When: Sept. 17

Who: Miami

Bottom Line: Last year's game remained close until Ohio State busted the game open, but this year's Buckeye team will look much different than last year's.

With the suspensions and losses on offense, Miami should be able to pull off what some will consider a mild upset.

No. 13: Texas A&M

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Oklahoma State

Bottom Line: While I think that Texas A&M is heading for a good season, it takes on Oklahoma State in Week 3 and will struggle to contain Justin Blackmon and the Cowboys offense.

No. 12: Virginia Tech

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When: September 3

Who: Appalachian State

Bottom Line: Close your eyes, Hokie fans, but with the history of slow starts, Virginia Tech will leave itself vulnerable against a team that is not afraid to go up against anyone. The Hokies will end up sleepwalking into this game and will wake up too late.

No. 11: South Carolina

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When: Oct. 15

Who: Mississippi State

Bottom Line: South Carolina is loaded on offense again in 2011 and has one of the nation's best triple threats with Stephen Garcia, Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery.

After starting 6-0, the Gamecocks will head on the road for the second time and get upset by Mississippi State.

No. 10: Arkansas

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When: Sept. 24

Who: Alabama

Bottom Line: The good news for Arkansas is that it has a great team coming into 2011. The bad news is that in Week 4 the Razorbacks have to head on the road and play Alabama. 'Bama has too much talent and depth and will win a close game decided in the fourth.

No. 9: Nebraska

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When: Nov. 19

Who: Michigan

Bottom Line: By now the Big Ten should have a good idea on how Nebraska plans on operating in conference play. As the Cornhuskers head to the Big House, Denard Robinson—if he is still healthy—will give the Nebraska defense trouble and will help end the Huskers' undefeated season.

No. 8: Stanford

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When: Oct. 29

Who: USC

Bottom Line: The first half of the schedule sets up nicely for Stanford as it should be able to roll out to a 7-0 start. In their eighth game, the Cardinal head on the road to take on USC and it could turn into a high-scoring affair.

No. 7: Oklahoma State

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When: Nov. 26

Who: Oklahoma

Bottom Line: This should be an outstanding game between two teams that could very well be undefeated. After outscoring defenses all year long, Oklahoma State will run into a team that not only could contain the Cowboys offensively but will also take advantage of their defense.

No. 6: Boise State

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When: November 5

Who: UNLV

Bottom Line: Another case of looking forward and getting bitten will be when Boise State goes on the road to take on UNLV. After that week, Boise will be taking on TCU but looking forward will end up costing the Broncos another perfect season.

No. 5: Florida State

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When: Sept. 17

Who: Oklahoma

Bottom Line: Much like the LSU vs Oregon game, this game will feature two teams that have the talent to play for the BCS title. Unlike last year, the game will be much closer, but Landry Jones and the Sooner offense will find a way to put up just enough points to hang on.

No. 4: LSU

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When: Nov. 5

Who: Alabama

Bottom Line: LSU has one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, and after getting through some early tests against Oregon and Florida, LSU has to head on the road to face Alabama.

The two teams are fairly evenly matched but in the end, 'Bama's home field will help the Crimson Tide pull out a victory.

No. 3: Oregon

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When: Sept. 3

Who: LSU

Bottom Line: The problem that Oregon will run into isn't a lack of talent to beat LSU; it will be a case of not having the time to allow its offensive line and receivers gel as a unit.

The game could play out much like the national championship game did. It will remain close throughout but LSU will end up with the victory by less than a touchdown.

No. 2: Alabama

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When: Nov. 26

Who: Auburn

Bottom Line: With a perfect season on the line against Auburn, Alabama will be looking to avenge last year's loss at home. The Iron Bowl will be another closely contested game, and in the end Auburn will squeak out a close victory.

No. 1: Oklahoma

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When: N/A

Who: N/A

Bottom Line: Oklahoma is the preseason No. 1 for good reason. The Sooners have an amazing offense, led by Landry Jones, and an experienced defense that will not cost them games.

The Sooners have been in this spot before and have had their letdowns, but this 2011 squad will go undefeated in the regular season and head to the BCS National Championship.