College Football Rankings 2011: Will Happen, Might Happen and Won't Happen

There are preseason rankings everywhere, and those rankings are never perfect.

Heck, if you look back at the end of a season, you'll see there wasn't much right about them.

Despite what the experts think, it's really just speculation.

So let's speculate a bit ourselves and offer up three things that will happen, three things that might happen and three things that won't happen with the Top 25.

Will Happen: Two Big East Teams Finish Season in Top 25

Laugh all you want, but the Big East has developed some young talent over the past two years, and it will pay off this year.

It's not like the Big East teams will be competing for a BCS Championship, but the two teams just may pull off a major upset that elevates each of them into the Top 25.

One of them will likely finish in the Top 10.

Best bets: West Virginia and South Florida.

Will Happen: Winner of Oklahoma-Florida State Finishes on Top of Rankings

The Sooners put an ol' fashioned whipping on Florida State last year.

But that was 2010, and the Seminoles are going to be more confident and almost 1990s-like cocky.

Jimbo Fisher's team may not have a high-steppin' Deion Sanders, but he does have an explosive offense led by E.J. Manuel and arguably the best defense in a decade.

Then there is Oklahoma.

Bob Stoops has once again compiled some serious talent, and this road game may be the Sooners' toughest game.

Of course there's still Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M to get by, but if Oklahoma beats FSU, a BCS Championship is a reality.

Will Happen: 7 SEC Teams Will Be Ranked

The SEC remains the deepest and strongest conference in the nation, so it may not come as a huge shock to think seven teams could be ranked at the end of the season.

However, it's not that easy.

This is the year the SEC will control more than a quarter of the Top 25.

Who will it be?

In no particular order: Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Georgia and Auburn.

Might Happen: Nebraska Drops Out of Top 25

There are a lot of experts who think Nebraska is going to walk into the Big Ten and play for a championship this season.

For some reason no one points out that the Cornhuskers dropped three of their final four games, including a sloppy performance against Washington in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl.

Nebraska is good, but the Cornhuskers will slip up enough this season and fall completely out of the Top 25 rankings.

Might Happen: Texas Cracks the Rankings by Week 3

Texas is carrying around all of this guilt from going 5-7 last year, but the Longhorns carry a lot of clout.

When Texas opens with victories over Rice, Brigham Young, UCLA and Iowa State the voters will believe the Longhorns are back and starting voting for them.

Plus it will help with ratings when Texas enters the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma to have two ranked teams.

The big question is whether Texas can stay in the rankings all season.

Might Happen: Boise State Finishes Outside the Top 10 for First Time Since 2008

If Boise State goes 12-0, wins the Mountain West and plays in a BCS bowl, no one would be surprised any more.

What if the Broncos go 9-3?

Well, there goes the Top 10 ranking and welcome to the Armed Forces Bowl.

Think this sounds crazy?

Here are three realistic losses—Georgia, TCU and San Diego State. The road trip to Fresno State is also a potential loss.

Won't Happen: Notre Dame Finishes in the Top 25

Notre Dame should be better in 2010 because its defense is better, and Brian Kelly's offense should improve in its second year with him calling the plays.

But the Irish face some formidable opponents who could make Kelly's life miserable.

If Notre Dame drops three of its first four games (a real possibility), it could go downhill from there.

Add in potential losses to USC, Navy, Maryland and Stanford, and a 7-5 Notre Dame is not ranked.

Won't Happen: Stanford as a Top 5 Program

Stanford's success last year came about because of hard work, a smash-mouth approach and the perfect combination of Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh is in the NFL, so a special part of that equation is gone.

The Cardinal will still be good and worthy of the Top 25, but there's no way they finish in the Top Five like many are predicting.

Won't Happen: Miami Sitting Outside the Top 25

Miami sort of bounced in and out of the rankings last year.

Now, with Al Golden running the show in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes will live up to their potential and become a regular in the Top 25 again.

It will start with cutting down on turnovers, so Golden will put his quarterback in a position to be successful.