College Football: 50 Teams to Root for and 50 Reasons Why

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

With only 29 short days until the curtain gloriously rises on the 2011 college football season, it’s finally time to get amped up for the most wonderful time of the year.

Though most of us monogamously root passionately for “our” team, hardcore and even casual fans everywhere love to appreciate college football on a broader canvas.

Indeed, while our true love is unswerving for the “one,” we still watch the rest of the field, and yes, we sometimes “root for” or “support” another (this is not a fancy description for flat-out adulterous, two-timing, double-crossing cheating...this is the reality of a game as splendid as college football).

What I’m saying is, what’s wrong with looking at another color of coaching shorts every once in a while?

The following slideshow identifies 50 gridiron teams that we can champion in 2011 and also provides 50 reasons why our interest and our cheers might be warranted.

Arizona State

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Sun Devils haven’t enjoyed a good run since 2007, when they went 10-3 in Dennis Erickson’s first season in Tempe.

Root for Arizona State to pull itself out of the Pac-12 cellar, save Erickson’s job, vie for its first championship since 2007 and secure its first bowl victory since it beat Rutgers in the 2005 Insight Bowl.

Boise State

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

The Broncos are worthy of our support due to their quest to become the first ever non-BCS conference team to make the BCS National Championship Game.

Additionally, if Kellen Moore were to win the Heisman this season, he would be become the first non-BCS Heisman winner in the BCS era (Ty Detmer, who won in 1990, was the last guy to win the Heisman from a team that is not currently an AQ team).

Stanford

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Despite his beard, or perhaps because of it, it’s difficult to root against a guy like Andrew Luck. Though Stanford’s run for a Pac-12 North title and Luck’s Heisman hopes might be improved by the fate of the Oregon program, at the end of the day it will all be decided on the gridiron, as it should be.

If Andrew Luck does win the Heisman, he’ll be only the second guy ever from Stanford to do so (the first and only presently is QB Jim Plunkett, who took home the big prize in 1970).

Northwestern

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Let’s all stand behind Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern as they attempt to break their 62-year-old bowl victory drought.

Yes, the last time the Wildcats scored a bowl win was in the 1949 Rose Bowl, when they beat Cal 20-14; since this time Northwestern is 0-8 when going bowling.

Miami, FL

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Seriously, who can support the “U” other than their very dedicated fanbase?

Well, add new coach Al Golden into the equation and remember that the Hurricanes haven’t won any type of ACC crown since they signed up in 2004, and maybe we can give them some love.

Perhaps the best angle to approach Miami is to consider that it’s about time somebody (other than Georgia Tech) challenges Virginia Tech in the Coastal division.

NC State

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The Wolfpack haven’t won any sort of title since 1979, when they went 7-4 and captured the ACC crown; with their 9-4 finish last season (which included knocking off then-No. 16 Florida State) and the classy way they handled the Russell Wilson situation, I’m rooting for NC State to win its first ever ACC Atlantic title and have a shot at its first conference crown in over 30 years.

Michigan State

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

It remains to be seen if the Spartans can repeat the magic of their 11-2 run last season, but all the pieces are in place for a repeat performance.

It’s amazing how the Spartans and QB Kirk Cousins seem to fly under the radar in the Big Ten on a consistent basis...I hope they are once again the “surprise team” and make an appearance in the first ever conference championship game.

Houston

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Case Keenum (the gunslinger who earned back his final year of eligibility) is the kind of guy who is easy to root for, and when you throw coach Kevin Sumlin and loads of potential into the equation, this is a team that is attractive on a wide number of levels.

You know there will be lots of yards racked up at Houston, but I’m hoping that along with an offensive explosion, the Cougars manage a run at the Conference USA title (which they last won in 2006), a bowl victory (last achieved in 2008) and perhaps their first Top-25 finish in 20 years.

Tulsa

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Tulsa returns a whopping 18 starters from its 2010 squad that went 10-3, and though it lost coach Todd Graham to Pitt, you have to wonder why this team isn't being more highly touted coming into 2011.

One major obstacle for the Golden Hurricane is a four-game opening stretch that presents a murderers' row of opponents: at Oklahoma, at Tulane, Oklahoma State (at home) and then at Boise State.

I’m rooting for this very good Tulsa squad to play spoiler to at least one of the big three teams on the early slate, and remember these are the same guys that beat Notre Dame last season.

Baylor

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The Bears had a bit of a coming-out party (finally) last season, making their first bowl appearance since 1994 and posting their best finish since the last season of the Southwest Conference (1995).

In 2011 it’s easy to champion the speedy QB Robert Griffin III and company on their quest to eclipse the seven-win mark for the first time since 1991 and to achieve their first bowl win since they bested Arizona in the 1992 Sun Bowl.

Oklahoma State

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

In reality there are a zillion reasons to stand behind the orange Cowboys from Stillwater, but for this list I say we root for them because they have a realistic chance to break through the iron ceiling of the Big 12, beating out perennial (and pushy) powers Texas and Oklahoma on their way to their first ever Big 12 title.

Oklahoma State hasn’t earned a conference title since it won the Big Eight in 1976, and anyone who says it wouldn’t be phenomenal to see it catapult over the “big boys” just doesn’t have a heart (or lives in Austin or Norman).

Louisville

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The reason to support the Cardinals in 2011 is that their lowly 10 returning starters mask the fact that this is a team that could possibly do some major damage in the leaderless Big East.

Louisville’s second-year head coach Charlie Strong led the 2010 Cardinals to their best finish since the Bobby Petrino era, and though they might not win any titles in 2011, look for Louisville to play better as the year goes on and score a late, unexpected win over a conference foe.

This is the calm before the storm at Louisville.

Syracuse

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The Orange’s eight-win season in 2010 came out of nowhere, and nobody could have scripted their second-place conference finish and first bowl victory since 2001.

Apparently many experts think Syracuse’s “era of good feelings” is short-lived (but a blip on the radar of what has been a fairly unimpressive football showing), but what about 13 returning starters, 41 returning lettermen and a schedule that ranks in the bottom half of Phil Steele’s toughness rankings?

Root for Syracuse to be more than a spoiler in the Big East.

Penn State

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Rooting for the Nittany Lions is easy; a seven-plus-win season in 2011 bumps coach Joe Paterno over No. 2 Eddie Robinson on the all-time wins list, and a Big Ten Leaders division title and appearance in the first ever conference championship game proves the old man has still got it.

Delicious.

SMU

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Mustangs' 18 returning starters and 54 returning lettermen from their 7-7 squad last season make them a prime candidate to capture a Conference USA crown—a bauble that would represent the first SMU conference title since its 1984 Southwest Conference championship.

This is a team that could not only win the C-USA, but could also play spoiler in provocative contests against Texas A&M in the opener and at neighborly TCU in Week 5.

Army

Hunter Martin/Getty Images

Regardless of how the Black Knights fare overall in 2011, let’s root for them to beat Navy for the first time since 2001.

Army’s nine-year winless streak against the Midshipmen marks the longest in the 111-year history of the best rivalry in college football.

Air Force

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

With Utah and BYU out of the Mountain West, Boise State in and TCU coming off its stunning Rose Bowl triumph, it’s easy to forget about Air Force.

But don’t forget that this is a team that returns 14 starters and 58 lettermen to a team that went 9-4 and just missed last season against No. 7 Oklahoma (27-24 in Norman) and No. 8 Utah (28-23).

What happens if Air Force cleans the table, manages a win over Boise State in Boise and becomes the first service academy to bust the BCS?

It would be among the greatest feats in the history of college football.

Utah

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Until TCU joins the Big East in 2012, the Utes will be the only ultra-successful non BCS team to break into a bona fide BCS-AQ conference.

Yes, Utah is the only team in a position to prove that it “belongs” and will no longer have to hope that it can “bust in”—now it can just play in.

The underdog in everybody makes it easy to root for Utah to win the Pac-12 South and more.

Tennessee

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Tennessee is a program that’s easy to root against, but here is an institution that has suffered heartily and is now led by the energetic and highly likable Derek Dooley.

I’m totally rooting for this guy to make a success out of his tenure at Tennessee.

Western Kentucky

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Did you know that Western Kentucky has only been a FBS school for two seasons, and did you know that their only two wins since that time came last season under first-year head coach Willie Taggart?

The Hilltoppers won’t be on TV, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth following. They play in the Sun Belt, and Coach Taggart’s enthusiasm, positive energy and dedication to make a success at his alma mater are hard not to like.

Four wins hardly seems worthy of celebration, but that mark would be a high achievement for WKU.

Go Hilltoppers!

Boston College

Elsa/Getty Images

Though you could no doubt list other reasons to give the Eagles some love, for me LB Luke Kuechly is good enough all on his own.

Kuechly is the type of player you’d want your kid to be if he played college football; he’s gritty, has a nose for the ball and does stuff that doesn’t even look possible.

If Kuechly played for Florida, Oklahoma or Ohio State, he would be touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Kuechly led the nation last season with 183 tackles, which was only 10 short of the NCAA record for tackles in a single season; his career total of 325 through his sophomore year puts him on pace to break the all-time career record, which is 545.

Georgia Tech

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

What’s not to love about the only BCS-AQ team that runs the option? 

While everyone is talking about Miami FL finally challenging Virginia Tech in the ACC Coastal, what about the fact that the Yellow Jackets are the only team (ever) to wrest the crown away from the Hokies (which they did in both 2006 and 2009)?

Missouri

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

With all the talk about Oklahoma’s glorious chances to win the biggest (and cheesiest) enchilada, Texas A&M’s golden opportunities, the Longhorns sure return to more than respectability and the continuation of Oklahoma State’s offensive explosion, what of Missouri?

Indeed, what of the team that lost QB Blaine Gabbert but returns 14 starters and 50 lettermen from the team that went 10-3 in 2011?

Root for the Tigers because they will be a much bigger factor in the newly reduced Big 12 than anyone is giving them credit for.

USF

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Though they already play in a BCS-AQ conference, the USF Bulls look destined to become the next TCU or Boise State of college football.

All the pieces are in place (they are isolated from conference foes and recruiting the fertile Tampa Bay area, they have a great coach and they play in a winnable conference with a clear path to the BCS), and these guys are flying so far under the radar that it’s almost not right.

Root for the Bulls (a school that has only fielded a football team since 1997) to do what nobody has been able to do since Miami FL went to the ACC: be the dominant team in the Big East.

Illinois

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Did you know that the Fighting Illini haven’t had consecutive winning seasons since 1989/1990, when they went 10-2 and then 8-4 under then-coach John Mackovic?

Though that fact seems almost unthinkable, it’s true, and after the Illini finished 2010 7-6, they have a golden opportunity to link two above .500 seasons together for the first time in over 20 years.

Michigan

Danny Moloshok/Getty Images

Regardless of which side of the very clear Michigan-Ohio State line you stand on, it’s time for the Wolverines to factor heavily back into what is among the greatest rivalries in college football.

Though the Wolverines are 57-44-6 all-time against the Buckeyes, Michigan hasn’t bested its most hated foe since 2003, when it won 35-21 in Ann Arbor.

Michigan’s seven game losing skid marks the longest streak in the series since the Wolverines won nine straight from 1901-1909.

It’s time to for things to heat up again, and a revival in Ann Arbor combined with a “gnashing of teeth” offseason in Columbus does nothing but up the ante for the November 26, 2011 meeting in Michigan Stadium.

Miami, OH

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The RedHawks' turnaround in 2010 season was almost miraculous; the 1-11 2009 squad went 10-4, won the MAC and scored its first bowl victory since 2003.

Coming into 2011, the cradle of coaches welcomes longtime Mark Dantonio lieutenant Don Treadwell, and Miami returns 17 starters and 51 lettermen from last season.

What I like about lending support to Miami is that despite the success enjoyed in 2010, it gets little love from prognosticators; Phil Steele has the RedHawks finishing third in the East, and Athlon puts them at No. 2.

I like Treadwell, and I like Miami’s chances to repeat as champs, a feat the Redhawks haven’t achieved since 1973-75, when they enjoyed a MAC three-peat and an impressive 32-1-1 record under coaches Bill Mallory and then Dick Crum.

San Diego State

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Brady Hoke may have packed up his satchel and moved eastward, but RB Ronnie Hillman returns to San Diego for his sophomore season.

Hillman’s freshman season was productive; his 1,532 yards and 17 scores made him the No. 10-ranked ball carrier in college football last season.

Ronnie Hillman may be the most promising Aztec running back since Marshall Faulk, and the fact that he will have to earn any national recognition on a much smaller stage makes San Diego State a team worth watching and rooting for.

Don’t forget that Hillman and the Aztecs return virtually their entire offensive unit (which ranked No. 2 overall in scoring) and most of a defense that was a very respectable No. 36 in scoring, facts that make SDSU an interesting factor in an interesting Mountain West race.

South Carolina

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Well, it’s pretty simple: Let’s root for the Gamecocks to muster up every bit of strength and fortitude that they can manage so they can finally win their first ever (ever) SEC crown.

Kentucky

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Kentucky is obviously attractive because of its underdog status in the SEC, but with the 2011 Wildcats there is more to like.

You’ve got alumnus coach Joker Phillips, who in his second season has Kentucky primed to surpass a 2010 team that came close to knocking off Auburn (37-34) and Mississippi State (24-17) and bested South Carolina in a 31-28 thriller.

With Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and even Tennessee at the top of the charts, don’t forget to show some love for Kentucky, who will be better than billed.

Arkansas

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

It’s hard to get a bunch of media attention when you play in a conference with Alabama, LSU and Auburn, but Arkansas is one QB transition away from being THE team to beat in the SEC West.

I’m rooting for the Razorbacks to make everyone wonder about their lofty Alabama and LSU predictions. Yes, they’ll have to do it on the road, but Bobby Petrino doesn’t play around; the Hogs will be good, really good.

ULM

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Warhawks haven’t captured a Sun Belt crown since they went a sizzling 5-6 in 2005, but with 17 returning starters and 47 returning lettermen (and only 13 lost), ULM is suddenly a legitimate contender.

ULM has NEVER played in a college bowl game, and who wouldn’t be inspired jump on the bandwagon of cheering fans hoping for the Warhawks to score enough wins to earn a postseason bid?

Mississippi State

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

The Bulldogs' perilous SEC West address makes them really easy to support. They’re the scrappy underdog amidst the huge, money-rich programs, and holy schnikes, wouldn’t it be amazing to sit back and watch Dan Mullen lead MSU to its first divisional title since 1998 and first conference crown since 1941?

We spend a bunch of time yapping about BCS busters, but you would hard pressed to find a candidate for a potentially more impressive breakthrough than the team from Starkville, Mississippi.

Louisiana Tech

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Often overlooked in the wacky WAC, the barking La Tech Bulldogs are suddenly in a position to capture their first WAC title since 2001.

Boise State is gone, and Nevada has a bunch of personnel turnover (as do Hawaii and Fresno State), and while others are trending downwards, the Bulldogs return 13 starters and momentum from a season where they improved under first-year coach Sonny Dykes.

Root for underdog Louisiana Tech to win the WAC and make its fifth bowl appearance in school history.

BYU

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Regardless of your stance on independence, it will be fun to see how BYU fares its first conference-less campaign.

The schedule is chock-full of delightful twists and turns, and it’s worth rooting for BYU to run the tables just to see how the BCS would handle an undefeated independent team that is not Notre Dame.

Nebraska

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Despite the onslaught of NCAA sanctions that has descended on our college football, let us not forget to enjoy the unprecedented 2011 conference shifting that is headlined by Nebraska’s historic move to the Big Ten.

Regardless of how much Cornhusker hysteria you can stomach, it is worth supporting Nebraska to totally shake things up in what is setting up to be nothing short of a magnificent campaign in the Bigger Ten.

Virginia Tech

Elsa/Getty Images

Though you might be inclined to root for VT because you want to witness Frank Beamer turning staggering personnel turnover into a nine-plus-win season (again), I’m excited about watching the defensive stylings of CB Jayron Hosley.

Hosley led the nation in interceptions in 2010 with nine (he had three in the NC State game), a mark that tied a 43-year-old school record.

Toledo

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Rockets haven’t won the MAC since 2004, when they went 9-4 under Tom Amstutz; in 2011 Toledo returns a whopping 18 starters to a squad that went 8-5 in 2010.

If you can’t get your head around standing behind the Rockets to win a conference crown, perhaps you should tune in and root for return artist Eric Page, who ranked No. 4 among kickoff return men in his 2010 sophomore season.

Texas A&M

Darren Carroll/Getty Images

Well, I personally have a difficult time putting a lot of heart into my Aggie yells (which are more like under my breath whispers, including derogatory sentiments), but it’s hard not to be at least mildly interested in seeing Texas A&M finally return to football respectability.

2011 is the Aggies' golden opportunity to rise from the depths of defeat and capture their first conference title since 1998, and with a coach that didn’t win a Super Bowl at Green Bay and a QB that was a receiver a mere 12 months ago leading the way, what’s not to like?

Maryland

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It’s hard to find a better “prove ‘em wrong” candidate to root for than Maryland.

The Terrapins went 9-4 last season, finished second in the ACC Atlantic (one game behind Florida State) and trounced East Carolina in the Military Bowl, but still (and despite returning 14 starters including QB Danny O’Brien) Maryland gets zero love.

Phil Steele has Maryland at a dismal No. 5 in the division, and Athlon has it finishing third, neither very respectful of football’s best turtles’ body of work.

Texas Tech

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Yes, I’m a homer, but I can still think of a million and one reasons for other people to root for the Red Raiders.

For this stimulating listing I’ll go with root for Texas Tech to win eight games or more to continue the healing process of a great football people whose emotions have been completely disregarded (and to play the dastardly spoiler in what could be a titillating Big 12 race).

Southern Miss

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Golden Eagles return the right personnel and have the ideal schedule to make a perfect run.

Root for Southern Miss to go undefeated, unscathed and unspoiled and subsequently become the first C-USA team to ever crash the sophisticated, hoity-toity BCS party.

UCLA

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Root for UCLA to finally start to show improvement in the less than stellar Rick Neuheisel era and make a complete mess of the new Pac-12 South division.

Perhaps the Bruins' flight under the radar is justified by poor recent results, but returning 17 starters is nothing to snort at.

Clemson

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

I’m hoping that Clemson is the surprise candidate to make Florida State’s golden run back to the glory days really tricky (not because I am a hater, but because it just makes things more interesting).

The Tigers have Florida State in Clemson (and fortuitously the game comes directly after the FSU vs. Oklahoma showdown in Tallahassee), and regardless of how hard they push the Seminoles on the field, if they can manage enough wins to take the Atlantic, they’ll make 2011’s ACC race one of the best stories of the season.

Ohio

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Bobcats have improved so drastically under seventh-year coach Frank Solich that it’s difficult to remember that Ohio hasn’t won a fully fledged MAC title since 1968.

Yes, they won the Eastern Division in both 2006 and 2009, but it’s been 42 long years since Athens, Ohio was home of the MAC champs.

Root for Solich and his Bobcats to hoist Middle America’s greatest football prize.

West Virginia

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

West Virginia has certainly had its fair share of offseason drama (which is frankly underplayed nationally due to the ever-growing and never-ending NCAA sanction-a-thon), but it’s hard not to be at least a little excited about Dana Holgorsen installing his offensive systems in Morgantown.

Eight offensive starters and 19 offensive lettermen return to campus in 2011, and it will be highly stimulating to see how far and wide the offensive explosion can be felt that suddenly emits from western West Virginia.

Ole Miss

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

After back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2008-09, Ole Miss dropped off the radar faster than the greens are at Augusta when they flopped to a 4-8 finish in 2010.

But despite the horror so last season, Houston Nutt has a way of winning games he shouldn’t, and though the Rebels won’t be atop the SEC West, I think they’ll keep things interesting.

Root for the Rebels to scream “Hotty Toddy” and knock off either Alabama, Arkansas or LSU, which are all home games played within the very agreeable city limits of Oxford, Mississippi.

Oregon State

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

With Oregon’s recent troubles and the coaching change (and questions at offensive line) at Stanford, what if Oregon State is the team suddenly in the catbird seat to overachieve?

Well, the Beavers return a whopping 53 lettermen (tied with Arizona State for second most in the Pac-12) and are the perfect “under the radar” squad to make a real mess of what seems to be a fairly straightforward Pac-12 North race.

Root for the toothy team from the Northwest to wreak “shock and awe” havoc on what looks to be the less winnable Pac-12 division.

Georgia

Well, all college football enthusiasts will fall on either one side of the line or the other in 2011 (and it’s a line you can’t straddle): You either want Georgia to pound Boise State in the opener and prove the SEC’s total dominance, or you want the Broncos to whip the Bulldogs in an attempt to shut up the mouthy SEC’ers.

If you count yourself amongst the ranks of the “put ‘em in their place” faction, root for Georgia to spank the Blue Turfers in the delicious opener in Atlanta.

Rutgers

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Root for Rutgers because Greg Schiano is one of the few guys in big-time college football who stuck around with the team. Had he left when they were experiencing unprecedented success, it could have catapulted him into a better employment situation.

Schiano could have departed for greener pastures after the 2006 season (when the Scarlet Knights dazzled us with an 11-2 season), but instead he stuck around and gave a whole new meaning to the concept of “dance with who brung you.”

I hope Rutgers is a surprise team in the Big East and that Schiano sticks around long enough to lead the Knights straight into the BCS.