College Football 2012 Rankings: Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Top 25 Teams

We are still a little over five months away from the season getting underway, but it is never too early to set the expectations.

Certain teams expect a BCS title whereas others just want a crack at a BCS bid.

Obviously, expectations could be different depending on who you ask, but teams' schedules and who they have returning (and a few other factors) play a vital role.

So going off my preseason top 25, I go over the best- and worst-case scenarios.

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25. Boise State

Without Kellen Moore or that ferocious front four, the Broncos could see themselves drop a few games next season.

The schedule starts out rough in East Lansing against a Michigan State Spartans squad that may physically beat the Broncos up (Boise never gets beat up). If that snowballs a bit, they may not know who to turn to without a true leader on the field.

These still are the Smurfs that Chris Petersen has coached to a 73-6 record, right?

He just lost his first home game during his tenure last season and people are already counting out the Broncos to play a BCS bowl?

They could lose their entire team and Petersen would find a way to go win nine games in my eyes. They have an underrated offense and a secondary that will be extremely athletic, but the party may be crashed before it starts on Aug. 31.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 13-0 (BCS victory)

24. Virginia Tech

Logan Thomas better be ready to step his game up because he will probably not have one superstar in the backfield of the same mold as a David Wilson. The Hokies defense should be better, but the offense might not produce a whole lot in a conference that has Clemson and Florida State elevating their game.

Worse Case: 9-4; Best Case: 12-2 (ACC title, BCS)

23. Florida

Will Muschamp is a fiery coach and he will get Florida back to legit contenders in the SEC East, but 2012 is not the season that everything clicks.

The Gators will be much improved overall and may even win 10 games when the dust clears, but give them two or three more years and we may see them back in the SEC title game.

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case: 10-3

22. Notre Dame

Depending on which quarterback ends up being named the starter, the Irish could surprise some people next season. The schedule does zero favors as it is one of the toughest in the country. Even if they win eight or nine games, a BCS season will likely come up short.

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case 11-2 (BCS bowl win)

21. Stanford

Andrew Luck is long gone now, and the Cardinal will need to remain as a balanced team.

If Brett Nottingham is the starting QB, he will need to look for guys like Zach Ertz, Levine Toilolo, Ty Montgomery and Stepfan Taylor.

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case: 11-2 (No Pac-12 title but top 10-15 finish)

20. TCU

Casey Pachall has several playmakers and offensive studs around him (especially in the backfield).

However, the defense is going to get tested (ton of new faces) against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. It will be much easier said than done to win the Big 12, albeit it is possible.

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case 11-2 (Big 12 champs, BCS victory)

19. Wisconsin

Do the Badgers have what it takes to reach Pasadena for a third straight season?

The overhaul of coaches and the loss of Russell Wilson (Will they miss Nick Toon at all?) may have an impact in the crucial games.

They may be a near-lock to reach the Big Ten title since they are essentially only competing with Penn State. However, Nebraska or Michigan/Michigan State will be waiting for them and I don’t see a third straight conference title.

Worst Case: 10-4 (Big Ten title and bowl loss); Best Case: 11-2 (Rose Bowl and Big Ten champs)

18. Auburn

The defense has everybody back and that is great news on account it struggled miserably against the elite teams.

The offense will only get better, but the Tigers need their receivers to perform like the best in the SEC if they expect to knock off LSU, Bama and Arkansas.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 11-2 (fall just short of West crown)

17. Kansas State

The 2012 season for Bill Snyder and his squad could go several ways, but Collin Klein is back, which has to give it a decent chance of winning the Big 12.

Plus, the Wildcats have several defensive starters back, but that still may not be good enough. The offense got away with a watered-down schedule last season. The slate is much tougher this season.

Worst Case: 7-6; Best Case: 10-3 (fall just short of Big 12 title) 

16. Nebraska

The Cornhuskers are praying that Taylor Martinez can get help from his receivers, and the hope is that he improves his accuracy as well.

We know Rex Burkhead is a stud, and there are a few youngsters behind him who are talented, but what about the defense?

The Legends have Michigan State and Michigan, which are both expected to be heavyweights. So Nebraska better be improved on both sides of the ball or else there will be similar results to the one we saw against South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 12-2 (Big Ten and Rose Bowl champs) 

15. Texas

The Longhorns have an excellent defense returning next year, but they need to put more points on the board if they expect to win the Big 12.

Their backfield is loaded and the receivers are good enough, but is David Ash ready for the limelight?

Mack Brown doesn’t head into many consecutive seasons without being projected to win the Big 12, but that is likely to happen this summer.

I wouldn’t count the Horns out, since those youngsters picked up a ton of momentum as the season came to a conclusion last year.

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case 12-1 (Big 12 and top five finish)

14. Ohio State

Remember, the Buckeyes cannot go bowling in the first season under Urban Meyer. However, they might become last year’s version of USC if Braxton Miller can turn into a star.

They need the young backs and receivers to remain consistent, because we know the defense will be among the top two or three in the Big Ten.

Worst Case: 8-4; Best Case: 11-1 

13. Clemson

Will we witness the same old Clemson squad in 2012 or will finally see it reach new heights?

Sammy Watkins and Tajh Boyd might be the most electrifying pass-catch duo in the nation (minus Barkley-Woods). Still, the defense needs to show up, and how will the Tigers fare after allowing the most points ever in a bowl (70) to West Virginia?

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 13-1 (BCS title losers)

12. Michigan State

Is Andrew Maxwell ready to take over for Kirk Cousins?

He starts off with Boise State in what should be one of the best nonconference games of the season. Le'Veon Bell returns in the backfield and he will carry the bulk of the load.

The Spartans will need some young receivers to step out to become a complete team, since the defense is arguably the best in the Big Ten.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 12-2 (Big Ten, Rose Bowl champs)

11. South Carolina

Marcus Lattimore will be back and he is ready to run wild on the SEC with an accurate quarterback (Connor Shaw).

The defense will be among the elite once again, but the schedule looks to be much tougher than Georgia’s.

LSU and Florida will both be brutal road tests, and home games against Georgia and Arkansas may cost the Gamecocks another trip to the SEC title.

Coach Steve Spurrier has done it before, but can he knock off the Dawgs for a third time in five years?

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case: 11-3 (SEC title loss, bowl victory)

10. Michigan

The maize and blue have a ton of talent returning in Ann Arbor, but the schedule may prevent them from making Brady Hoke’s second season another magical one.

Denard Robinson’s development as a passer is huge because the defenses he will see may rank among the toughest in America.

Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State and Nebraska will all be improved defensively, or at least above-average..

Worst Case: 8-5; Best Case: 12-2 (Rose Bowl and Big Ten champs) 

9. Arkansas

Tyler Wilson can perform as well as any signal-caller in the country, and the return of Knile Davis at running back could bring the Razorbacks to the promised land. The majority of experts will not be taking the Razorbacks to win the SEC because they have never done so in the BCS era.

However, their defense is primed to take it up a notch and they eventually will knock off Alabama. Even if they were to beat one of these dominant teams (LSU) that won’t guarantee them a spot in the SEC title, let alone a BCS bowl.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 13-1 (SEC champs and either BCS title loss or BCS bowl win)

8. West Virginia

Even though they are headed to a much tougher conference in the Big 12 (compared to the Big East), West Virginia will be able to hang punch for punch with the Sooners and Longhorns. The offense is loaded with stars, but is the defense championship-caliber?

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case 12-1 (Big 12 champs, BCS bowl victory)

7. Florida State

The Seminoles finally do not have a brutal nonconference slate, and it is up to them to run the table to get back in the BCS title mix. The schedule is far from a cake walk with games against Miami (Fla.), NC State, Virginia Tech, Florida and Clemson.

However, the defense is loaded, and the receiving corps has elevated its game. Can the offensive line develop a running game with a slew of young and talented backs?

If so, the Noles may not be beatable with all of that overwhelming speed and talent that they showed down the stretch of the season.

If not, FSU may once again fall short of another ACC and or BCS title run. Give me the former, as the Noles should at least be back into the BCS.

Worst Case: 11-3 (lose ACC title); Best Case: 14-0 (win it all)

6. Oregon

Bryan Bennett is now the leader of this squad and he has to find ways to give Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas a ton of looks.

They are two of the best home run hitters in the game, and if they can avoid turning the ball over, Oregon will an excellent shot of taking down the USC Trojans.

This defense should be underrated despite losing a few stars. Kiko Alonso is looking to make a huge impact up front for the speedy Ducks, but it will still be quite the hurdle to surpass USC.

Worse Case: 10-4; Best Case: 13-1 (Pac-12 and Rose Bowl champs)

5. Oklahoma

Yes, the return of Landry Jones means the Sooners should be favored in every game they play. Will they be able to avoid a few upset bids, unlike last season?

The defense loses its two freaks off the edge, but te Sooners reload like nobody’s business. Tony Jefferson and Demontre Hurst better bring their NFL talents to town, because they will be tested by TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas.

Worst Case: 9-4; Best Case: 13-0 (win it all)

4. Georgia

How South Carolina continues to get shafted with its schedule compared to UGA’s fairly easy (if that is possible) slate gives the Dawgs an excellent chance of running the table during the regular season.

With many Dawgs back on both sides of the ball, this is the time to finally give it a run at the SEC title. They had a chance last year, but they fell well short against LSU.

Aaron Murray’s legacy can really take a jump with a few virtuoso performances (Malcolm Mitchell and Tavarres King will be fantastic), but it really comes down to the team controlling the line of scrimmage with the ability to run the football at will.

Worst Case: 10-4 (SEC title and bowl loss again); Best Case: 14-0 (win it all)

3. Alabama

Place your predictions, who will knock off Alabama in 2012?

Nick Saban is really rolling these days, and the defense is going to show you what the term “reload” means (They won't improve on defense, but they will still be among the best in SEC).

A.J. McCarron returns as the signal-caller and he is expected to get a lot more help around him despite losing Trent Richardson. 

Worst Case: 10-3; Best Case: 14-0 (win it all, again)

2. USC

The Trojans secondary will likely not get much love, but it has one of the most athletic and talented back four units in the nation. The linebackers are freaks, and the defensive line will grow in time.

USC’s offense may go bonkers (think 45-plus ppg) if it can establish any sort of a running game, and the Trojans have the talent to make running the table look somewhat easy (at Utah and UW in consecutive weeks nine days apart and home vs. Oregon only tough games).

Worst Case: 11-3 (Pac-12 title and BCS bowl loss); Best Case: 14-0 (win it all)

1. LSU

Can Les Miles and his squad put all of that BCS title disappointment behind him?

The “Mad Hatter” led the Bayou Bengals to an undefeated regular season before they tripped over themselves against Alabama.

LSU's defense has the makings of being even better this season (best DL in the nation?), and many believe probable starting QB Zach Mettenberger will allow LSU to open up the playbook.

The back and receivers are both arguably better, and the offensive line is still powerful.

The only thing that can prevent this team from playing in the SEC title is if it gets hit by the injury bug and or starts turning it over at crucial times.

Worst Case: 10-3; Best Case: 14-0 (win it all)

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