NCAA Football: 5 Teams in the Top 25 That Will Disappoint in 2012

Well boys and girls, here we are once again at the brink of another college football season. Recruits for the 2012 class have been signed, sealed and delivered. Spring games have been played, two-a-days are in the crosshairs and the countdown has started at T-minus 100 days till the chase for the crystal football begins.

And what do we know so far?

For starters, Bobby Petrino is a chronic liar that should've invested in a boat instead of a motorcycle. Secondly, Bill O'Brien has, without a doubt, the hardest job in college sports right now. And last but not least, there are more than a few teams that are vastly overrated heading into the 2012 season.

Now, as I know how some of you readers like to dissect every word used until it's drained of meaning completely, let me point out and explain ahead of time that I use the term "vastly" loosely.

And when I say loosely, I mean that while some teams ranked in the Top 25 do deserve to be there, they will also fail to win a championship.

Follow me so far? Clear as mud you say? Well then, allow me to proceed.

Here are five teams that all the professional nay-sayers seem to think have the pieces in place to make a push for conference, and possibly national, titles. But, the only thing these five teams will excel in for the 2012 season is disappointment.

Texas Longhorns

No team in college football does less with more than the University of Texas Longhorns. Each and every year they have the pick of the litter in what is one of the most talent-rich states in the country. Despite having one of the best recruiting classes, the team still managed to lose seven games in 2010 and five in 2011.

And like clockwork, the talking heads are once again predicting Texas to make a run at the Big 12 title in 2012.

No one believes Texas is good enough to be in contention for a National Title, but for this team to be ranked as high as the preseason polls (an average ranking of No.18) is a bit much.

Texas will bring back seven starters from a lackluster offense that ranked 50th overall in 2011. David Ash seems to be the favorite to win the QB battle; but considering he only threw four TDs against eight INTs, I'm not so sure that's something to look forward to.

The most positive thing Texas has going for them heading into 2012 is their defense. They have one of the best young defensive coordinators in the game in Manny Diaz, but the Texas defense will have to replace linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho; as well as defensive tackle Kheeston Randall.

The final verdict is this: The Longhorns will be extremely lucky to finish the 2012 season the same way they did the 2011 season; meaning at least eight wins.

Southern California Trojans

Never in the history of collegiate sports has a program been least affected by NCAA sanctions than the USC Trojans football team. In June of 2010, the USC football program took a nose dive into the sewer. Fast forward two years later, and they're right back on top; being touted as the No.1 team in the country heading into the 2012 season.

And what's the difference between this USC team and the last USC team that entered the season with a No.1 ranking, besides a large payroll?

No Pete Carroll.

While I do think Kiffin is one of the best offensive coaches in college football, the Trojans' defenses have been really, really bad under his leadership. Being ranked 54th overall last year was actually a step up from 2010 for the USC defense.

Carroll knew that to be a championship caliber team, one had to have a strong defense (and a very large slush fund). While Kiffin understands one part of that equation, he seems to have neglected the other.

And the final verdict is this: Matt Barkley will have a Heisman caliber season, but USC loses road games to Stanford and Washington before falling to the Ducks at home. Get ready to hear "Fire Kiffin" chants from the SoCal faithful at the end of the season.

Louisiana State Tigers

It's a near certainty that LSU will be ranked either No.1 or No.2 to kick off the 2012 season when the first official A.P. and Coaches polls come out.

And why not? They return 13 starters from last year's near-perfect team which includes a stable of running backs that might be the best in the country, four returning starters on the offensive line and five starters from a defense that ranked second in every major defensive category. Simply put: LSU is loaded with talent.

But talent has never been a problem in Baton Rouge. LSU had plenty of talent when Curley Hallman and Gerry DiNardo were running the show.

The problem that LSU will face this upcoming season is the same problem that they faced in last season's BCS Championship game. That problem would be coaching, or lack thereof.

Les Miles is essentially the Cosmo Kramer of college football head coaches. He just seems to wander aimlessly. The majority of the time you're wondering just what is going on inside his head. From the outside looking in, he appears successful. However, he's lucky; and everyone knows that a meltdown is just waiting to happen.

Those who watched the 2012 BCS title game are still scratching their heads trying to figure out just what Les Miles and offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa were thinking.

The final verdict is this: LSU gets a slight upgrade at QB with Zach Mettenberger, but poor coaching decisions will lead to an upset on the road versus Florida. Then look for the Tigers to drop home games against South Carolina and the Crimson Tide.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State will start the 2012 season off nearly identical to the way they started the 2011 season— Ranked in the top 10 and highly overrated.

Almost every sports prognosticator couldn't say enough good things about the Seminoles to start the 2011 year off. FSU rose as high as a No.5 ranking after big-time wins over power houses Louisiana Monroe and Charleston Southern. Then a large dose of reality came crashing down upon Chief Osceloa's head.

The 'Noles dropped three straight games, including an embarrassing 35-30 loss to Wake Forest, and never really recovered.

In year three of the Fisher regime, FSU is once again ranked as high as No.6 in more than one preseason poll, and picked to be the team to beat in the ACC. Like Texas, FSU has brought in some of the nations best blue-chip recruits over the past three seasons but have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Considering the schedule Florida State faces for 2012, anything less than a spot in the ACC Championship game should place Fisher's posterior square on the hot seat.

So FSU faithful, if you think that light at the end of the tunnel is the glare off of the ACC Championship Trophy or, even more ridiculously, a BCS Coaches Trophy, you should think again. It's really just the inevitable "flaming chair" awaiting Jimbo at the end of the 2012 season.

And the verdict is this: FSU starts the season off breezing past their usual two FCS opponents, but then lose to Clemson at home. They will follow that up with road loses to Miami and Virginia Tech, lose to Florida at home, then top the 2012 season off with a minor bowl win over some middle tier PAC-12 program.

Georgia Bulldogs

The 2012 Georgia Bulldogs are without a doubt the most overrated team this preseason. Ranked as high as No.5 in one poll, the "dawgs" have been chosen as the favorite to win the SEC East and possibly even the SEC Championship.

This is the same Georgia squad that only had one win versus a ranked opponent last year; and that ranked opponent just so happened to be a train wrecked Auburn Tiger team.

This is the same Georgia team that had to sacrifice a baby lamb to the football gods to pull off a nail-biter against Vanderbilt. The same Georgia team that gave up 28 points to Vandy!

This is also the same Georgia team that had the proverbial cat in the bag against Michigan State in the Outback Bowl; and blew it in the final seconds of regulation, losing 33-30 in O.T.

The Bulldogs bring back six starters on offense and nine on defense. That includes quarterback Aaron Murray, running back Isaiah Crowell and wideouts Tavarres King and Malcolm Mitchell. Also returning on defense are linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree, safety Bacarri Rambo and thumb-sucking nose guard John Jenkins.

But what do you really have in that bunch? Murray's good, but has yet to prove he can win big games, averaging one INT per game throughout his entire career. He also makes major mistakes when the game is on the line. Crowell came in as a five-star prima donna, proving so far that he's too soft to play in the SEC.

UGA's wideouts are a non-factor with Mitchell being switched to the secondary to start the season off. And Rambo, along with Branden Smith and Sanders Commings, will miss the first four games of the season due to a failed drug test which leaves a gaping hole to be filled by a first-year starter in the defensive backfield.

Georgia's schedule is the easiest in the SEC; and like Florida State, anything less than a trip to the conference title game will be considered a failure as far as the UGA bandwagon is concerned. Considering that UGA fans should be well adjusted to disappointment by now, I don't think it will come as a major shock when the "dawgs" fall short of expectations.

And the final verdict is this: Come September 8th, the only thing that will cause the Bulldog defense more trouble than random drug testing and law enforcement will be the Missouri offense. The new kids on the block will give Georgia its first upset of the year on the road. Then look for the "dawgs" to drop road games versus South Carolina and Florida.

Au-revoir Mark Richt?