10 College Football Programs to Watch in 2012

USC, Michigan and LSU may be early favorites to play for the national championship in January, but there are several other teams that have what it takes to captures college football's grandest prize this coming season. 

Listing off these teams could take days. Except, as you go through all the names, a select few stand out. These are the teams that great talent all around the football field: offense, defense, coaching, special teams, Gatorade flavors—all of that and so much more.

Now, of course, not all of these teams have the same logical chance at winning a national championship as the others, but other bowl games are certainly within reason.

Some of these teams in this listing will be ranked when the preliminary Associated Press polls come out in August. Some of them probably aren't even on your radar.

However, for one reason or another, these will be the teams you'll be talking about in the 2012 season.

Kansas State

Kansas State isn't always a football team to jump off the page as intimidating, but they manage to win games. In the end, that's all that counts.

The Wildcats went 10-3 last year and ended up in the Cotton Bowl; a 29-16 defeat at the hands of Arkansas ended their season.

Collin Klein returns for his senior season in Manhattan, which is good news for the Wildcat offensive attack. Klein both threw and ran for more than 1,000 yards and a combined 40 touchdowns (13 passing, 27 rushing). It's these types of numbers that helped the Wildcats rank 34th in scoring in the nation with 31.8 points per game in 2011.

Along with Klein, also returning for his senior season, is his favorite receiving target, Chris Harper. Harper allowed for Klein to cover up his inconsistencies as a passer. Harper will have to do more of the same this season as he is the only returning receiver for Kansas State this season.

On defense, Nigel Malone and Ty Zimmerman come back to help anchor the defense that lost stud linemen Ray Kibble and Jordan Voelker. However, Malone showed some flashes of improvement last season, snagging a team-high seven interceptions in 2011.

Overall, the Wildcats look poised to make a splash in the Big 12, even with TCU and West Virginia now in the mix. While they may not be the biggest threat in the conference, they will give the higher powers such as Texas and Oklahoma fits and could bump them from contention for the Big 12 Championship.

Look out for the Wildcat offense in 2012. No, not the offensive set, the team.

Houston

A bit of a wild card here—especially with the electric Case Keenum now departed from the team—but Houston is poised to make some noise in Conference USA.

Keenum can never be replaced, but the Cougars feel confident in his replacement, David Piland. Piland does have some experience running the show for the Cougars as he started eight games for Houston in 2010 when Keenum went down with an ACL tear.

Luckily for Piland, he won't be alone on the offensive front as Houston also retains the versatile Charles Sims at running back. Sims compiled more than 1,300 yards of total offense, both rushing and receiving. He will be a huge asset to the Cougar offense that loses four starting receivers from 2011.

While Sims is a great talent, it will be hard for Houston to repeat its top-rated scoring offense (49.3 points per game) from last season, but crazier things have happened.

Houston's offense has been the headline for years, but in 2012, it will be the experience on the defensive end that determines the Cougars' success.

Nebraska

Doesn't it feel like Taylor Martinez has been at Nebraska for about a decade now? If it has, but you still enjoy watching him play, you'll be in for a treat when Nebraska takes the field in 2012.

Martinez returns for his junior year to help lead the Cornhusker offense once again. His great speed is always a threat, but as he showed last season, he is trying to hone his overall passing abilities to help lead the team.

In order to do this, Nebraska will rely on Rex Burkhead, the bulldog I-back, to produce on the ground. Burkhead has the potential to be a huge star in college football as his 2011 stats (1,357 yards, 15 touchdowns) suggest.

With seven returning starters on the defensive end, the Cornhuskers' 37th-rated 2011 defensive perform should be easy enough to manage once again. Statistically, the defense does not jump off the page at you. No player had more than one interception (five tied with one) and Cameron Meredith led the team with five sacks.

Although it may not feel like a great defense, they play tough, hard-nosed football and get the job done. Combine that sort of defense and the electric offense, Martinez and his Huskers have an opportunity to take the Big Ten by storm.

In its second year in the conference, the door is wide open for a Nebraska takeover.

South Florida

One player that produces every season but fails to get the respect he deserves displays his talents to South Beach.

Obviously, I'm talking about Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels, not the other guy you might have been thinking of. Daniels keeps making tremendous strides as a passer, highlighted by cutting his interceptions numbers in half from his sophomore to junior seasons. With more than 3,000 total yards of offense through the air and on the ground, Daniels' constant threat on offense gives the Bulls the best offensive attack in the Big East.

South Florida sports a new defensive coordinator, Chris Cosh from Kansas State, to help build up the emerging defense. One of the players on this defense, Ryne Giddins, is coming along nicely for the Bulls. His production will be crucial for South Florida's success.

With West Virginia now in the Big 12, Louisville is South Florida's biggest competition in the Big East. A midseason matchup against the Cardinals will prove weather the Bulls are for real.

South Carolina

While everyone else looks at LSU and Alabama as the favorites in the SEC, don't let South Carolina escape the conversation just yet.

Perennial Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore is returning to the Gamecocks after a knee injury kept him out of the second half of the 2011 campaign. Even though Lattimore only played in seven games, he still managed to account for more than 800 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Don't expect that number to be any less remarkable than you're anticipating—Lattimore is set to go off in 2012. You can take that to the bank.

Not only do the Gamecocks have the nation's best running back at their disposal, they also sport the country's third-rated defense. Yes, losing Stephon Gilmore to the NFL is a big loss, but Akeem Auguste is ready to patrol the secondary after a year absence due to a foot injury.

Aside from the secondary, which should be up to the task, South Carolina has a linebacking corps filled with senior leaders. Shaq Wilson and DeVonte Holloman provide a great opportunity to blitz the offense, something defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward loves to do.

The Tigers and Tide dominate the conversation for best in the SEC, but don't be surprised to see a Gamecock uprising starting in August.

Notre Dame

After a few upsetting seasons in South Bend, Notre Dame will be looking to redeem itself in 2012.

In order to regain their success rate, Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees will be expected to cut down on his 14 interceptions from 2011. Losing Michael Floyd to the NFL presents an even bigger obstacle for Rees as Floyd's dynamic playmaking ability will be hard to deal without.

Lucky for Rees, he still has the capable receiving hands of tight end Tyler Eifert, whose 803 yards and five touchdowns lead Notre Dame's returning receivers. Also, the Fighting Irish have running back Cierre Wood at their disposal to help ease some of the pressure off the young gunslinger.

Obviously, Notre Dame will be in the headlines all season, as per usual in the college football world. However, it will be how Rees and the Fighting Irish deal with this pressure now that their high-profile names have all left the program.

Gone are the days of Brady Quinn and Golden Tate. In are the days of T.J. Jones and Manti Te'o. It's a different world in Notre Dame. It should be very interesting to see how they respond.

Clemson

Clemson's offensive attack burst onto the scene last year and left a lasting impact on the program. Now it looks to make an encore performance that surpasses the previous one.

Junior quarterback Tajh Boyd has a lot of lofty expectations after his insane performance in 2011 (3,828 yards, 33 touchdowns). Luckily for Boyd, his strong arm won't go to waste as Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Jaron Brown all return as well. Each of these receivers possess speed that kills, a highly appreciative attribute for Boyd as he likes to chuck the ball downfield.

If the Tigers aren't tossing the ball around, they will be more than happy to put it on the ground with Andre Ellington. Ellington has had some bumps and bruises along the way, but when he stays on the field, he provides a huge insurance policy for the Tigers on offense. He will be expected to do the same thing again this season.

Of course, a great offense doesn't always secure wins. This was none more evident than in their Orange Bowl loss against West Virginia. Clemson put up its season average of points (33) but gave up 70 on the defensive end. To change the lack of defense, Clemson brought in Oklahoma's Brent Venables to bring back a tough-as-nails attitude to the defense.

On average, the Tigers won their games by a total of 4.3 points per game. This number will need to inflate if Clemson wants to get back to a BCS bowl. The defense may be a question mark, but the offense sure should be a lot of fun to watch.

Stanford

Unlike the rest of the teams in this list, Stanford isn't a team to watch because it has the potential to do great things. Not that the Cardinal don't, but they have more potential to drastically fall off the face of the college football landscape than anyone else.

Andrew Luck finally landed in the NFL and now leaves Stanford with an enormous hole at quarterback for the Cardinal. Filling Luck's shoes is quite the daunting task for either Brett Nottingham or Josh Nunes, whoever earns the starting position.

Luckily for whoever has that pressure, he has a solid, strong running back in Stepfan Taylor. Taylor accounted for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011. However, most of those stats came to be because of Luck's potent arm. With Luck under center, Taylor was able to sneak up on defenses because of the threat of the pass. Without that threat, defenses will be able to focus in on Taylor's prowess on the ground. This could spell big trouble for the Stanford running game.

No matter what happens, Stanford is a team to keep a watchful eye on. Whether it wins, loses or stays about the same as it was with Luck, Stanford will be worth your time.

Oregon

There are oh so many reasons to keep a watchful eye of the Oregon Ducks this season. Their different helmet-jersey-pants-cleats combinations should make them college football's own fashion show. However, for now, we'll stick to their attributes on the field.

Oregon loses the electric quarterback-running back combination of LaMichael James and Darron Thomas to the NFL this season but continue to reload with offensive weapons.

Kenjon Barner has been playing second fiddle to James for years. Even though he was the second option most of the time, Barner still managed to gain nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011. Now that Barner is the go-to back, he will have his own understudy to electrify the crowd.

De'Anthony Thomas will bring a huge effort wherever he lines up. He can run and catch with the best of them. His speed helps him to utilize those skills as well. Overall, the offensive weapons the Ducks have will bring some exciting moments for all of college football.

Offense alone will be enough to watch Oregon play this season. The Ducks will be battling USC for the Pac-12 crown this season and their clash on Nov. 19 in Eugene should be epic. Look out for the Ducks.

West Virginia

Crazy as it may seem, West Virginia may be the best team in the Big 12.

The biggest reason why the Mountaineers might be better than Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State is their insane offensive skill players returning for the 2012 campaign.

Geno Smith is one of the nation's most prolific quarterbacks. Complete with a strong, accurate arm and ice in his veins, Smith presents a problem for even the most talented defenses. His 2011 numbers of 4,385 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and only seven interceptions were phenomenal. Don't expect his numbers to decrease any, even in Big 12 play.

However, it isn't just Smith alone that defenses need to be aware of. Tavon Austin can torch anybody in the nation. He and Stedman Bailey each had 1,000-yard receiving seasons last year. These two, along with Smith, helped the West Virginia offense to earning the 15th-rated offense slot in the nation.

West Virginia's high-flying attack will be in full effect in 2012 and will be doing a lot of damage to the high-powered defenses of the Big 12.

The 2012 Big 12 champions and potential national champions reside out East. Now you know.

What Do You Think?

These are the 10 teams that you, as a college football fan, should keep track of throughout the season.

However, there are always plenty of other teams to be in this discussion. This is where you guys come in.

Who would you add/subtract from this list? Why do you feel that way? Which of these teams has the best chance of earning a birth in a BCS bowl? What about a national championship appearance?

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