2010 College Football Predictions: Year of the Underdog?

In sports, the "underdog" represents the team expected to lose. For years, Boise State has been the underdog. Even after an undefeated season and prestigious bowl victories, they have remained that way. There are still doubters. There will always be doubters. Those doubters will talk trash about the Western Athletic Conference, or remove The Broncos from  2010 National Title talk simply by predicting an opening season loss to the Virgina Tech Hokies. However, the opening season loss to the Hokies will not take place. Boise State will not be the only underdog success story of the season.The Stanford Cardinal have also been overlooked. Contrary to doubter arguments, be prepared to see them avenge last year's Bowl loss and climb the ranks throughout the season. Aside from Boise State and Stanford, three other teams will likely follow suit as underdog contenders.

The Florida Gators, who some believe will not be able to withstand the loss of Tebow, will compete for the National Title. The Oregon Ducks, who suffered a major set backs with the Masoli situation and other legal difficulties, will also succeed. Lastly, the USC Trojans, will taste success in 2010. They will win despite blatant obstacles and Lane Kiffin's numerous acrimonious relationships rubbing even non -football people the wrong way. All of these success stories will highlight the reasons for 2010 being the year of the underdog.

No. 1: Alabama Crimson Tide

Mark Ingram won the Heisman last year. Therefore, the Crimson Tide will not only go undefeated over the course of the 2010-11 regular season, but will also win the National Title again. Well, that is not exactly the case.  Not only do they have Ingram, but  the rest of their team is also stacked! Julio Jones, Donta Hightower, Mark Barren, and Dre Kirkpatrick are all also legitimate and make this team the most dangerous team in the country. While Boise State will challenge them in the title game, their efforts will not be enough to withstand the Crimson's powerful all-around attack.

No. 2: Boise State Broncos

While the Broncos will make it to the National Title game, they will not win. As stated already, Alabama has too many weapons. However, making it to the title game will be a true underdog feat in and of itself. Kellen Moore is the real deal. Boise State will overcome an early test from Virginia Tech and not only defeat them, but will also run the table on the rest of their contenders. Unfortunately for the Broncos, their only loss will come at the hands of Bama. However,  everything in between will make for a great story.

No. 3: Ohio State Buckeyes

Cameron Heyward is a beast. The Defensive tackle is a position known to fill several roles, and Heyward will do just that. Heyward will not only help the Buckeyes get (not win) the National title game, but will also be one of the first players selected in the 2011 NFL draft. Not only do the Buckeyes have Heyward returning, but Terrelle Pryor is also back as the teams quarterback. The two of them to go along with the "open-minded" Tressel leading the way, will secure the squad yet another opportunity to win it all. However (and as stated previously), yet another spot in the National Title Game will be upended by the BS Broncos!

No. 4: Oklahoma Sooners

What team would not be devastated by a number one pick being injured for most of the season? Unintentionally, Sam Bradford put a damper on the 2009 season. With a high profile coach to match their top collection of offensive and defensive stars, the Sooners will win big in 2010. Last season's 8-5 record will not happen again. Landry Jones will not have the pressure of filling the shoes of an injured star, but instead will have a team confident in his abilities to lead and propel the team through non-conference and conference opponents. Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray will aid Jones in a balanced offensive attack that will (again) average 30 plus points per game throughout the season. Oklahoma will go undefeated and make the BCS think twice about whether or not to put them into the National Title game. However, the story of Boise State going undefeated for a second straight year and the pressure from the nation to put them in the game will bounce Oklahoma from a match-up against the Crimson Tide.

No. 5: Florida Gators

Ok. I get it. Tebow was the heart and soul of this team. He WAS the leader on and off the field. He wore his faith on his face and has a potentially brilliant future ahead of him. With that being said, and to go along with my "underdog" theme, John Brantley will lead the Gators to a shockingly successful season in spite of those who believe that with Tebow goes the team.  With a seemingly healthy Urban Meyer and Brantley to lead the attack, expect Florida to shock the nation.

No. 6: Oregon Ducks

Chip Kelly needs to lead this team, and lead he will! Many may be against putting the Ducks this high, yet that does not matter. Kelly will pull the team together and instill confidence into an already experienced and talented SENIOR QB Nate Costa. Not only will Kelly and Costa have something to prove but RB LaMichael James will also want to continue his 2009 success after legal troubles followed him around as well during the tumultuous off-season. On the defensive end, expect good things form Dion Jordan as he will quickly blossom into a pass rushing force.

No. 7: Miami Hurricanes

Any young man who steps up the way Jacory Harris did in 2009 places both himself and his squad in a top-10 early season position. 3000 plus throwing yards to go along with 20 plus touchdowns. End of discussion.

No. 8: Virginia Tech Hokies

A player who possesses You Tube video postings entitled, "Tyrod is dirty" gets respect from the jump. The Hokies will be able to overcome an early season loss to the Broncos and emerge as one of top teams in the nation.

No. 9: Texas Longhorns

There is a reason Peyton Manning is so good. It's called a genetic predisposition. Garret Gilbert, son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, instills confidence in the Longhorns and their success throughout the 2010-11 season. Despite the loss of Jordan Shipley, the Longhorns will succeed. Expect victories over Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Kansas State to go along with others as well.

No. 10: USC Trojans

People may not want to see Kiffin win, but do not doubt that people will enjoy seeing Barkley and Co. shock the nation. This team will take home victories over non-conference opponents and then take down some Pac-10 rivals as well (in reference to Berkeley and Oregon State specifically).

No. 11: TCU Horned Frogs

Andy Dalton and the Horned Frogs put up points. Their offense is nice. Any team that averages 38.3 points per game is doing something right. Many of the pieces will be returning to a team that went 12-1 during the 2009 season. The Horned Frogs however will potentially be upset by Oregon State to open their season and  will also have troubles when Baylor's Robert Griffin III comes to town. Expect another solid but not outstanding season.

No. 12: Iowa Hawkeyes

Similarly to Heyward, Adrian Clayborn is a beast. Not similarly to Heyward, he has shown his aggression not only on the field but also off (http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20100804/HAWKS0104/8040310/Clayborn-keeps-it-real). Clayborn, along with Ricky Stanzi will put together a balanced attack for the Hawkeyes and help them succeed. Spoiler alert: On November 20th, the Hawkeyes will defeat the Buckeyes to put them out of National Title contention.

No. 13: Wisconsin Badgers

With their only losses coming back to back against Ohio State and Iowa, the 2010 Wisconsin Badgers will build on their 2009 momentum and win 11 games. Their offense will be led by John Clay and a group of newly crowned seniors, including Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt, who were all-conference selections last year and will once again provide Clay with holes to burst through.

No. 14: Pittsburgh Panthers

Anytime a team has a Heisman Trophy candidate on the squad the team's chance of winning goes up. Dion Lewis is a stud. Generation X was not around to witness Tony Dorsett run, but he was one of the best....EVER. Lewis has not only broken one of Dorsett's records, but has also broken other as well. With Lewis leading the running attack along with quarterback Bill Stull returning for another season, the Panthers are in a good position to rack up double digit victories.

No. 15: LSU Tigers

An outstanding CB is a game-changer. As a five-star prospect, Peterson was one of the best players acquired by LSU out of high school. Expect Peterson on defense and Russell Sheppard on offense to lead LSU to victories over Tennessee and Mississippi, but not Alabama or Florida. 

No. 16: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Just because Johnathan Dwyer and Demaryius Thomas are no longer on the squad does not mean Josh Nesbitt cannot lead this team to success. Expect Nesbitt to have a big senior season and once again be placed on the ACC all-conference team. A 9-win season is in store for the Yellow Jackets.

No. 17: West Virginia Mountaineers

With a top-notch defense and a gifted runner in Noel Devine, The Mountaineers have an opportunity to maintain their success. However, do not expect them to improve upon their 9-4 record from a year ago. 

No. 18: Penn State Nittany Lions

Evan Royster and Derek Moye will provide the offense necessary for Joe Paterno to have a winning squad. Despite this fact, another double-digit win season is not in store for the Nittany Lions. Due to the fact that Penn-State is in a power conference and one of their non-conference opponents is the Crimson Tide, Penn-State will have to come to terms with the reality of no longer having a steady leader in Darryl Clark to man the helm. While not garnering double-digit wins is rare for the unwavering Joe Paterno, expect no more than 8 wins this season for Nittany Lions.

No. 19: Georgia Bulldogs

Wherever Todd Grantham goes he improves the defense. With Grantham as a D-line coach for the Virginia Tech Hokies in the mid 90's, the team not only racked up an enormous number of sacks, they also ranked in the top ten in multiple other defensive categories. With the NFL's Dallas Cowboys in 2008 the team improved from 13th to 2nd in points allowed per game. The point is, whether Grantham is with a college football team or an NFL squad, he has benefited the team's defensive attack drastically. This years Bulldogs squad is fortunate to have hired Grantham; and have no qualms about it, the squad needs him. Last year they gave up an average of 26 plus points per game while posting just over 29 points per game on offense. With Grantham leading the 2010 teams defense the team will be better. To use a popular adage, "the best offense is a good defense."

No. 20: Oregon State Beavers

Like other teams already written about, Oregon State's offense will "do work." Jacquizz Rodgers knows how to hit the holes and despite a difficult schedule that will garner multiple losses (most likely at the hands of  TCU, USC, California/or Washington, and Boise State), the team will still have a successful 2010 campaign.

No. 21: Florida State Seminoles

During his tenure with Florida State, Bobby Bowden won. He won big! To be precise, the man took home two National Titles and 12 conference championships. Jimbo Fisher has Bowden's legacy to live up to. Fortunately for Fisher, the team was not successful last season and the Seminole nation was eager to move on from an aging legend. Fisher has a returning QB in Christian Ponder who put up nice numbers for the squad during the 2009 seasons. Expect a one to two game improvement from last year's team for Fisher and the Seminoles.

No. 22: North Carolina Tar Heels

Teams should be scared of North Carolina's defense led by Marvin Austin. Behind Austin in the defensive formation, Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant, will also contribute to one of the best defenses in the nation. While some expect this team to get double-digit victories, that will not be the case. NC's offense does not support its forceful D. Do not anticipate North Carolina to surpass 8 wins, which for some who are high on the heels of this squad, will be underachieving.

No. 23: Stanford Cardinals

Jim Harbaugh learned a lot from his dad. His dad coached football for a very long time. During the time working/spent with his father, Harbaugh soaked in football knowledge like a sponge. As a result of a strong 2009 campaign, the Stanford Cardinal have improved and made noise not only in their conference, but also in the rest of the nation. Being in one of the most difficult conferences will be challenging for them. However, Andrew Luck is on point and Harbaugh,thanks a lot in part to his dad, knows his football. Had Luck been able to play in the Sun Bowl last year, even more momentum would have been generated towards their 2010 season. That being said, the Sun Bowl loss is behind them, and Stanford will still bring home 9 wins to the Palo Alto nation.

No. 24: Utah Utes

Unfortunately for Utah, the team will most likely suffer an early season loss to Pitt. With that being said, both their defense and offense, led by a recently promoted Jordan WynnTerrence Cain, will be solid. While they will not be in the 10 win region where they were last year, they do have a chance to crack 9.  A win against Notre Dame will hopefully aid them in recovering from a likely opening season loss to Pitt.

No. 25: Nebraska Cornhuskers

After 2010, the Cornhuskers will say goodbye to the Big 12. A conference where they have won the title numerous times. While they would like to go out on a bang, upsets at the hands of Washington (Locker is a savage) and potentially two or more other teams as well, will set them back and potentially damage their going away party.