2011 College Football: Oregon-LSU And The 10 Best Out-Of-Conference Matchups
The 2010 college football season ended in exciting fashion, with a game-winning field goal lifting Auburn to the BCS National Championship over Oregon.
But, that's in the past now. What's happening next year? That's what college football fans want to know.
We also know which conference games are going to be big. Ohio State-Michigan is going to be a big game. Texas-Oklahoma is going to be big. So are Oregon-Oregon State and Auburn-Alabama.
What happens before that though? Several big name teams schedule cupcake non-conference schedules, so big games in the first three or four weeks of college football are becoming increasingly rare.
Therefore, we must treasure the few decent non-conference games we get to see.
Here are the top 10 non-conference games for the upcoming 2011 college football season.
10. Ohio State at Nebraska: October 8th
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Wait, this is a conference game now?
That doesn't seem right. It's going to take some time to get used to thinking of Nebraska as a Big Ten team.
But, I wanted to point out this game because it will be Terrelle Pryor's first game of 2011.
And it will, after all, be the first time these two teams meet in a conference game.
10. Pitt at Iowa: September 17th
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The Panthers will be without Dion Lewis, who will declare for the 2011 NFL Draft.
The Hawkeyes will be without Ricky Stanzi, their consistent quarterback.
So, if you like good defense and little to no offense, this is the game for you.
It will also be an early gauge of how good the Hawkeyes will be in 2011.
9. Oklahoma at Florida State: September 17th
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This game wasn't much of a contest last season, as Oklahoma cruised to an easy 47-17 victory.
Now, Christian Ponder will be in the NFL, so Florida State will be even worse.
But, the game is in Tallahassee. That probably won't make too much of a difference to the Sooners, but this game is still the ninth best non-conference game of 2011.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
8. Oregon State at Wisconsin: September 10th
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Jacquizz Rodgers has declared for the NFL draft, but his brother, James Rodgers, will be back for the Beavers.
Unfortunately, their diminished running game will put them at a major disadvantage against Montee Ball, James White and the Badgers' versatile running attack.
We'll see how good the Big Ten will be in 2011 based on how Wisconsin does against Oregon State.
7. Notre Dame at Stanford: November 26th
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This game got a lot less competitive when Andrew Luck decided to return to Stanford.
But, Notre Dame should be better in 2011 than they were in 2010, making this game watchable at the very least.
We'll see how much Stanford has to play for by this time though. If they aren't in the national championship hunt, they might rest some players in anticipation of the Pac-12 title game the following weekend.
6. Arkansas at Texas A&M: October 1st
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Ryan Mallett will be gone, but Knile Davis will be back for the Razorbacks.
He amassed 1,322 yards and scored 13 touchdowns for Arkansas in 2010.
He will look to do even better in 2011.
Texas A&M will look to beat an SEC team after being demolished in this year's Cotton Bowl 41-24 by LSU.
5. Ohio State at Miami (FL): September 17th
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Will the Hurricanes go with Jacory Harris at quarterback? Or, will they go with Stephen Morris, the freshman who threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns in the Sun Bowl?
Whoever is the quarterback for Miami will be the best quarterback in this game, as Terrelle Pryor and several Buckeyes will still be suspended for receiving improper benefits.
If the Buckeyes were at full strength, this probably wouldn't be much of a game.
But, with all the suspensions, Miami could pull off the upset.
4. Navy at Notre Dame: October 29th
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The Midshipmen have made their annual game against the Fighting Irish into more than a one-sided rivalry in recent years.
They've used their punishing running game to get the better of Notre Dame in the past few years.
But, the Irish will be a year older and a year wiser, so it'll be interesting to see how they try to stop the rushing attack.
3. Boise State At Georgia (in The Georgia Dome): September 3rd
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Kellen Moore will be back for his senior season at Boise State. A.J. Green will no longer be a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
That should give Boise State the edge in this game.
But, this game will still be exciting as once again, the Broncos have a chance to beat a power conference school.
Then, we can start the "Should Boise State be in the championship?" debate.
2. Alabama at Penn State: September 10th
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Joe Paterno vs. Nick Saban.
This game should be one of the best coached games of the season.
Plus, Penn State will be looking to avenge their 2010 loss to the Crimson Tide, by the score of 24-3.
Alabama will be without Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, Mark Ingram and Greg McElroy, so this game will be closer than it looks.
1. LSU Vs. Oregon: September 3rd
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Oregon should be one of the favorites to win the 2012 BCS National Championship game.
But, so should LSU.
One team's title hopes will probably be dashed in this game, the opening game for each squad.
LaMichael James and Darron Thomas will be running the Oregon offense again, which should be just as high scoring as it was this year.
How will Les Miles coach at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where there won't be any grass for him to chew on?
Who knows? All I know is that I'll definitely be watching this game on September 3rd.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
