2011 College Football Predictions: Picking Top to Bottom in Every Conference
Yes, it's way too early to put a ton of stock in these predictions.
Yes, some of these predictions could change drastically as the season gets closer.
No, these next few months will not get any easier.
In that last statement you should see the reason these types of articles are written a week after the final play of the college football season. We miss it already.
Sure, college football is basically year-round these days.
The regular season ends in December. The postseason is complete by the second week of January. Recruiting comes to the forefront until it reaches a climax in early February on National Signing Day.
Spring football begins in March and culminates with nationally televised scrimmages by the middle of April. May and June become the dreaded downtime when most of the off-field issues with some collegiate athletes take center stage.
Finally, fall practice begins around the end of July and opening game preparation takes place in August. Kickoff happens in September and the cycle goes on and on and on.
With that said, here's a nice primer to hold you over until the next big offseason moment.
Sunbelt
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The Sunbelt is usually the least appealing conference. Despite that distinction, the conference had three teams in bowls following the 2010 season.
Given the complete lack of anything resembling decent football behind those three teams, there seems to be logic in saying that the conference will come down to those same teams.
Troy is usually the class of the league, but Middle Tennessee and Florida International have made strides behind the Trojans.
Look for MTSU to take a noticeable step back in 2011 due to huge losses on the defensive side of the ball.
1. Troy
2. Florida International
3. Arkansas State
4. MTSU
5. Louisiana-Monroe
6. Florida Atlantic
7. Louisiana-Lafayette
8. North Texas
9. Western Kentucky
MAC
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With 17 starters returning, eight on offense and nine on defense, Miami-Ohio should improve on their 10-win mark from 2010. In that same division, Temple lost its coach and Ohio has to replace some key defensive players.
In the west, Northern Illinois should continue its stranglehold on the top spot, but with the young talent at Toledo, the Rockets could give the Huskies a run for all the MAC West marbles.
Miami-Ohio could spend some time in the top 25 and should easily repeat as MAC champs in 2011.
East
1. Miami-Ohio
2. Ohio
3. Temple
4. Kent State
5. Bowling Green
6. Akron
7. Buffalo
West
1. Northern Illinois
2. Toledo
3. Western Michigan
4. Central Michigan
5. Ball State
6. Eastern Michigan
Conference USA
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Last month, Central Florida did what no Conference USA team should ever do—beat an SEC team.
Granted, that SEC team was one of the worst-performing Georgia teams of the last decade, but holding a team with AJ Green to six points is not an easy task.
The defense that pulled that amazing feat off returns only four starters, however. Still, George O' Leary is building a pretty good program in Orlando. The Golden Knights should win the East division.
In the West, however, things could get interesting. Houston welcomes back Case Keenum, SMU returns 18 starters, and Tulsa, who won 10 games this year, returns 19 starters.
Tulsa just lost its head coach and Houston's Keenum will be coming back from a torn ACL. Given those two facts, Southern Methodist should put everything together to take the West and maybe a national ranking.
East
1. Central Florida
2. Southern Miss
3. East Carolina
4. Marshall
5. UAB
6. Memphis
West
1. SMU
2. Tulsa
3. Houston
4. UTEP
5. Rice
6. Tulane
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
WAC
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Perhaps the biggest story in the WAC isn't so much which teams will challenge for the league title as it is about the team that will leave the conference behind this summer.
Boise State has officially played its final game as a member of the WAC.
During the 2011 season, Nevada and Fresno State will play their final contests as members of the conference as well. Chances are, at least one of those teams will figure into the conference championship picture.
Nevada's standout quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, is gone. But 13 starters remain from the team that knocked off the mighty Boise State Broncos in their final WAC game.
Hawai'i will have some say in the conversation, but the Wolf Pack should win the conference.
1. Nevada
2. Hawai'i
3. Fresno State
4. Louisiana Tech
5. Idaho
6. Utah State
7. San Jose State
8. New Mexico State
Mountain West
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The Mountain West Conference will be undergoing a facelift as well. Gone are MWC perennial powers, BYU and Utah. Those two programs will likely pass by the incoming Boise State at the airport.
Another MWC power, the TCU Horned Frogs will leave the conference following the 2011 football season. The conference will receive reinforcements from Nevada, Hawai'i and Fresno State in 2012.
For now, newcomer Boise State should be the team to beat. TCU will have a say in what would have likely been a great rivalry had it lasted longer than a year.
1. Boise State
2. TCU
3. Air Force
4. San Diego State
5. Colorado State
6. UNLV
7. Wyoming
8. New Mexico
Big East
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The play on the field was downright horrendous at times during the 2010 season and its champion was trounced in the Fiesta Bowl, but the conference as a whole should perform a little better in 2011.
West Virginia made the biggest acquisition of the year when it hired Dana Holgorsen to coach its offense. Holgorsen will be an assistant in 2011 before taking over the head coaching duties in 2012.
With eight returning starters on offense and a star coaching them, the Mountaineers should take the crown in 2011.
It will be interesting to see what Todd Graham can do with all the talent that Dave Wannstedt stockpiled at Pitt.
UConn lost Randy Edsall, but his replacement, Paul Pasqualini, the former Syracuse head coach, could do wonders with 11 returning starters on defense.
1. West Virginia
2. Pittsburgh
3. UConn
4. Cincinnati
5. South Florida
6. Louisville
7. Syracuse
8. Rutgers
ACC
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Even though Virginia Tech won the conference championship in 2010, it was Florida State who ended the season like a champion.
The 'Noles program is clearly on the upswing again under Jimbo Fisher. The second-year head coach is making strides in Florida's fertile recruiting ground as well.
With eight starters returning on each side of the ball, look for Florida State to become the class of the ACC in 2011.
Virginia Tech will still factor into the conversation. While losing both Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams will not go unnoticed, the level of competition in the coastal division is weak.
North Carolina State and Maryland will challenge Florida State in the Atlantic division.
Atlantic
1. Florida State
2. North Carolina State
3. Maryland
4. Clemson
5. Boston College
6. Wake Forest
Coastal
1. Virginia Tech
2. Miami
3. Georgia Tech
4. North Carolina
5. Virginia
6. Duke
Big 12
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The Big 12 will only field 10 teams in 2011. After Nebraska and Colorado left for greener pastures, many figured the league would be owned by the Texas Longhorns.
That was, of course, before Texas won only five games in 2010 and lost its top assistant coach and top recruiter Will Muschamp to Florida.
Oklahoma is the darling of just about every way-too-early-preseason-poll released thus far. The Sooners have a ton of talent back. Based on the Sooners competition this could be a tightly contested conference race for much of the 2011 season.
It appears that it will all come down to Bedlam (Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State) in Norman at seasons end.
1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Texas
4. Texas A&M
5. Missouri
6. Texas Tech
7. Baylor
8. Kansas State
9. Kansas
10. Iowa State
Pac-12
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Oregon figures to remain near the top of the national rankings this preseason. With 12 starters returning, including Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, it's easy to see why the voters are keeping the Ducks in the top five.
Stanford will make a case for itself nationally despite the loss of Jim Harbaugh as head coach. Andrew Luck and Company will ensure that the Cardinal will challenge Oregon for the North Division crown.
Some believe that USC will win its upcoming appeal, making the Trojans eligible for postseason play. If that happens, look for Lane Kiffin to have his team in the thick of the conference race come November.
Arizona State returns 20 starters, 11 on offense, and should win the South Division.
The winner of the conference in 2011 will have to play one more game, however. The addition of Colorado and Utah allowed the conference to add a championship game to be played in December.
The team that wins that inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game will be Oregon.
North
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. Oregon State
4. Washington
5. California
6. Washington State
South
1. Arizona State
2. USC
3. Utah
4. Arizona
5. UCLA
6. Colorado
Big Ten
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Yes, I know the Big Ten has 12 teams and the Big 12 has 10 teams. That was made apparent by the hundreds of bad jokes right around the time the conference switch-a-roo took place.
While it only added Nebraska, the Big Ten got the best result of all the expansion happenings.
The Huskers will immediately become a major player in the division/conference title discussion. With quarterback Taylor Martinez coming back, Nebraska should be fine on offense. Defensive tackle Jared Crick will anchor a stout defense that returns seven players.
Of course, Ohio State will be in the discussion, although the Buckeyes are a question mark at best considering all of the talent that will be sitting out the team's first five games as a result of tattoo-gate.
Penn State, with 16 returning starters, could take advantage of Ohio State being shorthanded through the first half of the season. Michigan State and Wisconsin will factor into the discussion as well.
Could the Cornhuskers win the Big Ten championship in its first season in the conference? Absolutely.
Legends
1. Nebraska
2. Michigan State
3. Northwestern
4. Michigan
5. Iowa
6. Minnesota
Leaders
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Wisconsin
4. Illinois
5. Purdue
6. Indiana
SEC
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Having won each of the last five national titles, the SEC could not be riding any higher than it is right now.
And if you thought the conference as a whole was down in 2010, prepare for the next upswing now. The conference should be quite strong in 2011.
Alabama and LSU lead an incredibly talented SEC West, while Will Muschamp inherited some unbelievable talent at Florida, which should be near the top of the East. Steve Spurrier and his 13 returning starters, including Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery, will have something to say about that division as well.
Auburn will almost certainly take a step or two back considering all the losses that team has suffered since the BCS title game (Cam Newton, Darvin Adams, & Nick Fairley all declared for the NFL Draft).
In the end, Alabama should return to the top of the heap using the same formula that brought it national glory in '09—experienced defense, an adequate quarterback and a couple of studs at running back.
East
1. Florida
2. South Carolina
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt
West
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Mississippi State
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Ole Miss
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
