2011 College Football Predictions: 10 Worst Defenses From BCS Power Conferences

The BCS National Championship Game was supposed to feature some of the best offenses in the country putting up 50-plus points.

Instead, we got a defensive showcase between two of the most underrated defenses in the country.

We all know the story, Auburn beat Oregon 22-19 on a last second field goal. That's old news.

Now, it's time to look ahead to next season.

Which defenses won't carry their teams to their conference championships?

Which defenses, as Bart Scott of the New York Jets put it, "couldn't stop a nose bleed"?

Which defenses have more holes than the Ozone layer?

Here's an early look at the worst 10 defenses in the BCS power conferences for the 2011 college football season.

10. Missouri Tigers

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COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Collin Klein #7 of the Kansas State Wildcats carries the ball as Kenji Jackson #13 of the Missouri Tigers defends during the game on November 13, 2010 at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo

The Tigers had the sixth best defense in 2010, so what are they doing on this list?

Well, their cornerbacks, Kevin Rutland and Carl Gettis graduated. Aldon Smith, their star defensive end, declared for the NFL Draft. And, last but not least, linebacker Luke Lambert, who had 114 tackles in 2010, also graduated.

That leaves Mizzou with a lot of holes to fill.

The way they've been recruiting lately, they'll get back on their feet soon. But, 2011 is going to be a down year in Missouri.

9. Washington Huskies

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EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 6: Running back Kenjon Barner #24 of the Oregon Ducks leaves a pile of defenders as he runs with the ball in the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. The D

Notice how many Huskies are on the ground in this picture.

That was a common sight last season.

Now, Jake Locker is gone, so the offense won't be able to hold onto the ball as much as they did last season.

That means more time on the field and more missed tackles for the Huskies, who had the 80th ranked defense in 2010.

8. Illinois Fighting Illini

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COLUMBUS - NOVEMBER 10: Martez Wilson #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks on the field during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium November 10, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio. Illinois defeated Ohio State 28-21. (Photo by David Maxwell/

Martez Wilson and Corey Liuget are entering the NFL Draft.

Clay Nurse is graduating.

That means the Illinois' defense is going to take a major step back in 2011.

They'll finish much lower than 48th, where they ended up in 2010.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 26: Running back Charles Sims #5 of the Houston Cougars is leveled by defensive back LaRon Moore #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Robertson Stadium on September 26, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)

Texas Tech has one of the nation's best offenses.

Therefore, they don't need a very strong defense to win games.

So, the fact that the Red Raiders have a bad defense often gets swept under the rug.

If they would get a decent defense, they could hang with Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 and finish a season with more than 6-8 wins.

6. Michigan Wolverines

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Rich Rodriguez of the University of Michigan Wolverines during the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field on January 1, 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images)

Rich Rodriguez was no defensive guru, but he's an offensive coach, so that's understandable.

His defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson, deserves to be fired after the Wolverines ranked 108th in scoring defense in 2010.

Brady Hoke is going to have a tough task ahead of him if he is going to bring Michigan back to relevancy.

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

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LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 13: Randall Cobb #18 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball while defended by Sean Richardson #21 of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the game at Commonwealth Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won

I doesn't look like this Kentucky player is having much trouble dealing with the Commodore defender.

That's been the story for Vandy for awhile now.

But, it's not entirely their fault. If they wanted a good defense, they should have started 80 years ago.

Now, all the good defensive players want to go to Florida, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina and pretty much any SEC school besides Vanderbilt.

4. Kansas Jayhawks

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LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 20: Josh Cooper #25 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys carries the ball as Greg Brown #5 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends during the game on November 20, 2010 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Turner Gill's first season as coach of the Kansas Jayhawks didn't exactly go according to plan.

The Jayhawks finished with the 103rd ranked defense, allowing 34.4 points per game.

They won't get much better in 2011 either.

It's going to be a long road back to being competitive for the crew from Lawrence.

3. Indiana Hoosiers

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 9: Dan Herron #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes off through the Indiana Hoosiers' defense on a 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Indiana is going through a bad few years in sports.

Their basketball team has been sanctioned stemming from the Kelvin Sampson days, and the football team has been bad for a long time now.

Well, the football team isn't going to be any better in 2011.

They probably won't improve much from their 102nd ranked squad of 2010.

2. Duke Blue Devils

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DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 25: Brian Cobbs #32 of the Army Black Knights is tackled by Abraham Kromah #8 of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Duke is a basketball school first and foremost. Everyone knows that.

Football is very, very low on their list of priorities.

And it shows. The Blue Devil defense finished 2010 ranked 109th in the country, allowing over 35 points per game.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were even worse in 2011.

1. Washington State Cougars

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Fullback Stanley Havili #31 of the USC Trojans is tackled by defensive back Daniel Simmons #24 of the Washington State Cougars on September 23, 2009 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won 27-6. (

Washington State probably would allow 30 points to a Division III school.

Though Pac-10 defenses aren't among the best in the country generally, Washington State is in a league of its own.

In 2011, the Pac-10 is adding Colorado and Utah to the mix.

That means two more teams will get the chance to beat up on the Cougars.