College Football 2011: Top 25 Projections Post National Signing Day Edition
College Football 2011 will be an interesting year as we have some new teams in conferences and a lot of talent across the nation competing for the national championship.
Signing Day has come and gone and with that, our views on teams have changed, so we're breaking down the Top 25 teams coming into next year. I repeat, this is for next year. This is not ranking recruiting classes. I cannot stress that enough.
With that in mind, if you have any thoughts or comments, make sure to leave them below. Who do you think is the top team in the nation?
No. 25: West Virginia
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This is Bill Stewart's last year at West Virginia and you know his squad will want to send him out a winner.
Dana Holgorsen is coming in and that should really help the offense out as it loses some playmakers. The defense was hit much harder by the outgoing players however, and there are a lot of question marks on that unit that need to be answered by the first game.
This could be a really good year or a really awkward year for West Virginia.
No. 24: Florida
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Will Muschamp is the new head man in town and he's coming in with a good bunch of recruits.
The Gators always bring in a lot of talent and he's going to have a lot of fun working with the guys that Florida has on offense. It will be hard to overcome some of the top teams in the SEC, but if he can get comfortable in his new role and get the team where he wants them, Florida will be dangerous.
Keep your eyes on Florida, it will be an intriguing year to say the least.
No. 23: Arizona State
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Arizona State hasn't been a national player in a long time, but the Sun Devils might be back next year.
The Sun Devils have a lot of talent on the roster and even though they didn't have a good recruiting class, Arizona State has the ability to make a run at the conference championship if it can gel and come together as a group.
This team could be one that sneaks up on a lot of people in a somewhat crowded conference.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 22: Texas
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Last year was one of the worst years in recent memory for Texas football
The Longhorns struggled, but with a year of experience and a great recruiting class coming in, things are looking brighter for Texas. Sure, Will Muschamp went to Florida and that's a big loss, but the Longhorns have the talent in place to win a lot of games.
It's just a matter of executing and avoiding the mistakes that doomed the Longhorns last year.
No. 21: Georgia
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Aaron Murray and Mark Richt helped turn Georgia's season around in 2010 and a great recruiting class will certainly help matters.
Georgia has a lot of talent coming into campus and with nine starters returning on defense, the Bulldogs have a great shot at locking down some of those explosive SEC offenses that roll through week after week.
Don't sleep on the Bulldogs next year.
No. 20: Missouri
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Missouri was another team that did a solid job on Signing Day, even if it wasn't one of the best classes in the nation.
The Tigers have talent there, even if Blaine Gabbert is heading to the NFL. A lot of starters on both sides of the ball are returning and with another year of experience under their belts, Missouri could be a dangerous team in the Big 12.
That is going to be a fun conference to watch next season.
No. 19: Mississippi State
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Mississippi State had a great finish to the year, pounding Michigan on national TV and the Bulldogs will be back next year.
Dan Mullen is doing a great job there in turning the program around and he's brought in another good recruiting class. It's by no means among the tops in the SEC, but it's a good, solid class that should help out down the line.
The Bulldogs made great strides in 2010 and are looking to continue that winning trend in 2011.
No. 18: TCU
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Sure, Andy Dalton is gone at TCU, but the Horned Frogs are reloaded and ready to go.
The Horned Frogs had one of the better recruiting classes in the country and there's something to be said about that because of TCU's size.
A move to the Big East in 2012 will certainly help matters for the Horned Frogs and TCU has plenty of talent to work with.
Let's see if the BCS buster can pull off another upset next year.
No. 17: Notre Dame
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Notre Dame did it again on Signing Day as the Fighting Irish picked up another great recruiting class.
Sure, Notre Dame has done that for years and it amounted to nothing, but the Fighting Irish are poised to have a strong season. They bring a lot of talent back and with the infusion of the incoming freshman class, it should be a strong season for Notre Dame.
I wouldn't be shocked to see another bad season, but I think this is the year that breaks the trend.
No. 16: Nebraska
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Nebraska had a so-so finish to its season after so much promise, but the Cornhuskers are looking to come back strong next year.
Taylor Martinez will be back and I have major question marks about him. He's young, but he didn't look great down the stretch and he'll need to do some maturing in the offseason for the Cornhuskers to get to a point where they can be national title contenders.
A strong recruiting class will help Nebraska fill in the gaps next year.
No. 15: South Carolina
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South Carolina is still going to be hanging around in the SEC thanks to a strong recruiting class.
The Gamecocks are in the Top 25 in most rankings and Steve Spurrier will have a lot of tools to work with next year.
South Carolina always seems to find itself playing in meaningful games late in the season and the Gamecocks have a lot of talent on their roster.
Marcus Lattimore is going to have a monster season for South Carolina.
No. 14: Auburn
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Sure, Cam Newton and Nick Fairley are gone after winning a national championship, but that's no problem for Auburn.
The Tigers had one of the best, if not the best, recruiting classes in the nation and Auburn will have plenty of talent on the roster for Gene Chizik to play with. It should be an interesting transition for the Tigers as they try to defend their national championship.
I don't see another title for Auburn next season, but there's plenty of hope for the future.
No. 13: Arkansas
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It was a disappointing finish to the season for Arkansas and it should be an interesting transition to the future for the Razorbacks.
Ryan Mallett is out, but Arkansas had a Top 25 recruiting class according to some, so the Razorbacks will continue to build towards the future.
Arkansas has some question marks around the team but Bobby Petrino has done an amazing job thus far.
Petrino will coach the team up and get them playing good football in the toughest conference in the nation.
No. 12: Michigan State
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Michigan State might have come up small in the big games, but the Spartans are ready to rebound in 2011.
The Spartans had a good recruiting class, even if it wasn't in the Top 25 in the nation and Michigan State will have their quarterback and running backs returning while losing some players on the defense and their offensive coordinator.
I'm not exactly sure where the Spartans will go next year, but I wouldn't be shocked by a disappointing season.
No. 11: Wisconsin
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Even though Wisconsin was upset in the Rose Bowl, it doesn't mean the Badgers won't be back next year.
The Badgers will have a stacked backfield and even though Wisconsin is losing some players on the offensive line, there will be guys that can step in and help fill the void. You'll see a physical team and a good year from Wisconsin.
Wisconsin will certainly be in the mix in the Big Ten in 2011.
No. 10: Florida State
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Florida State loaded up on Signing Day.
Depending on who you listen to, the Seminoles might have had the best recruiting class in the nation and when you add that to the existing talent on the roster, Florida State is poised to return to national prominence.
E.J. Manuel is going to be the key to the season. If he can play well, Florida State is going to have a great year.
No. 9: Texas A&M
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Our third Big 12 team in the top 10, the Aggies come in after having a strong finish to the season.
Texas A&M turned things around down the stretch, and even though the Aggies lost to LSU in the final game of the season, Texas A&M is poised to have a strong 2011. The Aggies had a good recruiting class and that should create a nice depth of talent.
There should be quite the battle in the Big 12 this year.
No. 8: Oklahoma State
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With a Top 25 recruiting class along with Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden returning to school, the Cowboys are ready to make a big push in the national picture.
Oklahoma State is poised to have a great connection between Blackmon and Wallace powering the offense. Although the Cowboys' offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen left for West Virginia, Oklahoma State should be in good shape.
If the defense can improve, things could get really interesting for the Cowboys.
No. 7: Ohio State
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Sure, Ohio State might be without Terrelle Pryor, but the Buckeyes will be just fine.
Jim Tressel went out and landed another great recruiting class and the only hurdles in the way of another great season are the matchups against Miami and Michigan State. If Ohio State can get past those tests, the Buckeyes will be in great shape.
It should be an interesting start to the season to say the least.
No. 6: Boise State
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Boise State isn't going to blow teams away on the recruiting trail, but the Broncos will mean business next year.
Kellen Moore will be back after another stellar season and he's poised to be in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy yet again. Boise State was a hair away from being in a BCS bowl game and you better believe the Broncos will look to erase that memory.
It should be another wild ride for the BCS busters from Boise.
No. 5: Stanford
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With Andrew Luck back in the fold, things are looking up for Stanford.
Luck should be the Heisman Trophy favorite coming into the season and when you throw in a good, but not great recruiting class, the Cardinal will be in the hunt for a national championship. It will be hard to compete with Oregon, but it should be an interesting battle.
Hopefully Luck doesn't experience the same fate as Jake Locker.
No. 4: Oregon
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Don't look at Oregon as a flash in the pan, the Ducks are so much more than that.
Oregon has Darron Thomas and LaMichael James coming back into the fold for next season and on Signing Day, Chip Kelly snatched the nation's top athlete, DeAnthony Thomas, from USC. The Ducks will have that high-powered offense running at top speed next year.
This is a new era of Oregon football.
No. 3: Alabama
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Alabama stocked up with this recruiting class and it's time to watch out for the Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban's bunch is losing a lot of talented players, but he had a young defense last year and still managed to have a great year, capping it off by dominating Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.
Alabama has some question marks, but with the talent coming in, it shouldn't be a rough transition.
It must be nice to have that much talent on one roster.
No. 2: Oklahoma
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Oklahoma's recruiting class wasn't ranked as highly as others in the nation, but the Sooners got themselves some skill players.
Bob Stoops loaded up on players who have a ton of athletic skill and Oklahoma has talented wide outs and a running back in Brandon Williams who will help replace DeMarco Murray in the backfield.
When you throw that in with all of the players Oklahoma has returning to the team, the Sooners are most certainly going to be in the title hunt.
Landry Jones is poised to have a big year with all of the talent at his disposal.
No. 1: LSU
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LSU had been first or second in most preseason rankings before Signing Day, but with their recruiting class, it's hard to keep the Tigers out of the top spot.
Les Miles stocked up on a ton of in-state talent and picked up a bunch of playmakers including ones in the backfield. Not only that, but he picked himself up studs on the offensive and defensive line and Jarvis Landry is going to be a huge threat at the wide receiver position.
The Tigers are loaded and ready to make a run at the national championship.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
