College Football 2011: 10 Signs Your Program Is Not BCS Bound Next Year

We've all seen it, a once-powerful college football program come crumbling down the next year.

Sometimes it was inevitable.

Sometimes it was a bit of a surprise.

But all programs stumble from time to time.

In this slideshow, I'll highlight 10 key areas on the football field, and which teams will disappoint next season in each particular area.

Brace yourself college football fans; if you're team is not on here, consider yourself lucky.

10. Recruiting Class

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PASADENA, CA - DECEMBER 04: Malcolm Smith #6 of the USC Trojans celebrates following his teams victory over the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on December 4, 2010 in Pasadena, California. USC defeated UCLA 28-14. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

When you've struggled in 2010 and were not one of the top teams headed to the BCS bowls, there's nothing like a strong recruiting class to give you a shot in the arm.

These teams, alas, didn't help themselves this season (with recruiting ranks by Rivals.com):

UCLA (44), Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota (50), Cincinnati (48), Syracuse, Illinois (42)

9. You Got Lucky

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BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 18: Cornerback Rashad Carmichael #21 stands on the field against the East Carolina Pirates at Lane Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Blacksburg, Virginia. Virginia Tech won 49-27. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

When your team has as sorry a record as these teams did in 2010, consider yourself lucky to be playing a bowl game.

Here are some of the teams that finished poorly and I don't see getting in next year:

Cincinnati (4-8), Louisville (7-6), Kentucky (6-7), Georgia Tech (6-7), East Carolina (6-7)

8. Coaching Change

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 01: Head coach Randy Edall of the Connecticut Huskies looks on in the first half while taking on the Oklahoma Sooners during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (

Some teams let coaches go because they had to after a dismal season, some watched helplessly as their head coaches went off to greener pastures.

Nonetheless, coaching changes can have significant impact on teams the following year.

Here are a few that stood out to me:

Connecticut (Randy Edsall), SDSU (Brady Hoke), Florida (Urban Meyer)

7. Coach on Hot Seat

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LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Turner Gill of the Kansas Jayhawks watches from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats on October 14, 2010 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Some coaches get let go deservedly so.

Some stick around somehow.

These are the coaches I have question marks about going into the 2011-2012 season:

Kansas (Turner Gill), Nebraska (Bo Pelini), Cal (Jeff Tedford), Clemson (Dabo Swinney)

6. Offensive Line

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi #68 of the Wisconsin Badgers warms up prior to playing the TCU Horned Frogs in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The offensive line may be one of the most overlooked units on the football field, but it's also one of the most important for a team's success.

A couple big-name teams lost some big stars after the 2010-2011 season, including the Arizona Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers.

Wisconsin Badgers: When you lose top offensive lineman Gabe Carimi and guard John Moffitt to the 2011 NFL Draft, that's a significant loss. Carimi and Moffitt were instrumental in paving the way for the Badgers' dangerous rushing attack. I think the Badgers will miss out on all of the top five BCS bowl games next season.

Arizona Wildcats: The Arizona Wildcats lost a whopping seven offensive lineman after the 2010-2011 season. If that won't hurt you, I don't know what will.

5. Ground Game

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 04: Ryan Williams #34 of the Virginia Tech Hokies against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

You need a solid O-line to run the ball, eat up clock, and take pressure of the quarterback (not to mention score more points).

But you also need a solid backfield. The losses of key players in the backfield of the following five teams make me question how solid they'll be next season:

Missing out on bowl game: Louisville (Bilal Powell), West Virginia (Noel Devine), UConn (Jordan Todman)

Missing out on BCS bowl game: Virginia Tech (Ryan Williams/Tyrod Taylor), Oklahoma State (Kendall Hunter)

4. Defense

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Nick Fairley #90 of the Auburn Tigers reacts during their Tostitos BCS National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen

Offense wins games, but defense...gets you to BCS bowl games.

Here are five teams I see missing out on the five BCS bowl games because of the hit they took after this season on the defensive side of the ball:

Oklahoma State (not great in the first place, return just five starters), Auburn (loss of Nick Fairley huge), West Virginia (replacing eight starters will be tough), Illinois (lose four of top six tacklers)

3. Competition

Whether it be by moving to a different conference or simply receiving a tougher schedule, here are the teams I could see having trouble being competitive in 2011-2012:

Miss out on bowl game: Navy (away games at Notre Dame, South Carolina), Mississippi State (Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama), Utah (move to Pac-12)

Miss out on BCS bowl game: Virginia Tech (Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina), Ohio State (Michigan State, Miami FL, Nebraska, Illinois)

2. Lost Star

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the TCU Horned Frogs holds the offensive player of the game trophy after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Ste

Every once in a while a program sees a shooting star.

But the problem with shooting stars is that they can be magical for a brief period of time and then all of a sudden be gone.

Here are the teams I see suffering the most from losing a top football star.

Miss out on bowl game: Navy (Ricky Dobbs), Kentucky (Randall Cobb)

Miss out on BCS bowl game: TCU (Andy Dalton), Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor, four others suspended for first five games of 2011-2012 season), Auburn (Cameron Newton)

1. Quarterback

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert #11 of the Missouri Tigers throws a pass during the Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers 27-24. (Photo by

The quarterback is the No. 1 position on the football field after all, right?

You can rarely win big without a big-time quarterback.

Here are the teams I see hurting the most after losing their top quarterback.

Miss out on BCS bowl game: Missouri (Blaine Gabbert), Auburn (Cameron Newton), TCU (Andy Dalton), Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor for first five games), Virginia Tech (Tyrod Taylor), Wisconsin (Scott Tolzien)

I've probably pissed off enough people now so I shall end this slideshow here.