College Football Predictions: The 10 Biggest Upsets To Expect in 2011
If there's one thing we love about sports, it's a good upset.
Just like the movie Dodgeball, everyone can get behind a true underdog story, when a team overcomes the odds to make the seemingly impossible possible.
And when it comes to college football, you should, as Justin Bieber tells us, never say never.
Because as Appalachian State taught Michigan and James Madison showed Virginia Tech, the chance of an upset is always there.
Now, I'm not sure we'll see a surprising victory of those monumental proportions in 2011, but we'll definitely see some shockers.
Here are the 10 biggest upsets you should expect to see this season.
10. Oklahoma State over Texas A&M (Sept. 24)
1 of 10
From start to finish, Oklahoma State was a better team than Texas A&M last season.
But a six-game winning streak for the Aggies and 18 returning starters has many analysts pegging Texas A&M as the second-best team in the Big 12 (behind Oklahoma) and a top-five team in all of college football.
However, because 2010 OSU offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen is now at West Virginia, it seems like everyone's forgotten that the Cowboys will still have Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon back in 2011.
Those two combined to form the nation's No. 2 passing offense and No. 3 scoring offense in 2010, and now they'll help knock the Aggies from their preseason perch.
9. Arizona State over Missouri (Sept. 10)
2 of 10
One of the surprise teams of 2010, Missouri returns nine offensive starters for 2011.
But the team's best player, Blaine Gabbert, is headed to the NFL, so the Tigers will have an inexperienced quarterback behind center.
Arizona State, on the other hand, ended the 2010 season on a high note, winning their final two games after losing to Stanford and USC by only a combined four points in their previous two.
The Sun Devils, who had the nation's No. 15 passing attack and No. 28 scoring offense last season, appear to be headed in the right direction.
A big early win against Missouri would set the tone for a breakout season in the new Pac-12.
8. USC over Stanford (Oct. 29)
3 of 10
Now that Andrew Luck's decided to stay at Stanford, the Cardinal could be one of the top teams in not only the Pac-10, but in all of college football once again in 2011.
But Jim Harbaugh bolted for the NFL, and I'm not sure we'll see the same Stanford team this coming season.
Will the Cardinal still be good? Yes, of course.
However, I'm not sure they're BCS-good, and we'll find out if they're indeed headed for another magical season when they take on USC.
The Trojans, who lost to Stanford by just two points last season, had one of the nation's more balanced offenses last season (ranking 41st in passing and 25th in rushing) and put up plenty of points (31 per game) on the board.
And, naturally, USC will also be loaded with talent once again, as the Trojans had the No. 4 recruiting class for 2011 according to ESPN.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. LSU over Oregon (Sept. 3)
4 of 10
Given that both Oregon and LSU will likely be preseason Top Five teams, I use the term "upset" here rather loosely.
But make no mistake about it, the Ducks played for a national championship last year and should be the favorites in this one (even though they're in hot water with the NCAA right now).
That being said, I like LSU to get the big early win because the Tigers only lost two key starters on offense (Stephan Ridley and Terrence Toliver) and three on defense (Drake Nevis, Kelvin Sheppard and Patrick Peterson).
Other than that, the team returns largely intact, has added some stellar recruits (No. 10 class according to ESPN), and may have solved its quarterback woes with the signing of highly touted junior college quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
6. Mississippi State over Alabama (Nov. 12)
5 of 10
Unless something unforeseen happens, Alabama will enter the season as a Top Three team in the preseason polls, and the Crimson Tide should stay near the top of the rankings throughout the season.
But, there's an up-and-coming SEC program that's looking to make that leap to the top of the SEC: Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs—who were last seen putting an end to Rich Rodriguez's stint at Michigan—return eight offensive starters, one of the SEC's best defenses (21st in scoring in 2010) and the nation's No. 16 rushing attack (214.8 yards per game) from last season.
With Alabama losing a number of key pieces—like Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Greg McElroy and Marcell Dareus—bank on Mississippi State getting some payback and ruining Alabama's undefeated season and a chance at another BCS National Championship.
5. Chick-fil-A College Kickoff: Georgia over Boise State (Sept. 1)
6 of 10
A huge upset up in the season opener? Why not?
Though Boise State will have the higher ranking at the beginning of the season, Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore no longer has his top two wide receivers, Austin Pettis and Titus Young, who won't be easily replaced.
And, with this matchup being the first game of the season, the nine-month layoff adds the rust factor into the game as well.
Of course, Georgia will be a bit rusty too and Aaron Murray won't have A.J. Green back, but the Bulldogs are getting a huge lift to their offense after the signing of No. 1 running back recruit Isaiah Crowell.
If Crowell is all he's cracked up to be and Murray can play like he did last season as a freshman (3,049 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns), Georgia could be a sleeper pick in the SEC East, and this game, too.
4. East Carolina over Virginia Tech (Sept. 10)
7 of 10
Virginia Tech knows what it's like to fall flat on your face early in the season.
Remember when James Madison got its biggest victory since the presidential election of 1808, against the Hokies last season?
Well, look for East Carolina to be the early obstacle for Va. Tech this season, as the Pirates had the nation's No. 16 scoring offense and No. 8 passing offense in 2010.
ECU also is familiar with Virginia Tech after having played them last season (although in a loss), while the Hokies will be working in a new quarterback and trying to find someone to replace the production of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans.
3. Miami (FL) over Ohio State (Sept. 17)
8 of 10
Ohio State will be one of the nation's most talented teams next season, but that talent might mean diddly squat in this game.
The Buckeyes will be without five key players for the team's first five games of the season, including wide receiver DeVier Posey and quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who'll be watching their teammates take on Miami (FL) from the sidelines.
Though Ohio State took care of the Hurricanes with a 12-point victory at home last year, 2011 will be a different story.
The Hurricanes and the Buckeyes meet in the third week of the season, and Jim Tressel's group will learn really quick how important Pryor is to the team's success.
As long as Al Golden's the right man for the Miami job, of course.
2. San Diego State over Michigan (Sept. 24)
9 of 10
Only Hollywood writers could come up with this script.
Imagine this: Brady Hoke leaves Michigan in 2002, winds up at San Diego State seven years later, leads the program to one hell of a turnaround, then goes back to Michigan only to lose to San Diego State in his first season in Ann Arbor.
And before you dismiss this as wishful thinking, realize that it's actually not completely out of the question either.
The Wolverines will be transitioning to a new offensive system and are coming off a season in which their defense ranked 108th in points allowed (35.2 per game).
The Aztecs just might make Michigan fans pine for Rich Rodriguez come Sept. 24.
1. Florida State over Oklahoma (Sept. 17)
10 of 10
Oklahoma returns 18 starters from 2010 and will likely be the preseason No. 1, but the Sooners' second game of the season could knock them off their preseason pedestal.
The Sooners will be taking on a Florida State team who's looking to avenge an embarrassing 47-17 loss at the hands of Oklahoma in 2010.
And the Seminoles will have 16 returning starters, including one of the nation's most underrated defensive ends, Brandon Jenkins, who racked up a whopping 14 sacks as a sophomore in 2010.
With Christian Ponder gone, E.J. Manuel will attempt to lead the Seminoles to a huge upset over the top-ranked team, and he'll have the nation's best recruiting class of 2011 (according to ESPN) backing him up.
Mark it on your calendars: The nation's preseason No. 1 will fall after just its second game of 2011.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
