College Football 2011: 10 Teams Whose Seasons Come Down To a Make-or-Break Game
The 2011 college football season will certainly give us some drama. Every season has it, but hopefully this year takes the cake, especially if there's no football on Sunday.
Each season there's always that one game that if your team would've won then who knows how much further they could have gotten. Which games are the make-or-break ones for 2011?
Will a team survive if they lose this game or is all hope lost? The road to the national championship is filled with speed bumps, which ones are the biggest?
In no particular order, here's 10 make-or-break games for 2011.
10. Ohio State vs Michigan State
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Scheduled for October 1st, this matchup puts a Leader up against a Legend. It's a make-or-break game for Ohio State because it could cost them the chance of a national title. A loss here means the Buckeyes would start Big Ten play 0-1.
As of right now, the suspended five won't be playing in this game. If their suspension is reduced to four games this contest will be their first one back. If it isn't reduced can the Buckeyes hang in there and win a Big Ten game without Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron, and DeVier Posey on offense?
9. Florida at South Carolina
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By November 12th we should know a lot about both of these teams. Since this is their last SEC game of the season, these two teams could be competing for the rights to go to the Georgia Dome and represent the SEC East.
The talent is there for both the Gators and the Gamecocks. The biggest question that remains to be seen is can new head coach Will Muschamp coach them to victory, and can South Carolina start a new trend of winning or will they revert back to the ways of choking their season away?
Either way this game is a must win for both schools. Unfortunately for them football doesn't work out like that and we only have one winner. Which school will it be?
8. Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma
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On November 26th, the last game of the season, a huge rivalry will take place that will more than likely determine the winner of the Big 12. Both teams could be undefeated heading into this game, meaning a lot rests on this game.
There will be a lot at stake in the Bedlam Game and the winner could go on to compete in the national championship game. It will be one heck of a show as the the two best QB-WR tandems in the country square off. Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles vs. Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, who will come out on top?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Wisconsin vs Ohio State
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Scheduled for October 29th, this should give us the representative of the Leader Division in the first ever Big Ten Championship game. These are the only good teams from a weak Leader Division.
By this point in the season Pyror and the suspended players should be getting back into the swing of things and Wisconsin's quarterback can hopefully throw the ball when needed. The Badgers will be relying heavily on the run until Scott Tolzien's replacement settles into the position.
It's an important game for both schools because they want to be etched in the college football history books as a team that played in the first ever Big Ten Championship game. Even if you're not a Big Ten fan you know that's pretty cool. You wish you could say your favorite team played in it's conference's first ever championship game, and well some of you might be able to say that, so let the Big Ten have their moment.
6. TCU vs Boise State
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The first and maybe only time these two will meet in the regular season happens on November 12th. TCU's last season in the Mountain West Conference could be spoiled by the newcomer Boise State. The Broncos would love to end TCU's regin over the MWC.
The winner of this will have a strong chance at a BSC bowl game as these two schools figure to be in the hunt for the National Title. It's a must win for both and sadly one of these small school teams will fade away after a loss here.
5. Alabama vs LSU
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This game figures to give us the division winner of the SEC West. I know some of you say don't count out the 2010 National Champs however, Auburn is going to have a tougher time adjusting to post Cam Newton than most people think.
LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in a tough SEC West division. The Crimson Tide will be hosting the Tigers of LSU on November 5th. Will we remember the fifth of November for the entire season? One of these schools certainly will as it's going be the day their season's dreams come crashing down.
4. Oklahoma at Florida State
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In 2010 Florida State made the strip to Norman and were embarrassed by the Sooners 41-17. This year the Sooners travel down to Tallahassee to take on Jimbo Fisher in his second year as head coach. Can the Seminoles return the favor or are they in store for another beat down?
The Sooners are arguably the best team in college football right now on paper. However football is played on grass, sometimes turf, not on paper. Before and early in the season we don't know much about the top teams and how the handle adversity, but in week two we will learn a lot about both of these programs.
Is Oklahoma the best team in the country or is Florida State on the rise once again? Both teams are receiving a lot of hype, which will make for a great week two matchup.
3. Stanford vs Oregon
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The two best teams in the Pac-12 and they're in the same division. November 12th is shaping up to be one great weekend in college football. If Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal hope to make it to the National Championship game this year then they have to win their division and the Pac-12.
The Ducks are still heart broken from the 2010 National Championship game and will be carrying that burden all season long. Losing on a last second field goal really sticks with you. If the Ducks can use their anger and start their quest for revenge then the chances of them repeating are very good. However they have to get past the best quarterback in the country in order to achieve their goals.
2. Georgia vs Boise State
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This is a must win for Mark Richt. He's coming off a 6-7 season and his seat could be any hotter. If he loses to lowly Boise State he will be the laughing stock of the SEC. The conference is supposed to be the toughest in the land and if the Bulldogs lose to the Broncos in week one then 2011 is not going to be a good year for the SEC.
The Broncos have to win this game if they want to keep making the claim that they deserve to be in the National Championship talks. If they go out and beat Georgia then people should take them seriously. Or should they? Georgia could either be a really good team this year or really awful, only time will tell.
It will be a tough task for both teams replacing some key star players. Expect the game to start off slow until the teams can get a good rhythm going on offense. Boise State could have a tough time dealing with the crowd since it's practically a home game for the Bulldogs in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.
1. Oregon vs LSU
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The first weekend of college football surely starts off with a bang. Georgia and Boise State square off in the Atlanta and then the Oregon Ducks head to Arlington, Texas to take on the LSU Tigers in Cowboys Stadium.
This is a make-or-break win for both schools because they both dream that 2011 will be a championship year for them. The loser of this game could be depleted and hungover all season long. We could also very well see the winner of this game playing for the BCS National Championship game.
The Ducks defense is a big question and we wonder how they'll be able to handle an SEC team. They did alright the last time but after losing some starters can they make crucial stops? Luckily for them the big question for the Tigers is their offense. LSU may or may not have a different quarterback, and they will need someone to step up and be their every down back.
In my Bart Scott voice, I CAN'T WAIT for college football season to start!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
