College Football 2011 Predictions: The 25 Teams That Will Allow the Most Points
To figure out which teams are prone to giving up the most points in 2011, it's important to look at where teams are headed, while taking into account what happened in 2010.
This is not a list simply ranking the bottom 25 defenses of 2010, nor is it a list predicting the worst defenses in 2011. We're talking about the teams that are prone to giving up the most points.
Oftentimes that goes hand in hand with being a poor defensive team. Sometimes it isn't the case.
Let's take a look at the top 25 teams who are going to give up the most points in 2011.
25. UTEP
1 of 25
UTEP gave up 412.62 YPG in 2010. It gave up over 40 points five times and only played one ranked team all season long.
The Miners will likely have turnover at a number of defensive positions, especially in the linebacker corps. Even so, don't look for them to stop anyone with any sign of an offense.
This won't be the last Conference USA team on the list.
24. Wyoming
2 of 25
One of Wyoming's biggest problems is that it doesn't duck anyone. The Cowboys play juggernaut teams regularly and frequently fall victim to getting blown away.
In 2011, they have a schedule that includes the likes of Nebraska and Boise State. Both teams could easily hang 50 on Wyoming. They ended last season with a 44-point shutout victory over Colorado State, but that shouldn't be seen as any indication of the future.
23. UCLA
3 of 25
UCLA has the unfortunate fate of being in the high octane Pac-12 and having a lackluster defense. It not only has to take on USC, Cal, Stanford and the usual foes, but also has to see Texas out of conference.
The Bruins get a small break by dodging Oregon, but it shouldn't be enough to help a defense that gave up 55 points last year to a less than impressive Arizona State team.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Vanderbilt
4 of 25
Vanderbilt started out with a somewhat promising set of defensive showings in 2010, only to stumble into the offseason.
The Commodores have to play teams with offensive firepower next season, like South Carolina and Florida. It's going to be interesting to see if they are able to shake off their 2010 woes or if their porous defense will follow them into the 2011 season.
21. Kansas
5 of 25
Kansas got rocked fairly consistently by Big 12 opponents. Even in a win against Colorado, the Jayhawks let the Buffaloes hang 45 on them.
Baylor and Kansas State both put up over 50 on them. In order to remain off this list, they can't get blown away by unranked opponents.
20. Akron
6 of 25
Opening the 2011 season at The Shoe probably isn't the best way to kick off a campaign for a team that gave up 35 points a game in 2011.
Luckily for Akron, it doesn't play any other real threatening teams. Unfortunately for Akron, it is vulnerable and often even worse than some of the lackluster opponents it faces. Fifty points to Northern Illinois? Ouch.
19. Utah State
7 of 25
If Cam Newton were still on Auburn and Colin Kaepernick was starting for Nevada, Utah State would be much higher on this list.
Utah State had a few surprisingly close games last season, but many were also very high-scoring affairs that its defense dropped the ball in.
18. Bowling Green
8 of 25
Bowling Green allowed 65 points to Michigan, which distorted some of its numbers. Even so, it still gave up a good number of points to a few opponents it will see again in 2011.
Ohio may not be scaring a whole lot of teams with its offensive firepower, but Bowling Green could struggle once more with it.
17. Wake Forest
9 of 25
Wake Forest suffered a few crushing blows that came to define its season. They managed to outduel Duke in a shootout where it allowed 54 points, but that game should have been a red flag for things to come.
Sixty-eight points to Stanford. Sixty-two points to Maryland. Those teams have some firepower, but there is no excuse for giving up that kind of total.
Wake Forest might win more than two games this year, but expect it to roll over and give up at least a couple of times this year.
16. Arkansas State
10 of 25
Nearly every week last season, Arkansas State gave up at least 30 points. Sure, it gave up 52 against eventual national champion Auburn, but its problem was allowing massive amounts of yardage nearly every week.
It allowed 437 YPG last season and only played one ranked team.
Keeping at least six teams under 30 needs to be a team goal for 2011.
15. Houston
11 of 25
Houston only sniffs .500 because its offense manages to put up monster numbers at times. Its defense is less than desirable, to say the least.
Houston may not be subject to three-score losses, but it seems its defense can't keep up with its offense. Win or lose, Houston's defense probably won't show up.
14. Tulsa
12 of 25
Tulsa's opener at Oklahoma won't do it any favors. It also has to face Oklahoma State next season, a team that it allowed an embarrassing 65 points to last season.
The Golden Hurricane actually went through a spurt last season where their defense was slightly above average, but the heavy losses and serious yardage they give up make it hard not to include them on this list.
13. Michigan
13 of 25
Michigan is a far cry from the program it once was. The poor head coaching hire of Rich Rodriguez landed the Wolverines in squalor relative to where they have been.
They went to a bowl game last season, where they were embarrassed and run off the field. A six-loss season is unacceptable by the standards the people who fill the Big House have created.
The Wolverines tended to give up big-time points to ranked teams and held off lower-echelon teams fairly well. That may keep them out of the bottom 25 if they are able to build on that going forward.
12. Duke
14 of 25
Coach K needs to guest-speak to the Duke football team about the importance of defense. Duke has a semi-tough schedule next season, featuring a game against Andrew Luck's Stanford Cardinal.
The Blue Devils allowed a slew of points against opponents both ranked and otherwise. Even in their three victories, they gave up at least 27 points.
11. Rice
15 of 25
It's amazing that Rice was able to pull out four wins last season. It gave up at least 30 points in all but one game. Rice opens the 2011 season with a game at Texas.
It's going to be tough for Rice to shake its identity as a miserable defense that allows nearly 40 points a game. If the Owls can get past the inevitable blowout in Week 1, they may avoid the fate they suffered in 2010.
10. New Mexico State
16 of 25
New Mexico State gave up 59 points in a single game last season...twice. It has to play Nevada again and will probably be the victim of a number of monster offensive games from its opponents next season.
New Mexico State gave up 39.5 points a game last season. Just about every week was an embarrassing display of defense, and next season should be no different, even with a slightly easier schedule.
9. Louisiana Tech
17 of 25
Bend and only break a little seemed to be a theme for the Louisiana Tech defense. The Bulldogs gave up a terrible 462 yards a game but "only" 30.7 points per game.
Next season their schedule is somewhat daunting, considering. Odds are all that yardage combined with teams like Hawaii coming through could result in another poor season defensively.
8. Texas Tech
18 of 25
Texas Tech gave up 52 points to Iowa State last season. While lapses in judgment and the occasional hiccup will occur midseason, Texas Tech's woes did not end there. Forty-five points to Texas A&M and a few big losses to ranked teams don't bode well for Texas Tech going forward.
The Red Raiders constantly have to play ranked teams and haven't performed well recently when they have to. Even more alarming are the 463 yards per game that are being allowed. Look for those yards to start turning into even more points than were allowed last season.
7. East Carolina
19 of 25
Because East Carolina allowed more yards than anyone in the nation and 44 points a game, it would be easy to argue that it should be higher up on the list.
Despite giving up a ton of points, the Pirates still came away with six wins. It seems almost inevitable that they will be able to dictate the flow of the game a bit better with their highly manageable schedule.
6. San Jose State
20 of 25
San Jose State starts out with a game at Stanford against Andrew Luck. It shouldn't render positive results for the team, as it gave up 214 points in five losses against ranked opponents last season.
The Spartans fave up 35 points a game last season and will look to reverse that trend this season. They have an easier schedule, which is why they aren't lower on the list, but may still see the same struggles.
5. Memphis
21 of 25
Memphis probably realized it was in for a long 2010 season when it gave up 49 points in consecutive games to start off the season.
The Tigers defense got pulverized for 39.8 points a game. Even against the lowest competition, their defense usually fell short. They aren't going to be playing any big programs, but that won't have any bearing on their place in this slideshow.
4. UNLV
22 of 25
UNLV faces a few teams next season that might carve up its team. Boise State, Wisconsin and Nevada are just some of the teams that just may beat UNLV into the ground so badly that it drastically skews the number of points they are giving up on the season.
The Runnin' Rebels failed to hold their opponent to under 30 in all but two games last season. UNLV tends to play multiple ranked teams, and next season should be no different.
3. Eastern Michigan
23 of 25
Hang your head in shame, Eastern Michigan: 43.9 points were scored against your team per game. The Eagles gave up over 70 points in two games, and one was against Northern Illinois.
I wouldn't say next season is hopeless for Eastern Michigan, but serious change is in order. It isn't one of those teams that puts up a ton of points and can afford to get scored on. It ranks near the bottom offensively as well.
2. Washington State
24 of 25
Washington State has a daunting schedule and no defense, a nasty combination that warrants it this spot on the list. The Cougars have to take on Oregon, Stanford and the same Arizona State team that scored 44 points on them in a shutout victory in 2010.
Washington State gave up 35.8 points in its 2-10 season. This season features a lot of the same teams that blew them out of the water, and the Cougars should continue getting run through at will.
1. New Mexico
25 of 25
44.3 points a game were scored on the New Mexico Lobos in 2010, which was good enough for 120th place in the nation.
Their schedule is slightly less competitive but still features plenty of teams that are going to have no trouble blowing right by New Mexico. The Lobos only held one opponent to under 30 points. As a result they came away with only one victory the entire season.
In the process, they allowed 469 yards a game and held their ground against virtually no one. They "earn" the top spot here.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
