2011 College Football: Preseason Top 10 Rankings
Now that the 2011 NFL draft has scooped up all of our favorite college football players, it is time to start looking ahead to the upcoming 2011 college football season.
Many 2011 preseason polls have come out ranking the top 25 teams in America, and of course we here at Bleacher Report have to get in on the fun too.
Let's take a look at the top 10 teams going into the 2011 college football season:
10. TCU
1 of 10
The loss of Andy Dalton to the NFL is going to cause some tension in the early going for the Horned Frogs, but I think when all is said and done we are looking at too good of a program to just fold. Ed Wesley is going to be a beast in the backfield, so all the new signal caller will have to do is hand the ball off until he gets comfortable.
9. Texas A&M
2 of 10
The Aggies are arguably one of the hottest programs coming into the new season, and are coming off the momentum of a six game winning streak to end the season. They have a stellar backfield with Cyrus Gray pounding the rock and Christine Michael returning from injury. Ryan Tannehill should be able to make it happen at quarterback, and even though the defense lost Von Miller they are still considered to be one of the most improved defenses in college football.
8. Auburn
3 of 10
Auburn really got hit hard by the NFL bug, so considering they ended the year as National Champions I think No. 9 is a fair spot for the to end up.
Losing their two big play makers Cam Newton and Nick Fairley is really going to complicate things on both sides of the ball, but Auburn has a great coaching staff and tons of depth and talent to make up for the losses.
I expect that the Tigers are going to have another surprising year and solidify themselves as a big time program.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Michigan State
4 of 10
Michigan State has every opportunity to win the Big Ten in 2011, and I think that alone is going to keep them in contention to do some big things
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is in a good position to be one of the better quarterbacks in the nation, and he has a great running game and defense to back him up.
Edwin Baker is going to be a force to reckon with in the Spartan backfield, and don’t forget that super coach Mark Dantonio is going to be calling the shots.
The polls have the Spartans ranked 12, but I think they are going to be surprisingly very good.
6. Oklahoma State
5 of 10
The Cowboys are going to be returning ten starters to an offense that was ranked No. 2 in passing last season including, Justin Blackmon, who is an early candidate for Heisman as a receiver in my opinion. Brandon Weeden, who is also a former minor league pitcher, will be at the helm of this powerfull offense and Joseph Randle will be a force in the backfield.
Oklahoma State could easily be the best offense we will see in college football, and I think that their ability to put points up on the board is going to offset any questions critics may have about their defense.
Overall we are looking at a very dangerous team.
5. Boise State
6 of 10
Even though Boise lost a few weapons on offense, and even though they suffered tremendously at the end of last season, I still think they will be one of the best teams in the nation.
Head coach Chris Petersen is a genius when it comes to making things worse, and I am positive we will once again see Boise State making a push at an undefeated potential BCS bowl run.
Quarterback Kellen Moore is in his senior season and will benefit greatly from all the experience that he has from starting the past four years.
They will find some more receivers for him to throw too. That won’t be a problem.
4. Stanford
7 of 10
Stanford lost a coach but kept a quarterback, and even then I still think they will be one of the best teams in the nation.
Andrew Luck is a hands down stud, and he may be the best player in the nation. The problem here is that he will be playing behind an inexperienced offensive line, and he has also lost a lot of the play makers around him.
The defense is going to be questionable as well, so even though I think Stanford has the right guy under center, I’m not sure if they will accomplish their ultimate goal, but they are definitely top five material.
3. Oregon
8 of 10
I think Oregon might suffer from a small case of the National Championship loss hangover. It is similar to the winning hangover, except it comes with added motivation.
That being said, Chip Kelly still has the best offensive system in college football, and he will be returning Darron Thomas and LaMichael James.
I think both players are going to make a run at the Heisman trophy, and in the meantime the team will be making another run at the BCS National Championship.
This team is just far to explosive to look past.
2. Alabama
9 of 10
It’s hard to ever count Nick Saban and the Tide out of any top ten conversations, let alone BCS championship talk.
The fact of the matter is that Alabama is just getting stronger as a program as the years go on, and I think they could make a strong push for the top again in 2011.
They lost a chunk of talent on the offense to the NFL and Marcell Dareus on the defense, but the Tide just keeps on rolling no matter who they plug in.
A.J. McCarron is going to be the new guy under center and Trent Richardson is going to run his way all the way to Heisman consideration.
1. Oklahoma
10 of 10
Oklahoma has to get a long hard look at No. 1 just because of all the experience that they will be putting on the field. Quarterback Landry Jones is going to be one of the best in the nation, and Bob Stoops no-huddle offense is going to put up lots of points.
Roy Finch will be the new guy in the backfield with DeMarco Murray going to the NFL, but he actually averaged more yards per carry than Murray did, so there doesn’t seem to be a drop off.
The only weakness I see on this team would be on defense, but if Stoops can figure that out I think we are looking at a contender.
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
