College Football 2011: 50 Reasons 2011 Will Be Better Than 2010
Terms like “better” are truly subjective when speaking about a topic as passion-filled as college football.
Indeed, one guy’s “better” is another fan’s “worse” and one enthusiast's “shining moment” is always another devotee’s “worst moment in football.”
It’s the very essence of sport.
Even though we know that one person can’t define what is another’s “better,” we still feel compelled to attempt to predict the future and then brand it as “good” or “bad.”
And, at least in the case of something as emotionally charged as college football, these forecasts spawn discussion and downright hostility, just as it should be.
And so, in this grand and time-honored tradition, the following slideshow pinpoints 50 reasons why the 2011 season of college football will be “better” than the one that just passed into the history books.
1. No Three-Way Tie in the Big Ten
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With the historic expansion, divisional split and new championship game, the Big Ten race can no longer end in a confusing tie which sends multiple teams to the BCS on the premise of a shared title.
There will be only one Big Ten champion in 2011, and much to the delight of everyone, they will be crowned in a duly sanctioned championship game.
2. More Colored Turf
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Boise State has their infamous blue turf, Eastern Washington plays on a field of red, and for 2011, the University of Central Arkansas joins this colorful group by installing a purple surface.
The home of the UCA Bears, First Security Field at Estes Stadium, won’t just go straight purple, it will feature a silver-and-purple striped playing surface that bedazzles, stuns and amazes even the most casual of observers.
Seriously, this concoction lends itself to a much-needed discussion about establishing guidelines for playing-surface colorings.
3. Scandal-Rama
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If you thought 2010 had its “scandal on,” 2011 is shaping up to be the most scandalous season in the history of college football.
Ohio State is getting the lion’s share of the bad press right now, but there are plenty of unresolved off-field issues at North Carolina, Auburn and even Boise State to keep things interesting.
If you enjoy outrage, rumor and scandal, 2011 may be your banner year; regardless, things certainly won’t be dull next season.
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4. UConn Won’t Be in the BCS
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Though it’s always good to see a team that isn’t a regular powerhouse fixture in the BCS get a shot at the big money, it was hard to get overly enthused about Connecticut’s 2010 BCS bowl berth.
UConn went 8-4 in the regular season and tied for a conference title in what was an underwhelming Big East race; all this made their matchup with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl less than intriguing.
This is all even more difficult to digest when quality teams like Boise State, Alabama, LSU, Michigan State and Oklahoma State all sat out, all played in regular tier bowl games and all watched the BCS on TV.
Though the Big East will send a representative to the “showcase of college football” in 2011, it’s not likely to be UConn.
5. Conference Reshuffle
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The enormous, unprecedented conference shift due to happen prior to the 2011 season quite literally shakes up college football as we know it.
Utah and Colorado to the new expanded Pac-12, Nebraska to the bulked-up Big Ten, Boise State to the Mountain West and BYU to Independence—all moves that, had they happened alone in a season, would have been huge storylines.
But all this for one year is absolutely provocative and makes 2011 a historic year in the game and will be looked on as benchmark in the years to come.
The huge benefit for college football fans is that we get to live it, watch it and enjoy it.
6. TCU vs. Boise State in the Regular Season
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The Broncos and Horned Frogs have taken on a bit of a similar role in the BCS era of college football.
Though TCU is the older program with far more history than the fledgling Boise, both schools have become the definition of the BCS buster and are therefore almost thought of simultaneously.
They are the example given of why the BCS system is ridiculous and they are the teams that always produce the “do they belong” discussion that so fires the passion of folks on both sides of the question.
All this makes the Broncos taking the field against the Horned Frogs seem even more exciting, and it is exactly what makes their 2011 meeting a “must-see” game.
Boise State and TCU have never met in a regular season contest and their Nov. 12 game on the blue turf will be the only time the two will play as conference rivals.
The Broncos have a 2-1 all-time advantage over the Frogs and all three previous meetings have been in bowl games (Fort Worth, Poinsettia and BCS Fiesta).
7. Texas Will Be Back
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Regardless of how ugly 2010 was for the Longhorns (and it was), it is almost unfathomable to think they will sink so low again in 2011.
Yes, they went 5-7, finished last in the Big 12 South and tied for second to last in the conference; they ranked No. 88 in points scored and No. 49 in scoring defense; and they lost to Baylor and Iowa State at home in Austin.
But, this is still one of the most talented (though young) programs in all of college football; they are fast, they are strong, they are very well coached and, up until last season, they had won 10-plus games for nine consecutive years.
If Texas finds some on-field leaders, look for them to be the real “dark horse” candidate in the Big 12 (which seems almost ridiculous to have to say).
8. Al Golden Will Be at Miami
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After four subpar seasons under Randy Shannon, the Hurricanes look to bounce back with up-and-coming coach Al Golden from Temple.
The ACC has struggled getting anyone into the position to field a BCS championship-caliber team (really, they need to get a member team to finish undefeated), and if Golden could harness all that talent in Coral Gables and work his magic, then perhaps Miami will once again a part of the BCS conversation.
Do you remember when the Hurricanes were last in the BCS?
Well, it was the 2003-04 season when they went 10-2 and beat Florida State in the BCS Orange Bowl.
9. More Subjectivity for Taunting Penalties
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This is a bit of a sarcastic “better” thing, but if you are a proponent of the officials having more subjective powers and more stroke on deciding the outcome of college football games, then 2011 has something special planned just for you.
The NCAA’s new broader, more aggressive taunting penalty scheme means that the zebras can take touchdowns away for taunting (a call that can never be objective).
This may be a bigger storyline than the conference shifting and the unprecedented NCAA sanction-rama and could be very damaging to the game we love.
10. A Closer Heisman Race
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Cam Newton’s 2,263 points in the 2010 Heisman voting was the sixth highest total in the history of the award, and his 1,184-point margin of victory over second-place finisher Andrew Luck is the 11th widest in history.
I think it was safe to say that we all knew the award was Newton’s and that the only thing that could have stopped him was either swifter sanctions or the then-FBI investigation.
Next season’s race already seems cloudier, and though guys like Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Boise State QB Kellen Moore and Oregon RB LaMichael James are absolutely the front-runners, each of these guys are literally one loss away from second, third or fourth place.
Regardless of who makes a shocking entrance into the race and who actually takes home THE hardware, it seems safe to say it won’t be the same type of landslide victory that the very talented Cam Newton enjoyed in 2010.
11. No Questions about USC’s 2004 Title
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There absolutely will be a plethora of “what is the NCAA going to do about…” questions swirling around college football in 2011, but “will USC lose their 2004 BCS title?” won’t be one of them.
Vacated, stricken from the record, stripped, evacuated; however you want to slice it up, USC’s 10th national title is gone.
12. Dan Persa Will Play the Whole Season
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Despite missing the last three games of 2010 due to an Achilles injury in mid-November, Dan Persa was still selected as the first team all-conference quarterback by the Big Ten coaches (and think about the guys he had to beat out for this high honor).
You have to wonder what the Wildcats would have done against Illinois, Wisconsin and then Texas Tech (in the TicketCity Bowl) if Persa would have been healthy and under center.
The 7-6 record could have plausibly been 9-4, and with Persa back in 2011, what will Northwestern do next and what gridiron demons will they rid themselves of for good (especially if they establish a running game and improve defensively)?
13. Kansas Won’t Lose to Nebraska
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Kansas and Nebraska hold the NCAA record for the longest uninterrupted series in the history of the FBS; they’ve met 104 consecutive years in a row.
This streak comes to a halting close in 2011 with Nebraska’s historic move to the Big Ten but, unfortunately, this lopsided rivalry ending won’t be marked with much angst by fans on a national level.
I mean, how thrilling is a series that has been totally dominated by the Cornhuskers, who hold a 91-23-3 advantage over the Jayhawks?
In fact, Kansas has only beaten Nebraska twice since 1968 (2005 and 2007) and hasn’t won a game in Lincoln since that same date (1968).
The ending of a historic run of games between two teams never seems like a good thing, but perhaps it’s better that Nebraska and Kansas start seeing other people…
14. Quarterback Controversy at Big Programs
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Though there were some heated battles for the starting spot under center in 2010, 2011 sets up even better for instability at what is arguably the most critical on-field role.
These big-time teams could rise or fall based on the decisions of who will be tossing the ball this fall: Auburn, LSU, Washington, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, Alabama and Miami.
All the controversy means more unknowns going into 2011, which is always a good thing for a great team sport.
15. The BCS Championship Is in New Orleans
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Every four years the city of New Orleans gets its shot at hosting the big enchilada.
Yes, Pasadena is historic and eye-poppingly beautiful, Miami is warm and sunny, and the Glendale, Arizona area offers welcome warmth on a cold January day, but New Orleans is truly one of the greatest host cities in all of sport.
It’s open all night, its food is unbeatable, it’s historic, it’s Cajun, it’s a city that has survived and rebuilt and is still hosting, and it is absolutely one of the premier party destinations in the country.
New Orleans, home of the 2011-12 BCS Championship!
16. Georgia vs. Boise State
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There were some great non-conference games in 2010, but 2011 has, at minimum, three blockbuster contests that will each have a different facet that will quite literally alter the outcome of college football in 2011.
Game one is Georgia meeting Boise State in Atlanta on Sept. 3 (opening weekend) in a game that pits the Broncos against an SEC team for the first time since 2005.
The Broncos are 0-4 all-time against the SEC and ironically their last clash with the big boys from down south was on Sept. 3, 2005 (exactly six years to the day from this year’s game) when they lost to Georgia 48-13.
The implications go far beyond whether or not the SEC will be able to “walk the walk” and squash the blue turfers who don’t deserve a shot in a BCS (hey, they didn’t have to scratch and claw for it like big conference teams do).
This game is also about the Heisman Trophy (does Kellen Moore even have a prayer), the BCS picture (busting or non-busting), the national title, etc.
All hang in the balance of this game and its outcome.
Plus, it will be pretty interesting to see how Georgia looks after last year’s disappointing 6-7 finish.
17. A Pac-12 Championship Game
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With the addition of Colorado and Utah, the Pac-12 (like the Big Ten) has split itself into divisions and will host its first ever championship game on Dec. 2, 2011.
This game adds a great dimension to a conference that is often an afterthought when power ranking the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12, and the fact that it will not be played at a neutral site but instead at the home field of the team with the best record in conference play makes it even more exciting.
18. Ohio State Won’t Be in the BCS
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The Buckeyes have made more BCS bowl appearances than any other team; their nine appearances give them a one-game advantage over Oklahoma who has been to eight BCS games.
The last time Ohio State wasn’t in the big money dance was 2004-05 when they went 8-4 and settled for an Alamo Bowl appearance.
The losses the Buckeyes have already suffered amid scandal-gate and the possibility of further debilitating sanctions combined with the new Big Ten format make 2011 look like the year the Buckeyes will finally be left out of the BCS again.
Now it’s not necessarily a plus for college football that Ohio State will be out of the BCS, but the flip side of that means that a new team will be in the super postseason, which is a very good thing.
19. Case Keenum Gets His Senior Season Back
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After being touted as a very dark horse for BCS inclusion last season, Houston QB Case Keenum went down (along with his backup) in the Week 3 trip to UCLA and suddenly all bets were off the table.
For 2011 the NCAA has generously granted Keenum an additional year of eligibility, and the Cougars' hopes are again high regardless of the fact the media is far less enthusiastic this time around.
If Keenum can manage to get himself back into full form (behind four new starters on the offensive line) and the Cougar defense can move forward (even slightly), 2011 could be thrilling for Houston fans who have waited long enough.
20. BYU Is Conference-Less
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After being a conference member since 1922, the BYU Cougars are stepping out into a whole new world in 2011; a world without a commissioner, without a conference record and without certain guarantees and drawbacks, a world of independence.
What’s great about the move for 2011 is two-fold. First BYU’s schedule is a peach (I’ll include it below) and secondly it means the Cougars aren’t lost somewhere in the Mountain West discussion which, of late, has been dominated by Utah, TCU and now Boise State.
Sept. 3, at Ole Miss
Sept. 10, at Texas
Sept. 17, Utah
Sept. 23, UCF
Sept. 30, Utah State
Oct. 8, San Jose State
Oct. 15, at Oregon State
Oct. 22, Idaho State
Oct. 28, TCU (in Arlington TX)
Nov. 12, Idaho
Nov. 19, New Mexico State
Dec. 3, at Hawaii
You have to figure that at some point a conference will pick up BYU, but until then they, as an independent, throw an interesting dynamic into the national scene of college football.
If it goes well, will declaring independence come into vogue just as the “coach in waiting” scheme has, and, if so, what does that do to the game?
21. More Asterisks!
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We know now that USC will have an asterisk in the record books next to at least a few games from the 2003-2004 time-period, and with all the controversy surfacing about teams like Ohio State, North Carolina and Auburn, you have to think the bleeding won’t stop anytime soon.
I’m not sure what good adding asterisks and “vacating” wins, titles and awards really does for anyone, but, you can easily see more coming down the pipe.
It’s like it all never really happened…unless you were the team that lost to the team with an asterisk, in which case the “L” doesn’t become a “W,” it just becomes a nothing.
Provocative.
22. Notre Dame Is Actually Worth Tuning into NBC For
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After several years of having mediocre Fighting Irish shoved down our collective throats by the powers that are NBC, there might actually be a reason to tune in to the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation in 2011.
What was sometimes a game to switch to only because everyone else was between games or at halftime, maybe this is the year we’ll (even you haters) actually tune in to NBC’s over-coverage of the Irish by choice.
If they really can become an elite team again we’ll watch, because we’re real college football fans.
23. Compliance Department Expansion
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Every week literally bears witness to yet another scandal in college football. The list lengthens, widens and lengthens again until commentary and reporting on actual football is relegated to the second page of every website, magazine and newspaper.
We can only imagine the heightened sense of alert at the major (and minor) programs that have not yet been fingered for infractions and sanctions.
Maybe some folks are shredding documents and burning stuff, but I guarantee you others are battening down the hatches, hiring additional personnel and proactively expanding their compliance departments (very quickly, and very quietly).
This may be the year to finally fulfill your dream of being a college athletics compliance officer.
24. LSU vs. Oregon
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Though the opener pitting Georgia versus Boise State is nothing short of thrilling, the LSU versus Oregon contest that same day (Saturday, Sept. 3) is actually almost too much to bear.
Both teams are legitimate preseason contenders from major conferences, both finished 2010 swimmingly and both are willing to lay it all on the line in Week 1.
Now, either team could walk away with a loss and still manage a BCS bid and perhaps even a BCS title game appearance (depending on who else loses a game), but the bottom line is this game is so good that it could actually be a realistic national championship game matchup.
Ducks versus Tigers in DFW.
I’ve already sent three “decline” RSVPs to weddings for that day because of this game.
25. An Improved Minnesota Program
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Though the Leaders versus Legends and the demise of Ohio State will get more press, Jerry Kill going to Minnesota is a very significant story in the Big Ten going into 2011.
Kill’s resume is chock-full of struggling teams being transformed into successful ones (see Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois), and though Minnesota is a monumental (or perhaps the mother of all turnaround projects) task, my bet is Kill will have the Gophers looking like a different team in less than two years.
It remains to be seen if Jerry Kill can go as far as winning even a Big Ten Legends divisional title, but don’t count this guy out and don’t be surprised if Minnesota isn’t playing at a very high level (consistently) very soon.
26. A More Compact but Well Stacked Big 12
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The Big 12 might be short a couple of good programs, but 2011 sets up to be a huge year for the conference that bucks the trend by downsizing (against its will).
The 10-team conference has five preseason Top 25 teams in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas, and legitimate second-tier threats in Baylor, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
Three of the top teams are likely preseason Top 10 and Missouri and Texas will both have the talent to beat any and every team on their schedule.
It may be smaller but it will be one of the toughest years, ever, to play in the Big 12.
27. The “Fear the Fork” Campaign
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Arizona State, which finished 6-6 last year, returns enough starters (and showed enough promise last season, despite their record) to be many predictors' choice to be the frontrunner in the new Pac-12.
Whether it will really happen or not, it’s fun to have a potential new leader in the West Coast races, and this along with the “Fear the Fork” campaign that coincided with ASU’s new uniforms which debuted earlier this year make it an exciting year to be a Fork lover.
28. Michigan State Will Have to Play Outside of Michigan
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Michigan State should be, at least on paper, as strong or stronger than they were last year when they went 11-2 and captured a piece of the Big Ten title.
However, last year’s schedule was generous to the point that Sparty didn’t leave the Michigan state lines until Oct. 23 when they traveled to Northwestern.
This year’s slate isn’t near as amiable and MSU will hit the road as early as Sept. 17 to visit Notre Dame.
If the Spartans repeat their magical run in 2011, they’ll have to do so with road trips to Ohio State, to Nebraska, to Iowa and to Northwestern.
29. No Big 12 North Division
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The flip side to the conference expansion craze sweeping the nation is the Big 12, which has shrunken itself to 10 teams, therefore scrapping the division format rather than adding it.
One benefit to the reduction is that the Big 12 North Division (which previously consisted of Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Colorado) is gone, and the teams that remain part of the conference (all but Nebraska and Colorado) now have to play the old “South” teams every single year.
This is significant in a conference that has been dominated by the southern teams who have had a much steeper slope to climb to get to the title game (which is also gone) than have their brethren to the north.
How dominant?
Well, in the 14 years the conference has existed, teams from the South Division have won all but four of the total championships and they have won the past seven straight titles.
30. Nebraska in the Big Ten
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Of all the conference moves, the single most exciting shift has to be Nebraska’s legendary move from the Big 12 to the Big Ten.
A perennial Midwest powerhouse moves to the oldest, most storied FBS conference, which features other Middle America football crazy states such as Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin; that’s just titillating.
You could rightly argue that the Cornhuskers' move to the Big Ten is the biggest repositioning in college football in the last 50 years.
31. Utah Has a Legit Shot at the BCS
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The Utes have quietly played very good football for almost a decade, and their 33-6 record since 2008 is nothing short of stellar.
But Utah has achieved these lofty stats under the shadow of playing in the Mountain West conference, a league that is not guaranteed a spot in the BCS and an association that is thought to offer “lower” levels of competition and to produce “lesser” teams.
But in 2011 Utah joins the Pac-12, and they have the shot to do what Boise State can only dream of (for now): compete for a legit shot at a BCS bid and a national title.
With the opportunity comes stress and amped-up expectations. Are they really good enough to compete with the elite?
Don’t lose sight of this storyline in a year that is filled with some gems.
32. SMU Finally Beats the Death Penalty
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SMU was given the harshest penalty ever inflicted by the NCAA when its soiled program was sent to death row in the mid 1980’s.
The Mustangs' road back to respectability has been so treacherous that it would seem like a deterrent from ever issuing such a harsh sentence again (a theory that will no doubt be severely tested during these next few months).
But 2011 could be the year SMU finally throws off the mantle of “downtrodden” and wins its first conference title since winning the old Southwest Conference title in 1984.
The Mustangs have captured a piece of the C-USA West title the past two seasons but have fallen short of the whole shooting match; the hurdle could be overcome, finally, in 2011.
Regardless of how you feel about SMU or what happened in the past, it would be a remarkable achievement (and one worthy of respect and high celebration) if they could win a conference crown in 2011.
33. Rich Rod Won’t Be at Michigan
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There comes a time, especially in the case of big powerhouse programs, when it’s just sad to watch a team play under their potential.
You can hate Michigan and you can hate the Big Ten, but if Brady Hoke can get the Wolverines playing like Michigan is supposed to play again, it will be a good thing for college football.
34. ACC Doesn’t Lose to a FCS Team in Week 1
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Here is what the ACC needs to do to avoid another Week 1 debacle in 2011:
NC State must beat FCS Liberty, at NC State.
Duke must beat FCS Richmond, at Duke.
Georgia Tech must beat FCS Western Carolina, at Georgia Tech.
North Carolina must beat FCS James Madison, at North Carolina.
Virginia must beat FCS William & Mary (playing as a couple), at Virginia.
Virginia Tech must beat FCS Appalachian State, at Virginia Tech.
Though it looks do-able, history shows us there are no guarantees.
35. Ole Miss Plays Better
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It seems like overnight the Rebels went from being a 9-4 team that won the Cotton Bowl back to a 4-8 team that finished at the bottom of the SEC West.
As bad as 2010 was and as hard as the division will be in 2011, Ole Miss should be able to win more than four games and they should be able to beat the only FCS team on their schedule (which is Southern Illinois).
36. Todd Graham at Pitt
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I, for one, thought Pittsburgh’s dismissal of Dave Wannstedt was worthy of a raised eyebrow; here was an alumnus who was completely prepared to stay around even after he was successful.
I guess the issue was that the Wannstedt-led Panthers were never as successful as the administration wanted or expected to be, which meant the lack of a BCS bid.
Anyway, regardless of why he left, his replacement Todd Graham actually is a great fit for Pitt (rhyme intended).
Graham’s resume is impressive, with his most recent achievement being earning Tulsa a ranking in the final AP poll for the first time since 1991.
Todd Graham is the kind of guy who will do whatever it takes to make the Panthers big winners, and he just so happens to inherit a program that was left in good shape (by his predecessor) for such a run.
37. Navy vs. Air Force
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The highly sought-after Commander in Chief Trophy (awarded to the service academy that is most successful against the other academies) has been won in two significant blocks since the mid to late 1990’s.
First, from 1997 to 2002, Air Force dominated the competition, reeling off six straight titles and then from 2003-09 Navy took over with seven consecutive trophy wins.
Last season Air Force finally recaptured the title from the Midshipmen with a 14-6 victory and both teams look good enough to make things interesting in 2011 when the two meet on October 1 at Navy.
Both teams are coached by intense, highly energetic coaches and we could finally have a series that goes back in forth, something that hasn’t really taken place since the late 1980’s when Air Force and Army duked it out every year for the big honor.
38. The Big Ten Championship Game
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It’s hard to think of a more thrilling scenario than two Big Ten teams going at it in a live, fully sanctioned, conference championship game.
It’s for the coveted Big Ten title, for a BCS bid and, if one of the two remains unscathed, it’s for a trip to the BCS Championship.
Throw in the Cornhuskers, the depleted Buckeyes, a new coach for Michigan, Jo Pa driving Penn State again, Wisconsin running for more daylight and Dan Persa and friends ready to pull an upset, and you’ve got a literal cornucopia of football goodness.
39. Florida State Versus Oklahoma, but Not in Norman
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The third of the three really juicy non-conference matchups is the home-away Oklahoma/FSU series that will head to Tallahassee this year when the Seminoles host the Sooners on September 17.
Both should be undefeated and this game represents a huge “hinge” game for both programs that have legitimate BCS and national championship hopes and dreams.
The key to this game is that it is not being played within the relative safety of Norman, where the Sooners are dominant to a degree that is chilling (not in a good way).
This is another game which plans should be made around, and I’m not missing it.
40. Mike Leach Won’t Be Mentioned for Every Coaching Opening
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An insightful reader who commented on another piece I wrote actually pointed this out, and it deserves mentioning again here.
Last season we were alerted to every coaching opening with a diatribe on how Mike Leach would or wouldn’t fit the bill.
Though Leach is still out of coaching, it seems less likely that he will be the first name mentioned this year every time a coach gets hot-seated or tossed, a fact that is hard to believe given his unprecedented success at Texas Tech.
Whether he is less desirable due to his pending lawsuits, he’s being picky or because of his quirkiness is unknown but the Pirate is still ship-less.
41. Colorado Will Be Without the Hawkinses
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Coach Dan Hawkins was relieved of his duties as the head man at Colorado after a 52-45 loss to Kansas in the Buffaloes tenth game of 2010.
By the time the dust settled, Hawkins' five seasons in Boulder produced 19 wins, 39 losses and a dubious 0-1 bowl record.
Hawkins' removal as coach combined with the graduation of his son, QB Cody Hawkins, means that Boulder, Colorado will be quite Hawkins-less for the first time in a long while.
The bottom line with Colorado is they were due for leadership change and the year of their historic move to the Pac-12 is the perfect time to hit the reset button for a program that has all the potential to be a frontrunner in any conference.
42. Jayron Hosley Could Pick Off Even More Balls
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Jayron Hosley of Virginia Tech nabbed a nation-leading nine picks in his 2010 sophomore season, and though offenses will no doubt know where he is on the field look for Hosley to be just as dangerous in 2011.
Remember, the record for single-season interceptions is 14, which was set by Al Worley from Washington in 1968, and the career record is 29, set by Al Brosky at Illinois from 1950-52.
These are old records that seem almost untouchable; Hosley is just the sort of player who has a shot at changing history.
43. Boise State Gets an Even More Serious Chance at Making the Title Game
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2011 is the Broncos' last season with QB Kellen Moore at the helm, and if they’re ever going to be the first non-BCS team to make it to the championship game, this is the year they need to get it done.
Why?
First, TCU is on the regular slate for the first time in history and this is the only time the two will meet as conference foes (until another reshuffling comes down the pipe); regardless of how much retooling TCU will do from its 2010 Rose Bowl team, a win over TCU will look huge if the Broncos can pull it off.
Second, the blue turfers finally enticed an SEC team to play them again for the first time since 2005, and they may have picked the right team at the right time in a Georgia team that looked not so good in 2010.
Third, though there are plenty of frontrunners ahead of Boise State in the national title hunt (remember the BCS teams just have to go undefeated, not go undefeated and cross their fingers and tap their red shoes together and chant some magical wishes), every one of those teams has at least one game they could legitimately drop on their way to perfection.
And remember, really Boise State needs to go undefeated and have only one BCS team go undefeated to have a realistic shot.
The public is ready for this and will push for it, hard; if only Boise State can go impressively undefeated and all but one of the other contenders loses at least one game.
If it is ever going to happen, this is the year.
44. West Virginia’s Offense
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West Virginia hasn’t ranked among the Top 20 nationally in scoring offense since 2006, when they averaged 32.6 points per game in grabbing the No. 12 spot among point-makers.
The 2006 squad went 11-2 under Rich Rodriguez and beat Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
It is realistic to predict that offense will again be king in Morgantown in 2011 with the entrance of OC and now head coach Dana Holgorsen, who recently was promoted from coach-in-waiting in the wake of Bill Stewart’s disgraceful exit.
Holgorsen’s resume includes studying under Mike Leach at Texas Tech, reviving the offensive fortunes of the Houston Cougars and then 2010’s point-scoring transformation at Oklahoma State.
The Weather Channel is forecasting an offensive yardage explosion over the state of West Virginia for the fall of 2011.
They’re already calling it “El Dana.”
45. A Reduction in Coach-in-Waiting Want Ads
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Postings stating “Wanted … Coach-In-Waiting for Major College Football Program” should drop sharply after the Bill Stewart/Dana Holgorsen debacle combined with the Will Muschamp end-around to Florida (which was run behind Mack Brown’s back).
And, that’s a good thing.
46. Hoke Is Gone but Ronnie Hillman Is Still at SDSU
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If you haven’t heard the name Ronnie Hillman yet, you probably ought to look this guy up.
Hillman is a 5’10”, 175-pound running back from La Habra, California who ran for 1,532 yards and scored 17 TDs on 262 carries during his freshman season at San Diego State.
This means that Ronnie Hillman was the No. 10 ranked rusher in the country in his freshman season, and with most of the offensive unit returning in 2011 (including stellar QB Ryan Lindley), next year could be huge for Hillman.
Brady Hoke might have left San Diego State for Michigan, but this team, and especially Hillman, is worth tuning in to in 2011.
47. Someone Other than Virginia Tech Might Win the ACC
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Since the ACC expanded and went to a divisional format for the 2005 season, Virginia Tech has won three of the six conference titles and played in all but two of the championship games.
The Hokies' dominance has been nothing short of impressive and they have ruled the ACC Coastal roost to the point that Georgia Tech is the only other team to ever represent the division in the title game (not Miami FL, not North Carolina and not Virginia, ever).
But 2011 creates an interesting scenario, and even though you know Virginia Tech will be back with a vengeance (even though QB Tyrod Taylor is gone), teams like Florida State, NC State, Maryland and even Miami FL and North Carolina might finally have a chance to unseat the Hokies.
Again, I’m not saying it’s a good thing for the Hokies to have an “off” year (relative to their stunning success), but fresh faces and stories are always welcome.
48. USC Only Has One More Year of Postseason Ineligibility
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I’m not a Trojan fan (nor do I play one on TV), but it’s just about time to get USC back in the mix for the good of all of college football.
Whether you love them or hate them (because you can’t go in between with these obnoxious programs) teams like Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Notre Dame and USC are more fun to have around when they are playing well and you manage to beat them anyway.
The Trojans' return to bowl eligibility in 2011 will mark a huge change in the dynamics of the Pac-12 and it will be highly intriguing to see what Lane Kiffin does when the safety net of “postseason ban” is yanked out from under him.
49. Muschamp and Weis at Florida
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Really, the moment Urban Meyer began to flip-flop about his employment status at Florida, Gator football seemed to slip (even though it was a very small slip).
Meyer didn’t seem like himself in 2010 and neither did his team, whose eight-win total was the lowest in his tenure at Florida.
The infusion of Muschamp, Weis and company into the Florida football family is intriguing on several different levels: First, how good or how bad are the Gators after the “off year”; second, how good is Will Muschamp and was he really the golden egg of coaching searches; and finally, can Florida really achieve and sustain the success they enjoyed from 2006-09?
50. No Inferred Superiority at the Ohio State
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Ohio State fans may disagree with this, but I think it’s a fair assessment to say that “THE” Buckeyes felt fairly superior to teams who had dealt beyond the limits of the NCAA rules in the past.
It’s also pretty fair to assert that Ohio State (with good reason) felt superior on the football field, and the results speak for themselves.
But now suddenly it’s all tainted…the wins, the coach and the moral high ground; indeed, even the “THE” itself (the big one) is in question.
I don’t think it’s pleasurable to see a great program fall, but it’s hard not to want to watch the aftermath when a school that was arguably “higher” and “mightier” is forced to answer to the letter of the law they proclaimed they were master of.
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