College Football 2011: Rutgers and Other Potential Conference Cellar-Dwellers

The college football season is closely approaching, which means only one thing—and no, its not the release of NCAA Football '12 (although, that's a plus).

Controversy and arguments of which teams will excel above the rest are beginning to rise.

I could sit here and express my opinion about how I think the Oklahoma Sooners will win the national championship with the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Landry Jones.

Or how the Louisiana State Tigers will beat the Oregon Ducks in the season opener.

And maybe even why I think the Cincinnati Bearcats are the best team in the Big East this year.

But then I'd just be one of the many who have written about these subjects. Sure, it's easy to write about who the best will be or what great potential a star athlete has for his team.

Someone needs to throw a little negativity out there once in awhile.

Here are the teams that will finish last in their conference for the 2011-12 season (I apologize in advance).

Western Athletic Conference: San Jose State Spartans

No surprise here.

According to CBSSportsline.com, the Spartans were ranked dead last—No. 120 out of 120—after a dreadful 1-12 record in 2010.

Yes, they played 13 games last year. Its apparent that opponents love seeing these guys on their schedule.

Hey, I would too. The Spartans are 9-28 in their last three seasons and are currently on a 10-game losing streak. They were last (0-8) in the WAC last year, right behind the New Mexico State Aggies.

SJSU ranked 119th on the ground (78.5), 115th in points scored (16.1) and 105th in points against (34.7) in 2010.

San Jose State seems to be the latest trend for powerhouse teams to warm up on early in the regular season. The Spartans have been pummeled by opponents such as Alabama, Wisconsin, Southern California, Stanford and Nebraska since 2008—SJSU is 0-6 in those games and has been outscored 231-59.

The only bright spot of the team was the passing game. Quarterback Jordan La Secla passed for 2,860 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season. He was a senior.

In most cases like this, you would say there's nowhere to go but up.

I have a hard time fitting that phrase into this scenario.


2011 Record: 0-12 (0-8)

Sun Belt: Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Lousiana Lafayette (say that five times fast) hasn't won more than six games in a season since 1993.

Its coming off of a 3-9 record in 2010 with victories over Arkansas State, North Texas and rival Louisiana-Monroe.

John Mackey Award Semifinalist tight end Ladarius Green returns to an offense that did pretty well in the passing game. He was by far the leading receiver a year ago and should be a big threat to the Cajuns’ offense once again.

The quarterback battle between Chris Masson and Brad McGuire remains a mystery. Masson led the team in passing last season with 1,842 yards and 11 touchdowns.

New defensive coordinator Greg Stewart uses a hybrid 4-3 base defense with alignments of 3-4, 4-3, 5-2 or eight-man fronts. The defense allowed 37 points per game last season, and any change could help provide some improvement. However, starting defensive tackle Jordan Topp and cornerback Orkeys Auriene are two key players the Ragin' Cajuns will be missing this season.

Its not looking too promising for LA-Lafayette.

Then again, four wins is a good season for these guys.


2011 Record: 2-10 (1-7)

Mountain West: New Mexico Lobos

Hold your breath.

New Mexico ranked 106th through the air (157.7), 106th with the rushing attack (108.0), 115th in points scored per game (15.8) and dead last at 120th, allowing the opponent to score 44.3 points per contest.

The Lobos have back-to-back 11 loss seasons (2-22) under head coach Mike Locksley. They have been outscored 963-386 during this long, painful stretch.

Okay, breathe!

New Mexico tossed through four different quarterbacks last season and tried three running backs. None found any true success.

The kicker, James Aho, led the team in points scored (46). He made all 22 (Oregon had 73) extra point attempts and put eight of nine field goals through the uprights.

"We have underachieved, too," Locksley said, according to New Mexico's Official Athletic Site. "We need to change that."

Ya think? The Lobos may just have been the worst team in all of college ball last season.

And it's hard to say much for them coming into 2011.


2011 Record: 1-11 (0-8)

Conference USA: Memphis Tigers and Tulane Green Wave

East

The Memphis Tigers don't have too much to look forward to in 2011.

They were second-to-last in scoring offense (14.4 per game) and ranked 117th in points allowed (39.8). Put two and two together, and what do you get?

A one win season.

A weaker schedule has been provided for 2011. Instead of playing Louisville and Mid Tennessee (although this was their sole victory), the Tigers will face Austin Peay and Arkansas State. They also will play East Carolina at home this season instead of on the road.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Williams is back with a year of experience under his belt. He passed for 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns during his freshman stay with Memphis.

Although they'll be improved, the Tigers will still be ways away from catching up to the other half of the spectrum in the C-USA East.


2011 Record: 3-9 (1-7)


West

Growing pains.

The Green Wave are a very young, inexperienced football team with raw talent.

Standout quarterback Ryan Griffin led Tulane with 2,371 yards passing and 14 touchdowns last season. The 6'5, 215-pound 21-year old returns to a pass offense that ranked an encouraging No. 38 in the nation.

Orleans Darkwa, the freshman running back from a year ago, led the team in rushing with 925 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Starting receiver Ryan Grant is back for his sophomore season as well.

A struggling defense brings back seven starters, including linebacker Trent Mackey. He found his way to 124 tackles and an interception in 2010.

There's definitely hope for Tulane, but with all of the young athletes on the field, a repeat of last year is most likely store for 2011. Look out for the Green Wave in the near future.



2011 Record: 3-9 (2-6)

Mid-American Conference: Akron Zips and Eastern Michigan Eagles

East

The Akron Zips haven't had a winning record since 2005—and I don't expect them to come close in '11.

Akron ranked 100th or lower in every major statistical category last season, including 118th in scoring offense (15.6 points per game).

This was mostly due to the fact that it couldn't find the endzone (duh). The Zips scored just 22 times on offense in 2010.

QB Patrick Nicely passed for 1,753 yards and 10 scores, but failed to complete even half of his passes (49.4 percent) and threw 13 interceptions.

Leading rusher Alex Allen has been lost to graduation. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and scored 36 percent of the team's touchdowns for the year (eight).

With a brutal road schedule, including games at Ohio State, Cincinnati, Miami (OH) and Western Michigan, its hard to see the Zips making any noise in the MAC East.

2011 Record: 1-11 (0-8)

West

Last place is Eastern Michigan's home in the MAC West. The Eagles have found themselves at the bottom five out of the last nine seasons.

They'll be shooting for three in a row this year.

EMU found success with the running game last season. The combination of quarterback Alex Gillet and tailback Dwayne Priest gave the Eagles 1,482 yards and 13 touchdowns alone.

However, Priest will not be returning, and the 37th ranked running attack will take a huge hit in 2011.

Eastern Michigan will carry forward this season if Alex Gillett continues his development at quarterback, but the defense will have several key holes to fill before it is ready to stop a lot of teams. It allowed 43.9 points per game last season and was absolutely awful against the run.

The Eagles face two FCS opponents early on in the season. However, two premium road games against Big Ten opponents Michigan and Penn State will put EMU back in place.


2011 Record: 3-9 (2-6)

Atlantic Coast Conference: Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Virginia Cavaliers

Atlantic

Injuries plagued the Demon Deacons through a very rough 2010 campaign.

Wake Forest struggled to move the ball through the air. It averaged just 143.8 yards per game and frequently flipped through different QB's due to the fact that starter Tanner Price went down—even fourth stringer Skylar Jones saw a good amount of playing time.

The Deacons have one thing going for them this year: experience. Price had occasional poor decision making (mostly due to his young age and inexperience). He threw for eight interceptions and just seven touchdowns. Of the 22 starting offensive and defensive players from the spring game, 16 started games last season.

Nonetheless, the defense will continue to falter. Wake Forest ranked 11th in the ACC in total yards and last in scoring defense. It returns nine starters on this side of the ball, but we don't know if that's a good thing. Also, the ACC's overall offense seems to have been getting better throughout the past few seasons, which is not a good sign for the Demon Deacons.

Jim Grobe may be entering his 11th and final season at WFU.

2011 Record: 3-9 (0-8)

Coastal

The Cavaliers are on the rise.

But they'll have to wait out a few more seasons before thinking about a bowl berth.

Any success for 2011 will be coming from the defense; it returns nine starters. Matt Conrath is one of the most impressive pass rushers in the ACC. At 6'7", he usually has a huge size advantage against his interior lineman opponents. Cornerback Chase Minnifield is back to lead the secondary.

Virginia loses QB Marc Verica, a three year starter.

Sophomores Ross Metheny and Michael Rocco will (and probably have been) compete for the starting job this fall. The two have combined for 26 completions, 314 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in their young, inexperienced career.

The Cavaliers have a brutal conference schedule, making road trips to play at Florida State, Maryland, Miami (FL) and North Carolina.


2011 Record: 4-8 (1-7)

Big Ten Conference: Minnesota Golden Gophers and Indiana Hoosiers

Legends

The Golden Gophers have combined for a 23-40 record in their last five seasons.

They ended 2010 on a two-game winning streak, defeating Illinois and Iowa. Quarterback Adam Weber threw for 389 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in those games.

However, he will not be returning in '11.

Instead, backup QB MarQueis Gray is expected to start. He has completed a total of eight passes in his short career.

The defense brings back a squad that allowed 33 points per game last season. New defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has a successful background, but may be biting off more than he can chew with this one.

Minnesota will play New Mexico State and North Dakota State at home as a part of its non-conference schedule. I believe (and hope) that it will be able to pull out two victories.

2011 Record: 2-10 (0-8)

Leaders

Indiana is coming off of a 5-7 season in 2010.

The sad part is, that'll probably be its best season for awhile.

The Hoosiers lose starting quarterback Ben Chappell. He broke the school's single-season passing record with 3,295 yards last season, adding 24 touchdowns through the air.

Star receiver Tandon Doss was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round. His huge numbers will be missed greatly on what will be a struggling Indiana Hoosiers team in 2011.

2011 Record: 3-9 (0-8)

Pacific-12 Conference: Washington State Cougars

Paul Wulff is entering his fourth season as the head coach for the Washington State Cougars.

He has won five games in three years.

Although the offense wasn't good, the defense was the main issue with WSU in 2010. It allowed 35.8 points per game and let the opponents average a total of 467 yards on offense.

Jeff Tuel led the team with 2,780 yards passing and seemed to get better as the season progressed. He was 44 of 75 with 547 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception in the team's final three games.

Nevertheless, Washington State has been in the bottom quartile of the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) since 2003. Its struggles are imminent.


2011 Record: 2-10 (0-9)

Big 12 Conference: Iowa State Cyclones and Texas Tech Red Raiders

North

The Cyclones opened the 2010 season winning three of their first five games and were looking bowl-bound.

Iowa State then popped a tire and sputtered its way to a 5-7 record, losing five of its final seven games.

The Cyclones had problems putting points on the board last season (21.7), especially against Big 12 opponents (19.8). Bad news for Iowa State fans: They only bring back six starters on offense, not including QB Austen Arnaud.

The defense looks to carry the team in 2011. It returns nine starters, including linebacker Jake Knott, to a team that allowed 28.8 points per game last year.

However, a nasty schedule awaits the Cyclones; nine of the 12 teams listed made a bowl last season.

Also, Colorado departed for the Pac-12. This means it'll be easier for Iowa State to fall into last place.

2011 Record: 3-9 (1-8)

South

The Big 12's South division may be the most competitive in all of college football. It consists of teams such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor; all but one had a winning record in 2010 (Texas).

Texas Tech is the odd one out this year.

But the funny thing is, it could still make a bowl.

Two quality quarterbacks in Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield will be huge key factors missing for the Red Raiders. Tommy Tuberville will need either Seth Doege or Jacob Karam to step up and take the reins.

Receivers Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis combined for almost 1,800 receiving and 25 touchdowns for Texas Tech last season. They will not be returning, either.

TTU returns just six starters on offense and four on defense. The Red Raiders have scored an average of 37.5 points per game during the past seven seasons. So although they may not be as prolific in this area, history shows that they'll be just fine. It's the defense that will have to step up for Texas Tech to have success in 2011, something that I just don't see happening.

2011 Record: 5-7 (2-6)

Southeastern Conference: Vanderbilt Commodores and Ole Miss Rebels

East

The Commodores have posted two straight two-win football seasons.

Last year, they ranked either 11th or 12th in the SEC in 19 of 29 major categories. This includes scoring offense and defense, and rushing offense and defense.

The good news is they return 19 starters in 2011, including all 11 on offense.

Or wait, is that the bad news?

Either way, Vanderbilt still isn't going to be better than anyone in the SEC East. The Commodores will beat Elon, and if they're lucky, they'll win at home against Connecticut and/or Army.

The West is significantly better than the East, so it's not impossible for Vandy to improve; it's just not going to be this season.

2011 Record: 3-9 (1-7)

West

Brandon Bolden led the third-ranked rushing offense in the SEC (207.6), but the Rebels had a real rough time keeping one of the nation's best divisions off of the scoreboard. They allowed over 35 points per game and usually found themselves in a shootout with the other opponent.

Ole Miss' sole conference win came at Kentucky's expense.

Although the offense was great, it still needs to improve to keep up with teams such as Auburn, Alabama and LSU in the West. It returns nine starters, not including starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Backups Randall Mackey and Barry Brunetti will battle it out to become the replacement.

The defense will continue to stumble and may be even worse than it was last season. It loses six starters, including NFL Draft pick Jerrelle Powe. Also, D.T. Shackelford tore his ACL in a spring practice, which is a huge blow to the Rebels.

Houston Nutt’s back-to-back 9-4 seasons are in the back of Rebel fans' minds. He will be on the hot seat this year and is hoping that the advantage of facing Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and LSU at home pulls Ole Miss out of the the West's basement.

2011 Record: 5-7 (2-6)

Big East Conference: Rutgers

OK, straight to the point.

Rutgers returns 10 starters on offense—the O-line should be able to benefit on plenty of time in the weight room and more experience.

QB Chas Dodd passed for 1,637 yards and 11 touchdowns his freshman season. He hopes to become a strong offensive leader for the Scarlet Knights in 2011.

Mohamed Sanu should once again be a versatile offense threat for Rutgers, especially through the wildcat formation. 

While a year of action is important for the 10 returning offensive starters, those players struggled to score in 2010. It remains to be seen whether they are able to considerably improve or not. This will be necessary to post a winning season.

Linebacker Steve Beauharnais is the team’s top returning tackler (79) and would like to improve that number. However, Rutgers lost most of its starting defensive line. This will put a lot more pressure on the linebackers and secondary to accommodate opposing offenses.

Rutgers’ schedule isn’t unbearable, but 2010 showed all it takes is a few injuries and a dip in team chemistry to start losing. A lot.

The Scarlet Knights will again be the bottom-feeders of the Big East.


2011 Record: 3-9 (0-7)