College Football 2011: 27 Teams That Will Go Undefeated at Home
When you analyze your team’s schedule for the upcoming season, you no doubt count their home games with some level of metered relief…yes, most teams play with a higher level at success at home.
But, the truth is that all schedules aren’t created equal, and even teams that are wildly successful at home will drop contests on their own turf simply because that is where they will face their stiffest competition.
On the other side of the equation are teams that have been presented with a schedule where their home games and their “easier” opponents coincide to present the opportunity for a perfect season on the home field.
The ante might be raised even further by combining these two elements with a team that has everyone coming back and is aptly ranked among the top teams in the nation. In this case, suddenly the schedule becomes a key to why a certain team could perhaps win it “all” (a divisional, conference or national title).
And then there are the programs that have a wicked road schedule and a fairly breezy home slate meaning that their few precious wins, their bid to go bowl eligible, will hinge on them actually winning every single game in the “easier” home schedule.
The following slideshow identifies 27 teams that will go undefeated at home in 2011. Some indeed may be amped up to win a title, some might be fighting for survival and then others will shock us by taking a unforeseen, unscripted path to either glory or the depths of Defeat-ville, USA.
Florida State
1 of 27Florida State’s 2011 home crowd has plenty to look forward to, but the key to perfection at Doak Campbell hinges on a thrilling visit from Oklahoma in Week 3.
If they survive that, then they will face a tough little run in late October/early November which will seem easier than it might prove in reality.
The Seminoles are 45-18 at home since 2001 and went 6-1 in Tallahassee last season.
FSU’s 2011 home slate:
September 3 ULM
September 10 FCS Charleston Southern
September 17 Oklahoma
October 22 Maryland
October 29 NC State
November 12 Miami FL
November 19 Virginia
NC State
2 of 27The Wolfpack are 41-27 at home over the last decade and may be overlooked as a team to beat in the ACC Atlantic with all the hoopla surrounding Florida State.
Overall, NC State’s schedule isn’t overly harrowing and the home slate definitely gives them a real opportunity to run the tables at Carter-Finley.
NC State’s 2011 home schedule:
September 3 FCS Liberty
September 17 FCS South Alabama
October 1 Georgia Tech
October 8 Central Michigan
November 5 North Carolina
November 19 Clemson
November 26 Maryland
Oklahoma
3 of 27The Sooners haven’t lost a home game since 2005, and they are a sizzling 61-2 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since 2001.
Having Oklahoma on this list is a natural, but 2011 is especially promising with all the stars aligning once again in Norman.
My best guess is that Missouri and Texas A&M will give the Sooners the most to worry about at home but don’t forget the opener against a very talented Tulsa team who could leave Oklahoma shaken (though not completely stirred).
Oklahoma’s 2011 home slate:
September 3 Tulsa
September 24 Missouri
October 1 Ball State
October 22 Texas Tech
November 5 Texas A&M
November 26 Iowa State
Louisville
4 of 27In a rebuilding year, it’s usually favorable to face your toughest foes at home, but, unfortunately for the Cardinals, this won’t be the case in 2011.
Louisville has two tough non-conference games on the road (Kentucky and North Carolina) and then faces Big East foes Cincinnati, West Virginia, UConn and USF all on the road.
If the Cardinals can manage a win at Cardinal Stadium over Pitt in mid November, they may find perfection at home for the first time since 2006.
Louisville’s 2011 home schedule:
September 1 FCS Murray State
September 9 Florida International
October 1 Marshall
October 21 Rutgers
October 29 Syracuse
November 12 Pittsburgh
Nebraska
5 of 27The Cornhuskers haven’t enjoyed a perfect season at Memorial Stadium since 2001, a feat they nearly repeated in 2010 when they went 6-1 at home, losing only a shocker to Texas 13-20.
Nebraska becomes a member of the newly expanded Big Ten in 2011, and though they face Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa at home, the bulk of their new challenges come on the road.
If Nebraska can go unscathed at home, you can bet they’ll be vying for their first ever Big Ten crown.
Regardless of how it comes out, it will be thrilling.
The Cornhuskers 2011 home schedule:
September 3 FCS Chattanooga
September 10 Fresno State
September 17 Washington
October 8 Ohio State
October 29 Michigan State
November 5 Northwestern
November 25 Iowa
SMU
6 of 27The Mustangs return 18 starters from last season’s 2010 squad that went 7-7, and any improvements will have to come in the face of one of the toughest road schedules in college football.
At Texas A&M, at TCU, at Southern Miss, at Tulsa and at Houston…not the stuff gridiron dreams are built on.
The good news is that the home slate is much more manageable, and the Ponies have a real opportunity to right the ship on a home record that is 26-34 over the past 10 years.
SMU will need perfection at home to earn them their third straight bowl bid which is a feat they haven’t accomplished since the heady pre-death penalty days of the early 80s.
SMU’s 2011 home slate:
September10 UTEP
September 17 FCS Northwestern State
October 15 UCF
November 5 Tulane
November 12 Navy
November 26 Rice
Texas A&M
7 of 27The Aggies were 6-1 at home in 2010 with their only loss coming to Missouri (9-30) in a game that was the precursor to A&M’s brilliant six-game winning streak to close out the regular season.
In 2011, the Ags will be tested early (don’t discount the opener against SMU), often (Oklahoma State and Missouri both come calling this year) and late (Texas visits College Station for the traditional Turkey Day feast-ti-val).
If Texas A&M can play with the same level of intensity that they showed late in 2010 (minus the Cotton Bowl loss to LSU), then they have a legitimate chance of doing way more than running the tables at home.
The Aggies 2011 home slate:
September 4 SMU
September 17 Idaho
September 24 Oklahoma State
October 15 Baylor
October 29 Missouri
November 19 Kansas
November 24 Texas
Southern Miss
8 of 27Southern Miss may be the least talked about team in the nation with the most real potential to do something big in 2011.
The Golden Eagles return enough talent to win a bunch of games, and their overall schedule does nothing but make things look bright and shiny in Hattiesburg.
Of note, Southern Miss last went undefeated at “The Rock” in 2009, and their record at Roberts Stadium is an impressive 41-16 over the last decade.
The Golden Eagles 2011 home schedule:
September 3 Louisiana Tech
September 17 FCS Southeastern Louisiana
October 1 Rice
October 22 SMU
November 12 UCF
November 26 Memphis
TCU
9 of 27Despite the huge personnel in turnover (the Horned Frogs return only eight starters from their Rose Bowl triumph), TCU is capable of winning every game on their schedule which obviously puts them in position to win out at Amon G. Carter Stadium in scenic Fort Worth.
Gary Patterson is a Master Rebuilder (MB), and though it’s difficult to think the Frogs will play as well as they did in 2010, they definitely will be a factor in their final Mountain West conference race.
The Horned Frogs are a scintillating 51-7 at home over the last decade and last lost a home game in 2007.
TCU’s 2011 home schedule:
September 17 ULM
September 24 FCS Portland State
September 30 SMU
October 22 New Mexico
November 19 Colorado State
December 3 UNLV
UCLA
10 of 27UCLA may finally have the right combination of coaches and players in place to begin to show real improvement in 2011, the only issue with this is a brutal road schedule (at Stanford, at Arizona, at Utah and at UCLA).
But, the silver lining is a home slate that actually looks “doable.” Yep, if the Bruins can knock off Texas in Week 3 (uh, yeah, it could happen), they have a legit shot of perfection in the Rose Bowl.
UCLA is definitely the most “out there” pick on this list but don’t forget that, despite the ugliness in L.A., the Bruins are 40-21 over the last decade at home (versus 22-34 on the road).
The Bruins 2011 home schedule:
September 10 San Jose State
September 17 Texas
October 8 Washington State
October 29 California
November 5 Arizona State
November 19 Colorado
Alabama
11 of 27Another legitimate national championship contender, the Crimson Tide have all the right stuff in place not only to win their all their home games, but to possibly run the tables on the entire season.
Alabama is 53-19 at home over the past 10 years and enjoyed back-to-back perfect seasons at Bryant Denny in 2008-09.
The Crimson Tide’s 2011 home slate:
September 3 Kent State
September 17 North Texas
September 24 Arkansas
October 8 Vanderbilt
October 22 Tennessee
November 5 LSU
November 19 FCS Georgia Southern
Troy
12 of 27It’s fairly easy to leave Troy out of most discussions that involve college football’s heavy hitters but don’t forget that the Sun Belt’s Trojans are 41-6 at home in the last decade and have posted a perfect home record five of the last 10 years.
Troy opens their 2011 campaign with an ugly two-fisted punch that starts at Clemson and finishes at Arkansas, but after that, the Trojans host a group of opponents that they can certainly beat on their way to their sixth straight Sun Belt crown.
It’s also easier to clean the table at home when you only play five home contests.
Troy’s 2011 home slate:
September 24 Middle Tennessee
October 1 UAB
October 15 ULM
November 12 North Texas
November 19 Florida Atlantic
Miami FL
13 of 27The Hurricanes haven’t gone undefeated at home since 2002 and 2011’s slate presents about as good as an opportunity for perfection at Sun Life as they’ve had in quite some time.
This quest is obviously complicated by a Week 3 visit from Ohio State—a team which is now an unknown variable and has to be considered a team more “beatable” based on the forced attrition in all areas of the program.
The Hurricane’s 2011 home slate:
September 17 Ohio State
September 24 Kansas State
October 1 FCS Bethune-Cookman
October 22 Georgia Tech
October 27 Virginia
November 5 Duke
November 25 Boston College
Wisconsin
14 of 27It’s unfortunate that the world of college football is currently ensconced in one NCAA scandal after another because while we all collectively take our eye off the proverbial ball, storylines like Wisconsin are being under exposed.
The Badgers answered their outstanding QB issues by picking up Russell Wilson who left NC State after the 2010 season to play baseball but has since decided to use his final year of eligibility elsewhere.
Now that Wisconsin has its running game back, its defense AND a superstar quarterback they may be in the driver’s seat in the new Big Ten Leaders Division and look primed to make a huge national splash.
The Badger’s 2011 home slate is no cupcake affair, but they have all the pieces in place to win every one of these games. And let’s remember that Wisconsin is 55-14 at Camp Randall over the last decade and has gone unscathed on their home field four times during that span (the latest being last season).
Wisconsin’s 2011 home schedule:
September 3 UNLV
September 10 Oregon State
September 24 FCS South Dakota
October 1 Nebraska
October 15 Indiana
November 5 Purdue
November 26 Penn State
Georgia
15 of 27Georgia has the returning talent and relative ease of schedule (by SEC standards) to make 2011 look chock full of potential.
The Bulldogs are a scorching 51-12 at home since 2001 and were 5-1 last season between the hedges—a mark achieved despite the ugly 6-7 finish.
In 2011, Georgia faces the meat of their competition at home which makes the schedule more favorable overall but tougher at Sanford Stadium. Regardless, they could win every game on the slate.
The Bulldogs 2011 home schedule:
September 10 South Carolina
September 17 FCS Coastal Carolina
October 1 Mississippi State
November 5 New Mexico State
November 12 Auburn
November 19 Kentucky
Boise State
16 of 27Even with the move from the WAC to the Mountain West, it’s no surprise that Boise State is on nearly everyone’s list to potentially re-bust the BCS.
The most provocative game on the Broncos schedule is the opener against Georgia in the Georgia Dome, but there are a few home games against quality teams that should make keeping the blue turf blameless a chore (Tulsa, Nevada, Air Force and TCU).
Regardless, Boise State is 63-2 in Bronco Stadium since 2001, and the Blue Turfers last loss at home came in 2005.
Boise State’s 2011 home slate:
September 24 Tulsa
October 1 Nevada
October 22 Air Force
November 12 TCU
November 26 Wyoming
December 3 New Mexico
Oregon
17 of 27I guess when you’ve got a team that is a legitimate national title contender, it’s fairly obvious that they have a very high likelihood of running the tables at home.
The Ducks have been perfect in Autzen over the last two seasons and last lost a home game in 2008 when they fell victim to Boise State 32-37.
The 2011 schedule looks challenging, but you have to figure that Oregon has as good a chance, if not, better than going unscathed at home than does anyone else in the nation.
Oregon’s 2011 home slate:
September 10 Nevada
September 17 FCS Missouri State
October 6 California
October 15 Arizona State
October 29 Washington State
November 19 USC
November 26 Oregon State
LSU
18 of 27The Tigers are also a legitimate part of the preseason championship discussion, and though they have lots of question marks on the field, if they survive their schedule, they’ll deserve to be BCS bound
What looks to be LSU’s biggest SEC challenge, the game against Alabama, is on the road as are two key non-conference games which might decide the Tigers fate before the season even gets completely underway (Oregon in Arlington and West Virginia at Morgantown).
The home schedule certainly isn’t easy, but if LSU really has the sort of squad to make a run, these games are “winnable.”
LSU’s 2011 home schedule:
September 10 FCS Northwestern State
October 1 Kentucky
October 8 Florida
October 22 Auburn
November 12 Western Kentucky
November 25 Arkansas
ULM
19 of 27The Louisiana Monroe Warhawks return 17 starters to a squad that went 5-7 in 2010 and are primed to make a move upwards in head coach Todd Berry’s second season in Monroe.
Though they play games on the road at Florida State, at TCU and at Iowa at the beginning of the season, ULM has a golden opportunity to improve on their 25-25 home record over the last decade.
The biggest hurdle to perfection will more than likely be the home closer against a very good Florida International team, but if ULM can knock off Troy earlier in the season, this contest could well decide the Sun Belt championship.
ULM’s 2011 home schedule:
September 10 FCS Grambling State
October 8 Arkansas State
October 29 Western Kentucky
November 12 Middle Tennessee
November 19 Florida International
North Carolina
20 of 27After last season’s suspension and injury-fueled debacle, who knows how the Tar Heels will play in 2011.
My guess is that they will improve on their 8-5 finish and may be the dark horse candidate to win the ACC Coastal Crown.
The Tar Heels were 3-3 last season at Kenan Stadium, but that number should improve in 2011 with what is (with the exception of a mid October visit from the Hurricanes) a somewhat “soft” home schedule.
The Tar Heels 2011 home schedule:
September 3 FCS James Madison
September 10 Rutgers
September 17 Virginia
October 8 Louisville
October 15 Miami FL
October 29 Wake Forest
November 26 Duke
Missouri
21 of 27The Missouri Tigers have a few things working against them coming into 2011.
First, they’ll play in a conference that is smaller but has four very real contenders who will be difficult to beat (and the Tigers will play all of them in the new Big 12 format), secondly most of their toughest games are on the road, and third, they have a new quarterback and road trips to Arizona State and Oklahoma during the first four weeks of the season.
I suppose the silver lining to all of this is the fact that that Missouri has more winnable games at home than on the road.
Can they beat Oklahoma State and Texas at Memorial Stadium? Absolutely; remember this is a team that returns 15 starters from a squad that went 6-0 at home last season.
If the QB replacement project is successful, anything could happen at Mizzou.
Missouri’s 2011 home slate:
September 3 Miami OH
September 17 FCS Western Illinois
October 15 Iowa State
October 22 Oklahoma State
November 12 Texas
November 19 Texas Tech
Utah
22 of 27Utah’s rise to the heights of the Pac-12 is almost (but not quite) as exciting as Nebraska’s somewhat lateral move to the Big Ten.
The Utes return 12 starters from their 10-3 offering in 2010, and their home slate offers a solid possibility for perfection.
Utah is 49-9 over the past decade at Rice-Eccles Stadium and have posted perfect records there four out of the past 10 seasons.
The big question is whether or not Utah can repeat their successes on a much bigger (and faster) stage.
The Ute’s 2011 home schedule:
September 1 FCS Montana State
October 1 Washington
October 8 Arizona State
October 29 Oregon State
November 12 UCLA
November 25 Colorado
South Carolina
23 of 27The Gamecocks will more than likely be the preseason favorite (though not overwhelmingly) to win the SEC East, and they certainly have the firepower to get it done.
The schedule is overall favorable by virtue of LSU and Alabama being completely absent and games like Auburn, Florida and Clemson being slated for Columbia.
South Carolina has gone 6-1 at home over the last two seasons and a perfect record at Williams-Brice is certainly in reach for 2011, but it will take some serious closing skills to seal the deal.
Home-field perfection may all come down to the last three weeks of the season when the Gamecocks host Florida and Clemson in a three-week stretch.
South Carolina’s 2011 home schedule:
September 17 Navy
September 24 Vanderbilt
October 1 Auburn
October 8 Kentucky
November 12 Florida
November 26 Clemson
Virginia Tech
24 of 27The Hokies will be retooling in 2011, but like the TCU Horned Frogs, they have a coach that is a talented equipper.
Despite that very real fact, putting Virginia Tech on this list seems like a stretch, not because they won’t be a good team but because the Hokies have had one home loss six of the past seven seasons (the seventh season, in 2008, they were a perfect 6-0), and they host some squads in 2011 that are rising stars.
But, all this aside, Virginia Tech has to be a candidate to run the tables at home, and you’d be a fool to say they absolutely cannot and will not do so.
Virginia Tech’s 2011 home schedule:
September 3 FCS Appalachian State
September 17 Arkansas State
October 1 Clemson
October 8 Miami FL
October 22 Boston College
November 17 North Carolina
Texas
25 of 27The Longhorns lost five games in Austin last year—a feat that seems even more unbelievable when you consider the fact that their total home record over the last decade is 52-9 (meaning that five of the nine losses came just last season).
No matter how you slice it, Texas should be a much better team in 2011, and they will have as good of a chance of reaching perfection at home as will anybody in the country.
The Longhorns 2011 home schedule:
September 3 Rice
September 10 BYU
October 15 Oklahoma State
October 29 Kansas
November 5 Texas Tech
November 19 Kansas State
Nevada
26 of 27The Wolfpack return only 12 starters from their 13-1 offering in 2010, but Nevada has the perfect schedule to go unscathed at home and possibly vie for a WAC title.
Yes, they travel to Oregon in the opener (ouch), and they also have road trips to Texas Tech and Boise State, but the schedule in Reno is golden.
Hawaii looms as the big hitter for Nevada but don’t forget that the Warriors only return nine starters from last season and only three from their highly-prolific offensive attack.
Curiously, Nevada doesn’t even take the field at home until October 8.
Nevada’s 2011 home slate:
October 8 UNLV
October 15 New Mexico
October 22 Fresno State
November 12 Hawaii
November 19 Louisiana Tech
December 3 Idaho
Notre Dame
27 of 27The haters will hate it, and the faithful will hail it as “the truth,” but Notre Dame could potentially win every game on their 2011 schedule.
The Irish return a whopping 17 starters this season, and it remains to be seen whether or not potential and promise can flower into wins and championships.
Notre Dame doesn’t have any real cupcakes on their home slate, but again, they could beat every single team.
Notre Dame’s 2011 home schedule:
September 3 USF
September 17 Michigan State
October 8 Air Force
October 22 USC
October 29 Navy
November 19 Boston College
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