Preseason College Football Rankings 2011: 10 Overrated Teams That Won't Make BCS

Every college football season, pundits and fans alike go through the same ritual, ranking the top teams in the nation and maybe adding in a tiny bit of bias along the way.

This preseason will be no different.

A handful of teams are receiving far too much credit, either because of their record last season, the fact that they've historically been top programs or, simply, poor judgment by College Football Nation.

Last season, the Florida Gators were ranked No. 4 in the nation in the preseason.

At the end of a highly disappointing season, they didn't even make the top 25.

Same goes for such teams as Texas (ranked No. 5 before the season), Iowa (No. 9), Miami (No. 13), USC (No. 14), Pittsburgh (No. 15), Georgia Tech (No. 16), North Carolina (No. 18), Penn State (No. 19), Georgia (No. 23), Oregon State (No. 24) and West Virginia (No. 25).

In case you lost count, that's a total of 12 teams that fell out of the AP Top 25 by the end of the season.

Looking back on it, some of it was predictable, some of it wasn't.

Here are my 10 most overrated teams expected to contend for a BCS berth.

10. Stanford Cardinal

The only reason I have the Stanford Cardinal at No. 10 and not higher is because of the top quarterback in the nation, Andrew Luck.

But he can't carry the entire team.

Not only have the Cardinal lost receivers Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin and three starting offensive linemen, they've also lost several key pieces on defense.

They've also lost their leader, head coach Jim Harbaugh, who departed to coach the San Francisco 49ers.

Harbaugh also took away their defensive coordinator for good measure.

Given the Cardinal have Luck, I understand why people are saying they could have a shot at a BCS berth. But how often we forget that football is a team sport.

9. Connecticut Huskies

I have the Big East champion Connecticut Huskies at No. 9 and not higher because many are expecting them to regress this season, given that they honestly shouldn't have won the Big East title.

They outscored BCS conference opponents by only 16 points, were outscored in Big East games by a wide margin and their passing efficiency ranking was 112th in the nation last season.

On top of that, the coach who led them to a surprising turnaround, Randy Edsall, has now departed for the Maryland Terrapins.

In a preseason media poll released Aug. 2, the Huskies not only weren't expected to repeat as Big East champs, they were expected to finish sixth out of the eight teams in the conference.

Did I mention they lost their top running back, Jordan Todman?

8. Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers aren't going to completely fall off the map; they still have some solid pieces to contend with.

But it's hard to compete for a BCS spot when you lose 2010's most dominant player, quarterback Cam Newton, and also see one of the nation's most dominant linemen, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, head to the National Football League.

Four starters on the offensive line need to be replaced, including All-America tackle Lee Ziemba and All-SEC center Ryan Pugh, and the schedule doesn't get any easier, with upcoming matchups against South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia.

This is more of a rebuilding season than a repeat bid.

7. TCU Horned Frogs

While the Auburn Tigers lost two prominent pieces, the TCU Horned Frogs lost a boatload.

Not only did the Horned Frogs lose quarterback Andy Dalton to the NFL, they have to replace four offensive linemen, receivers Jimmy Young and Jeremy Kerley and five starters on defense (three in secondary, two on line).

If there was ever a test for head coach Gary Patterson, this is it.

If he somehow gets the Horned Frogs to a BCS berth this season, he has truly developed a powerhouse of a program.

6. Utah Utes

The Utah Utes went 10-3 last season and have been gaining considerable buzz in their transition to the Pac-12 conference.

But they won a lot of games by just a few points, winning four games by four points or less.

When they faced the powerhouses of 2010, they got absolutely destroyed. They were outscored by TCU, Notre Dame and Boise State, 101-13.

The Utes face a strong crop of quarterbacks this season, which doesn't help considering they were ranked 88th in pass defense efficiency last season.

They could be set up for a big fall this season.

5. Maryland Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins did pick up a good leader in former Connecticut Huskies coach Randy Edsall, but that doesn't change the fact that there are some serious warning signs for this team going forward.

Despite the Terrapins being 9-4 last season, the only team they beat that was in the top 25 at one point was North Carolina.

This season, they go up against Miami (FL), West Virginia, Florida State and Notre Dame, all teams that figure to rebound in 2011.

You add in the fact that four of their nine wins were by one possession or less last season, and you have yourself a team with all the wrong momentum in 2011.

4. LSU Tigers

You've gotta love what head coach Les Miles has done with the LSU Tigers program, leading them to a 11-2 record last season in a truly magical year.

But magic isn't something you can just pull out of a hat when the game is on the line.

Six of LSU's 11 wins were by seven points or fewer last season. While that shows just how thrilling the Tigers' season was in 2010, it also doesn't figure to happen twice in a row.

On top of this, LSU just lost a cornerback in Patrick Peterson who is being called a once-in-a-generation player as he begins his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

It also doesn't help that Jordan Jefferson is the squad's quarterback, who rushed for as many touchdowns as he threw for in 2010. While that would be gravy if he was Cam Newton, he's Jordan Jefferson, and that means he passed for seven touchdowns...next to 10 interceptions.

Yikes.

3. Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies are being mentioned a lot as a potential breakthrough candidate in the Big 12, in particular because of quarterback Ryan Tannehill's emergence last season.

But their record last season (9-4) wasn't that great, and they weren't that special in several statistical categories, including turnover margin and sacks allowed.

They were ranked 80th in the nation in turnover margin.

We all know turnovers are a huge part of football.

It also doesn't help that the Aggies have a rough schedule this season, matched up with such teams as Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri.

I like their team, I just don't see how they are going to earn a BCS berth.

2. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State may have finished 11-2 last season, but the Spartans were the epitome of a team that wasn't as good as their record.

They had an easy schedule, won four games by one possession or less, got blown out by Iowa and Alabama in the Capital Bowl, and finished fifth in the Big Ten in points per game and fourth in points allowed.

They have to replace three offensive linemen, as well as star linebackers Greg Jones and Eric Gordon, and can they really compete with Wisconsin and Nebraska?

In addition to that, they have to face Notre Dame, Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa...all on the road.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

I hate to pile on, Buckeyes fans, but, quite frankly, things do not look very good for you right now.

You have five players suspended for the first five games of the season, you lost your top starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, lost one of the top college football coaches of this era in Jim Tressel, and have several defensive stars you have to replace, including defensive end Cameron Heyward, linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa.

Let me put it this way: If you make a BCS bowl, I would be shocked.

More shocked than when Tressel lied to my face.