Preseason College Football Rankings 2011: The 8 Most Overrated Teams in the Poll

The problem with the Coaches Poll is that nobody really knows where every team is in their preparation for the upcoming season.

Also, when voting comes down to two teams, normally the team with the more football respect gets the nod.  That makes sense except for when 20 or more coaches use this strategy and teams such as Texas and Georgia make it into the preseason Top 25. 

It is wrong that Arizona State and Arizona did not crack the Top 25 in this year's preseason poll.

Mind you, this is not the fault of any of the teams on this list; but the ill-informed coaches that vote for teams that are not worthy of a preseason ranking. 

8. TCU Horned Frogs

Yes, they went 13-0 last season and proved they are worthy of BCS competition, but without Andy Dalton, they won’t be nearly as good. 

The Horned Frogs have extremely talented athletes at their skill positions in Josh Boyce and Ed Wesley.  Their starting quarterback will be Casey Pachall who threw a total of nine passes last season.  He will be entering his sophomore year and it will not be an easy transition. 

The Horned Frog faithful fully expect immediate success from this kid and if it doesn’t happen immediately, watch out for the wheels to come off early in the season.  

7. Florida Gators

Although all five of their losses last season came against ranked opponents, I don’t think the Gators should be ranked in the preseason Coaches’ poll.

Florida was 88^th in passing yards last season and John Brantley is coming back for another year (not a good sign). The leading receiver for the Gators last season had only 36 receptions. 

I think that this team is one of the most athletic teams in the nation, but that doesn’t always translate to success in football. 

Also, there is a new head coach in Gainesville; making it even more probable that they will falter early in the season.  I think the Gators are a good team, but not deserving of a preseason Top 25 ranking.  

6. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks should be ranked in the Top 25, but not as high as 14.  I think in the low 20’s would be appropriate, but after losing their star quarterback, Ryan Mallet, they are an unpredictable preseason team. 

We know that Knile Davis will have a great year this upcoming season after finishing his sophomore year with 1,183 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

The SEC has a lot of teams that are reloading and Arkansas is no exception.  The Razorbacks should finish strong next year and Tyler Wilson should have a good first season as the starting quarterback, but they have an inflated preseason ranking.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

There is no way Ohio deserves to be ranked 16^th in the Coaches’ poll.  Yes they were very good last year, finishing 12-1, but with the losses of Terrelle Pryor for the season and Dan Herron and DeVier Posey gone for the first five games, they will not come close to that next season. 

They lost their Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback, their two best rushers in Herron and Pryor and their two best receivers, Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher to the NFL. 

Their defense will continue to dominate opponents like last year when they hold opposing teams to only 14 points per game; fifth best in the NCAA.  The Buckeyes do not deserve to be this high in the preseason rankings, especially after their tumultuous offseason. 

4. Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs had one of their worst seasons in recent memory last year going 6-7 and yet somehow they are ranked 22^nd overall in the preseason rankings. 

There is no reason they should even be close to a Top 25 ranking.  Yes, Aaron Murray is a very talented quarterback and will be much improved from last year, but with the loss of their biggest offensive threat in A.J. Green, he will have to find a new target. 

Their two running backs Washaun Ealey and Caleb King both will not be returning this season after transferring to Jacksonville State and being ineligible for the season respectively.  There is no reason they should be ranked in the preseason Top 25 and they shouldn’t finish better than 8-5 this season.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

There is no reason why Penn State should be ranked.  They finished last year with a 7-6 record while going 0-4 against Top 25 teams. 

The Nittany Lions lost their best offensive threat in Evan Royster and have no signs that things are going to be turned around.  Joe Paterno is very old and it might be time for him to hand over the reins. 

They scored only 25 points per game last year and didn’t add any more talent in the off-season.  The only reason Penn State is in the Top 25 and not Arizona State is because of the weight of the Penn State football aura.

Because of Joe Paterno’s past success, he gets the nod over Dennis Erickson down in the desert; it's a damn shame.

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

For the last decade, the Irish have been consistently the most overrated preseason team.  Lou Holtz and many others on ESPN seem to think that every year Notre Dame will rise up and return to the successful ways of their storied program. 

They went 8-5 last year playing a very weak schedule.  They lost to Navy, Tulsa and Michigan; all teams that were subpar last season.  They are ranked 18th in the Coaches Poll and although I think they are worthy of receiving votes, I don’t think they deserve to be ranked. 

I think that this team will be the biggest mystery until the season gets rolling, and let’s hope for the sake of ESPN’s dignity that the Irish finally live up to their high preseason ranking.

1. Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns do not deserve at all to be ranked in the Top 25.  They went 5-7 last year, only 1-4 against Big-12 South opponents and 1-4 against Top 25 opponents.

Although they don’t lose many players on offense, they shouldn’t have high standards for the season.  Texas was 88^th in the nation in points scored per game with only 24 per game. 

They also gave up 24 points per game, putting them at 49^th best in the nation.  The only reason they are mentioned in the Top 25 for the 2011 Coaches Poll is because they have the respect of opposing coaches, which shouldn’t be a factor at all in the preseason rankings.