College Football Preseason Rankings 2011: Picks That Are Consistently Wrong

Every season, there are those handful of preseason ranked teams that the voters flat out just get wrong. For instance, last preseason, Pitt was the No. 15 team in the nation, and we all know how things turned out for them.

The point being that every year, some teams get more a lot more love in the preseason polls than they likely deserve.

Let's take a look at what teams in this year's preseason Top 25 got more love than they likely deserved.

Stanford

The Cardinal clock in at No. 6, and while I like this team a great deal, it's going to be difficult to repeat what Andrew Luck and company did last season.

Jim Harbaugh is gone, and you can argue what type of effect that will have on the team, if any. But one impact that will be felt is the now thin Stanford receiving core.

I do like this team a great deal and David Shaw will have success off the bat, but it could be a team to suffer a couple losses along the way.

The schedule isn't all together tough, but there could be a slip up or two along the way. Road games against USC and Arizona along with home games against Oregon and Notre Dame will tell the story of Stanford's season.

Notre Dame

If there was a team that this list was made for, look nor further than the Fighting Irish, who as of late have always seemed to disappoint, given their preseason ranking.

This year it's only No. 18, but that could still be high for the Irish.

Looking at their schedule, it could possibly be a ranking that's too low for Notre Dame. The schedule isn't that difficult, but it's not that easy either.

Could be a big year for Notre Dame, but it also could wind up being another huge disappointment. Until I see it though, they make the list.

Michigan State

The Spartans are another team that tend to fall short of preseason expectations. The only way to shed that image is to consistently win big games, something Michigan State has been unable to do.

While the preseason No. 17 ranking could wind up being about right in the end, they are going to have to beat some good Big Ten teams in conference to earn it.

Granted, they were 7-1 in conference last year, but can they repeat it?

Nebraska

I'm a fan of Bo Pelini and what he has going on at Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers likely will see a drop form the No. 11 spot they start out at.

The transition to the weekly grind of the Big Ten schedule could be very tough, and while the Huskers out of conference schedule is cake, the conference schedule could turn out to be costly for Nebraska.

Texas A&M

The Aggies are definitely a program on the rise, but are we ready to believe they are a Top-10 team?

They definitely have the talent, but their schedule features four other Big 12 ranked teams as well as a season ending rivalry game against Texas.

Good for the Aggies that all but one of those games are at home, but if they fail to take care of business, they won't sniff the Top 10.

Oklahoma State

You have to love the explosive Oklahoma State offense, but they are another team that has to convince me they are Top-10 worthy.

Winning the games they are supposed to win can go a long way to proving that, but I need to see it out of them.  Their schedule isn't very difficult, but there are always some Big 12 bumps in the road along the way

Georgia

Georgia is a team that can find themselves out of the Top 25 right off the bat with games against Boise State and South Carolina to kick off the season.

Replacing their best weapon in A.J. Green won't be easy, so there will be a ton of pressure on Aaron Murray right off the bat.

As if the season's first two games weren't tough enough, the rest of the SEC schedule lies ahead for the Bulldogs. It will be very tough for them in 2011.