2011 College Football Preseason Rankings: 10 Stars Who Will Lead Teams to BCS

College football is a team game, but there are undoubtedly players that can change games with one play.

This slideshow is dedicated to the players who stand out on their squads bound for a BCS bowl game .

I've selected two players from my top five teams (Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida State, Alabama and LSU, in that order) who make a big difference when they hit the field.

For each team, I picked an offensive player and a defensive player to account for both sides of the ball.

First of all, those players who barely missed the cut should be named.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, receiver Ryan Broyles—who had 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns last season—was particularly hard to leave off the list. On the defensive side of the ball, middle linebacker Tom Worts missed the cut after having a stellar rookie campaign in 2010.

For Oregon, quarterback Darron Thomas joined Broyles as the two toughest players to exclude. Thomas had a breakthrough campaign for the Ducks last season. Safety John Boyett also missed the cut, despite having 78 tackles and five interceptions last season.

As for Florida State, linebacker Nigel Bradham missed the list. Bradham is on the Butkus Award watch list this preseason after recording 98 tackles, five sacks, five pass deflections and a fumble recovery in 2010.

For Alabama, linebacker Dont'a Hightower missed the cut. I don't have any concerns about Hightower's injury lingering after his performance against Michigan State last season, but he still just missed the list.

And at LSU, sophomore defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery proved to be one of the best one-two punches on the defensive line in college football, and linebacker Ryan Baker will surely make an impact in Kelvin Sheppard's absence.

For the rest, read on, fellow college football fans.

10. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State

A big reason why the Florida State Seminoles are still highly touted this season despite losing quarterback Christian Ponder is because backup E.J. Manuel is slated to take over.

Despite being a backup to Ponder the last two seasons, Manuel has still found a way to make his mark in big games.

In the 2010 Gator Bowl as a freshman, Manuel earned MVP honors after leading the Seminoles to a 33-21 win over West Virginia, completing 70 percent of his passes and rushing for 69 yards and a TD along the way.

In the ACC Championship Game last season against Virginia Tech, Manuel passed for 288 yards and a touchdown, completing over 74 percent of his passes.

Said coach Jimbo Fisher, via ESPN:

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"He is very accurate, he runs well, has great command and is a natural leader. He is extremely tough and our guys respond to him well. I will be shocked if he doesn't have a very successful season."

"

Manuel isn't a top-tier quarterback, but I think he's going to surprise a lot of people.

9. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU

One of the reasons the LSU Tigers still have one of the best secondaries in college football this season despite losing top corner Patrick Peterson to the NFL is because of a guy by the name of Tyrann Mathieu.

As a freshman last season, Mathieu often played like an All-SEC selection. It wasn't just his numbers (8.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, two interceptions, nine pass deflections); it was that he looked even better than his numbers, routinely dazzling on the field and making highlight-reel plays.

Mathieu very well could be better than my No. 9 ranking this season, but I still want to see what he does as the team's No. 1 corner.

He's no Patrick Peterson, but he's still a nightmare for opposing offenses.

8. Rueben Randle, WR, LSU

I don't have the most faith in Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson this season, but receiver Rueben Randle is sure to make things a lot easier on him.

Randle had 544 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers in nine games last season, but it's what he did in big games that has me projecting him to have a breakthrough season in 2011.

Among his big games: 71 yards and a TD at North Carolina, 73 yards and a TD at Auburn and 125 yards and a TD vs. Alabama.

Randle has matured more as a receiver, and you would have to think he would get at least a little better QB play out of Jefferson or sophomore signal-caller Zach Mettenberger this season.

7. Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

Senior weakside linebacker Travis Lewis is coming off an eye-opening season in 2010, recording a team-high 109 tackles and three interceptions for 43 yards.

He's as much a threat around the ball-carrier as he is dropping back in coverage, needing one interception to break the school record for interceptions from a linebacker.

Lewis has a legitimate shot at grabbing the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award this season, and seems destined for the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

6. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon

While I have one cornerback higher than Cliff Harris on this list, in terms of big-play ability, Harris could be the nation's most dangerous corner.

He led the Pac-10 with six interceptions (for 92 yards) and 17 pass breakups last season, including a 76-yard runback for a touchdown against Tennessee.

On top of that, he's arguably the nation's most dangerous returner, running back four punt returns for touchdowns in 2010.

He also had an interception for 22 yards against Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers in the BCS Championship Game.

Scary big-play ability.

5. Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State

To put it simply, Florida State Seminoles defensive end Brandon Jenkins is a beast.

He was a second-team All-American last season, and he helped the Seminoles rank third in the nation with 3.5 sacks per game. As for himself? Oh, just a mere 13.5 sacks on the season.

Said coach Jimbo Fisher, via ESPN:

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"We expect him to have a great year. Not only is Brandon a very good player, he is also a very instinctive player. He understands the game of football very well. I think he is a guy that our guys look to for sure."

"

Jenkins is another one of those defensive players it would be hard to see not make it into the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

He's also going to be a key figure in the Seminoles' quest for a national championship.

4. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

There are several candidates in the race to be the first cornerback selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, but I see Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick being that guy.

He's a complete player, in coverage, tackling ability and big-play ability.

The junior had 43 tackles and three interceptions in his first year as starting for Nick Saban's Crimson Tide last season, and he's already been added to the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list (given to the top defensive player in the country) and the Jim Thorpe Award watch list (given to the top defensive back in the country).

Kirkpatrick is not only highly skilled, he has the poise of a champion, which is why Alabama's defense is being projected to be one of the best in the country this season.

3. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Alabama junior Trent Richardson will not only battle with one particular tailback for honors of the country's top running back, he'll also likely be in the running for the Heisman Trophy.

A big reason why the Crimson Tide are still looking good in the backfield despite losing Mark Ingram is because of Richardson, who is undoubtedly the team's No. 1 threat on offense.

Last season, Richardson rushed for 700 yards on just 112 rushing attempts paired up with Ingram, good for 6.2 yards per carry. He also added six touchdowns. On top of that, he proved to be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield, catching 23 balls for 266 yards and four touchdowns.

In short, this kid's a handful for opposing defenses, and if the Crimson Tide win a national championship this season, a lot of the credit will likely go to the 5'11", 224-pound spark plug.

2. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma

The No. 1 reason many people have the Oklahoma Sooners as their No. 1 team in the preseason is quarterback Landry Jones.

While Alabama and LSU have some questions under center, Jones could separate the Sooners from the rest of the field in 2011.

Jones will likely finish this season with every major passing record in Oklahoma Sooners history. He already holds the record of 666 completions.

As a sophomore last season, Jones won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, given to the nation's top passer. He passed for an astounding 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

Did I mention he finished strong against the likes of Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Connecticut?

Against OK State, he passed for 468 yards and four touchdowns. Against Nebraska, he passed for 342 yards and a touchdown. And against Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl, he passed for 429 yards and three touchdowns.

I currently have him as the No. 3 QB in the country, behind Stanford's Andrew Luck and USC's Matt Barkley.

By the time the season is through, he may surpass Barkley.

1. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

Oregon Ducks running back LaMichael James would have won the Heisman Trophy last season if it wasn't for a guy by the name of Cam Newton and Stanford's Andrew Luck.

In 2009, James set a Pac-10 record with 1,546 rushing yards as a freshman.

In 2010, he was even better, rushing for over 1,700 yards and 24 total touchdowns (21 rushing, three receiving).

James is only 5'9", but he's exceptionally strong for his size, and he's one of the fastest players on the field. I would say it's like he has sprinter's speed, but he ran track in the spring, so we might as well call him a sprinter-football player hybrid. You add in the fact that he has the moves to shake defenders out of their cleats, and you have a nightmare for opposing defenses.

He had a whopping nine 100-yard games last season, including a 257-yard, three-touchdown performance against Stanford.

If the Ducks win the national title this season, James will be the primary reason they do.