2011 College Football AP Top 25: Breaking Down Why Penn State Is Unranked

The Associated Press has released their preseason Top 25 and the Oklahoma Sooners are number one, followed by Alabama.  Keep scrolling down the poll and you will find a record eight SEC teams and just four Big Ten teams.  None of those schools are Penn State.

Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State are all in the AP Top 25 for the start of the season while Penn State has some proving to do.  Are you surprised?  Should you be?

Coming off a 7-6 season, there are a number of reasons why Penn State is starting the 2011 season outside of the AP Top 25. Here are seven.

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Google+ and Twitter. Become a fan of him on Facebook.

1. Quarterback Situation

The quarterback situation at Penn State is one of the first areas of the team people will look at.  Last season saw two players, Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, lead the team and the competition for the starting job in 2011 remains open between the two.

The quarterbacks make Penn State a bit of a wild card this season.  Will it be more of the same from last season or will Bolden or McGloin improve from 2010?

Until we know for sure, it will be difficult to make out exactly what the offense will be looking like this season.

2. Running Game Overlooked?

Silas Redd will lead the running attack this season, and that has many Penn State fans feeling good about the production this season.  The rest of the country has not caught on to what may be on of the best kept secrets in the Big Ten. 

Read through all of the national or outsider previews of Penn State and they will say that replacing the school's all-time rushing leader will be one of the biggest problems for Penn State, but Redd is more than capable of taking over the role of first-string rusher.

If the offensive line gels faster than last season, then Redd should be able to have a pretty decent season, and it will not be long until others take notice.

3. Derek Moye Not a Huge Name

Derek Moye may not be one of the best wide receivers Penn State has ever had, but is clearly the top receiver on the team right now. 

Penn State's leading receiver has caught 15 touchdown passes and is coming off a season in which he led the team in receiving with 885 yards and eight touchdowns.

Time will tell if Penn State has another legitimate threat in the passing game.  Justin Brown has lacked consistency, and Devon Smith is generally used for deep threats and reverses.

4. Strong Secondary Held Back

One of the strongest units on the team appears to be the defensive secondary.  The unit has been praised by ESPN's Big Ten bloggers and Phil Steele, and now it is time for the players to see if they can live up to the hype.

D'Anton Lynn, Nick Sukay, Chaz Powell and Stephon Morris form a dependable secondary unit, and there may be some quality depth with Derrick Thomas a rising star in the defensive backfield.

The problem is, if the defensive line and linebackers are struggling up in front of them, the effectiveness of the secondary will be hampered.

5. Unproven Offensive Line

Sure, the offensive line loses Stefen Wisniewski and Lou Eliades, but the line also returns a solid mix of veterans.  But nobody seems to pay attention to that.  Can you blame them?

Penn State's offensive line got better as the season went along.  But when they went toe-to-toe with worthy competition – the offensive line struggled to provide protection needed for the quarterbacks to find time to work with and for the running game to have any impact.

The offensive line may be the most underrated unit on the team this season, and a decent performance against Alabama should change some minds.

6. Linebacker U Rebounding

Linebackers are the staple of Penn State's defense. 

From Jack Ham to Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman, with Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor, Shane Conlan, LaVar Arrington and more sprinkled in between, no other position has been as storied at Penn State as the linebacker position.

By most accounts, the linebacker position could be the strong asset for Penn State this season, if they stay healthy. 

Michael Mauti will anchor the middle of the field and Nate Stupar and Gerald Hodges will flank the outsides.  Khairi Fortt will work his way in to the mix as well as he continues to impress and develop.

The linebackers may not be the flashiest group in the nation, nor will they possess the top athleticism, but they are typical Penn State linebackers who will track down the ball and rack up the tackles.  And this is a good thing.

7. Tougher Attitude Needed

The reports coming out of practice have indicated that Penn State has been running a tougher camp this season.  Joe Paterno won't admit to it an questions if it is the toughest they have ever had, but anything the team can do to set a new tone for the season seems to be working.

The question now becomes whether or not it pays dividends for the upcoming season.

Penn State was pushed around more than any Penn State team has been in recent memory in 2010, including by teams such as Temple and Illinois in games played in Beaver Stadium.  Surely that did not sit well with Paterno and his staff, and they are looking to make amends for that now.

The new and improved attitude will still need to be proven on the field, including an early home game against Alabama.  Just how much are these tougher practices going to pay off? We may soon find out.

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com.  Follow his college football discussion on Google+ and Twitter. Become a fan of him on Facebook.