College Football Rankings 2011: Are the Oklahoma Sooners Deserving of No. 1?

Pre-season rankings are released by numerous organizations, including Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, ESPN and Phil Steele, but only the AP and USA Today/Coaches polls are part of the national championship selection process. 

Well, it's now unanimous. The Sooners of the University of Oklahoma are ranked at the top of both pre-season polls that actually mean anything.

This doesn't come as a big surprise to those who follow the college game closely, as the Sooners were being anointed the likely number one team for 2011 way back in January. After all, depending on who was counting, the Sooners were returning up to 19 starters from last year's 12-2, Big 12 Championship and Fiesta Bowl winning team. They had 29 players coming back who have started at least one game for the program.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has proven he knows how to get his team to the biggest stage in the FBS division of college football. Stoops and his talented staff have averaged a BCS title game appearance once out of every three years since he took over the struggling program back in 1999.

OU has an experienced quarterback returning in junior Landry Jones, who threw for over 4,500 yards and tossed 38 touchdown passes last year.

They return senior receiver Ryan Broyles, who could become the NCAA all-time leader in receptions and yardage by the time he finishes his career.

Broyles will be complimented by sophomore receiver Kenny Stills, who set a program record for receptions by a freshman last season.

Dejuan Miller, Jazz Reynolds, Trey Franks and a host of other talented ball catchers are all eagerly competing to show why they were such highly coveted recruits coming out of high school.

Landry Jones will be protected by an offensive line that returns four starters along with other contributors from last season.

The tight end and fullback positions both return starters that played significant roles for the Sooners in 2010.

The only position with a question mark on offense is at running back where the Sooners must replace DeMarco Murray, who took his skills to the NFL after becoming the program's all-time leader in touchdown production. However, as good as Murray was, the running game managed a measly 3.3 yards per carry last season, the worst average since official statistics were first tracked back in 1936.

If the talk coming from Norman is to be believed, a simplified blocking scheme and a more aggressive attitude from the big eaters up front should improve a rushing attack that is likely to feature a running back by committee approach.

Obviously, the Sooners offense should be able to move the chains and score a lot of points this season. In fact, approaching the record-setting production of the 2008 Sam Bradford-led version may be a distinct possibility.

The biggest question marks for Oklahoma are on the defensive side of the ball.

In January, it appeared the Sooners would have eight starters returning to the defense for the 2011 season. Despite losing All-Conference end Jeremy Beal, All-American safety Quinton Carter and fellow safety Jonathan Nelson, Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables had reasons to be optimistic that his defense would show vast improvement going into this season.

Travis Lewis was returning for his senior year after leading the team in tackles his first three seasons. Fellow senior middle linebacker Austin Box had finally overcome injury issues that had limited his role and had solidified a shaky run defense over the final five games of 2010.

The young defensive line was healthy and had gained valuable experience over the course of last season. The pass rush had playmakers in ends Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis to help minimize the impact of losing Beal. 

Oklahoma had a pair of cornerbacks coming back in Jamell Fleming and Demontre Hurst who had played well last season, with Fleming making the all-conference team and leading the nation in passes defended in 2010.

The biggest question marks were at safety, but Venables knew he had talent waiting in the wings with Aaron Colvin, Sam Proctor and Javon Harris, along with others, ready to step up and provide stability.

It was looking like the Sooners would sport a championship-caliber defense to go with an offense that would be amongst the best in the country.

But then Murphy's Law struck Norman.

First came the tragic and untimely death of linebacker Austin Box back in May from an apparent overdose of pain medications.

Then it was announced that defensive tackle Daniel Noble had never recovered from a concussion he had suffered during the 2010 season and was giving up football because of safety concerns. As a true freshman, Noble had played well until the injury and was expected to contribute heavily in the defensive tackle rotation.

Two weeks ago Travis Lewis suffered a broken toe that could potentially keep him on the sidelines until the Red River Rivalry against Texas in October.

Now the eligibility of defensive end Ronnell Lewis, who many expected to have a breakout season after switching positions from linebacker last season, remains in doubt. Lewis needed to pass summer school courses to keep his academic standing in good order and, despite the summer session ending a few weeks ago, still has not been cleared to play this season.

All of the sudden, the 2011 defense is looking very shaky.

It is expected that Tom Wort will fill the void on the field left by the passing of Austin Box, though the void in the hearts of his teammates and coaches may always be there. Wort has ability, making some freshman All-American teams last year, but was inconsistent for much of the season while Box recovered from injuries.

Corey Nelson, whom coaches said was the best player on the defense during Spring drills, will fill in for Travis Lewis but cannot be expected to replace the leadership and game acumen the senior defensive playcaller would have brought to the field.

David King and R.J. Washington may have to replace Ronnell Lewis at end if he doesn't regain his eligibility. They may team up to fill his position but neither is likely to replace the explosiveness and disruption that was expected from Lewis coming off the edge.

Defensive tackle will not have the depth that coaches were hoping for at the end of last season. While Casey Walker, Jamarkus McFarland, Stacey McGee and Torrea Peterson may be up to the task of stuffing opponents' rushing attacks, having Daniel Noble back after the experience he gained last year would have been a major boost for an area of concern from last season.

The Sooners surrendered more yards on the ground last year than any previous Bob Stoops coached team, almost 150 yards per game. If the defense hopes to play at a championship level, it must start with limiting the opponents' ability to control the ball using the run game.

Now what looked like a dominant 2011 Oklahoma team back in January has suddenly started to not look so formidable, particularly on defense. While these obstacles are not insurmountable, there is no guarantee the Sooners will be able to overcome them.

Shutting down a talented Tulsa offense on September 3rd and a win in Tallahassee on the 17th against a resurgent Florida State team ranked in the top 10 of the country could provide Oklahoma with the intestinal fortitude necessary to handle the adversity the team has dealt with since last season and propel Stoops' Troops back to yet another shot at a national title.