College Football Rankings 2011: Make or Break Game for Each of AP Top 10

Every team in the Top 25 has the one game of its season that will be make or break the season’s success, and the importance of this game can’t be measured.

If these teams want a chance at playing in the BCS Championship game, they have to not only win their key game, but come as close to running the table as they can get.

1. Oklahoma (Big 12)—September 17 @ No. 6 Florida State

Oklahoma’s success will be tested almost immediately, and the Sooners' game against Florida State will be their biggest challenge of the season.

With the Seminoles trying hard to make a splash this season, Oklahoma should not take Florida State lightly or they will be heading back to Oklahoma with a loss. 

2. Alabama (SEC)—November 5 vs. No. 4 LSU

Alabama has returned one of the best classes of any team in NCAA football, and their recruits are also some of the best in the country.

With the tough SEC offering challenges every week, the Crimson Tide’s biggest game will come against the LSU Tigers in Alabama. This game is a must win if Alabama want to have a chance at the BCS National Championship. 

3. Oregon (PAC-12)—September 3 vs. No. 4 LSU

The Oregon Ducks were on the doorstep of winning the BCS National Championship last season, and this year they are looking to take another run at winning it all.

Their tough schedule kicks off with a Week 1 matchup against the fourth ranked team in college football, and Oregon needs to beat LSU if they ever want a chance at returning to the title game. 

4. LSU (SEC)—September 3 vs. No. 3 Oregon 

Whoever schedules the games must hate the LSU Tigers—their list of ridiculous opponents borderlines on a conspiracy.

LSU’s biggest game will come in the first week against the Oregon Ducks who are trying to get back to the BCS National Championship Game. 

5. Boise State (Mountain West)—September 3 @ No. 19 Georgia

Boise State still has one of the most potent offenses in the country, and with this being quarterback Kellen Moore’s final season, it may be Boise State’s last chance at a national title for a while.

The biggest test for the Broncos could actually lend itself to being passed over again for a major BCS bid, especially if Georgia goes on to lose more games later in the season. 

6. Florida State (ACC)—September 17 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma

With one of the best recruiting classes in a long time, Florida State is starting to become a force in Florida for the first time in years.

Most experts believe that next year will be the Seminoles' coming out party, but they don’t want to wait that long and their biggest matchup comes against the nation’s top team early in the 2011 season. 

7. Stanford (PAC-12)—November 12 vs. No. 3 Oregon 

With the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL, it seems that many experts feel like Stanford and quarterback Andre Luck will do better than they really will.

The first game that could shake the season to the core will be against the BCS Championship runner-up Oregon, and their season’s success hinges on that meeting. 

8. Texas A&M (Big 12)—September 24 vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State

Everyone expects the Oklahoma Sooners to beat Texas A&M, so their most important game will be against Oklahoma State two months earlier.

Texas A&M lost many key players from last season, and the early test against Oklahoma State will make or break their season. 

9. Oklahoma State (Big 12)—December 3 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma

While Oklahoma is getting all the attention, Oklahoma State is almost as talented as their in-state rivals, and their meeting could be truly epic.

As with most teams that are marked as the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, Oklahoma is the biggest game on OSU’s schedule and the season could be on the line for both teams.

10. Nebraska (Big Ten)—October 1 @ No. 11 Wisconsin

In what could be the most important game of the Big Ten conference schedule, No. 10 Nebraska will play against No. 11 Wisconsin in what could decide the conference championship.

Nebraska needs to win their most important game if they want to make a run at a BCS championship berth, and their team could be good enough to make a convincing bid for a high bowl bid.

Check back for more on the NCAA Football as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Football Page to get your fill of College Football.

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