College Football Rankings 2011: The 7 Most Overrated Teams in the Coaches' Poll

Every year at this time, the college football rankings come out faced with a ton of criticism.

This year is no different.

While there are a lot of teams with legitimate complaints, there are also plenty who should value the number they see next to their name. Chances are they will not be ranked as high all season.

Many of the teams on this list seem to be here on reputation alone; voters see traditional programs rather than talent and potential. Once the games begin, each of these teams will show their true face as an overrated team.

Florida State Seminoles

Every year it seems there is a highly-ranked ACC team that fails to live up to expectations. The past few years has included Virginia Tech, Clemson and Miami.

This season, that team appears to be Florida State.

Here is a team that lost their starting quarterback from last year, Christian Ponder, to the first round of the NFL draft. And yet the Seminoles are expected to win the ACC and possibly contend for a National Championship. New starter E.J. Manuel has limited experience, and while he is very accurate, he also has thrown too many interceptions.

The Seminoles also have a very shaky offensive line due to injuries. Their defense will only carry them so far this season.

TCU Horned Frogs

TCU is probably in this position based on their recent reputation, rather than expectations. The last four seasons have been magical for the Horned Frogs, but those were all led by quarterback Andy Dalton; without him, the offense will take a step backwards this year.

Head coach Gary Patterson will find a way to dominate with his defense, but the question is whether or not it will be good enough to continue the team’s winning ways.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame is on their way to becoming a top-notch program again, but they still have a ways to go. Head coach Brian Kelly has instilled a winning attitude in the team, and it seems like he was the correct choice to replace Charlie Weis.

Unfortunately for the Irish, there is still some uncertainty at the most important position: quarterback. Dayne Crist won the starting job over Tommy Rees, but there are still questions over whether Crist can recover from his season-ending knee injury.

It is always nice to have multiple players who can step in to a position and win, but when two players are so close, it is certain to divide a locker room. This would especially be the case if Crist struggles out of the gate.

Texas A&M Aggies

The only news you hear about Texas A&M these days is about conference affiliation. The Aggies attempted to switch conferences to the SEC, and now the discussion has turned into a legal issue. This type of bad press is certain to distract a team of young kids.

On the football field, the Aggies have done very little for them to warrant their Top-10 status. The team lost four games last year, including a pounding from LSU in the Cotton Bowl. Their best offensive player, Cyrus Gray, is a talented running back, but is far from elite.

Texas A&M is likely to win a lot of games this year, but with a high ranking comes high expectations. I do not believe the Aggies can meet those goals.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Very little news that came out of Ohio State this summer was positive. Scandals forced out starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor and, more importantly, their championship-winning coach Jim Tressel.

The Buckeyes now have to restart with interim coach Luke Fickell.

The fact that Fickell will remain an interim coach can only hurt the program. The players will have a harder time buying into his system, and recruits will likely not sign on until the future is more solidified.

Despite all this, Ohio State starts this season as the No. 16 team in the USA Today Coaches’ poll. The team has talent, but there are too many issues for anyone to count on success from them this year.

Virginia Tech Hokies

Every year, Virginia Tech stumbles out of the opening gate. The past few years, the Hokies have lost early-season games to Boise State, James Madison and East Carolina.

They kick off this year facing Appalachian State—ask Michigan if they are capable of upsetting a top team.

With the program losing quarterback Tyrod Taylor, as well as running backs Darren Evans and Ryan Williams, the Hokies are due to take a step back. Head coach Frank Beamer always finds a way to have a strong finish to the season, but the ACC might be strong enough this year to finally keep Virginia Tech out of the Orange Bowl.

LSU Tigers

A team that is ranked No. 4 in the country with a few first place votes should be expected to compete for a National Championship.

Unfortunately, the LSU Tigers are sure to drop down the rankings sooner rather than later.

The Bayou Bengals open their season hosting No. 3 Oregon in what is sure to be the best game of the opening weekend. However, I do not think LSU has the offensive firepower to stay with the Ducks. As usual, the defense will hold up with any team in the country, but their lack of offense will force coach Les Miles to be creative once again.

Last season, LSU finished 107th in the nation in passing. If they fall behind against a good team, they are not likely to be able to manage a comeback. While playing in the SEC, they will definitely face enough good teams to cause some losses.