College Football Rankings 2011: Top 25 Heading into Week 1

The preseason polls are one of the most fun and argumentative topics in college football.

Everyone has their own opinion on who should make the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls and where their team should rank in them.

Thankfully, football starts tomorrow, but the best games are coming this Saturday.

Until then, here is my Top 25 heading into Week 1 of the season.

Please note that my rankings are based heavily on returning talent, and close battles were decided by who I thought would win in a head-to-head matchup.

Just Missed the Cut

Texas - 24th by Coaches

Auburn - 23rd by AP, 19th by Coaches

UNC

Northwestern

SMU

25)Florida

AP - 22

Coaches -23

My belief in Will Muschamp and Charlie Weiss as coaches is the only thing putting Florida in the Top 25.

John Brantley should drastically improve in the new offense and Muschamp brings a defensive intensity that was missing last season.

24)Arizona State

Not ranked by AP or Coaches

The injury woes of the Sun Devils are starting to reach epic proportions. They return 19 starters but three of them are now injured and experience is the only thing that puts Arizona State in the Top 25.

This team had so many close losses last year that you’d have to assume they can put together a solid season, even without some of their playmakers.

23)TCU

AP - 14

Coaches - 15

Gary Patterson is a fantastic coach but only three total starters are back on the line of scrimmage, and Andy Dalton is in the NFL.

Coaches can only do so much, and there simply isn’t enough talent to warrant a Top 15 ranking.

22)Georgia

AP - 19

Coaches - 22

The Bulldogs return eight starters on defense but lose three from the defensive front-seven and their running back situation is an injury nightmare.

If they can get all of that sorted out, and the offensive line holds with three new starters, look for Georgia to race up the rankings, especially since they play Boise State and South Carolina in the opening weeks.

21)Ohio State

AP - 18

Coaches - 16

There simply isn’t enough returning talent to rank the Buckeyes much higher than this. Should they win a lot of games this season? Yes. Just prove it on the field first.

Ohio State reloads every year and the coaching continuity makes their “Shock the World” campaign seem much more realistic than Texas, Florida or Auburn’s.

20) West Virginia

AP - 24

Coaches - NR

The Mountaineers had the best defense-no-one-talked-about in the country. Now with Dana Holgorsen calling the plays, Geno Smith and the rest of the offense hope to put up enough points on the board.

Give the coaching changes a year to fully take effect but in a weak Big East, West Virginia is the team to beat.

19) USC

AP - 25

Coaches - N/A

The Trojans may not be eligible for postseason play, but they’ll certainly have a great team. Matt Barkley has been forgotten about as one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, but he, Robert Woods and Marc Tyler—should he return from suspension—will make a potent attack.

Last season’s pass defense was unsightly but with Monte Kiffin calling the plays, that figures to improve.

18)Notre Dame

AP - 16

Coaches - 18

All of the pieces are there at Notre Dame but they have to prove they belong before getting the benefit of the doubt.

The defense greatly improved in the second half of the season and another year under Brian Kelly will improve the offensive output. Establishing a consistent running game will be the Irish’s biggest problem.

17) Mississippi State

AP - 20

Coaches - 20

Do not sleep on Mississippi State. These Bulldogs are for real, but they haven’t gotten the attention they deserve because of Alabama and LSU.

The only major issue is at the linebacker position—everyone is gone from last season. Overcome that and a division title isn’t out of the question.

16) Michigan State

AP - 17

Coaches - 17

Last season, the Spartans were good but not great and benefited greatly from a lenient schedule. This year is different.

If linebacker Greg Jones were returning, this team could be in the Top 10, but now they’re inexperienced at that position as well as on the offensive line.

15) Arkansas

AP - 15

Coaches - 14

The biggest problem facing Arkansas is on the offensive line where the only two returning starters are sophomores.

This defense could surprise a lot of people this season, and it will be the deciding factor in whether or not the Hogs can compete in the SEC West.

14)Oklahoma State

AP - 9

Coaches - 8

The offense has all the talent in the world but Dana Holgorsen won’t be calling plays anymore, which leaves a lot of questions.

Defensively the Pokes need to step up, but, if the offense can put up the same numbers as last year, that won’t be an issue.

13)Missouri

AP - 21

Coaches - 21

The high-flying offense at Mizzou dazzled last season and they return nine starters from that unit. If James Franklin plays up to his potential, this team could go on to a national title.

Last season’s defense was a pleasant surprise but has to get through a pass-happy Big 12 with an inexperienced secondary.

12) Virginia Tech

AP - 13

Coaches - 13

The only offensive question for the Hokies is whether or not new quarterback Logan Thomas can win football games.

The defense should be much improved as well, but there are too many questions after last season to rank Virginia Tech much higher in the preseason.

11) South Carolina

AP - 12

Coaches - 12

Stephen Garcia/Connor Shaw, Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey make the best three-headed monster in the country.

If the Gamecocks can overcome their inexperience in the defensive front seven, this could be a special season for coach Steve Spurrier.

10) Stanford

AP - 7

Coaches - 6

New head coach, new offensive line? Not as big a problem as you might think, but it’s a problem nevertheless.

Andrew Luck is the best quarterback prospect in recent history and the Cardinal rotated enough receivers so that there won’t be much drop-off in production. Look out for Shayne Skov at linebacker, the guy can flat out play football.

9) Boise State

AP - 5

Coaches - 7

Boise State loses their top two receivers and their offensive coordinator, which is the only reason why they come in at nine.

Kellen Moore is a Heisman candidate and Doug Martin is ready to burst onto the national scene as an elite running back. Shea McClellin should get a boatload of sacks at defensive end. 

8) LSU

AP- 4

Coaches - 4

As of right now, the Tigers are without wide receiver Russell Shepard, and that’s a huge deal.

There’s no doubt this team will be great, particularly on defense, but a weak passing attack is in need of all the help it can get. Once Shepard gets back, the Tigers will bounce up in my rankings—or fall less far if they lose to Oregon.

7) Nebraska

AP - 10

Coaches - 11

Nebraska wasn’t the same after Taylor Martinez injured his ankle. With him fully healthy, this team can do just about anything.

The Blackshirts are back and better than ever, look for a lot of sacks by that defensive line and interceptions by Alfonzo Dennard

6) Wisconsin

AP - 11

Coaches - 10

Russell Wilson, Montee Ball, James White and Nick Toon make up the Big 10’s best offense. They can run over any team in the country.

Wisconsin’s defense, led by Antonio Fenelus, won’t be as good, but it should still stop a lot of teams.

5) Texas A&M

AP- 8

Coaches - 9

The Aggies are one of the most complete teams in the entire country, and people seem to have forgotten about that after they failed under the pressure of the Cotton Bowl and after the conference expansion talk.

Losing Von Miller is a huge blow, but Tim DeRuyter will have his stingy defense prepared for anything this season.

4) Oregon

AP - 3

Coaches - 3

The Ducks don’t return as much talent as other teams but their system is nearly unbeatable with Darron Thomas and LaMichael James.

The speedy defense won’t let up many points and that’s all it needs to do when your team is putting up so many.

3) Florida State

AP - 6

Coaches - 5

With the progress made in a year at Florida State by head coach Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, there is simply no reason why this team can’t beat anyone on their schedule.

E.J. Manuel takes over at quarterback, but he played so much as a backup, he’s essentially a returning starter (and watching Greg Reid return punts is a thing of beauty).

2) Oklahoma

AP - 1

Coaches - 1

Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles will light up the scoreboards and the Sooners return an exorbitant amount of talent on both sides of the football.

The loss of Travis Lewis currently keeps Oklahoma out of the top spot, given all of the defensive talent at…

1) Alabama

AP - 2

Coaches 2

This defense will be one for the ages and that secondary can shut down any passing attack in the country.

Despite not settling on a quarterback yet, with Trent Richardson running the ball behind an experienced offensive line, Alabama is, all things considered, the best team in the country.