College Football Predictions: Predicting the Top 10 Teams Before Bowls

Even though Week 1 of the college football season just went into the books, it's never too early to predict who the Top 10 teams will be at the end of the regular season.

In Week 1, there was barely any movement within the Top 10. Oregon was the only team to be bounced out—went from third to 13th—and their spot was snagged by Wisconsin in the Associated Press Poll.

However, the college football season is a long and treacherous one. Any team in the Top 10 can see their national title hopes fade away with only a single loss, which is exactly what makes college football so entertaining.

When December 3 comes and the last regular-season college football game has been played, here is my prediction for the Top 10 teams entering bowl week.

10. Oklahoma State

There is no denying the talent that Oklahoma State has on their roster this year, especially on offense with playmakers like Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon.

I could easily envision a Top Five finish for the Cowboys, but it's the schedule that has steered me away from that.

Oklahoma State will face five currently ranked opponents including Oklahoma in the final game on the schedule. Even though Oklahoma could still possibly be ranked in the top spot of the country at that time, losing the last game of the season is never good news when it comes to the polls.

9. Stanford

The Stanford Cardinal are quietly one of the better college football teams in the nation.

They have a top quarterback in Andrew Luck and a stout offensive line to protect him. Coupling that with a tough and physical defensive unit with playmakers all over the field, the Cardinal would have a legitimate shot at beating any team in the country if given the opportunity.

What Stanford does not have going for them is their schedule. The Cardinal will only play one ranked opponent—the Oregon Ducks—which will be the make-or-break game of the season for Stanford.

8. South Carolina

It's rare for more than a few teams from the SEC to finish in the Top 10 at the end of the regular season.

That is no knock on the conference's talent, but rather quite the opposite. Every team in the SEC has the ability to beat one another on any given day which causes the more dominant teams in the conference to have records that insufficiently reflect their true talent.

However, it might be a different story for South Carolina in 2011. Luckily for the Gamecocks, their highest-ranked opponent will be Arkansas on November 5.

South Carolina represented the Eastern division of the SEC in 2010 and there is no reason to believe that Stephen Garcia and Marcus Lattimore won't lead them there again this year.

7. Wisconsin

It's not every day that a college football team adds a proven veteran quarterback to their roster. Having quarterback Russell Wilson transfer from Rutgers to Wisconsin was the best thing that Badgers could've heard this offseason.

Wisconsin's high-octane offense will be even more dynamic with the emergence of a multifaceted quarterback like Wilson. 

However, they're schedule might prevent them from being ranked higher since they play four ranked teams including Ohio State and Nebraska.

6. Oregon

Oregon's dreams of returning to the BCS National Championship Game in 2011 took a huge hit when they were upset by the fourth-ranked LSU Tigers.

While they still might be one of the most talented teams in the country, their schedule—or lack there of—will prevent them from jumping back into the championship picture unless the teams in front of them completely implode throughout the season.

If Oregon were to win out for the rest of the year—and yes, that means beating Stanford in Palo Alto—they will have the opportunity to play another potentially ranked opponent in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

A berth in the college football title game might be out of the question, but a BCS bowl game is certainly still in the realm of possibilities.

5. Alabama

I personally think Alabama was overrated in the preseason polls, especially since they lost three of their biggest pieces on offense in Greg Mcelroy, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.

However, their defense still remains one of the best in the nation and running back Trent Richardson certainly has the ability to carry the team on his back, both physically and figuratively.

Playing at home against LSU and Arkansas will help the Crimson Tide, but I do not see Bama making it back to the championship game in 2011.

4. Boise State

Sorry, Boise State fans...

I know this will want to make you throw your computer against the wall, but please try to refrain from doing that.

Yes, Kellen Moore is back and will be looking to take out last year's frustration on this year's competition. However, losing his top two targets in Titus Young and Austin Pettis probably won't help. I won't doubt for a second that Kellen Moore will destroy his competition and make another serious run at a Heisman Trophy.

But you have to ask yourself, is Kellen Moore going to be enough?

The Broncos just beat a talented Georgia team by two touchdowns, but that will be the last ranked opponent they will face until November 12 when they take on the TCU Horned Frogs. Plus, who knows if TCU will still even be ranked by then?

It's going to take a perfect storm for the Broncos to find themselves in the national championship and I don't think this will be the year.

3. LSU

The LSU Tigers are finally back in the national championship picture after the beat down they laid on Oregon last Thursday night.

Yes, Oregon's defense was a bit depleted from last year which allowed the Tigers to literally run right through their opponent. However, the Ducks defense still ranked 14th in the nation in 2010, so scoring 40 points on them was certainly impressive.

In addition, Jarrett Lee's passing performance should not worry Tiger fans. Oregon's secondary is its strong suit, so when the Ducks send constant pressure from the front seven, it makes it tough for any quarterback to pass against Oregon.

In the end, LSU is just another prototypical SEC team: a very strong defensive unit and an offense that will run the ball to control the clock.

I just think they'll be the best at it in 2011.

2. Oklahoma

Surprise, surprise. Oklahoma will not be ranked No. 1 at the end of the regular season.

There is no doubting the talent that Oklahoma has on both sides of the ball, which is why I still have them playing in the national championship.

However, have you looked at their schedule lately?

They will be playing six ranked opponents, three of which are currently ranked in the Top 10 (Florida State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.)

Not only is it tough to play an entire season with the target of being the top team in the country on your back, but it makes it almost impossible to stay unbeaten while playing six other ranked opponents.

I can see Oklahoma winning five out of the six ranked matches.

1. Florida State

Yup, you heard it here first.

Florida State will be the first and only team to knock off Oklahoma—the top team in the country—then remain unbeaten themselves for the rest of the season.

If you look closely at the Seminoles' schedule, they could very easily run the table if they can somehow get past Oklahoma on September 17. Florida State will only play two ranked teams this year—Oklahoma and Florida—and already being ranked fifth in the country puts them in the perfect position to not only become the top team in the nation, but stay there for the entire year.

Led by quarterback E.J. Manuel and a very impressive defense, the Florida State Seminoles will be my team to beat in 2011.