College Football Rankings 2011 Week 2: 5 Teams Who Will Silence the Critics

It is one thing to talk the talk, but you need to walk that arduous walk if you are going to win some respect. This handful of college football teams will do just that before the season is out.

No program is safe from cutting barbs from the masses. Even the most deserving No. 1-ranked team will have its detractors.

College football is a far more fluid sport than the professional level. A team on the rise may be afforded just one or two games to prove its worth. Without a playoff season, we have to savor every minute of a commanding win or shocking upset.

Here are those teams that will win over your subjectivity with objective results by season’s end.

1. Boise State

Every year we chide the Broncos for being out of place in the top 10. The 2011 season was no different, as we deemed their receivers far too small and inexperienced to matter.

They then proceeded to torch the Georgia Bulldogs. This team has a volatile offense that will never cease to amaze. Get used to it.

2. Alabama

This team doesn’t have a proven quarterback. How could it possibly win ball games with the likes of AJ McCarron leading their squad?

With a stingy defense, that’s how. The Crimson Tide silenced Penn State in what was billed as a trap game. With a stout defense, you will never be put in a corner.

3. Michigan State

The Spartans were overrated headed into 2010. I will give you that. Kirk Cousins was not the elite quarterback the Spartans needed last year.

Well, he is this year. In two games, the Spartans have destroyed their opponents. Cousins has been beyond precise, throwing 34-of-43 in two games.

4. Baylor

Poor little Baylor. They are the also-rans of the Big 12, left to threaten legal action if Texas A&M leaves the conference.

Well, they are also in a fight for their reputation. This team continues to prove that it not only has a place in the top 25 but also a possible slot in the top 10.

The Bears destroyed a TCU team that proved it can score with the best of them. Baylor hung with them shot for shot, taking down the Horned Frogs in Week 1.

Robert Griffin III is ready to take his place as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Baylor has the schedule to prove it's deserving of this week’s praise.

5. Stanford

College football is all about the SEC. The Pac-12 gets no love on the national stage. Oregon’s recent rash of losses in huge games doesn’t help matters.

However, Stanford has the best player in the country in Andrew Luck. By the end of the season, Stanford and the Pac-12 will be laughing last.