BCS Rankings 2011: 5 Player Who'll Single-Handedly Decide Their Team's Fate

The first BCS rankings were released tonight. 

There was little surprise at the top, other than for the first time No. 5 Boise State will essentially control their own destiny. The perennial BCS buster seemingly will be able to play their way into the championship game with each of the top four teams set to play each other. 

Football is the ultimate team game, but college football is a different beast. More so than the NFL, college football games and seasons can be can be won by individual players.

Look at two of the last three national champions Florida and Auburn. Tim Tebow and Cam Newton single-handedly were able to will their teams to victories. 

Are there special players like Tebow and Newton who can determine their teams' fate in this year's crop of players? Absolutely. Do they have what it takes to carry the expectations of not just their team, school, and fan base and perform week in and week out? We will see.  

Let's take a look at who will have to carry the burden and lead their team to the promise land. 

Kellen Moore

2011 Stats: 199 of 151, 75.9 percent completion, 1729 yards, 21 touchdowns, four interceptions

When compiling a list of players who will single-handedly decide their team's fate, I tried to imagine what the team would look like without each player. Boise State would not be ranked, let alone in the top five, if they did not have Kellen Moore. 

The redshirt senior has his Bronco's undefeated and in place to become BCS busters yet again. 

With the departure of receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis, there were questions about how Moore would fare without his two favorite receivers. It has been business as usual for Moore, who continues to answer all of his doubters. 

With the easiest schedule of any of the players on this list, Moore will be the deciding factor as to how far the Broncos will go this season. 

Trent Richardson

2011 Season Stats: 132 carries, 912 yards, 15 touchdowns

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide play a very distinct style of football. The Tide likes to pound the ball on the ground, and use the play action passing game to keep defenses honest.

Saban showed that his style of offense can be effective, winning a national championship on the shoulders of Heisman winner Mark Ingram. Filling a Heisman winners shoes is no small feat, but Trent Richardson has stepped up and become the type of bruising runner that can carry the load for the No. 2 Crimson Tide. 

Alabama has a tough schedule the rest of the season, with a game against Tennessee before No. 1 LSU comes to Tuscaloosa. If Alabama has any hope of running the table and returning to the BCS National Championship game, they will do so through the running of Richardson. 

Andrew Luck

2011 Season Stats: 129 of 181, 71.3 percent completion, 1719 yards, 18 touchdowns, three interceptions

While NFL teams and fan bases around the country recite the mantra "Suck for Luck" over and over, it is business as usual in Palo Alto. 

After leading Stanford to an Orange Bowl victory, Luck turned down millions when he decided to return to school for his senior year. Luck is arguably the best quarterback in the draft and is more than likely to be the first player taken in the NFL draft, but that is not something he is worried about. 

Luck is of a different breed. The quarterback has already turned down millions in pursuit of his degree in engineering and has called any fan who thinks their team should "Suck for Luck" stupid. Luck is the ultimate competitor and a tremendous athlete.

Stanford will face No. 25 Washington this week, with games against USC, No. 10 Oregon, and Notre Dame still on the schedule. Stanford will depend and lean heavily on the arm of their senior signal caller and his success will determine the success of Stanford. 

Oh, and when Luck is not throwing touchdowns you can find him making one hand catches, it's all in a days work for the Heisman front-runner. 

Tyler Wilson

2011 Season Stats: 135 for 208, 1779 yards, 64.9 percent completion, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions

Like Trent Richardson, Tyler Wilson was faced with the challenge of stepping in and filling big shoes. Ryan Mallet had led the Razorbacks pass heavy attack the past two seasons, tallying 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns as the Arkansas starter. 

Wilson, a junior, has waited for his turn and is making the most of the opportunity. Arkansas throws the ball more than 53 percent of their offensive plays and relies heavily on their passing game to move the ball. 

With games still left against No. 14 South Carolina and No. 1 LSU, the Razorbacks have a realistic chance to make it to the SEC championship game. They cannot do that without Wilson continuing to play at a high level. 

Denard Robinson

2011 Season Stats: Passing 76 of 141, 1253 yards, 53.9 percent completion, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

Rushing 120 carries, 762 yards, nine touchdowns. 

Michigan's success is tied to a single player more than any other team in the nation. Denard Robinson is the Michigan offense. 

The Wolverines have amassed 2,995 yards of offense this season, Denard is responsible for 2,015 of those. That is an astounding 67 percent of the Wolverine offense. 

In Michigan's only loss of the season, Robinson only completed 37 percent of his passing attempts for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while being held to a season low 42 yards on the ground and a touchdown. 

Michigan still has No. 23 Illinois, No. 13 Nebraska, and their annual rivalry game against Ohio State on the schedule and a real possibility to play in the inaugural Big 10 championship game. 

He may throw too many interceptions to be a realistic Heisman candidate, but Brady Hoke and the Wolverines are all in on Robinson, and every game they play will be decided by how well "shoelace" performs that week. 

If any player falls into the category of being able to single-handedly decide their team's BCS fate Robinson is that player.