Wake Forest vs. Clemson: Could Tigers Be Preseason No. 1 in 2012?

As good as this year has been for Clemson Tiger fans, next year could be even better. Clemson has been one of the biggest surprises in college football this year. Despite starting the 2011 season unranked, the Tigers got off to their best start since 2000, reaching as high as No. 5 in the BCS standings. Even with the loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, they currently sit at 8-1 and No. 9 in the rankings.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying Tigers fans should already look past this season. Clemson is in prime position for an ACC title and BCS bid, and they still have an outside shot at a BCS Championship berth. But as exciting as this season has been for the Tigers, I'm sure it's hard not to look forward to 2012 and start salivating.

The Cup Runneth Over

The explosive Clemson offense will be retaining a significant portion of its current stock of skill players. Quarterback Tajh Boyd (the most important piece of the puzzle) is only a sophomore and will be returning. He will be getting back all three of his starting receivers—Jaron Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and the phenomenal freshman Sammy Watkins. Starting tailback Andre Ellington is a junior and is expected to return as well.

The biggest loss the offense will sustain is tight end Dwayne Allen, who's been rated by most NFL scouts as the best tight end in college football right now, and is expected to go in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. The Tigers will also have to replace three starters on the offensive line.

The prospects on the defensive side are looking pretty good as well. After this season, Clemson will lose three of its starters on the defensive line as well as one in the secondary, but that's it. The entire linebacking corps returns, as well as both safeties and cornerback Xavier Brewer. The defensive line is worrisome, but all three of the backups behind the seniors are either sophomores or freshman.

What's more, Clemson is currently in the process of reeling in their third straight top-20, and second straight top-10 recruiting class. There should be plenty of young talent ready to step in at the few positions that need replacing.

The Other Contenders

Looking at the rest of the top 10, it's hard to guess which teams will be picked higher in the 2012 preseason polls than where they finish in 2011, and which will drop.

The Arkansas Razorbacks lose all three of their top receivers (Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs), as well as six starters on defense, but get back quarterback Tyler Wilson. The Oregon Ducks likewise must replace six starters on defense and will likely lose LaMichael James, but retain Darron Thomas.

The Oklahoma Sooners, Boise State Broncos, Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys all have seasoned quarterbacks that will be very hard to replace (Landry Jones leaves), and the two Oklahoma schools will each lose a great receiver in Ryan Broyles and Justin Blackmon.

The LSU Tigers lose their quarterbacks, as well as five starters on defense (if Morris Claiborne leaves, as expected), but that's about it. With as highly as their juniors are rated by NFL scouts, the Alabama Crimson Tide could very well lose eight starters on defense and five on offense (including Trent Richardson).

The Outlook

Much of what the preseason top 25 will look like will be determined by how this season finishes. If Clemson can beat the Virginia Tech Hokies again and put up a good showing in the Orange Bowl, a top five finish would be a certainty.

The other main contenders for the No. 1 spot next year will be LSU and Oregon, I would say. Alabama loses too much talent on defense. LSU will be hard to overcome, but with a strong finish Clemson could almost certainly be looking at a preseason top three ranking in 2012.