College Football Rankings: The MVP of Every Top 10 BCS Team

Most college football teams have that one standout player every year that is recognized throughout the country. The teams in the BCS standings usually have a few of those guys, or in the case of Auburn and Cam Newton last year, they are carried by the talents of one player.

This year is no different. Every team in the top 10 of the BCS standings have an MVP, if not a couple of standout players, except I am only able to choose one most valuable player for each team.

Brace yourself.

10. Oregon

LaMichael James is coming off a Heisman Trophy-like season last year with the Oregon Ducks, and he hasn't disappointed in 2011.

James is 15 yards away from 1,300 rushing yards on the year, and that's complemented with his 180 receiving yards including a touchdown.

LJ averages over seven yards per carry and he's found the end zone 14 times, and he missed two games due to injury.

Oregon's QB Darren Thomas has played solid all year, but James definitely deserves the team's MVP honor.

9. Oklahoma

Landry Jones is the clear MVP for the Oklahoma Sooners, especially after Ryan Broyles was lost for the season.

OU doesn't have any dominant running back on their squad, and Broyles was the team's best wide receiver, without a doubt.

Landry Jones is on the brink of throwing for 4,000 yards in 2011, and he'll most likely throw for more than 30 touchdown passes.

If it weren't for the Sooners' two losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, Jones would be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

8. Houston

Case Keenum is the clear MVP for the Houston Cougars, and a case can be made that he should win this year's Heisman Trophy.

Keenum is on pace to break all sorts of college football quarterback records this year.

Case has thrown for over 4,200 yards, he's completed over 73 percent of his pass attempts, and he's thrown 38 touchdowns complemented by just three interceptions.  He's also rushed in for three touchdowns.

If those numbers aren't Heisman-caliber, I don't know what is.

Houston is also undefeated with just one game remaining on their schedule 2011 schedule.

7. Boise St.

Kellen Moore is an easy decision for Boise State's 2011 team MVP. Moore would've been a Heisman Trophy candidate if the Broncos would have ran the table, but they failed to do so losing to TCU.

Moore, the 5'11" QB, is in a perfect system for his talent. He's on pace to throw for over 3,000 yards, in addition to his 35 passing touchdowns.

Moore has always put up solid numbers with Boise State, and that's because of the perfect situation he's in with that program. But you can't hate. You have to do what you have to do, and because of Moore doing so, he has a chance to play in the NFL.

6. Stanford

Andrew Luck was talked about being the MVP of all of college football for most of the 2011 season, so it's clear that he is the Stanford Cardinals' MVP.

Luck has been talked about being the clear No. 1 choice for the 2012 NFL draft no matter what kind of struggles he endured throughout the '11 college football season.

Luck will end up throwing for over 3,000 yards this year, and he already has 31 passing touchdowns.  He's thrown more picks than most expected, with eight total INTs.

If it weren't for Luck, Stanford would not be in the top 10 of the BCS standings.

5. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is one of the surprise teams in college football this year, and they'll end up in a BCS bowl game if they don't screw up. Logan Thomas, the Hokies' sophomore QB, is also a surprise.

Thomas can do it all. He can run and pass from under center.

In addition to Thomas' 16 passing touchdowns, he also has ran for nine rushing touchdowns.

Thomas has racked up over 2,700 all purpose yards for the Hokies this season, and he's the main reason Virginia Tech has found a way into the top five of the BCS standings.

4. Oklahoma St.

Oklahoma State has quite the quarterback-wide receiver combo with the 28-year-old Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, a wideout who's sure to make some noise in the NFL. The Cowboys also have a very underrated running back in Justin Randle, who's found the end zone 23 times this year.

Weeden is the Cowboys' MVP because of how well he's managed the Oklahoma State offense all year.

He's thrown for over 4,000 yards and still has one more game to play. He's passed for 34 touchdowns, and he would've had more if it weren't for a couple of fumbles around the goal line by Blackmon against Kansas State in early November.

Weeden has a case for the Heisman Trophy, but it'd be tough to sell that one to many college football fans.

3. Arkansas

Tyler Wilson, Arkansas' junior quarterback, has found a way week after week to get the job done and lead the Razorbacks to the No. 3 ranked team in the country.

Wilson has a nice complement at wide receiver in Jarius Wright, but Wright's 1,000-yard season doesn't take away from how Wilson has led this Arkansas team throughout the year.

Wilson has thrown for over 3,200 yards, in addition to 21 passing touchdowns. He's not afraid to take a hit as long as it's going to help his team progress down the field.

2. Alabama

Trent Richardson is a beast, and there's no denying that.

Richardson, Alabama's junior running back bound for the NFL one day, was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and he didn't disappoint.

As Mark Ingram's successor Richardson has tallied over 1,700 all purpose yards in 2011, as well as 22 total touchdowns.

Alabama has one more game left in the regular season for Richardson to add to those totals, as well as play for an opportunity to earn a BCS National Championship Game appearance.

1. LSU

Defense wins championships, and LSU is on the brink of proving that statement to be true. LSU doesn't have a running back or wide receiver with 1,000 yards, and the Tigers' leading QB, Jarrett Lee, has only passed for a total of 1,306 yards thus far.

The backbone of the LSU team is their defense, who's only allowed 10 points per game, and Tyrann Mathieu is the backbone of that Tigers defense.

Mathieu, the sophomore cornerback from New Orleans, is bound to cause havoc in the NFL one day.  Mathieu is one tackle shy of 60 total tackles on the year, including 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.

If it weren't for a one-game suspension in the middle of the season, Mathieu's numbers would be that much better.

You never know when Mathieu will strike, and when he does, you just have to hope he doesn't come up with the ball.