One Christmas Wish Every College Football Team Needs

It's that time of the year again. No, not the season finale of The X-Factor. It's holiday season, which in today's land means one thing: consumerism!

Odds are you won't remember this December because you got a Lexus, a Mercedes, the best 4G wireless service, a plasma TV, a Garmin GPS or because you earned double miles from Capital One. But this holiday season could prove to be integral to your favorite college football team's success in the upcoming seasons.

So what should you be hoping for as far as your team? What is it hoping for? What are we all hoping for?

Read on!

Air Force

The Wish: Staying in the Mountain West ends up being worth more than any money

Air Force will go through a rebuilding year next season, losing QB Tim Jefferson, RB Asher Clark, its top two receivers and a good chunk of the defense. Despite all that change, there is one thing Air Force won't be doing: that is, joining the Big East.

Air Force was on the fence about whether to leave or stay put, and it chose the latter, citing that the decision was "based on what's best for our cadet-athletes and the institution as a whole."

I love it...an institution that isn't concerned about dollars, TV contracts or the BCS. The Academy will be going through a rebuilding year next season, but here's to hoping it can compete for a Mountain West title down the road.

Akron

The Wish: A coach

Akron has won only two games in the past two seasons, one of those wins coming against FCS Virginia Military Institute. Next year it should be much better with almost its entire offense returning and some key pieces on defense.

That is, if the Zips have a coach. Rob Ianello was relieved of his duties at season's end, and they have yet to find a replacement. Even stranger, Ianello may be on the Zips' sidelines next year as an assistant.

Whoever takes over will be inheriting some experienced players who have already gone through the worst. They can only go up.

Alabama

The Wish: A national championship

It's everyone's wish, and it is within reach for the Crimson Tide. Despite losing at home to LSU in the regular season, the Tide enter the game as just one-point underdogs.

A win for Alabama would cause ultimate chaos, as it would be the first team to not only not win its conference and win the national championship, but also the first team to not win its division and win the national championship.

It could also lead to a split title, something the BCS sought to eliminate but has already produced one of (2003 LSU-USC).

Finally, it could lead to the end of the BCS (unlikely).

Under Nick Saban, Alabama will always reload, but dare I say that this is the last good shot for Alabama in a while. With Courtney Upshaw, Mark Barron, DeQuan Menzie, Nick Gentry, Marquis Maze, Brad Smelley and Darius Hanks definitely gone, along with the potential of Trent Richardson, Barrett Jones and Dont'a Hightower leaving...Alabama isn't going to be as good next year.

They'll be back—relax. It just might not be next year or the year after. It's always good to win the title when you have a shot at it.

Arizona

The Wish: Arizona gets West Virginia Rich Rodriguez, not Michigan Rich Rodriguez

Arizona fired habitual complainer Mike Stoops halfway through the season and replaced him with Rich Rodriguez, a man who has had his own issues with whining in the past. Rodriguez isn't going to inherit as much talent in Tucson as he did in Ann Arbor...so the growing process will be more difficult, forcing RichRod to be more patient.

Rodriguez has had teams on all ends of the spectrum. He led West Virginia to a No. 2 ranking in 2007 and also had terrible teams at Michigan. He can turn Arizona around, but only if he stays calm and cool and is patient.

It would help if he didn't put the Wildcats on probation either.

Arizona State

The Wish: Todd Graham's dream job really is in Tempe and the coach doesn't leave after one season

Recently hired head coach Todd Graham has now coached at four universities in seven seasons. He was at Rice in 2006, spent a massive four seasons at Tulsa and spent the previous season at Pitt. Now, he will don the maroon and gold of ASU.

As a result of his frequent flyer miles, Graham has earned the reputation of someone akin to Elizabeth Taylor or Kim Kardashian: one whose marriages are often meaningless and short-lived.

Last May, Graham was quoted as saying (in regards to the Pitt job), "I've spent my whole life working to get this job. This is the best job I've ever had."

Don't be surprised when he leaves you too, ASU.

Arkansas

The Wish: Postseason rule changes, effective immediately

Arkansas finished the season ranked No. 7 in the BCS standings but third in its division. As a result of both Alabama and LSU heading to the national championship, Arkansas will have to settle for the Cotton Bowl.

Arkansas only lost two games this season: to Alabama and LSU. Despite both games being lopsided, it probably deserved to be in the BCS. While its overall résumé doesn't knock your socks off, it is more impressive than Michigan and Virginia Tech's résumés.

Arkansas State

The Wish: Gus Malzahn brings a good defensive coordinator with him

Arkansas State already struck gold with the hiring of Malzahn. The offensive coordinator that produced the Wildcat and Cam Newton was figured to be a target for bigger-name BCS schools, but he decided to take a pay cut to go to Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Here are the facts. Arkansas State was a very good football team this year. It finished 11-2 and only lost by slim margins to Virginia Tech and Illinois.

Gus Malzahn is a good offensive football coach, and he showed it at Auburn, winning a championship ring as an offensive coordinator. With Ryan Aplin back for Arkansas State, the Red Wolves could be very potent on offense (once again).

They will lose nearly all of their defense, however. Whoever comes with Malzahn to take over defensive duties will have his hands full.

The hopes are that Arkansas State can develop into a perennial Top 25 team. It's unlikely it will happen next year with such an exodus on defense, but it is possible a couple of years into the future.

Army

The Wish: Another bowl game

Army is on the verge of becoming a perennial bowl team. It sounds crazy, given that Army went 3-9 this year and has made a bowl game just once in the past 15 seasons, but when you look at their returning players, it would be disappointing if the Knights didn't make a bowl next year.

On offense they will return every player except for a receiver (who they don't throw to anyway). They will also return all but one of their front seven.

Army had three losses by seven points this season. If it fares better in close games, it should easily get back to a bowl.

Auburn

The Wish: One solid quarterback

This isn't a case of post-Cam Newton delirium. Auburn QBs were just downright poor this year.

Barrett Trotter started the season, Clint Moseley ended the season and freshman Kiehl Frazier was sprinkled in throughout. Moseley had the best game of any QB, throwing four touchdowns against Ole Miss, but he struggled against stronger opponents (UGA, Bama).

It will be interesting to see what happens in Auburn next season. The Tigers will have Michael Dyer back and should have an improved defense. They will have a new offensive coordinator, and it will be up to him and Gene Chizik to develop one of these three quarterbacks to their liking.

Ball State

The Wish: An extension for Pete Lembo

One season for head coach Pete Lembo in Muncie, Indiana and a win total equivalent to the two years prior. Ball State went 6-6 this season but was uninvited to a bowl game.

Things are looking up for the Cardinals. They have QB Keith Wenning, their entire backfield and all of their linebackers back.

Lembo told fans not to get "carried away." That's all fine and good, but the administration should get carried away, extend Lembo's contract and let him work for a few more years with this program.

Baylor

The Wish: RGIII gets into law school

Robert Griffin III has expressed interest in returning to school next season despite graduating a year early. His ultimate interest? Attending Baylor's law school.

Law school, like any other graduate school, takes into account your entire portfolio: grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, work experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc.

Here's a personal statement that I think would get RGIII into Baylor law:

"I won the Heisman."

Boise State

The Wish: The Big East to stay relevant

Boise State finally got its wish and will be joining a BCS conference. Now it needs to hope that the Big East stays as important as it was under the previous BCS agreement (but its addition alone should help the Big East stay relevant).

With more and more talk of realignment and new postseason scenarios, Boise needs the Big East to stay involved. Otherwise it joined a conference on the other side of the nation for nothing.

Boston College

The Wish: Luke Kuechly back

Odds are that Kuechly will leave for the NFL draft. He's earned the right to do so, dominating the ACC while playing for a less-than-mediocre Boston College team.

Kuechly is already the all-time leader in NCAA history in solo and total tackles. He's earned all-American honors and should be a first-round pick next year.

Bowling Green

The Wish: One more year for Dave Clawson

Dave Clawson was brought in in 2009, and the Falcons immediately made a bowl game. They were fortunate, however, as the team was senior-laden. The team won two games the next year as it entered a rebuilding year. This season, it built to five wins.

Despite winning only seven games over the last two seasons, the Falcons are getting stronger under Clawson. They will have their entire backfield and quarterback back, along with almost their entire front seven. This is a team that will make a bowl if it continues to improve and Clawson is given some room to breathe.

Buffalo

The Wish: Get back to running the football

Buffalo was probably better than its 3-9 record would indicate. The Bulls finished 78th in passing yards and 63rd in rush yards but only 97th in scoring. They only had 15 turnovers on the season, so their shortcoming in scoring is odd.

The Bulls did have a standout rusher in sophomore Branden Oliver, who rushed for 1,395 yards. The Bulls did rush him 305 times this past season, a large number, but he and the other backs should be featured more and more to take pressure off QB Chazz Anderson and the rest of the offense.

BYU

The Wish: Regaining relevance

Despite going 9-3, BYU remained virtually irrelevant when it came to the national landscape. My theory is that BYU hurt itself by going independent; without a conference championship to compete for, no one paid much mind to BYU (whereas it was relevant and talked about before, when it played in the Mountain West).

The Cougars are going to have Riley Nelson, all of their wide receivers and most of their back seven back again next season. What do they have to do to become a topic of conversation again?

California

The Wish: A stronger running game

Cal was successful down the stretch because it developed a rushing attack. It started 4-4 and finished 3-1.

In the first eight games Cal averaged 135.75 rushing yards per game. In its final four it averaged 230 yards per game.

This also allowed QB Zach Maynard to be more efficient and turn the ball over less. In his first eight games Maynard had a 12-10 TD-INT ratio. In his final four games Maynard had a 5-1 ratio.

It's imperative Cal develops a better running game to take pressure off Maynard. The Bears have a chance to do this with Isi Sofele returning.

Central Michigan

The Wish: Some pressure from the defense

Central Michigan has won three games each of the past two seasons, this coming off the heels of a 10-win season in 2009.

The offense in Mount Pleasant was decent this year, as it threw for over 3,200 yards. It also has a bright future with freshman WR Titus Davis.

The defense struggled all year, however, particularly up front. The Chippewas tallied only 13 sacks all season, 110th in the nation. If they can get some more pressure up front, they can improve overall defensively and swing some games to their favor.

Cincinnati

The Wish: A high preseason ranking

The Bearcats likely won't get it, but a high preseason ranking is what kept them out of the Orange Bowl this season. They finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Big East, and since all three teams beat each other, the tiebreaker went to the team with the highest ranking.

Since all teams had the same overall record, you can guess that the team with the highest end-of-season ranking was the same with the highest preseason ranking: that is, West Virginia.

Sounds pretty dumb, no?

Clemson

The Wish: A new defensive line

There's a lot to be excited about at Clemson. The Tigers won their first ACC title in 20 years, have an extremely talented corps of receivers and running backs and have at least one more year with Tajh Boyd at the helm (probably two).

What they will need, however, is a new defensive line. Andre Branch, Rennie Moore and Brandon Thompson will all be gone next year. They were all great this year, which is why it will be all the more difficult to lose them and subsequently replace them.

If Clemson replaces them, however, it will be the favorite in the ACC once more.

Colorado

The Wish: Real defensive backs

Colorado was riddled with injuries this season. It wasn't extremely talented to begin with, but of course the injuries didn't help much.

Halfway through the season, Colorado was forced to line up with converted wide receivers in the secondary. They did their best but were no match for USC's talented receivers.

In weeks previous Jason Espinoza was lining up at receiver, catching passes from Tyler Hansen. Now, he was expected to cover Robert Woods in a nationally televised, Friday night game. No one can do that.

Colorado State

The Wish: Jim McElwain doesn't reinvent the wheel

The Rams' QB, RB, four leading receivers, four leading tacklers and four leaders in sacks are all coming back next year. It's safe to say they are expected to be much better than the 3-9 record they posted this season.

Additionally, the Rams were 2-4 in games decided by less than seven points this season. All in all, they were probably better than their 3-9 record and will continue to improve.

That is why McElwain shouldn't have to do too much with the program other than instill a new attitude and work ethic. The talent should be there for improvement, and as always, new coaches breed new life. McElwain is coming from Alabama, one of the most successful programs of the past five years, and his winning attitude should rub off on the Rams.

Connecticut

The Wish: Johnny McEntee uses his trick shot prowess to complete more passes in real games

During UConn's run at the Fiesta Bowl last year, Johnny McEntee became an Internet sensation with his trick shot video. Impressive stuff.

It would be more impressive if he improved upon his 51.3 completion percentage and eight interceptions.

Duke

The Wish: Sean Renfree figures it out

David Cutcliffe is working hard with Duke. It has been a trendy sleeper pick the past few seasons but has been unable to reach a bowl game. Duke won three games early and lost close games to Richmond and Wake Forest; otherwise we might be singing a different tune about the Blue Devils right now.

Cutcliffe is known for being the longtime offensive coordinator at Tennessee and head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He coached both Manning brothers and was expected to bring his expert tutelage to Durham.

Renfree needs to cut down on his turnovers (an interception in each of his last seven games); otherwise the Blue Devils may go to freshman Anthony Boone. Boone didn't look much better against UNC, but he figures to be the more viable long-term option, as Renfree will be a senior next season.

East Carolina

The Wish: Stickum for the locker room

East Carolina led the nation in turnovers this season with 35. Fifteen of those came on fumbles, 20 on interceptions. This has the Pirates turning the ball over nearly three times a game and has them ranked second to last in the nation in turnover margin.

ECU rallied to win five games on the season, but close losses to Marshall and UTEP were plagued by turnovers (six combined). The Pirates cut down on those and they're in a bowl game right now.

Eastern Michigan

The Wish: One more crack to get into the postseason

Ron English took over the Eagles after serving as Michigan's defensive coordinator. The Eagles steadily improved over the course of the season, finishing 6-6 (but not going bowling since two wins were over FCS teams).

They ran the ball well, didn't throw well and played mediocre defense. I would have liked to see the defense a bit better, given that it was English's strong suit and they had so many upperclassmen on the team.

Now, they can only hope that they continue their steady improvement (they had two wins the previous two seasons combined) and get another shot at the postseason. They're losing a lot on defense, though.

Florida

The Wish: Losing Charlie Weis helps the Gators get back to basics

Florida had offensive guru Charlie Weis this past season, and it was dismal on offense, battling through injuries all season. Now, Weis is gone to Kansas. It seems like it will end up going down as a lost season for Florida, but it could work to its advantage.

Florida will be breaking in a new quarterback (most likely Jacoby Brissett) and is losing Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. The Gators didn't really have the personnel to run a spread offense like Weis employs, and fans should hope that getting back to basics will be what's best for the team.

Florida Atlantic

The Wish: Carl Pelini builds off what's been laid by Howard Schnellenberger

FAU finished 1-11 this season, and that was considered an accomplishment. Despite being in the drudges of performance, there is plenty to be happy about in Boca Raton.

Howard Schnellenberger was the only coach FAU ever knew, as he presided over everything FAU since the team's inception. He built it from literally nothing into an FBS program in the Sun Belt Conference. This past season FAU built a brand-new stadium that is part of an overall university complex that features gyms, shopping malls, grocery stores and more.

Schnellenberger built something special, and now it is in Pelini's hands. He's inheriting limitless possibilities.

Florida International

The Wish: A cleaner, less penalized team

FIU ranks near the bottom of nearly every penalty category in the nation. It has committed 97 on the year (116th in the nation) for 69.2 yards per game (117th), an average of 8.1 per game (119th).

The Golden Panthers committed plenty of penalties in both wins and losses but were especially guilty of infractions in their losses. In their four losses they averaged 78 yards per penalties. Clean that up and they can compete for a Sun Belt title.

Florida State

The Wish: The Seminoles go into the season underrated

It sounds counterintuitive, especially with preseason rankings meaning so much nowadays, but FSU actually plays better when the spotlight isn't on it.

Case in point: No one expected much from FSU up to and through last year's Chick-fil-A Bowl. The 'Noles won 10 games, including a beatdown of South Carolina.

Then they entered the 2011 season as a preseason Top Five team. They quickly lost three straight games, and everyone forgot about them. Then they won six of their last seven and will be playing for their ninth win against Notre Dame.

Everyone wanted to crown FSU as being "back" this season, but they were probably one year premature. With E.J. Manuel, most of the skill players and a solid defensive line all coming back (Brandon Jenkins should come back), the 'Noles will be much better next season...if they don't read their own press clippings.

Fresno State

The Wish: Derek Carr develops into his older brother

There's a long way to go, but Derek Carr is slowly improving as a Bulldog. He quietly finished this season, his second as a starter, with 3,544 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Of course, the turnovers need to come down, but they usually do as a QB gets older. Depending on the new offense in Fresno with longtime coach Pat Hill leaving, Derek Carr could easily throw for 4,000 yards each of the next two seasons. If I were the new coach, I'd let Carr do his thing (the Bulldogs also have a solid corps of receivers and backs returning).

Georgia

The Wish: A stable Isaiah Crowell

Crowell came to UGA as a highly touted recruit and had a tumultuous freshman year. There were flashes of greatness (South Carolina, the Mississippis), injuries and a failed drug test. The freshman was suspended for the game against New Mexico State as a result of the failed drug test.

Georgia's defense has shown significant improvement this season—the offense, not so much. It would be nice to have a stable, quality back in the backfield on a regular basis. Crowell has the talent but has to get his off-field issues in order.

Georgia Tech

The Wish: A defensive line

Georgia Tech can certainly get the job done on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, that's another story.

The Jackets started 6-0 and finished 2-4. In their final six games they allowed an average of 164.5 yards per game on the ground (and allowed 246 in a win against Maryland).

There wasn't anyone in the front four that was able to generate pressure. Only one player recorded more than two tackles for loss on the season, and the unit combined for six sacks on the year.

Hawaii

The Wish: David Graves inherits the role as the next great Hawaii QB

Hawaii's offense was slightly weaker than it has been in the past, ranking just 12th in the nation in passing offense. Senior QB Bryant Moniz struggled, forcing backup David Graves into the starting role.

Graves wasn't great, but he had a 5-2 TD-INT ratio over the last three games. With a strong cast of receivers returning (but not leading receiver Royce Pollard), the hope is that Graves picks up the slack that has developed the past couple of seasons since June Jones' departure.

Houston

The Wish: Beat Penn State

It's that simple. It hasn't been the greatest couple of weeks for the Cougars, losing to Southern Miss, losing head coach Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M and looking forward to the loss of all-time leading passer Case Keenum.

It's hard to say the season was a disappointment after going 12-1, but Houston was one game away from playing in the BCS. With all that is going on, a win in a bowl game would be a huge relief. If the Cougars compound all the pain with another loss, then it will be a forgotten season.

Idaho

The Wish: Fresh faces bring fresh results

Idaho went 2-10 this year and will be decimated by losses next year. The Vandals' quarterback, two leading rushers, second-leading receiver and six of their top 10 tacklers will be gone next year.

Fans will have to be patient with head coach Robb Akey, because it may get darker before dawn. New personnel could only help at this point, though, as this corps wasn't getting the job done.

Illinois

The Wish: A renewal of the strong running game

Illinois has prided itself on strong rushing attacks, from Pierre Thomas to Rashard Mendenhall to Mikel Leshoure. This past season seemed to be primed for another breakout with option QB Nathan Scheelhaase and a strong offensive line back.

Instead the Illini struggled mightily. The offensive line disappointed, Jason Ford struggled with inconsistency and freshman Donovonn Young struggled in pass protection (which led to his infrequent play).

Illinois has Toledo's Tim Beckman coming in, but he will be without his offensive coordinator. Hopefully Beckman can install his powerful rushing offense with the strong cast of characters Illinois already has.

Indiana

The Wish: The Hoosiers get Gunner Kiel

This is the equivalent of little girls asking for a pony every Christmas (which I think only happens in TV shows). In other words, Kiel to Indiana is beyond a long shot, but the Hoosiers still have him at the top of their Christmas list.

Two months ago Kiel was committed to Indiana. Now, it appears to be Notre Dame or Vanderbilt. What a tease and heartbreak for the Hoosiers.

Iowa

The Wish: The Hawkeyes get back to playing tough football with a strong running game and a strong defense

They're almost halfway there, as sophomore RB Marcus Coker rushed for 1,269 yards this season. The defense has been un-Iowa-like, though.

The Hawkeyes have given up an average of 23.25 points per game, up from 16.4 per game last season and 15.5 in their 2009 Orange Bowl campaign.

Iowa is never going to beat you in a shootout (as evidenced by its triple-OT loss to Iowa State), so it is imperative it keeps the score low. It wasn't able to do that this season and lost two games by less than three points as a result.

Iowa State

The Wish: Paul Rhoads signs a long-term contract

Rhoads has already done something twice that national champion coach Gene Chizik couldn't do once in Ames: He's guided the Cyclones to two bowl games.

The first in 2009 seemed like a fluke. A disappointing season last year seemed to validate that ideology. But with another bowl berth this year, highlighted by a win over No. 2 Oklahoma State, you can see that Iowa State's success is becoming a trend.

With several key players on defense returning next year, along with their entire backfield, the Cyclones figure to be in a bowl again next year. Sign Rhoads while you can.

Kansas

The Wish: Charlie Weis brings a pass-happy offense back to Lawrence

Kansas was doing great under Mark Mangino. It averaged just under 300 yards per game through the air in 2007 and 2008, the former of which found it winning the Orange Bowl.

Then Turner Gill took over, and the offense overall became anemic. Over the past two seasons Kansas averaged 311 yards total.

Charlie Weis has been everywhere, and we know of his propensity to throw the ball. Success isn't guaranteed, but you know what you're getting with him. It will be interesting to see what recruits Weis brings to Lawrence and if they can successfully implement a high-powered passing offense.

Kansas State

The Wish: Bill Snyder never leaves the program again...ever

Upon Bill Snyder taking over at KSU, the Wildcats had an all-time winning percentage of .370 and had suffered through a 27-game losing streak. In a matter of years Snyder turned KSU into a perennial contender, reaching No. 1 in 1998 (one game away from playing in the inaugural BCS title game).

He left in 2005, and the team quickly became mediocre. After three years of rest he returned and once again has the Wildcats relevant. KSU lost the Pinstripe Bowl in 2010 (on a questionable call) and was a BCS snub in 2011. With a majority of their players back next season, the Wildcats will compete for a Big 12 title.

Don't ever leave, Coach.

Kent State

The Wish: A little offensive help

You may be surprised to hear that Kent State finished 49th in the nation on defense, allowing 24.3 points per game. You probably aren't surprised to hear that it finished 114th in the nation with 17 points per game on offense.

This led to a 20-12 loss to La-Lafayette, a 17-10 loss to Ohio and a 9-3 loss to Miami-OH. Two of those teams are bowl teams, and despite playing Kansas State and Alabama, Kent State finished with a 5-7 record (4-4 in the MAC). If it had a halfway decent offense, it could have competed for the MAC title.

Kentucky

The Wish: A quarterback to step up and gain control of the offense.

Kentucky finished 5-7 in the SEC despite finishing 114th in the nation in pass yards and 117th in scoring.

Morgan Newton started the season, but freshman Maxwell Smith finished it. The two combined to complete 51.1 percent of their passes for 1,612 yards, 12 TDs and 11 interceptions. My guess is that Smith will ultimately win the battle next season.

The way Kentucky is built, it doesn't need a QB to throw for 4,000 yards to be successful. Trim the turnovers, increase the completion rate and continue to play good defense, and UK will be back in a bowl.

Louisiana Tech

The Wish: Experience through tough losses leads to another WAC title

La. Tech was one of the nation's success stories, going from below .500 to outright WAC champions in one year. Credit needs to be given to coach Sonny Dykes and the experienced team. When you look closer, however, the Bulldogs' record could be a lot better!

They lost to Houston by one point. They lost to Mississippi State in overtime. They lost to Southern Miss by two. After starting 1-4, they finished 7-0.

The Bulldogs are going to lose some of their front seven but have most of their weapons back on offense. Now is not the time to rest on their laurels. If they want to become a recognized program, they will need to do this year in, year out.

With another year of experience under its belt, particularly in close games, there's no reason to believe La. Tech won't achieve at a high level again next year.

Louisiana-Lafayette

The Wish: Lafayette celebrated Christmas early and got one of the best presents they could ever hope for

UL-Lafayette won its first-ever bowl game this past weekend, a 32-30 win over San Diego State. After leading most of the game, the Ragin' Cajuns fell behind 30-29 with just over one minute left. Unfazed, they marched into SDSU territory, setting up a career-long attempt from Brett Baer. The kick sneaked inside the left upright, giving the Cajuns the win.

They got to stay home for the holidays and were rewarded with the best present of all: a first-ever bowl win.

Louisiana-Monroe

The Wish: An easier non-conference schedule

ULM was a trendy sleeper pick for the Sun Belt title this year. It opened its season with games against Florida State, Grambling State, TCU and Iowa, the three against FBS opponents coming on the road. It went 1-3.

None of those games occurred in the Sun Belt, but the Warhawks were unable to build off playing tough competition. They lost a close game to eventual champions Arkansas State and then proceeded to lose two more games by less than three points. They finished 4-8.

Playing such a tough schedule clearly took its toll. Next year is no relief—they play Arkansas, Baylor, Tulane and Auburn.

Someday, ULM, someday...you'll be paying them to come play you.

Louisville

The Wish: The continued development of Teddy Bridgewater

Here's a secret: Louisville was playing as well as anyone down the stretch this season. It won five of its last six, beat West Virginia and won a share of the Big East title. The defense was great, allowing only 19.2 points per game on the season.

That said, the Cardinals would not be Big East champs if not for the development of freshman Teddy Bridgewater at QB.

Coach Charlie Strong was criticized early for playing Bridgewater, but it paid off. After throwing six interceptions in the first seven games, Bridgewater threw only three over the last five. During the last five games, Bridgewater completed over 70 percent of his passes!

Now the move looks ingenious. Louisville is trending upwards, and it will have an experienced, quality QB at the helm for the next three years.

LSU

The Wish: Beat Bama

The Tigers are the only undefeated team in the nation, and with most of their players returning next year, they figure to be preseason No.1 next year. The future looks bright in Baton Rouge.

You couldn't ask for much more if you're an LSU fan—that is, other than the national championship. An LSU loss would create beds of controversy over the rightful champion. A win would give the Tigers two over Alabama in one season, two over Nick Saban in one season, an unprecedented run against ranked opponents and a national championship.

Marshall

The Wish: Vinny Curry taught some underclassmen how to play defensive end

Marshall's defense may be the most decimated unit of all teams in the nation this upcoming offseason. Defensive ends Vinny Curry and Delvin Johnson, linebackers Tyson Gale and George Carpenter and defensive backs Omar Brown and Rashad Jackson will all be gone. They were the six best players for the Herd this season.

The offense will have a majority of its players back next season, but it was the defense that got the Herd to 6-6 this season. With all those losses they will need to rebuild quickly if they want to go to another bowl.

Maryland

The Wish: The new offensive coordinator realizes that C.J. Brown is the better of two quarterbacks.

Offensive coordinator Gary Crowton never got a good grasp of the offense this season, and as a result he was fired after one year.

It seemed to me that C.J. Brown was the better of the two quarterbacks. Neither was very effective through the air, but Brown provided a threat on the ground. Brown led the Terps to their best offensive performance of the year against Clemson, a game they lost due to special teams and defense, not offense.

Memphis

The Wish: Justin Fuente brings the high-powered rushing attack from TCU

Fuente, who was named Memphis head coach a couple of weeks ago, was the offensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs the past three years (and RB coach before that).

They'll need him, as the Tigers finished 119th in the nation with 88 yards per game on the ground.

Miami-Florida

The Wish: Avoid the death penalty

Miami has already had a tumultuous season, finishing 6-6 and self-imposing a bowl ban. The bowl ban, of course, came as a result of the NCAA probe following the allegations involving Nevin Shapiro.

The bowl ban was a start but certainly won't be the end. Miami should expect scholarship reductions, another few seasons of postseason bans and several more sanctions. Anything less than the death penalty would be a sigh of relief for the Hurricanes (it is most likely that they won't get the death penalty).

Miami-Ohio

The Wish: A rushing game

Miami-Ohio ranked last in the nation in rushing yards per attempt (2.36) and yards per game (73.83).

The RedHawks rushed 38 times for negative-three yards against Cincinnati. Against Toledo they rushed 21 times for 14 yards.

Miami lost four games by less than seven points. An improved rush game would go a long way in improving its chances of winning close games.

Michigan

The Wish: The Wolverines find another use for Devin Gardner

Michigan enjoyed a successful 10-2 season that will be capped off with a trip to the Sugar Bowl. With so much talent coming back on both sides of the ball, it should compete for a BCS berth again next season.

Where can the Wolverines improve? I wasn't a big fan of bringing Devin Gardner in to line up at quarterback. When they did this, they usually kept Denard Robinson on the field and used him as a decoy at wide receiver (which isn't a great decoy since they never did anything with him).

It wasn't as if Gardner was much better of a passer, going just 11-of-23. Keeping Robinson in, but not doing anything with him, but not replacing him with a better passer—all this amounted to wasting a player on offense. They might as well have been lining up 10-on-11 (the only thing they ever did was reverse-pass, but never for anything significant).

Gardner needs to be utilized in another fashion. The Wolverines can't keep bringing him in as a "changeup" to Robinson because he doesn't offer any changeup to begin with.

Michigan State

The Wish: Justice

Michigan State was one of three teams tied for the Big Ten lead last season. Despite having beaten Wisconsin, MSU had to settle for the Capital One Bowl, while Wisconsin went to the Rose Bowl.

This year MSU finished the regular season with the best record in the Big Ten. Any other year in the history of the conference, the Spartans would be headed to Pasadena.

Unfortunately for them, this was the first year of the Big Ten championship game. They had to play Wisconsin, a team they beat in the regular season, and lost on a last-second running-into-the-kicker penalty.

As a result, it's deja vu all over again. Wisconsin to the Rose Bowl. MSU to the Outback Bowl.

The Spartans would also like a bowl victory; they haven't gotten one since the 2001 Silicon Valley Classic (44-35 over Fresno State).

Middle Tennessee

The Wish: Leighton Gasque develops into a full-time starter and leads a revamped defense

Here's an odd stat for you. Freshman linebacker Leighton Gasque led the Blue Raiders in sacks with six. He was third in tackles for loss with six. Despite this, he ranked 20th on the team in total tackles with just 17.

Seventeen tackles...six of them sacks? How is that even possible?

MTSU finished 111th in the nation in points allowed this season with 36.8 per game. Most of the secondary will be gone, which could be the best or the worst thing.

There are a few players from the front seven coming back, however, one of them being Gasque. I'd assume he would develop into a full-time player and could be a significant contributor.

Minnesota

The Wish: The resiliency the Gophers showed down the stretch carries into next season

Minnesota wasn't a great team this year—no one is arguing that. Still, with a two-point loss to USC, a seven-point loss to Michigan State and wins over Iowa and Illinois, maybe it was slightly better than its 3-9 record.

The Gophers showed great resolve down the stretch, first beating Iowa. They followed that up by playing MSU virtually even. Tough losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern followed before they completely dismantled Illinois on senior day. With QB Marqueis Gray and most of their front seven coming back, I expect the Gophers to take this momentum into next season and make something out of it.

Additionally, it would be great if coach Jerry Kill's health condition improved, but it doesn't seem like that will happen. Kill mentioned that his frequent seizures will be something that is with him for the rest of his life, but to not make much of it. He added that if it ever affected his coaching or duties, he would quit.

Mississippi State

The Wish: Cameron Lawrence and Fletcher Cox return and anchor a tough defense that keeps MSU above water

This season was a tough one for the Bulldogs, and unfortunately next season could be tough too. MSU will lose QB Chris Relf (who it benched this season) and more importantly RB Vick Ballard, handing the keys over to QB Tyler Russell.

That may be the bad. The good is that MSU could have several strong players back in the defensive front seven. Most notable would be LB Cameron Lawrence and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (pictured). Lawrence led the team in tackles, and Cox led the team in sacks despite only playing in 11 games.

If those two men return, the defense can be very good, and the Bulldogs may actually be better despite the loss of some key offensive personnel.

Missouri

The Wish: Gary Pinkel is still coach next season

Mizzou came on very strong throughout the course of the season. QB James Franklin looked lost at times against Miami-Ohio but developed into a solid passer and rusher down the stretch. He has a bright future.

Combine this with the return of Henry Josey and most likely T.J. Moe, and you'll see that the Tigers are looking formidable on offense next year. The defense will return a lot of starters, and it too improved throughout the year.

All that could be for naught if head coach Gary Pinkel is fired. Pinkel was arrested for a DWI on November 18. He was suspended for one game and has since returned, so early indications are that he will coach the Tigers next year. Mizzou hasn't lost since the incident.

Navy

The Wish: A more experienced defense gets team through tough early stretch

Navy's defense struggled early this season but eventually righted the ship (pun intended), allowing only 19.75 points per game over its final four. It will have most of its players back on defense and should be very strong.

Offensively the Midshipmen will need to replace QB Kriss Proctor and leading rusher (besides Proctor) Alexander Teich. But we know what Navy is going to do: Run the football and be successful doing so. One would expect replacements to be successful as well.

Navy opens with Notre Dame next season before traveling to Penn State. It plays two FCS teams along the way and makes a trip to Air Force and ECU. It will be a major success if the Middies can split the first two games. If not, it is imperative they don't fall apart after an 0-2 start.

Nebraska

The Wish: Taylor Martinez learns how to throw

There have been a lot of readers defending Martinez's throwing mechanics on my commentary sections in the past, which usually then snowballs into a defense of Martinez's character and overall personality. So let me clear the air.

I like Martinez. I like what he can bring to the table for Nebraska. He's a terrific athlete. The Huskers are better with him than they are without him.

That all said...he can't throw.

I have never seen anyone throw like him before. Ever. Without getting too much into it...it isn't the way that you are taught to throw, and it isn't very effective.

The Huskers will need him to be able to throw the ball if they want to win the Big Ten. Their three lowest rushing totals this season were, not coincidentally, their three losses on the season. More and more teams are going to key in on their running attack, and if they can't run the ball, the Huskers are mediocre at best. You don't need to morph into Houston's attack, but you need to be able to complete the throws when you do attempt them.

Nevada

The Wish: Joining the Mountain West doesn't slow the Wolf Pack down

There's no reason to believe this will happen, but all bets are off with conference realignment.

The Wolf Pack were young on offense but sufficient. Still, there is room for improvement.

Most of the defense will be gone, however, and with improved quality of competition, Nevada may find itself middling in the MWC for a year or two.

New Mexico

The Wish: A playmaker in the return game

Deon Long is a quality receiver but probably isn't suited for the return game. That or he needs major help.

New Mexico's defense wasn't great, and as a result the Lobos only returned nine punts on the season. They went for a total of 12 yards. Their season long in the punt return game was five yards.

When you're outmanned and outclassed like New Mexico is, you need something in your favor to help swing the game your way. Usually such things come from the special teams units. Instead of helping New Mexico, they have been an additional hindrance.

New Mexico State

The Wish: Andrew Manley picks up where Matt Christian left off

Manley was the opening-day starter for the Aggies, but an ACL injury in the third game sidelined him for the season. Backup Matt Christian came in and tossed for 2,158 yards in nine games. Overall, the Aggies finished 25th in the nation in passing offense.

Now the ball will be back in Manley's hands. We hope that he is fully recovered from his injury and can cash in on the high praise he earned through the first few games of the season.

North Carolina

The Wish: Larry Fedora effectively rids the program of everything Butch Davis

UNC was loaded with talent just two seasons ago. Suspensions and a mass exodus put an end to that in addition to ending coach Butch Davis' time with the Tar Heels.

Everett Withers was brought in for damage control this season, but the memory remained. Now, with Larry Fedora at the helm, the Tar Heels can move on.

He'll have a strong RB in Giovani Bernard and an accurate but inconsistent passer in Bryn Renner. Most of the big-name talent on defense is going to be gone, but Fedora can now rebuild. His Southern Miss team finished 29th in points allowed this season (playing in a higher-scoring conference).

North Carolina State

The Wish: No offseason QB controversy leads to a 10-win season.

The Wolfpack dealt through a minor QB controversy this offseason—minor in that it was solved early and didn't drag out, major in that they lost Russell Wilson.

For making his first few starts, Mike Glennon did pretty well for himself. Still, N.C. State's offense remained anemic. It scored 56 and 37 against Maryland and Clemson respectively in its last two games but only scored 10, 13 and zero in its previous three against Boston College, UNC and FSU respectively.

It would also be nice to have a rushing game to go along with Glennon, but a full year of experience and an easier schedule should be just what the doctor ordered in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will play two FCS opponents...again.

North Texas

The Wish: Derek Thompson and Brelan Chancellor develop into a great combo

This season was all Lance Dunbar for North Texas. Next year he'll be gone, and the passing game will have to improve.

Thompson and Chancellor are both only sophomores and showed promise of a strong future together. Chancellor caught 37 passes for 457 yards and five touchdowns, three of those coming in his final four games (he didn't play in the finale though).

Northern Illinois

The Wish: Losing 84 percent of the offense won't slow down Dave Doeren's explosive attack

Wishful thinking, but unlikely. The Huskies will lose QB Chandler Harnish, who alone threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for nearly 1,400. Toss in the loss of RB Jasmin Hopkins and the Huskies will be decimated. Time to rebuild.

Northwestern

The Wish: Become a more consistent team

Northwestern is one of the odder teams in the nation. Every year it will lose a game it shouldn't lose, win a game it shouldn't win, compete with almost every team except one or two and finish 6-6.

This year the Wildcats lost to Army but beat Nebraska. They lost big to Michigan and Michigan State, two teams that they matched up with fairly well. No surprise, but they are 6-6.

The wish is that even with the loss of Dan Persa, Northwestern develops into a more consistent team.

Notre Dame

The Wish: The pieces of the puzzle go together next year

Notre Dame got an early gift when Manti Te'o announced he would be returning for his senior season. Now, just like any other year, Notre Dame has some quality pieces to work with. It remains to be seen whether they fit together.

They didn't this season. When the defense played well (South Florida), the offense laid an egg. When the offense played well (Michigan), the defense let the team down.

The Irish will have Tyler Eifert, Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood back on offense, along with Tommy Rees. I don't really see the offense playing much better than it did this season, and the defense might regress early (it does lose most of the secondary).

Still, they'll have talent. Can they finally put everything together? If their pieces match, the resulting picture should be a BCS berth.

Ohio

The Wish: A MAC championship

Ohio has accomplished just about everything under Frank Solich. The only thing that eludes it is a MAC title.

The Bobcats seemed to be closing in on one this season, leading NIU 20-0 in the MAC championship game. A 23-0 run by the Huskies quashed those dreams.

They had not been in a bowl since 1968 prior to Solich taking over. Since, they've made four bowl games in five years. It's not as if Ohio has been a failure under Solich (far, far from it), but it's time to take the next step.

Ohio State

The Wish: Who cares what their wish is? They already got everything they wanted.

Remember the bratty rich kid you knew growing up that was a jerk to everyone? He would flaunt his family's wealth, never learn the value of a dollar, eat 10 times the number of candy bars one should eat and just be a general annoyance to everyone.

Despite behaving in such a way, and contrary to the adage that only good children would get the best presents, this kid ended up with the best toys every year: something exorbitant like a big-screen TV in his room.

That's Ohio State. It misbehaves in the handling of Tattoo-gate, which leads to Jim Tressel resigning. It survives through the season (because it is Ohio State and still had some really good players), gets to play in a New Year's Day bowl against a big-name school (because it is Ohio State) and, on top of it all, is rewarded by getting one of the best coaches in the nation, Urban Meyer.

What more could the Buckeyes want? Their whole misdeed was turned around completely in one season. It won't be long until OSU is back on the playground, flaunting everything it has and dominating once more.

Oklahoma

The Wish: "Big Game Bob" to live up to his moniker and earn the moniker "little game" Bob

Big Game Bob hasn't really been a big game coach as of late. Before winning last year's Fiesta Bowl, the Sooners had lost five straight BCS games under Stoops. Prior to this season, Texas had beaten the Sooners four out of five times.

In other words, where is the "big game" moniker coming from?

I suppose he was 2-1 in big games this year (Texas, Florida State and Oklahoma State). If that's the case, he was 7-2 in "little games." Either way, at 9-3, the Sooners are disappointing.

The Sooners now have 10 losses over the last three seasons. Doesn't sound like a lot, but they have been ranked in the preseason Top 10 every year. Ten is too many.

Oklahoma State

The Wish: A dominating win over Stanford, a blowout loss for Alabama

Oklahoma State won its first-ever Big12 title, beat Oklahoma for just the 17th time in 107 tries and is going to its first-ever BCS game. I call that a successful season.

The Cowboys can put a cherry on top with a big win over Stanford. If one were to couple that with a big win by LSU in the title game, then everyone can begin the murmurs once again that the Cowboys belonged in the national title game.

It won't change anything. It won't add to or take away from a great season, and it won't get the great players they are losing to come back next year, but it would be great for one moment, and it would most likely lead to a final ranking of No. 2 in the nation.

Ole Miss

The Wish: Hugh Freeze salvages one season of Randall Mackey

Coach Hugh Freeze is going to inherit a little bit of talent on the offensive side of the ball when he takes over in Oxford. My guess is that he will go with QB Randall Mackey, who is more of a dual threat and more suited to Freeze's style.

Mackey completed less than 50 percent of his passes and rushed for only 180 yards. He'll be surrounded by a decent rusher in Jeff Scott and a very young receiving corps.

What I'm saying is, it'll be difficult but not impossible.

Oregon

The Wish: De'Anthony Thomas quickly becomes a solid 1B option

The Ducks are going to miss LaMichael James. There is no question about that. That said, the Ducks do have other weapons on offense.

De'Anthony Thomas is going to have to step up as a suitable backup to Kenjon Barner. The Ducks work best when they have a good one-two punch, and without James, it will be imperative that Thomas fills the initial role of backup (Thomas is a much better receiver than either Barner or James, however).

Oregon State

The Wish: Sean Mannion cuts down on interceptions and continues to improve

Oregon State did not have a great year—everyone knows that. But it may be surprising that freshman QB Sean Mannion threw for over 3,300 yards despite only playing in 11.5 games.

Mannion steadily improved and finished with a 64.5 completion percentage, 3,328 yards, 16 TDs and 18 INTs. Obviously the last stat is the most concerning, but the numbers overall are good for a freshman QB on a 3-9 team.

Penn State

The Wish: Convict and imprison those responsible for the Jerry Sandusky scandal, clear the names of everyone who was innocent and never forget the victims

If you're in any way involved with Penn State, your wish is that this would all go away. It isn't going to go away, and totally divorcing yourself from everything or pretending it never happened would be doing a disservice to the real victims.

Right or wrong, I would have immediately fired every single person who was in any way involved with the football program at the time of the alleged attacks. That would have been step one of the football program moving on. Then the lawyers, judges and police could handle their duties, and the whole scandal could possibly become a separate entity, rather than it forever being entwined with Penn State football.

Odds are that will never happen. We can't forget the victims in all of this, but still, we want this to be done as quickly as possible.

Getting dumb "breaking news" flashes of every time Joe Paterno falls down and gets a minor crack in his pelvis and has to go to the hospital doesn't help matters much either.

Pitt

The Wish: A coach that loves Pitt

The holidays are all about spending time with those you love. Unfortunately, Pitt hasn't found that special someone quite yet.

When defensive coordinator Keith Patterson coaches the team in the bowl game, he will be the fifth Pitt head coach in the past 13 months. Dave Wannstedt resigned in December 2010, forcing defensive coordinator Phil Bennett to step in for the bowl. Mike Haywood was hired but fired two weeks later following charges of domestic abuse. Enter Todd Graham, who abruptly left after one season for ASU.

Early rumors indicate that Luke Fickell and Pitt have shown mutual interest in each other. Whoever takes over will be the sixth coach since the start of the 2010 season. The Panthers need someone who loves them and can stay there for a long time.

Purdue

The Wish: TerBush and Bolden develop into a solid one-two punch on offense

Purdue quietly finished 6-6, beating Ohio State and Illinois in the process (and thus rebounding from an early loss to Rice).

It was aided in large part by the play of QB Caleb TerBush, who only turned the ball over four times in the last eight games. TerBush doesn't have blinding speed by any means, but he has shown the ability to run at times. I'd like to see him get more involved.

Ralph Bolden didn't have one game over 100 yards after the first week of the season, but he did finish with a 4.55 yards per carry average and a touchdown in each of the last three games (before he was hurt during the Indiana game). Fans should be hoping Bolden is healthy for the start of next season, because he could be a special player.

Rice

The Wish: New faces on the front seven produce more pressure

Only one player on the Owls recorded more than 2.5 sacks this past season—Scott Solomon with 8.0. Anyone who recorded more than one sack is gone next year.

The Owls are going to need to increase the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They allowed 33 points per game this season, aided in no small part by the 73 points they allowed to Houston. In such a pass-happy league, pressure is imperative.

Rutgers

The Wish: Steve Beauharnais returns and leads Rutgers to one of the best defenses in the nation

It sounds absurd until you consider that Rutgers finished 12th in the nation in points allowed this season and was one game away from tying for a conference championship (before it ironically gave up 40 points to UConn).

Rutgers should have most of its major contributors back, but no one is as important as Beauharnais. The junior linebacker recorded 15 tackles for loss and 71 total tackles. Defensive back Khaseem Greene should be back as well, giving the Knights a solid back seven.

Prior to its 40-point letdown to UConn, Rutgers had allowed more than 27 points just once (31 to West Virginia). This is a solid defense that will rank near the top in the nation and keep the Scarlet Knights competitive for a Big East title.

San Diego State

The Wish: A decrease in the passing game doesn't take away from Ronnie Hillman's production

Ronnie Hillman is about on pace to break the all-time leading rushing record (if he stays four seasons, of course). Despite doing so well, SDSU has been able to maintain a balanced offense.

Next year will be harder with the departure of QB Ryan Lindley. Now opposing defenses will easily be able to key in on Hillman (if they weren't before), and his yards will be harder to come by.

We saw this past weekend what can happen when a defense makes SDSU beat you through the air. La-Lafayette contained Hillman the entire game and made Lindley throw. SDSU almost pulled one out but fell 32-30. It would be surprising to me if it is able to throw the ball as well next season without Lindley.

San Jose State

The Wish: Someone steps up on offense

Earlier we mentioned how much offense NIU would be losing next year. As it turns out, SJSU is worse.

The Spartans lose starting QB Matt Faulkner and RB Brandon Rutley, which accounts for 89.17 percent of their offense! The next leading rusher was backup QB Dasmen Stewart (who figures to be the next man under center) and then Tyler Ervin, who is listed as a defensive back on the depth chart.

The pressure figures to be on Stewart (pictured). Still, the junior will have attempted only 54 passes in his career and had a 3.0 yards per attempt rate this year.

SMU

The Wish: June Jones starts producing what the fans signed up for

No one said rebuilding in Dallas was going to be easy. With June Jones coming in, many thought it was possible. After initial success, many predicted future glory akin to Jones' days in Hawaii. Turns out they're long off.

SMU did finish 22nd in passing yards but just 71st in points scored. It turned the ball over 31 times (114th in the nation) and finished just 2-4 down the stretch in C-USA.

QB J.J. McDermott took over for Kyle Padron early in the season but is now graduating. That leaves another QB controversy. Will Jones go back to Padron? Can the Mustangs stop turning the ball over?

South Carolina

The Wish: The Gamecocks stay healthy and win the SEC

It would be the first time ever, but the time is now for South Carolina.

The Gamecocks somehow went 10-2 this season despite kicking their QB off the team and losing their best player to an injury halfway through the season. How did they do it?

Defense mostly...the same defense that will return Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Swearinger, Shaq Wilson and possibly Devin Taylor. This defense will be stout again.

The main concern is the health of Marcus Lattimore. If he can stay healthy, he has the potential to win the Heisman Trophy. Throw in Connor Shaw and Brandon Wilds getting a year of baptism by fire (not really fire since they went 10-2), and South Carolina figures to be very good again next year. It gets Arkansas and UGA at home.

South Florida

The Wish: A strong finish

It doesn't seem too much to ask. In the month of September the past five seasons, USF is 19-2.

The rest of the season? 17-25. That includes this season's 1-7 mark following a 4-0 start. USF does not have a winning record in the Big East since 2007 (where it was only 4-3 despite at one point being ranked No. 2 in the nation).

Southern Mississippi

The Wish: A solid secondary ensures that So. Miss isn't a one-hit wonder

So. Miss finished 11-2 and won the C-USA championship. As a reward it will play in Hawaii, which, despite being Hawaii, isn't the best destination for a conference champion.

Regardless, the trip is bittersweet, as the Golden Eagles have already lost coach Larry Fedora to UNC. Soon enough they will lose veteran starter Austin Davis to graduation, along with almost all of their wide receivers.

The defense will return a majority of the secondary, and that is where the team's strength will lie. A few defensive linemen and linebackers will be back, and they will need to keep the team afloat as it breaks in a new quarterback.

Stanford

The Wish: Another John Elway

Andrew Luck has oftentimes been compared to John Elway, which would give Stanford two John Elways in their history (in addition to Jim Plunkett, among others).

It wouldn't be fair to say Stanford is going to fall off the face of the Earth next season, but it will lose most of its offensive line, Andrew Luck and its top three receivers. Therefore, another 11-win season and BCS berth (like the past two seasons) is a bit of a stretch.

There will be a QB battle in the summer, but indications are that the front-runner as of now is Brett Nottingham, a 6'4", 210-pound sophomore from Alamo, Calif.

Syracuse

The Wish: One offensive playmaker

Syracuse will be decimated next year, as it loses QB Ryan Nassib, RB Antwon Bailey and five of its six leading receivers. It can't all fall on the shoulders of WR Alec Lemon (pictured)—it just can't.

The defense should be okay, though. Dyshawn Davis and Marquis Spruill are two solid young linebackers. If it can get any help from the offense, Syracuse may actually be better despite losing nearly 92 percent of its offense.

TCU

The Wish: The Frogs don't fall victim to the old adage "Be careful what you wish for"

TCU is now in the Big 12. It's playing with the big boys. This is what it wanted—let's see how it does.

To be honest, I think TCU will be as good as anyone in the Big 12 next year. This was supposed to be its rebuilding year, and it went 10-2 and swept the MWC. Next year it'll return practically everyone on offense but will have some holes in the secondary to fill and will have to replace the leadership of Tank Carder at linebacker.

Temple

The Wish: Bernard Pierce returns

Temple did what any quality team sets out to do. It ran the ball (seventh in the nation) and played strong defense (third in nation in points allowed). What more could you ask for?

You could ask for your star running back to return. Pierce rushed for 1,481 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, capped off with 100 yards and two TDs this past weekend in the New Mexico Bowl.

Head coach Steve Addazio has done a tremendous job taking over Al Golden (wish No. 2 should be an extension for Addazio). Temple is already losing a lot of players on defense, but the blow could be lessened with Pierce coming back. Then it will have a greater chance of building a dynasty.

Tennessee

The Wish: A healthy Tyler Bray

Bray seemed destined to take major steps this season, his second as a starting quarterback. After going 34-of-41 against Cincinnati, many thought Bray would lead the Vols back to notoriety.

He was hurt a few weeks later, and the Vols struggled mightily. Things got so bad that they had to burn a redshirt tag on Justin Worley.

Bray returned later in the season, but you could tell he wasn't 100 percent. Now the Vols enter next season with Bray as a junior, but with only 1.5 years of experience, and Worley, who played in a few games but had a wasted redshirt. They can't afford to lose Bray again.

Texas

The Wish: Any quarterback will do

The Longhorns don't need an Andrew Luck or any of those 5-star quarterbacks they normally get from the state of Texas. They just need someone, anyone, to be serviceable.

They have a solid defense in place and a stable of running backs. Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron are freshmen and combined to rush for nearly 1,200 yards. The future is bright as far as that is concerned.

Then there is the quarterback situation. Garrett Gilbert went from playing in the national championship game to off the team in 20 months' time. Then there was Case McCoy, who suffered through injuries and inconsistencies. Finally there was David Ash, whose less than stellar completion rate found him back on the bench.

Texas scored 69 points over the final four games, with the ultimate low coming against Mizzou, where it scored five points.

The Longhorns will have a QB controversy on their hands next season. They would be wise to just hand it off every single play, but we'll see what happens.

Texas A&M

The Wish: A bowl game next season

This sounds like a lowly goal given that the Aggies were ranked in the Top 10 at one point this season and are headed to a bowl game this year. It isn't—a bowl game next year would be a major accomplishment.

For one, they are moving to the SEC, which has most recently been a stronger conference (although computer rankings indicate the Big 12 was the strongest this season). For another, they will have a new coach in Kevin Sumlin.

Sometimes new coaches come in and keep the status quo and make sure things transition as smoothly as possible. This isn't one of those times. The old way of doing things and the new way of doing things are going to be much different.

How different? Houston threw the ball 613 times this year, Texas A&M 496. Houston ran the ball 404 times, Texas A&M 480 (notice the difference in total plays too). In short, A&M was mainly a rushing team and will now be a passing team.

Leo Tolstoy once said, "The strongest of all warriors are these two—time and patience." This quote could be applied to many teams on this list, but probably none more than Texas A&M.

Texas Tech

The Wish: A secondary

Texas Tech shocked the nation with a win in Norman this season. The win put it at 5-2, and with two close losses to Kansas State and Texas A&M, many believed that Tommy Tuberville had successfully turned the program around.

Tech would go on to lose five in a row, giving up an average of 52 points per game in the process. Ouch.

What's most concerning is the 8.7 yards per attempt allowed. For example, Texas scored 52 points on the Red Raiders despite attempting only nine passes (which further illustrates my point that Texas should run every play).

While this may seem as if the secondary is off the hook in this case, realize that Texas threw for 156 yards while completing only five of those nine passes. When teams wanted to throw, they could. Oklahoma State threw for 454 yards in a game that was over 10 minutes in. Baylor attempted only 23 passes but completed 16 of them for 257 yards, a 11.2 yards per attempt average.

Toledo

The Wish: Head coach Matt Campbell's loyalty is rewarded

Toledo head coach Tim Beckman left for Illinois a couple of weeks ago. It was thought that offensive coordinator Matt Campbell would follow him to assume the same position in Champaign. Instead, he opted for the head coaching gig of Toledo.

It could pay off. Toledo featured a high-powered offense this season, and it will have most of its key personnel back. At 32, Campbell is the youngest coach in FBS.

Troy

The Wish: Larry Blakeney Field isn't a curse

It isn't often that you get a field named after you. It's even rarer that you get to coach on said field. Blakeney is accomplishing both.

Troy's Memorial Stadium dedicated the field to Blakeney to open up the season. Troy had won or shared a Sun Belt title five straight seasons, so the naming was well deserved.

As it turns out, Troy would barely beat MTSU and then beat UAB by one the next week at home. The Trojans would go through their worst season since joining Division I in 2001.

They did finish 3-2 at home on the newly named field, but an 0-7 road record is still cause for concern. With such a young team this season, Troy should be able to rebound next year.

Tulane

The Wish: We never see the Pelican offense again

Bob Toledo was/is a good football coach, but his failed Pelican offense at Tulane is not what he will want to be remembered for (an ineffective variation of the pistol offense). The Green Wave averaged just 21.1 points per game this season, 24.9 last season and 16.1 the year before.

Toledo is gone, and the New Orleans Saints' Curtis Johnson will step in. This should be a great hire for Tulane, especially if it runs normal offenses not named after a bird. It isn't every day you get an NFL coach from the area to take over.

Tulsa

The Wish: An easier schedule

Instantly granted! After having to play Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State this season, Tulsa will square off against Nicholls State, Iowa State, Fresno State and Arkansas out of conference. Still tough, but much better.

This should help, as the Golden Hurricane will be breaking in a new quarterback. Still, they'll have most of their running backs back and their leading receivers back (including possibly Damaris Johnson, pending his suspension).

With a lot of talent coming back up front on defense, this could be an improved team. Tulsa went 7-1 following its opening month of doom.

UAB

The Wish: Garrick McGee pumps life into the program

He would be one of the first ever to do so. UAB has only made one bowl game in its history but has flirted with the idea of returning the past few years.

The Blazers finished 108th in points for and 111th in points allowed this season. Usually that translates to zero wins, but they managed to win three games (and lost three more by a combined nine points). As you may have guessed, turnovers hurt the Blazers—they turned it over 26 times on the year.

McGee comes from Arkansas, where he was the offensive coordinator—a perfect fit, as UAB's strength was throwing the ball (58th in the nation). With QB Jonathan Perry coming back off his sophomore season and most of the receivers returning, why not UAB? Why not six wins? This may be an offense that could produce some points if it hangs on to the ball.

UCF

The Wish: The pendulum swings back in UCF's favor

I'm not a big believer in trends or curses, but something interesting is happening in Orlando. Nearly every single season the Knights alternate a winning and losing record.

In 2004 they won zero games. In 2005, eight. 2006, four. 2007, 10. 2008, four. 2009, eight. 2010, 11 (the only exception). This year? Five.

Kinda weird, but ultimately means nothing. What does mean something is the talent they will have back.

UCF will be returning all of its skill on offense and close to 10 starters on defense. In other words, it doesn't matter if you believe in trends or not, because this team will have a winning record again in 2012.

UCLA

The Wish: Consistency

Rick Neuheisel's tenure at UCLA was anything but consistent. The team battled through injuries, changes in offensive philosophies, quarterback rotation and changes in coordinators (five combined in four years). It's impossible to be successful with all that going on.

If Bruins fans could wish for one thing, it would be consistency. If they could have the same coordinators for more than one year and familiarity with players (i.e. no QB shuffle and staying healthy), then they could be successful.

UNLV

The Wish: A new offensive line

UNLV struggled on offense this season (and to be fair, defense). The Rebels finished 106th in sacks allowed and as a result averaged just 106 yards per game through the air. That was ahead of only Army and Navy, who combined attempted fewer passes than UNLV.

USC

The Wish: Matt Barkley to return

USC has a solid nucleus of players returning next season and should compete for a Pac-12 championship. If Barkley returns, it could compete for a national championship.

USC has already lost left tackle Matt Kalil and defensive end Nick Perry, leaving Barkley and safety T.J. McDonald as the team's question marks. It would be nice to get at least one of them back.

Utah

The Wish: An increased role for a healthy John White IV

Utah probably finished the season as the second-best team in the Pac-12 South, a title I expect it to finish with next season as well.

It continued to get stronger because of its defense, which allowed only 19.7 points per game. It will have key contributors back and should be strong once again.

The Utes will have most of their offense back too. The offense struggled early, especially when QB Jordan Wynn went down, but started to play better when John White IV played a more integral role. He is the backfield for the Utes, averaging 24.17 carries per game.

It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it wasn't until the end of the year when they started utilizing him to his fullest. He only carried the ball more than 20 times twice in the first five games. In the last five he carried it 35, 27, 33, 42 and 10 times (the final game he was hurt).

If he can come back healthy and play a big role from the beginning, Utah's offense could be very good, and it could be a sleeper in the Pac-12.

Utah State

The Wish: A game that doesn't go down to the last second

Has any team gone through a more successful yet agonizing season than the Utah State Aggies?

On one hand, the team went 7-5 in the regular season to make just its third bowl game in 50 years. On the other, it lost four games by less than seven points.

The Aggies led Auburn by 10 with just a couple of minutes left before losing. BYU beat them by three on the last play of the game (a deflected throw off the helmet of a player). Finally, this past weekend, the Aggies surrendered a touchdown to Ohio with seconds left after leading the whole game.

On the whole, the Aggies lost six games by a combined 26 points this season. To be fair, they also won four games decided by four or less. Never easy with the Aggies.

UTEP

The Wish: Nick Lamaison's senior leadership to carry the team

UTEP is going to lose all of its significant rushers. That isn't to say someone else will emerge (someone will have to), but the star and leader of the offense is going to have to be QB Nick Lamaison. Lamaison suffered through injuries all season and turned it over too many times. He'll have to cut them down for the team to improve offensively.

Still, with most receivers back and another year of experience, Lamaison could make the turn. Playing through repeated injuries for a middling team sends a big message to your teammates. Lamaison could develop into a great leader.

Vanderbilt

The Wish: James Franklin's contract extension is a long one

Coach James Franklin came into Vanderbilt and immediately changed the program around. It is clear that Vanderbilt will no longer be the punching bag of the SEC, but rather will be competitive with any team that it plays.

As a result of his successes, Franklin was rewarded with a contract extension (just one season into his old one). Details of the extension weren't released.

Franklin has Vanderbilt as one of the major success stories of the season and should be the apple of many other programs' eyes. Commodore fans should hope that the new contract is a long one.

Virginia

The Wish: A Chick-fil-A Bowl win

Would there a better sign that your program is headed in the right direction than to beat the defending champions in the final game of the 2011 calendar? Virginia has an opportunity to do this on New Year's Eve when it squares off with Auburn.

Beyond that, no one expected Virginia to do much this season, yet here it is, representing the ACC as the third-best team.

The Cavs will have plenty back on offense (not as much on defense), so the future isn't guaranteed. They have a tremendous opportunity to make a name for themselves in this one, as nearly everyone will be watching (provided you don't go to some stuffy party that prohibits football from being shown).

Virginia Tech

The Wish: David Wilson back

I am as critical as anyone when it comes to the Hokies' place in the Sugar Bowl. That said, they weren't a bad team this year.

In fact, they finished eighth in the nation in scoring defense and will have nearly everyone back on that side of the ball next year. QB Logan Thomas will be back as well. The question mark is David Wilson.

Wilson has already rushed for 1,627 yards on the year. A strong Sugar Bowl could propel him into the limelight and into the NFL draft.

If Wilson comes back, then VT is a Top Five team in the preseason with a serious chance at winning the national championship. Therefore, it would be quite the holiday treat for Wilson to announce his return.

Wake Forest

The Wish: A healthy Josh Harris

Wake Forest started strong and ended poorly. He may not be the biggest name in the nation or even on his team, but Wake's rise and fall seemed to coincide with the health of Josh Harris.

Wake is already a strong passing team and will be again next year with Tanner Price returning. Harris was probably the better of two backs between he and Brandon Pendergrass. Harris rushed for 412 yards in the first five games, including 136 yards on 13 carries against FSU. After that his hamstring was tweaked, and he rushed for only 20 yards the rest of the season.

Wake's rushing game suffered as a result, finishing 96th in the nation in yards per game. Additionally, the Deacons went 2-5 in his absence.

A healthy Harris next year with a solid passing attack could mean a stronger finish for the Deacons.

Washington

The Wish: Chris Polk back

The defense had some issues but was young. I expect it to improve next season.

Keith Price showed improvement over the course of the season and will have to earn his job again next year with Nick Montana breathing down his neck. That shouldn't be an issue.

The issue will be if Chris Polk decides to leave. Polk put the team on his back at times and finished with 1,341 yards on the season. His loss would be too much for the Huskies to absorb (they lose their top two receivers, and losing all three would be too much at once...Polk could lessen the blow by returning).

Washington State

The Wish: Washington State sneaked into the basement and found and opened its present early.

Washington State already got its Christmas wish with the hiring of Mike Leach. Now it just has to hope he lives up to the hype of Cabbage Patch Kids, Nintendo and Tickle Me Elmo.

West Virginia

The Wish: A running game

Dana Holgorsen has almost fully implemented his offense at West Virginia. The thing that is missing that was featured on his past teams, such as Oklahoma State? A solid running game.

The Mountaineers averaged only 117 yards per game on the ground, 100th in the nation. Freshman RB Dustin Garrison showed some flashes at points, most notably a 291-yard effort against Bowling Green, but balanced it out with his 19-yard effort against Cincinnati.

Last season under Holgorsen, Oklahoma State averaged 5.04 yards per rush. 2009 at Houston? 4.56 yards per attempt. 2008 at Houston? 5.16 yards per attempt. This year at West Virginia—3.78.

Clearly this is something Holgorsen, and Mountaineer fans, hope to improve on.

Western Kentucky

The Wish: A kicker

Every fanbase has a love-hate relationship with its kicker. At one time or another we all praise the kicker for a game-winning field goal and vilify him for missing in a similar situation. Unless you're a fan of WKU, however, you don't know kicker pains.

WKU went 5-of-20 on field goals this season. That's 25 percent! The next lowest percentage was Miami-Ohio, which only attempted six field goals all year, making two. The next worst team to have at least 20 attempts was Duke, which went 9-of-20, almost twice as good as WKU. The Hilltoppers also went 30-of-34 on extra points.

Despite all this, WKU went 7-5! This is even more impressive considering it is only its fourth year of existence, and it had won a combined four games in its entire FBS history entering this season.

At this point, it may be time to give Big Red a scholarship and let him try his foot at kicking.

Western Michigan

The Wish: Some help from the defense

WMU is going to lose its top three receivers, including superstar Jordan White. There is nothing it can do about that, so there is no use dwelling on it.

What the Broncos can do to help themselves is improve on defense. They will lose Drew Nowak, who was by far their best defensive player. This is a team that gave up 28 points per game and is not returning much on that side of the ball. An improvement is going to have to come from somewhere because odds are the offense will regress slightly (at least at first).

Wisconsin

The Wish: A Rose Bowl win

Sounds simple, but it isn't. Despite being on the verge of greatness for years under Bret Bielema, the Badgers are only 2-3 in bowl games under him.

A win would give the Badgers their first Rose Bowl victory since 2000, but more importantly, it would solidify them as a Top Five/Top 10 team in the preseason next season. I fully expect Wisconsin to compete for a national title again next year, and a strong preseason ranking could be huge.

Wyoming

The Wish: Improved defensive line play

Wyoming did something extraordinary, finishing with an 8-4 record in a tough league despite finishing 115th nationally in rush defense. If they can improve this unit, there's no telling how good the Cowboys could be.

The future looks bright on offense with almost all their skill players coming back. They will only return around half of their front seven, so someone will have to step up. Still, it can't be much worse.