Early Top Five for 2011: Oklahoma is No 1
New York–Trying to tie up the loose ends of the 2010 season and get home. Here is my (ridiculously) early Top Five for 2011:
1. Oklahoma: The Sooners return 35 of the top 44 players including quarterback Landry Jones. Two guys I thought would turn pro–wide receiver Ryan Broyles and linebacker Travis Lewis–also return. The schedule becomes easier because the Big 12 no longer has a championship game. This will be the first year of the nine-game Big 12 schedule. Oklahoma has five home conference games and four on the road. A Sept. 17 trip to Florida State could be interesting.
2. Oregon: After losing to Auburn in the BCS championship game, Oregon coach Chip Kelly said “we’ll be back.” And I think the Ducks will. Running back LaMichael James decided to come back for his senior season. Quarterback Darron Thomas did not have a good BCS championship game (two interceptions) but he is only going to get better in Oregon’s offense. I don’t see who in the Pac-10 is going to beat Oregon because USC is down and Stanford, even with QB Andrew Luck returning, will take a dip with head coach Jim Harbaugh leaving for the pros.
3. LSU: The Tigers are going to lose three studs on defense in CB Patrick Peterson, who will turn pro early, LB Kelvin Sheppard, and DT Drake Nevis. But when LSU gets decent to good quarterback play, like Jordan Jefferson gave the Tigers in the Cotton Bowl, they are hard to handle. The quarterback position will only get better with the addition of Zach Mettenberger, a junior college transfer who started his career at Georgia. LSU has a chance to be the Auburn of 2011.
4. Florida State: I’m taking a little bit of a flyer on the Seminoles because they are going to have to rebuild their offensive line. It may be a year too early to make this call but I think the offense will be more versatile with E.J. Manuel at quarterback and that the defense is going to be pretty good because of the talent Jimbo Fisher and his staff as recruited. This is a reach pick. So what do you think?
5. Alabama: You saw how good Alabama could be when the Crimson Tide just beat down Michigan State in the Cap One Bowl. Yes, they’ll miss Greg McElroy at quarterback but I think AJ McCarron or Phillip Simms will fit right in and run the offense. Yes they will miss RB Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner. But Trent Richardson just might win the 2011 Heisman Trophy. LB Dont’a Hightower, who missed most of the 2009 season with a knee injury, started regaining his old form in the second half of 2010. He will come back and become an All-American in 2011. And if safety Mark Barron comes back, that’s two guys that coach Nick Saban thought he might lose. After playing six teams after they had open dates this season, the schedule will be much kinder in 2011.
In case you’re wondering, LSU comes to Alabama on Nov. 5, 2011.
Who am I leaving out? Boise State returns quarterback Kellen Moore (74 TD, only 9 INT) over the past two years. TCU will be good again even without quarterback Andy Dalton. Does Florida bounce back big under Will Muschamp?
Give me your Top Five for 2011.
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342 comments Add your comment
JB
January 13th, 2011
11:18 am
Gonna be interesting watching Muschamp, Dooley and Smart, all good friends, compete in the SEC.
DawginLex
January 13th, 2011
11:22 am
Gary Crowton out at LSU as OC
Bobo a candidate?
CAN WE TAKE UP A COLLECTION?????????????????????
xAl Goldenx
January 13th, 2011
11:23 am
Hilarious “journalism” here Barnhardt. Florida State? Bobby’s gone, you don’t have to suck up to them anymore.
It will be Golden showers for you Mr. Barnhardt.
jumbeauxtiger
January 13th, 2011
11:23 am
K-Stater,
You really can’t compare the ACC vs SEC in bowls games as the ACC’s higher seeded teams play the SEC’s lower seeds. An example is the #2 ACC team, FSU dropped down to Atlanta and played South Carolina, who was the 6th team in the SEC bowl pecking order. The Chick Fil gets the 6th choice after the BCS, Sugar, Capital One, Cotton & Outback.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:23 am
BAMA dude
My point was….I don’t see the ACC being substantially inferior to the new Big 12. Butch Davis should have had a contender this year, but had a meltdown instead.
It’s really hard to judge the PAC 10/12 without USC in the mix. As good as Stanford looked in the bowl, I’m unconvinced that will happen very often.
sectime
January 13th, 2011
11:24 am
Actually, a Ohio State university might start in the top 5. But, you have to win when it matters to stay there.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:28 am
Someone posted earlier that an SEC top 10 pick “always disappoints”. I wonder why that is?
Look at the coaching staffs at Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, MSU, Florida, USC, and UT (sorry UGA)…..and tell me why on earth a given team will disappoint.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
11:29 am
I don’t think the ACC has anybody that will compete on an annual basis with Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, and Florida. Those are the top five programs right now and comparing middle-of-the-pack teams within conferences is pointless in my opinion. Will other teams pop up from time to time and have great seasons? Sure, and some of these schools will have disappointing seasons. Realistically though I think you’ll find those five programs in the top ten fairly consistently over the next several years. That’s what made this year seem odd to me- all five had subpar seasons by their standards with the possible exception of OU.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Breaks of the game.
To run the table like AU did this year, and Bama did last year, you gotta get the breaks.
You don’t plan on winning a game by blocking two 4th qtr field goals. You don’t plan on winning a game by punching a ball out on a TD run, and have it roll 7 and 1/2 miles through your opponents endzone. You don’t plan on completing a pass when you’re backed up inside your own 15, and it’s third and seventy-five (by your backup QB no less).
You do plan on having your team in a position to win those games…..every week. That’s what good coaching staffs do, and that’s why the SEC is so fun to watch.
Dawg Tired
January 13th, 2011
11:40 am
Have $Newton$ and Fairly announced they’re leaving early or are you, like everyone else, just assuming they are. Obviously if they come back, I would put Auburn at # 1. Otherwise, they are about 16.
FSU is problematic because of the weakness of the ACC. I think they will win the ACC, but does that translate to the top 5? I say no.
As to the Ohio State thing. I’m with you because the Big 10 12 teams are so weak as once again demonstrated by the bowls (their victory over AK notwithstanding). However, they will be rated once Herbstreet gets through repeating over and over again on national TV how good they are even without Prior and company for the first 5 (which will become 2 or 3 after the NCAA hears the appeal).
I would put Bama higher just on coaching ability.
blord
January 13th, 2011
11:41 am
I like the FSU call. EJ has received a lot of playing time the last couple of years and the team is focussed under new leadership. The Oline is the key however the defense can carry them until they gel. Fear the Spear!
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:42 am
BAMA dude
I don’t disagree re: your assessment of the ACC….now. But I think that is changing. UNC is no fluke, neither is VaTEch. FSU is making huge strides (look at the 2011 recruiting boards). I’m not sure what to make of Miami…..as Don Meridith used to say: “potential is the heaviest burden in life”.
Dixie Redcoat Band
January 13th, 2011
11:43 am
We always keep a copy of the pre-season Top 25 then check it with the final Top 25…whoa….how the experts can be very wrong..amazing.
GTBob
January 13th, 2011
11:44 am
I agree that the ACC is terrible and should probably drop down to Division 3 but if the SEC is such a godly conference then shouldn’t any of their bowl teams be able to beat any of the ACC bowl teams? Isn’t that why the bowls match them up that way? Sounds like the SEC is making excuses. The ACC is 4-0 against them the last two years in bowls.
Miles
January 13th, 2011
11:45 am
Any bigger idiot in college football than Chip Kelly?
Geaux Tigers!
bill
January 13th, 2011
11:45 am
Our delusional UGA fanbase is out again…
Gtjack
January 13th, 2011
11:53 am
1. Oklahoma
2. LSU
3. Stanford
4. Oregon
5. Bosie St.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:53 am
GTBob
Not defending the SEC….just an observation. Over a considerable span of time, the SEC usually has about four teams that can compete with anyone. I think that number is up to six or seven next year.
If you look at the bottom half of the conference…not so much. Sending 10 out of 12 teams to bowl games makes that point.
The only big surprise to me in the bowls was the sloppy game Arkansas played, and the way USC (or KY) didn’t show up. Bowl games are not Spurrier’s strong suit. I don’t understand it, but it seems to be the case.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
11:55 am
@ Miles
agree re: Chip Kelly. He seems to be one strange fellow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a HC more uncomfortable doing interviews. Makes you wonder how he ever landed that job in the first place. Maybe it’s the cameras.
Steve Is An Idiot
January 13th, 2011
11:55 am
To the idiot “Steve” on here claiming Auburn was a 1-man team this year, did you watch the NC game at all? Cam was off his game and had a bad night, and AU won anyway. Hell he almost fumbled the game away on the last drive, threw 2 INT’S, and ran for basically nothing. Michael Dyer, the OL, and the Defense won that game. Yes Newton has been awesome this season and carried AU on his back many times this year, but a 1-man team Auburn wasn’t. That’s a BIG mis-perception.
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:05 pm
So the question becomes, why did Kenny Rogers tell many people/employees/boosters at MSU that the Newtons were looking for money? What had to have happened is that Kenny Rogers thought that he could be the middle man for the money transactions between MSU and the Newtons.
If that happened, then Rogers could pocket the money and keep it for himself. Why would he be able to pocket the money? How would Rogers get MSU boosters to pay the money? By saying that Newton wasn’t coming to MSU unless he got paid, and Rogers had to say that it was the Newtons that were telling him all this, when in reality, they had no idea that he was shopping their son. Rogers has already proven himself to be a liar and a sleazy salesman . This would be not be out of character for him to pull a maneuver like this.
Tide4u2c
January 13th, 2011
12:08 pm
We have a long way to go before we should talk about polls. But I think we can all realize that Alabama will again be very hard to beat as usual. Alabama was plagued with nagging injuries and yet still was tough to beat.If Alabama had not been plagued with injuries Alabama could’ve very well have been playing for the NC.South Carolina played the best game they have ever played in order to beat Alabama this past season and remember they and all of the other SEC teams had two weeks to prepare on how to beat Alabama.The Bama/LSU game is always a tough game decided by a touchdown or less and Auburn did not beat Alabama Alabama beat Alabama in that game if Mark Ingram holds on to that ball and Trent Richardson catches that pass on the goal line Alabama wins that game.
See I aint bragging but we 13 time champions working on 14 so ya’ll teams better be practicing.Rammer Jammer give’em hell Bama we scream it loud cause we proud its the new anthem home of the Tide Toscaloosa Alabama come down to Bryant Denny and watch their boys get hammered!
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:11 pm
@ Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
Please…..PLEASE!!!!!…just drop it already.
I don’t care where Cam Newtin came from, who he is, how he got to Auburn, or where he’s going.
He beat my team, in our house, after spotting us a 24 point lead. I may never get over that one. I still flinch when Bama punts.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:11 pm
“Newton”
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:13 pm
Tide4u2c
You may want to give your meds a little more time to work.
Crimsom Pride
January 13th, 2011
12:17 pm
Will UGAG be the pre-season #1 ?
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
DawginLex
January 13th, 2011
12:17 pm
13 titles??
you can’t count the 5 awarded by the boys down at the counter at the Tuscaloosa Drug and Sundrie
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:18 pm
“if Mark Ingram holds on to that ball and Trent Richardson catches that pass on the goal line Alabama wins that game.”
If my Aunt Wille had balls, she’d be my Uncle Bill.
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:19 pm
Leave it to a Bama Fan to post two paragraphs of run-on sentences. Hey Tide4u2c learn how to use punctuation, what a load of bogus gibberish. We took that game from Bama, they didn’t “give it away”. Carter chased him down and made the strip. Fairley made the sack on G-mAC, STRIPPED THE BALL, and made the RECOVERY. Clueless mullet….
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:22 pm
Ohmy bad there are periods and commas there, they are just in the middle of the sentence instead of the end.
Is This Even English?
January 13th, 2011
12:23 pm
See I aint bragging but we 13 time champions working on 14 so ya’ll teams better be practicing.Rammer Jammer give’em hell Bama we scream it loud cause we proud its the new anthem home of the Tide Toscaloosa Alabama come down to Bryant Denny and watch their boys get hammered!
404
January 13th, 2011
12:23 pm
Well, the BCS checks have now been cashed.
The SEC and PAC10 have been paid their BCS share.
Since the FBI had already opened an investigation
of Cecil Newton several weeks ago…
What’s the Over/Under for how many Days/Weeks it wil take
for the money trail to be exposed, leading to:
1. An indictment of one or more Auburn boosters
2. A forfeiture of the BCS title
3. A forfeiture of the Heisman trophy
4. Indictment of Cecil Newton for money laundering
It took 4+ years for USC and Reggie Bush to finally pay the price.
Dont think it will take that long here.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:25 pm
@ Is This Even English?
Trying to read that the first time was plenty. But…thank you.
Silver Britches, Red Panties
January 13th, 2011
12:25 pm
“UNC is no fluke, neither is VaTEch.”
So you’re saying that losing to James Madison was a true reflection of the strength of the ACC champion?
Tide4u2c
January 13th, 2011
12:26 pm
DawginLex,
If you deny Allabama has 13 then you have to deny all the other records Alabama has set. Like the most wins, the most SEC championships,the most bowl game wins,the most bowl games played and all the others too. By the way Alabama set a new record this past year when they beat Michigan st, no other team has won as many games as Bama has in 3 years.
Oh and what about the times when Alabama went undefeated but was screwed out of the NC to a team like Notre Dame because of the sports media’s bias toward Nore Dame and bias against the south.
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:26 pm
AU will be better than you think next season. Yes we will have weaknesses, but this season was proof you never know what will happen.
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:26 pm
RatherB is an idiot. You think FSU will get destroyed in Gunsville just because EJ is now the starter – Um, maybe you didnt see the asswhipping FSU gave UF this year, and the score would have been worse had EJ been allowed to deploy the full gameplan. For you to think that just because its in Ben Hill is idiotic. UF’s defense got shredded and it will only be worse next year. You UF clowns cease to amaze me lol. UF will be LUCKY to come out .500 much less win anything other than their regular dose of creampuffs. FSU is on the rise and the train is only pulling stronger. Urban left for a reason – He knows that UF’s little “run” is over and now the program will go right back to where it used to be – in the s**t patties that cover Gainesville and all of the ACR’s doorsteps in their trailors.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
12:27 pm
I guess we’re back to 500 consecutive posts either damning, or defending Cam Newton.
Think I’ll leave now, and go get a root canal.
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:36 pm
BamaDude,
With the exception of UF, Bama, TX, LSU and OU are top teams. UF is done – their program is a mess and the NCAA is about to pound them with violations. Look at their recruiting compared to FSU and then compare his classes from the last 4 years – complete meltdown. No doubt they had their little run, but calling UF a “Top” program right now is laughable, especially when they just hired a brand new staff and have now lost 9 recruits.
Does this mean I think that my Noles are Top 5? No, but we’re certainly Top 10 – If we beat OU at Doak next year, look out.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
12:37 pm
GTBob
January 13th, 2011
11:44 am
I agree that the ACC is terrible and should probably drop down to Division 3 but if the SEC is such a godly conference then shouldn’t any of their bowl teams be able to beat any of the ACC bowl teams? Isn’t that why the bowls match them up that way? Sounds like the SEC is making excuses. The ACC is 4-0 against them the last two years in bowls.
That’s an absurd concept. No, bottom feeding Tennessee shouldn’t be able to beat any ACC team. Hell, they couldn’t stay on the field with UGA this year. The only reason they are in a bowl is because of the rule change allowing teams to go with one FCS win in their total of 6. Here’s the bottom line: The SEC’s champion is far superior to the ACC’s champion. The SEC #2 is far superior to the ACC #2, and so on down the line. I guess when we get to the bottom we can compare Ole Miss and Duke. The ACC might get a wash in that one.
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:37 pm
Cam Newton = Reggie Bush 2010. Thats all that needs to be said.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
12:40 pm
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:36 pm
BamaDude,
With the exception of UF, Bama, TX, LSU and OU are top teams. UF is done – their program is a mess and the NCAA is about to pound them with violations. Look at their recruiting compared to FSU and then compare his classes from the last 4 years – complete meltdown. No doubt they had their little run, but calling UF a “Top” program right now is laughable, especially when they just hired a brand new staff and have now lost 9 recruits.
Does this mean I think that my Noles are Top 5? No, but we’re certainly Top 10 – If we beat OU at Doak next year, look out.
At this point I’d suggest two things:
1) I don’t think you’re gonna be 5 TD’s better in that game than you were this year, and
2) Until they regain some measure of consistency I would still have to put them below those five with any great season being just that, a great single season. Back in the 90s there’s no question that FSU and Miami would have bot been in that top 5, but with TV money changing the game it’s gonna be hard to catch up with those five.
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
12:45 pm
Bama Dude. I’ll take Ole Miss in that one.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
12:48 pm
Agreed, Dooley.
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:49 pm
I see Bama – you’ll become a believer when FSU starts having 10 win seasons on a regular basis? Makes sense.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
12:50 pm
hey i think next years national championship in my opinion should be two teams from the sec west…….. thats by far the most dominate division in the nation, but since thats not gonna happen im gonna go ahead and predict that bama will be one of the teams in the national championship game next year. as far as who they will play i have no idea but whoever it is bama will beat them. now with that said im a die hard notre dame fan and before anybody gets upset im not saying that the irish are national championship material, and i know they couldnt be a top 5 team competing in the sec week in and week out ( mainly the west). but with brian kelly as our coach and floyd and pretty much the rest of the team coming back, and with the teams that we do compete against ( which our schedule is no cake walk) i think the irish could end up a top 5 team at the end of the year definatly top 10…..
Auburn Guy
January 13th, 2011
12:53 pm
3rdN8 from 12:27 – Save me a place at the dentist’s chair too. Gawd!
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:54 pm
That’s an absurd concept. No, bottom feeding Tennessee shouldn’t be able to beat any ACC team. Hell, they couldn’t stay on the field with UGA this year. The only reason they are in a bowl is because of the rule change allowing teams to go with one FCS win in their total of 6. Here’s the bottom line: The SEC’s champion is far superior to the ACC’s champion. The SEC #2 is far superior to the ACC #2, and so on down the line. I guess when we get to the bottom we can compare Ole Miss and Duke. The ACC might get a wash in that one.
If the SEC was so vastly superior, what happened to South Carolina when they played FSU?
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
12:55 pm
Thank God the season is over and we don’t have to discuss the Lee County Mafia any more. Now if the Aubies would just STH up about it… You got your little trophy Barners. Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s not owned, it’s leased.
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:55 pm
Cam Newton= Heisman Trophy Winner and National Champion. That’s All That Needs To Be Said.