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
Kenny Rogers Is A Known Liar
January 13th, 2011
12:57 pm
Nice try “Huh” but the trophy’s already been shipped and it’s staying in Auburn. It won’t be on display at Wal-Mart either….
CaliNoleFan
January 13th, 2011
12:58 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…..
Alabama will be without their top RB and QB – Bama is in rebuild mode. I would be surprised if Kelly didnt have some success this year, but Top 5 , Top 10? Be happy if your Top 25. Another 2-3 years and Kelly will have ND back in the right direction
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
12:59 pm
“If the SEC was so vastly superior, what happened to South Carolina when they played FSU?”
The same thing that happened when they played Auburn, Arkansas and Kentucky. Just because the SEC is vastly superior doesn’t mean that South Carolina is. FSU beat a 4 loss team. Go out and celebrate!
root4au
January 13th, 2011
1:00 pm
you uga fans are sore losers. get on AU all you want, but we kicked your butts this year and will for years to come. AU is stocking talent and will be a good team in 2011 and a great team in 2012. Believe me it was not all Cam that won 14 games for us. BTW….Cam is coming back for his sr. season. Choke on that one…
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
1:02 pm
@CaliNoleFan
Bama was “without their starting QB” in 2009. Have you seen Richardson, Lacy and Goode run the ball? I didn’t think so.
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
1:03 pm
@root4au
That right there’s funny… I don’t care who you are!
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
1:03 pm
@ ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
12:50 pm
You sure sound alot like “Buckeye” from previous days. A fresh start for you maybe?
Notre Dame has to have one good season before people start making those predictions. I’m actually a Notre Dame fan. Have been since the days of Notre Dame football playing the re-runs of Saturdays games on Sunday mornings. That’s right, only three channels on TV. The days of Joe Montana etc. Showing my age on that one.
BUT, the promise of a new coach isn’t enough to make a top 10 prediction. Even a smart guy like Brian Kelley. He’s got a big hill to climb.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
1:04 pm
CaliNoleFan, USCe was the sixth-place team in the SEC. Let’s do this. Tell me who you would take in the following matchups on neutral fields:
Auburn vs. VT
Arky vs. FSU
LSU vs. Maryland
Bama vs. NC St.
Missy St. vs. Miami
USCe vs. UNC
Florida vs. BC
UGA vs. Clemson
UT vs. GT
UK vs. UVA
Vandy vs. Wake
Ole Miss vs. Duke
I’ll concede that the bottom half would be competitive. The top half wouldn’t.
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
1:05 pm
Georgia Tech will be relevant again in CFB before Notre Dame is.
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
1:08 pm
@root4au
January 13th, 2011
1:00 pm
you uga fans are sore losers. get on AU all you want, but we kicked your butts this year and will for years to come. AU is stocking talent and will be a good team in 2011 and a great team in 2012. Believe me it was not all Cam that won 14 games for us. BTW….Cam is coming back for his sr. season. Choke on that one…
Agree with you except for the Cam part. But that shouldn’t hurt you too much. My question is: What’s the over/under for days before Dawg fans start to come up with complaints on Mettzenberg (sp)? Whatever his name is. I can see it now. they will be lining up with stories about his unpaid traffic fines and how his character wasn’t good enough for their football program. Then next years victory over them won’t count either.
Hahaha
January 13th, 2011
1:09 pm
People are talking about UGA? lol? They suck and will never regain relevance.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
1:10 pm
Bama in rebuilding mode next year? Ha! Did you watch the defense in our bowl game? They finished sixth nationally and return 10 starters, plus have two stud juco linemen coming in and already enrolled. Four starting OL return as well as the top backup OL in Alfred McCullough, plus another juco kid in OT Aaron Douglas (assuming he can stay out of trouble) that already started for a season in the SEC. We have two four star Qbs competing for the starting job next year. The backfield will include Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, and the National HS player of the year in Dee Hart. Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks return at WR. But yeah, I guess we’re rebuilding. Only 17 starters return.
Gator Mike
January 13th, 2011
1:13 pm
@CaliNoleFan
As a Gator, I am curious in why you believe the NCAA is going to hammer UF. What are your sources?
Have a great day in Nole lala land.
Mick Shrimpton
January 13th, 2011
1:13 pm
Florida does NOT deserve to be a preseason Top 5 team, nor does FSU. I would put TCU in the Top 5 and move Bama higher. With all the over signing Nick Saban is doing he can’t help but put an All Star team on the field. At Bama if you don’t run a 4.40 Forty, your scholarship is history.
josh
January 13th, 2011
1:14 pm
Fsu is only losing 2 lineman, everybody needs to understand that, yes prolly the most productive but trickket is doing a great job i see them fill the void very quickly, but number 4 is a jump maybe # 7-8
Huh?
January 13th, 2011
1:15 pm
This was Alabama’s “rebuilding” year. Ten wins ain’t too shabby for a rebuild.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:16 pm
driving ms dooley actually my roomate is a buckeye fan. im not that big of a buckeye fan i respect them but im gold and blue. i agree with you except that i think notre dame is closer than people think. i mean i dont know what kelly did on that week off following the tulsa meltdown but you gotta admit the irish looked like a totally different team especially on defense and the last 4 games was probably the toughest part of the schedule for the irish counting miami. now im not in no way saying that notre dame is back to the holtz days and are gonna cruise to a title, im just saying that with pretty much there whole team coming back and prob one of the best linebackers and receiving corps in the country, prob a top 10 recruiting class, and the fact that they dont play in the sec and im pretty sure they will start the year off ranked no lower than 22, with the way the media and polls love notre dame if they can win 10 games next year they will be top 10 or 12… i mean if you think about this season which was some of the worst adversity notre dame has had in one season they still got to 8 wins and in all actuality were two plays away from 10 wins i dont see why they cant be a 10 win and top 10 0r 12 team next year… i could be wrong but thats my opinion. oh and as far as your vols i think they got the right coach definatly the right qb and i predict them to win 8 or 9 games next year, and slip in the top 25 by the end of the year…
Nigel Tufnel
January 13th, 2011
1:18 pm
Driving Ms Dooley -
You’re just a sore winner with a chip on your shoulder. After AU’s first NC you’ve got to defend it from the inevitable asterisks that’s coming. With all the talent exiting the program and sanctions on the way. I see another 4 game UGA winning streak against the Might War Tigers! LOL.
Fink
January 13th, 2011
1:20 pm
2009- Ole Miss (ranked 9th, 9-4 record)
2008- Georgia (ranked 1st, 10-3 record)
2007- Arkansas (ranked 9th, 8-5 record)
2005- Tennessee (ps – ranked 9, 5-6 record)
2003- Auburn (ranked 3, 8-5 record)
I’m not saying a preseason top 10 SEC will be a bust, I’m just saying that it’s pretty much a guarantee that one of the higher ranked SEC teams will disappoint. Top 10 teams are supposed to have min of 3 L. And certainly a preseason no. 1 shouldnt have 3 L.
This once again shows the strength of the SEC. Each game is a challenge.
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
1:23 pm
all good points ndirishfan26
What coach Kelley needs for immediate impact is a stud QB and some speed at wide out. And by stud QB I mean the drop-back passer kind. The kind of kid who will be an NFL QB with the right college coach. Kelley is one of those guys who can take that situation and make a run with it. If that happens, I’ll be on that bandwagon.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
1:26 pm
Mick Shrimpton
January 13th, 2011
1:13 pm
Florida does NOT deserve to be a preseason Top 5 team, nor does FSU. I would put TCU in the Top 5 and move Bama higher. With all the over signing Nick Saban is doing he can’t help but put an All Star team on the field. At Bama if you don’t run a 4.40 Forty, your scholarship is history.
1) Florida’s talent should put them near the top ten, but not top five. FSU? We’ll have to see but yeah, #4 preseason would be a reach I think.
2) TCU lost 26 seniors including 8 offensive starters and 6 defensive starters. Now THAT’s rebuilding.
3) Have noted your use of excuse #26 from the book “Excuses to Explain Why Nick Saban Wins More Than Your Team’s Coach.”
GIVE TCU SOME LOVE
January 13th, 2011
1:26 pm
the #1 defense in the country. beat wisconsin in the rose bowl. what’s it take to get some horned frog love up in here?
Fink
January 13th, 2011
1:32 pm
Kellen Moore is back in Boise? Uh-oh for UGA.
Gator Mike
January 13th, 2011
1:33 pm
@Give TCU Some Love
No disrespect because we all know that TCU is very good. The simple fact that the AJC is SEC and ACC country. We are all basically homers who do not watch much of what happens in other conferences.
Your Horned Frogs did great. Congrats!
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:35 pm
@ driving ms dooley, kinda agree in most circumstances but kelly runs a spread so a drop back quarterback isnt really a need plus i trust kelly and he took a cincinatti team that most people didnt really even realize they had a football team to back to back bcs bowls and one undefeated season with 5 different quarterbacks with that said i think kelly knows how to plug a quarterback into a situation and make him at least get the job done. look at rees definatly not a brady quinn but he wins why? cause kelly knows how to use a not so good quarter back and find his strengths and win games….. plus it did help alot that we have really good recievers, i think floyd will be one of the best next year. and our defense did step up out of nowhere, which is something you couldn’t say about notre dame in a couple decades. are you a tn fan? i know i was referring to you like you are if not sorry?
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:38 pm
driving ms dooley… haha dont get me wrong i would kill for another quinn at nd… not gonna lie so i wasnt dissagreeing with you.
Tide4u2c
January 13th, 2011
1:38 pm
It is neat to see how Nick Saban’s recruiting classes work out down to the numbers. Even when a player decides to go play pro-baseball instead of play football,etc.Saban knows what he is doing and it shows.
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
1:38 pm
@ Nigel Tufnel
January 13th, 2011
1:18 pm
Driving Ms Dooley -
You’re just a sore winner with a chip on your shoulder. After AU’s first NC you’ve got to defend it from the inevitable asterisks that’s coming. With all the talent exiting the program and sanctions on the way. I see another 4 game UGA winning streak against the Might War Tigers! LOL.
I wish I was a sore winner. I’m not an Auburn fan at heart although I did attend school there breifly before transferring home to TN. I’m a Vol fan but I appreciate good football and I’m enjoying the dominance of the SEC. Auburn had a hell of a season and Cams performance in the second half of the season (sans BCSCG) was amazing to watch.
Personally I hope your Dawgs regain their winning form so the SECe can rise again. It’s hard living in Atl and witnessing the agony in Athens.
When the NCAA turned a blind eye on the 5 Buckeyes, I think the message is clear. Their will be no astericks this year and it’s business as usual in the world of big time college football. And with Auburns top recruiting class, they’ll be hard to be beat for a couple of years. I see them as maybe 10-2 next year. And IF your dawgs and another SECe team beats them, I will be cheering for you.
But that’s a big IF.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:40 pm
driving ms dooley an example look at the 05, 06 seasons… quinn put that team on his shoulder and took them to the bcs games not weis… when quinn was gone lokk at weis record and supposedly he had more talented teams the next 3 years…. too bad quinn so far is a bust in the nfl….
Noles1929
January 13th, 2011
1:41 pm
“F$U?????????
Calling that a ‘flyer’ is an understatement. They will lose a minimum of 3 games and will get destroyed in Gainesville. Rebuilt O-line a new QB is a recipe for disaster. See Texas and UF this year.”
1. You have NO clue how deep FSU is at O-Line. We’re only losing two starts Ryan (average O-Lineman) and Hudson (Huge lose, best O-Lineman in the history of FSU football.) We also have three O-Linemen coming in as Early Enrollees.
2. EJ is not a new QB, he’s started 6 games and has only lost 2 of those games. This kid started studying Jimbo’s playbook his senior year in HIGH SCHOOL. All the snaps with the first team this spring and summer and having two warm-up games before going against real teams will make him even better
3. Gonna call B.S. on your FSU-UF prediction. What do you think is going to be better: a Gator’s offense under a new system in its first year or a Noles’ defense under its second year that held last year’s UF offense to 7 points and drasitcally improved from the 2009 season?
4. Now, do I think FSU should be in the top 5? No, I’m tired of the media giving us preseason hype just for us to underachieve and make our season look even worse. We should be ranked 10-15 and if we beat Oklahoma then and only then should we be considered to be in the top 5.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
1:45 pm
GIVE TCU SOME LOVE
January 13th, 2011
1:26 pm
the #1 defense in the country. beat wisconsin in the rose bowl. what’s it take to get some horned frog love up in here?
Here is some TCU love I’d be happy to give.
Driving Ms Dooley
January 13th, 2011
1:47 pm
@ ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:35 pm
Yeah I’m a Vol born and raised. But don’t feel sorry for us just yet. We’ve got a ton of 18 year olds with experience under their belt and we have hope at QB and receiver. I’m patiently hoping for respectability in 2011 (8-4 maybe) and a chance to compete for the SECe in 2012. Maybe 10-2.
It sucks to get knocked down but I think we’ve seen the bottom and as our new Coach said in his opening press conference last Jan, “It’s time to dust off our britches and get back up” .
We’re headed in the right direction. With that said. I’m out.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
1:49 pm
Noles1929 – you may be right, or you may be full of it….but I’m glad to see FSU is at least back in the discussion.
ndirishfan26 – I’m hoping Bama and ND can renew a home-and-home series. They had some of the best football games I’ve ever seen in the 1970s. The way they all ended left me a raging alcholoc for several years, but I’m better now.
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
1:52 pm
I’m glad that some fan bases have a sense of humor. We all could use a little more.
Here are posts made by Michigan State fans during the Capital One Bowl:
“Julio takin’ us to schoolio”
“why are they allowing Alabama to play with 35 players on defense?”
“I think their punter is currently drinking around the world in Epcot.” (from the early 3rd quarter)
“If we played 10 times, they would win 15″
“If Cam Newton costs $200,000 for a season, how much is a 2nd half rental?”
“and now Cousins is dead” (referring to MSU’s starting QB)
“If I was our QB I would hire an attorney and sue them for negligence or intentional infliction of physical and emotional distress.”
“I’m ready to accept MSU boosters paying for an offensive line. If we get caught I can deal with it.”
“This is getting out of hand…an Alabama d-lineman just popped out of my TV and threw me 10 yards behind my couch.”
“Do you think this is how Custer felt?”
“We’re going to have a wing named after us at Orlando Regional Medical Center by the time this game finishes.”
“This is embarrassing. So are we officially a basketball school again?”
“I want to know how many times in the history of organized football that teams have punted on 4th and goal”
“So this is what they mean by team speed”
“if i’m Maxwell, I fake an injury on the way to the huddle” (Referring to the backup QB, who was knocked out of the game three plays later)
“good lord. Their 4th string running back just ran through our entire defense and all we could do was swing our purses at him.”
GTBob
January 13th, 2011
1:53 pm
The same thing that happened when they played Auburn, Arkansas and Kentucky. Just because the SEC is vastly superior doesn’t mean that South Carolina is. FSU beat a 4 loss team. Go out and celebrate!
So we agree that the ACC Atlantic division was better then the SEC East this year? And we agree that FSU was better then Alabama?
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
1:56 pm
GTBob
January 13th, 2011
1:53 pm
The same thing that happened when they played Auburn, Arkansas and Kentucky. Just because the SEC is vastly superior doesn’t mean that South Carolina is. FSU beat a 4 loss team. Go out and celebrate!
So we agree that the ACC Atlantic division was better then the SEC East this year? And we agree that FSU was better then Alabama?
As long as we agree that James Madison was better than everybody in the ACC.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
1:59 pm
driving ms dooley, tenn will be alright people can laugh but like notre dame they are a traditional power and eventually will be back.. there are some teams in college football that are one hit wonders and some that just go through bad periods, hopefully tennessees bad period wont be as long as notre dames hahah, man im ready to see my team be on top again. its been a hard few years i think the last 4 statistically has been the worst in irish history hopefully kelly is the right guy. but like i said i dont think the vols win the sec or anything which isnt a bad thing cause its definatly saying something to win the sec i mean hell you can be a solid good football team and still be 4th or 5th in the sec which is where i will put tenn next year. i mean it cant get much worse for the vols, they got 4 guarenteed wins, i think they beat either ga or fla maybe both, and i think they get at lest 1 or two upsets against teams that nobody thinks they will get, and i think they def get the kentucky and vanderbilt wins as usual. so i think its a good 8 or 9 win season and descent bowl.. one thing i noticed about tenn cause i live here is that they have a strong fan base that goes to bat for them and fills there stadium and i think that helps them play better than they sometimes are cause they get that momentum and they know that on any given sat they got 90k plus fans that believe in them and got there back.
BAMA dude
January 13th, 2011
2:00 pm
A week of heavy flow is a bad period. Notre Dame is in menopause.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:02 pm
3rdn8, iv heard that there is talk about renewing that rivalry when the miami series is up, yea no matter the outcome that would be awesome to see those two teams on the field together. definatly would sell tickets and get the ratings. id love to see that in the future, we;ll see……..
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:04 pm
i dont think it will happen but i wouldn’t be shocked if it ended up being tenn and bama in the sec championship next year…. as long as it isn’t auburn im happy….
jumbeauxtiger
January 13th, 2011
2:06 pm
3rdN8, Crowton has confirmed that he is going to Maryland.
Schlomo
January 13th, 2011
2:07 pm
Biggest problem for Bama in 2011 will be lack of experience at QB.
Hopefully in 2011 the NCAA’s investigation into the corruption and cheating at the barn will proceed full steam ahead.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:09 pm
bama dude, A week of heavy flow is a bad period. Notre Dame is in menopause
hahaha man can’t say i disagree, i hope the future is looking better for us irish fans tired of living the delusional life that is being a notre dame fan. im ready to see results…
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:13 pm
schlomo, i dont see why everybodybody keeps saying that about bama i mean in theory that makes sense but iv seen there backup qb come in in some pretty tough games this year and he lokked pretty good, and last time i checked it looked like bama had 3 or four qbs that look like they could all prob start on other teams. im not jumping the bama bandwagon not a fan but i follow college football and lets face look at bamas roster and recruiting class they are becoming the new pet carrols southern cal they don’t rebuild they reload……
3rdN8
January 13th, 2011
2:13 pm
jumbeauxtiger
any guesses as to the replacement? The Boise State OC is as good as they come, but think I read where he is going to Texas.
BigTimeTECHFan
January 13th, 2011
2:15 pm
My Top 5:
1. Oklahoma State – Weeden and Blackman returning, Defense will be better
2. Alabama – Trent Richardson will explode being primary back
3. Florida – New coaching with all that talent, watch out
4. Stanford – Will beat Oragon
5. TCU – Will sweep Big East schedule
Georgia Tech – 17th, will beat FSU
Oklahoma loses to FSU then Ok State knocking them out
Funny
January 13th, 2011
2:19 pm
Georgia Tech beating FSU…you had your chances and they are now over.
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:21 pm
my preseason college football top ten…. 1. alabama
2. lsu
3. miss st
4. auburn…..hahah no seriously… 1. alabama 2. oklahoma 3. lsu 4. stanford 5. wisconsin 6. oregon 7. oklahoma state. 8. boise state. 9. miss st 10. ohio state…….
ndirishfan26
January 13th, 2011
2:23 pm
although i dont know realistically maybe the top 5 teams in sec west should be the top 5 teams in the nation especially after this past bowl season.
slone1980
January 13th, 2011
2:35 pm
Way too early on FSU. Two good recruiting years doesn’t make a top five team. They have no depth and we don’t know if their young talent will develop well or not. They will be better in the next few years, but not quite yet.