CSF’s College Football Preseason Countdown to #1 continues this week with our #11-#15 ranked teams. In case you missed them, check out our breakdown of #21-#25 and last week’s breakdown of teams #16-#20.
15. Virginia Tech: The Hokies will have little trouble replacing the loss of QB Tyrod Taylor. There are Seven games on the schedule that look like blow outs before the season starts. The Hokies will meet the Seminoles once again in the ACC Championship Game. – Peter Marhoefer, Mr. Touchdown USA
The model of consistently being good, winning games, playing the right way, developing NFL ready players and an empty national championship trophy case. I would love to have seen this team with Tyrod Taylor and their running backs return, minus the brain freeze that got them early last year. What might have been… – Christian Hon, CSF writer/contributor
14. TCU: They’re not going to be anywhere as good as last season, but, for one more season at least, they’ll play in the Mountain West before moving to the Big East. Two years from now, none of us will even be able to name their previous conference. – Justin Cange, CSF writer/contributor
The Horned Frogs’ season will come down to the big game on November 12 at Boise State, and if Gary Patterson’s boys can pull it off, then a BCS bid will not be out of reach. But there are a lot of inexperienced players, which leads me to believe they could drop a game or two that would have been an easy W last season. – Nick Mattar, CSF writer/contributor
13. Ohio State: Off the field distractions and dates with Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Michigan State will keep the Buckeyes out of the BCS Title game but returning to the Rose Bowl. – Peter Marhoefer, Mr. Touchdown USA
Their players’ appreciation for tattoos could cost the Buckeyes dearly this season. Of the five game suspensions of including key contributors Terrelle Pryor and Boom Herron, two of those games pit OSU against Miami and Michigan State. Pryor and company return just in time to take on Big Ten newcomer Nebraska in Lincoln…not exactly a preseason game. With their daunting schedule, the suspensions, and the continued pressure of an NCAA investigation, Ohio State will likely see themselves out of the BCS picture in 2011. – Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor
12. Wisconsin: The Badgers will sleepily bulldoze through the Big Ten and make us wonder how a perennial 10 win team can be so boring. – Christian Hon, CSF writer/contributor
The tailback tandem of Montee Ball, and James White will carry a huge load of the offense, and they will have to in order for new quarterback Jon Budmayr to succeed. Budmayr has no game experience, but he has two talented receivers in Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis to help him ease into his first season. On the other side of the ball, JJ Watt and Niles Brinkley will be tough to replace, but they should be fine as long as Louis Nzegwu and their senior-laden secondary produce.
11. Oklahoma State: I still don’t know how OSU didn’t win the Big 12 last year. With that offense clicking on all cylinders and a road-weary OU team coming to Stillwater late in the season, I thought surely the Pokes would achieve their first berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. Instead, they got blitzed again by OU. Their biggest weapons on offense return, however, and as long as Brandon Weeden can find Justin Blackmon, OU is the only team that serves as a challenge. — Justin Cange, CSF writer/contributor
Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are getting all the hype, and why shouldn’t they after the numbers they posted last season. But look for running back Joseph Randle to burst onto the national season in 2011. As a freshman, the RB split time with Kendal Hunter, and he still had 452 yards rushing with another 427 yards receiving. OSU also gets Oklahoma at home again this season, the second year in a row this rivalry match up will be played in Stillwater, due to the conference reallignment this fall. – Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor
