As the sun sets — quite anti-climactically, I might add — on the 2010 college football season with action in varying bowl destinations this month, you are sure to be inundated with a compilation of blogs, articles, and "informative" e-mails early this year about one of the following two college-football-related subjects: how the BCS is ruining college football and the 2011 NFL draft. To be honest, you'll probably see at least one of those articles with an authored "by-line" from yours truly. But this, people, is no such article.
Rather than bore you with my ideology as it relates to a college football playoff system (firmly in the corner of adding a true national championship game matching winners of the 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 bowl matchups played the weekend before, and this is the bare minimum in terms of changes I'd like to see made) and instead of posting a ridiculously-but-typically premature counsel on the first round of the NFL draft (Carolina will draft Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers, Denver will trade down with Arizona, who will select Stanford QB Andrew Luck, but I digress), I have chosen to inform you on what may come of the 2011 college football season by way of understanding the top units looking to return to campuses next fall.
Before delving much farther into the subject, I must first caveat this whole affair by pointing out this assessment is based on those I feel are going to opt out of college early, so things may still change for some of the groups. Alas, we are only as good as our own instinct, and I trust mine, so it is with this that you all must live should you choose to peruse the remainder of this missive. Now with that bit of self-preservation in place, let's move on to the meat of this story.
Offensive Backfield (QBs and RBs): Oregon Ducks
From where I'm standing, this is the toughest group to players to project. So many things can happen through the course of an offseason; injuries, suspensions, coaching/style changes; however, one thing is very easy to deign and that is that 2011 will feature a good number of very talented backfields and a whole lot more of the up-temp, high-scoring offensive action we saw in 2010.
Yes, I know how cliché it is to offer up the top offensive backfield from 2010 as the top unit the following season, but this particular group of talented athletes is well-deserving of such treatment. QB Darron Thomas accounted for 33 TDs in 2010, managed a 28/7 TD-to-INT ratio and truly made defending the Ducks while he was in the game a nightmare for opponents. Junior-to-be LaMichael James was a Heisman finalist and put up 1,682 yards on the ground. Kenjon Barner is back, as will be the bruising-but-rarely used Andres Reed, who can get those tough short yards should Oregon ever need them. Add to that a half-dozen frosh RBs that either red-shirted or understudied (the most promising of which would be Houston-native Dontae Williams) and a small handful of newbie QB options and you really have to bet the over for most of the Ducks' contests in 2011.
Honorable Mention — Boise State should have Kellen Moore back for his fourth and final rodeo and an All-Conference RB in Doug Martin toting the ball. Alabama will feature two of the country's top-10 RBs in the same backfield should Mark Ingram come back for his senior season (which I suspect will happen), as well as a wild card Reggie Bush-type in the versatile Marquis Maze. The Auburn Tigers also may have a dog in this fight based solely on the singular brilliance of one Cameron Newton, but come on, we all know that Cam is about as likely to lace them up in Jordan-Hare Stadium next season as I am.
One final consideration of note: the Arkansas Razorbacks. Should Ryan Mallett not throw his name into the NFL draft lot, the combo of Mallett and runners Knile Davis and Ronnie Wingo make this offensive backfield as good as any and, quite honestly, would compel me to move the 'Hogs to the top of the national rankings in 2011.
Don't Sleep On: Georgia — Sophomore Aaron Murray put together as strong a freshman campaign as you can without garnering much of the national spotlight. Try this on for size: 3,049 passing yards, 24/8 TD-to-INT ratio, 154.5 QB rating. While his Liberty Bowl performance was less than inspiring, I'll chalk that one up to a freshman playing like a freshman and will expect few similar results in 2011 and beyond. Further, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King provide a very appealing 1-2 punch from their tailback position. Granted, the likely departure of superstar wide out A.J. Green won't help Murray remain on top of his game, but I just wonder how much of Green's excellence late in 2011 was a result of his young QB maturing and finding a rhythm.
Receivers (WR/TE): Texas A&M Aggies
I can hear the comments now — I make my money and lay my roots in southeast Texas, so this is nothing more than a homer pick. Truth be told, my son — who is now 11 — carries inside him an affinity for the maroon and white which, quite honestly, sickens me to my core. The last thing I would ever do is unjustly exalt Mike Sherman's boys atop any list. The reality is the trio of Jeff Fuller, Ryan Swope, and Nehemiah Hicks is as formidable a WR-WR-TE trio as you'll see. Factor in their depth — 12 of 13 pass-catching players from 2010 are returning for the 2011 season — and those Aggies are poised for another strong campaign as they try to remain relevant on the college football landscape for the first time in more than a few years.
Honorable Mention — Two other Big 12 schools — Missouri and Oklahoma — figure prominently with their top-tier receiving units. Mizzou's prospects for being elite versus just above average are contingent on the decision of All-Big 12 TE Mike Agnew's willingness to stick around Columbia for another year, while OU awaits a similar decision from dynamic receiver Ryan Broyles, the nation's very best WR not named Justin Blackmon.
Don't Sleep On: Maryland — Should Mike Leach be the guy at head coach — as it appears will be the case — Maryland's unit of Quintin McCree, Kevin Dorsey, Ryan Tyler, and TE Matt Fustenburg could well put up the most impressive numbers in 2011. But then again, when does a Mike Leach coached team not put up the most impressive receiving numbers?
Offensive Line: Virginia Tech Hokies
A sleeper group, the Hokies boast four returning starters and are anchored by behemoth tackle Blake DeChristopher. At guard, a pair of potential All-Conference-caliber players in Jaymes Brooks and Greg Nosal will flank whomever ultimately gets moved to center to replace the graduating Beau Warren (the 6'7" Michael Via is one option and does show promise, though his size makes it more likely that Andrew Miller will slide into the starting lineup). Finally, Andrew Lanier, a versatile though undersized tackle, rounds out this promising group that will be made up of all seniors, but for the aforementioned center position. Virginia Tech should be poised for a nice 2011 showing behind this stable, consistent line of blockers.
Honorable Mention — Boise State once again merits consideration on our list with a tandem of All-Conference stars in tackle Nate Potter and center Thomas Byrd and a couple of notable juniors in Joe Kellog and Brenel Myers. Iowa — always a factor with their pro-style blocking schemes — features one of the nation's best offensive tackles in Riley Reiff to go along with a solid and experienced set of interior blockers anchored by C James Ferentz.
Don't Sleep On — BYU. If he does not turn pro, OT Matt Reynolds is probably the best prospect at the position in football and he would be joined by three returning starters. While they certainly won't get any headlines, this team could be well-positioned as a BCS-Bowl-Buster should the cards fall just right this offseason.
Defensive Line: Missouri Tigers
The last thing I expected to see when I started down the path of research for this piece was the Missouri Tigers anywhere near the top of this list. But after much review, the facts are just that undeniable. The Tigers feature a bona fide All-America candidate at either end positions in senior Jacquies Smith and junior Aldon Smith. In the middle, Mizzou has two legit 6'5", 300-pound stalwarts in seniors Terrell Ressono and Dominique Hamilton and the team also boasts some depth with DT Jimmy Burge and ends Mike Sam and Brad Madison. While teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin get the headlines with their sizeable lines and All-America candidates, the Tigers should prove to be the most difficult d-line to game plan against on a consistent basis.
Honorable Mention — The most notable Honorable Mention clearly is Wisconsin. Should all-world defensive end J.J. Watt — who really showed scouts just how valuable and versatile he is in his most recent action against TCU — shock the world and remain in Madison for another season, you can bump them to the top of this list, I just don't see that as a likely scenario at this point. Nebraska, who also bears mentioning here, has a similar scenario playing out with junior DT Jared Crick, but even without Crick, Baker Steinkuhler, Terrence Moore, Josh Williams, and Cameron Meredith would figure to be a formidable front four. Also, Penn State returns all four starters and should be consistent, if not dominant.
Don't Sleep On — Syracuse. Yes, you read that right. I am fairly certain few of you readers out there realize that Doug Marrone's Orange was No. 5 defensively in the country in 2010; I know I didn't until I started digging. In Chandler Jones, Torrey Ball, and Mikhail Marinovich, the edge rushers have some experience and, though their defensive line looks to lose a few key contributors, I'm keeping an eye on DT Deon Goggins as a player who I think will really emerge as a force in 2011.
Linebakers: TCU Horned Frogs
I'm going to be honest, I had no idea how good this defense was — in particularly the linebackers — until I watched the Frogs torment the normally very efficient Wisconsin offense. It's the little things that make this unit so much fun to watch — the coverage angles their 'backers take, the disguised blitzes, the manner in which they gravitate towards the ball and tackle on contact — and put them in such consistent position to make plays. For the purposes of this article, I'm calling rush end Matt Anderson a linebacker, and he's a promising young playmaker. Junior Tanner Brock is fundamentally sound and athletically gifted, but there isn't a more pro-ready college linebacker than senior Tank Carder. While Carder may not get all the notoriety, watching him play quickly demonstrates how good he really is. He rarely if ever misses an assignment, is always around the ball, and consistently shows up when the game is on the line.
Honorable Mention — Virginia Tech has another strong crop of linebackers, led by junior Bruce Taylor. Texas should be able to put back a bounce-back campaign behind their strong linebacker corps, which is led by All-Conference seniors Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson. The Miami Hurricanes also look set at linebacker with Ramon Buchanan, youngster Kelvin Cain, and team leader Sean Spence.
Don't Sleep On — San Diego State University. Miles Burris is quite possibly the best linebacker in the country that nobody has heard about. The Aztec Senior flirted with the 10/20 mark in sacks and tackles for loss, respectively and also led the team in tackles. SDSU also plays one of the most unique defenses in the country, with two LB/S hybrids that play alongside the standard three LB set. Logan Ketchum is a solid compliment to Burris.
Defensive Backfield (CB/S): Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols just barely nipped some of the honorable mentions here, and in the end they were given the edge based on their potential. Theirs is a secondary that looks like it will be made up of three juniors and a sophomore, along with senior Art Evans handling the nickel DB position. Safeties Prentiss Waggner and Janzen Jackson are both supremely talented individuals who should be shoo-ins as All-Conference players in the defense-heavy SEC. The other truly noteworthy attribute of this group is their depth. The aforementioned Evans, along with senior Anthony Anderson, give them experience and depth at CB, and sophomore reserve safety Brent Brewer provides some insurance there, as well.
Honorable Mention — The most notable honorable mention in this article is the secondary of the LSU Tigers. In the incredibly unlikely scenario that would have all-universe CB Patrick Peterson not forgo his senior year to play professionally in 2011, you'd have to move LSU to the top of this list. Even without Peterson — which is the far more likely situation — junior Morris Claiborne would team with seniors Ron Brooks (CB), Brandon Taylor (S), and Karnell Hatcher (S) to give the Tigers a strong, experienced unit to contend with. West Virginia is another notable group, led by seniors Keith Tandy and Robert Sands. A third team to watch for is Texas A&M. They have as much experience in their defensive backfield as anyone in the country, returning all four starters and three others that netted significant game-action in 2010.
Don't Sleep On — Texas. The Longhorns will, for the first time in a considerably long time, be flying slightly below the radar coming in to 2011. While their chances for recapturing their juggernaut status will remain firmly planted on the offensive side of the ball, Christian Scott, Blake Gideon, Kenny Vaccaro, and All-America candidate Aaron Williams give the 'Horns a very stable set of athletic corners and safeties to help cement their defensive game plan.
Conclusion
What does all this mean? Well, considering it is barely 2011 and we don't even know who the national champion is yet (and to be honest, we won't know that even after one is declared January 10th, but I again digress), this probably doesn't mean a whole lot. But if nothing else, it does start to paint a picture as to what we, as fans, can look for in 2011 and may help provide even more enlightenment to the already crystal-clear argument that the depth of talented teams in today's college football landscape begs a realignment of the postseason.
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