The first 2011 preseason college football coaches poll slots the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 1, with Alabama trailing a distant second.
Pac-12 Led By Oregon, Stanford, In Preseason AP Rankings
Three Pac-12 teams were ranked among the Top 25 in the 2011 AP Preseason Poll, but only two of them will have a chance at a postseason bowl victory. Oregon and Stanford both appeared within the first ten team while NCAA-sanctioned USC made an appearance at No. 25 in the annual ranking despite being ineligible to play in the postseason.
Oregon finished last season in second place, but took third in the Associated Press’s poll behind Oklahoma and Alabama. The Ducks’ ranking probably doesn’t factor in the possible transfer of running back Lache Seastruck, but that probably won’t help Oregon’s plight as the top team in the NCAA football rankings. Stanford came in seventh place after finishing 12-1 last season while USC rounded out the Top 25 as well as the Pac-12’s involvement in the rankings.
Read Article >College Football Rankings 2011: Big East Places Only West Virginia In Preseason AP Poll
There’s just one Big East team leading the conference in the 2011 preseason AP Poll, and West Virginia’s ranking isn’t exactly that of a national title contender.
The Mountaineers check in at No. 24, behind all eight SEC teams in the preseason AP top 25, and just ahead of USC, still on NCAA probation. West Virginia is expected to be decent in 2011 — new coach Dana Holgorsen’s bona fides trump the off-season turmoil that led to him replacing former Mountaineers head man Bill Stewart, and Geno Hayes could flourish in Holgorsen’s pass-happy offense — but the Big East might well be rancid.
Read Article >College Football Rankings 2011: Florida State Leads ACC In Preseason AP Poll
The Florida State Seminoles take the sixth spot in the 2011 preseason AP Poll, and look likely to be the ACC’s standard-bearer this season, if the college football rankings are to be believed. The Seminoles are joined by only one other ACC team, Virginia Tech, in the preseason AP Poll.
With E.J. Manuel under center and a strong defense taking shape, the ‘Noles deserve their spot as ACC favorites, and might well be the conference’s first national title contender in years. But FSU will have to play preseason No. 1 Oklahoma early on, and their schedule after their game with the Sooners is largely free of the the difficulty necessary to make up for an early loss.
Read Article >College Football Rankings: Four Big Ten Teams In 2011 Preseason AP Poll
For more on the Big Ten, check out Off Tackle Empire
Read Article >College Football Rankings: SEC Places Eight Teams In Preseason AP Top 25
Auburn were ranked No. 19 in the Coaches’ Poll, but are four spots lower at No. 23 in the AP Poll. Meanwhile, Georgia are three spots higher in the AP than they are in the Coaches’ coming in at No. 19 and No. 22, respectably.
Here’s the full list of SEC teams in the 2011 AP preseason poll:
Read Article >College Football Rankings: Oklahoma Football Tops 2011 Preseason AP Poll
College Football Rankings 2011: Is The New-Look Big Ten Underrated?
SB Nation’s Big Ten blog, Off Tackle Empire, examines the five conference teams ranked in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll. Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State are all ranked in the double digits, while newcomer Nebraska adds extra shine, sliding in at No. 11. Only Wisconsin at No. 10 is a higher-ranked division rival, and OTE thinks they should be higher still:
Read on for assessments of the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Huskers, and Spartans.
Read Article >
