11 College Football Predictions for '11.

I had a few predictions heading into last football season. I thought South Carolina would win the SEC East. I said Auburn would beat the defending champs--Alabama--and win the SEC West, and that Alabama would lose at least 2 games. Surprising myself more than anyone, all of those came true. I figured I'll put them in stone this year, giving people a chance to laugh in my face in 5 months when I go 0-11 this time around.

11) The winner of the Big 10 will play for the National Championship. Ohio State and Penn State won't be bad by any means, but this looks to be Wisconsin and Nebraska's league to lose. Nebraska has really only one tough game all year, which happens to be against Wisconsin in Madison on Oct. 1. The Badgers have a tough game at Ohio State on Oct. 29, but they get Nebraska at home, which helps.

But I'm still leaning towards the Huskers.

10) South Carolina will win the SEC.  This will be tough with both Alabama and LSU as title contenders this year, but if Steve Spurrier is ever going to lead South Carolina to a conference title, this is the year. Senior quarterback Stephen Garcia has plenty of experience and sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore is one of the best in the country. Along with the nation's No. 1 recruit --defensive end Jadeveon Clowney--- the defense won't be shabby.

9) Oregon will lose at least 2 games this fall. The Ducks were stifled against SEC foe Auburn in last year's BCS title game, and I don't see anything changing when they face LSU on Sept. 3 in Cowboys Stadium. They aren't physical enough to beat a big team from the SEC. They'll win the Pac 12, but only after dropping a head scratcher along the way. My guess is Stanford on Nov. 19.

8) 2011 won't be 2004. Seven years ago, USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn ended the year undefeated but the Tigers were left out, causing outrage in Auburn and I'm sure pissing off this guy.

If you want a playoff system, you need this to happen a few more times. Preferably with more teams. This year there's a handful of teams that could go undefeated. Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Florida State come to mind. However, LSU and Alabama play each other in the SEC. One of them ain't going undefeated. Florida State and Oklahoma also play, effectively taking out two of those four teams immediately.

7) We see another one of these tirades from Mike Gundy:

It's time.

6) Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys will lead the nation in scoring, but won't even finish 2nd in the Big 12. That's how good I think Texas A&M and Oklahoma will be this year. Last season, OSU finished 3rd in the nation in scoring and 2nd in yards per game. Quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon return to Stillwater which will keep the offense running smoothly. The defense, however, was mediocre at best last season and probably won't improve enough in 2011.

5) Notre Dame will finally live up to expectations. Has there been a team that's lived up to preseason hype less than Notre Dame in the last 20 years? I don't think so. But with head coach Brian Kelly entering his second season in South Bend, this is the year that changes. A lot of coaches excel in their 2nd season on the job (OU's Bob Stoops, Florida's Urban Meyer, Ohio State's Jim Tressel all won the BCS title in their 2nd year at their respective schools). They return 9 starters on offense and 8 on defense, and I see them playing in a BCS bowl in January.

4) LSU's Les Miles won't survive past 2011, and the rest of the country will shake their heads. After winning the BCS title in 2007, Miles struggled the following 2 years losing 9 games, which probably felt like 20 in Baton Rouge. He rebounded last season, finishing 11-2 and winning the Cotton Bowl. However, with the violations the football program was just slapped with, Miles no longer has a buyout in his contract, meaning the school can fire him anytime and not pay him a dollar. Starting the season in the top 5 the Tigers have a chance to be really good. But any more than 2 losses and I think Miles is shown the door, and restless LSU fans (see below) will end up regretting the decision in 5 years.  

                      "There's a Fine Line Between SEC Championship and Total Collapse. We Call Him Les."

3) Boise State will go undefeated again, and they still won't deserve a shot at the national title. The Broncos are 61-5 in the last 5 seasons, including undefeated years in 2006 and 2009. In 2006, they defeated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, after posting impressive wins over teams like Louisiana Tech, Idaho, New Mexico State, and Wyoming. In 2009, they beat TCU in the Fiesta after another tough year with the likes of San Jose State, Miami of Ohio, and UC Davis on the schedule. They did beat Oregon to open the year, but that was followed by basically a 12-week buffet of borderline Division II competition. This year, they face Georgia in Atlanta. It will be a tough game and Boise will probably win it, but that won't make up for the following schedule to end the year:

Toledo
Tulsa
Nevada
Colorado State
Fresno State
Air Force
UNLV
TCU
San Diego State
Wyoming
New Mexico

I can think of at least 20 1-loss teams who would be more deserving of playing for the national title than an undefeated Boise State. If they want a shot, they can do what TCU just did. Improve the rest of their athletics/academics and join a major conference.

2) Florida State goes undefeated. The Sept. 17 game against top ranked Oklahoma will be tough, but it's a home game for the Seminoles. If they survive that, the rest of the schedule gives them a good shot at 13-0. After OU, the 2 roadblocks look like a Thursday night game at Boston College and the season finale traveling to Gainesville to take on Florida, who the Seminoles handled 31-7 last year. 8 starters return on both sides, and incoming quarterback EJ Manuel brings a lot of hype coming into 2011. And most likely, an undefeated season means one thing..

1) Florida State faces Nebraska in the BCS title game on January 9th. Head coach Bo Pelini has guided Nebraska to 3 bowl wins in 4 years in Lincoln. Quarterback Taylor Martinez was great on the ground in 2010, rushing for over 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Rex Burkhead will probably get 80% of the carries early on, and finding a solid backup will be crucial for the run game. I predict Aaron Green will become that guy. The defense will be great once again, which shouldn't surprise anyone. If they can avoid another head scratching loss (9-6 loss to Texas A&M in 2010, 9-7 loss to Iowa State in 2009) and take care of Wisconsin on the road on Oct. 1, the Huskers should meet up with Florida State in New Orleans.