An Early Look at the 2012 Football Top 10
On the night of the 2011 BCS National Championship game, the College Sports Madness staff gathered around to argue about 2012. It is never too early to start looking ahead to next season even if we do not yet know who is staying and who is going. But we do know who should have good enough teams to overcome some unexpected losses and look towards a chance to be playing one year for now for the national crown.
1. LSU
Forget about Jordan Jefferson and pick six (i.e. Jarrett Lee). The Tigers can live without them. Zach Mettenberger is a smart enough quarterback to not make too many mistakes. The ground game will move the offense occasionally and the stellar defense will do the rest. Again, this will be a team built around defense, but this is not just a good defense, this could be one of the best defenses college football has seen in a long time. But that won’t make the offense any better.
2. USC
If offensive tackle Matt Kalil was returning to protect Matt Barkley, USC would have an offense that would rival LSU’s defense. But the offense will still be among the best in the nation thanks to the somewhat surprising return of Barkley under center. Now that the men of Troy have something to play for, this is a group that is going to quickly get right back on the national radar.
3. Oklahoma
With Landry Jones back and a weaker Big 12 expected in 2012, the Sooners will be the early conference favorites. The offense struggled at times in 2011, but that was when receivers like Kenny Stills were thrown into the fire. With Jones working with his receivers over the spring, expect the passing attack to be exceptional. The defense, as usual, will be very good. They may need to find another pass rusher, but there are plenty of options.
4. Oregon
Circle Saturday November 3rd on your calendar. That is when the Ducks head to USC for what could be the first of two games against the Trojans. Other than that doozy of a road trip, Oregon’s schedule is quite manageable. Pending on how things play out, win or lose in November, the Pac-12 Championship game could have a lot more meaning than the inaugural sleeper.
5. Alabama
Let us assume quite a few guys are headed to the NFL. But who needs Trent Richardson when you have Dee Hart. Hart missed the 2011 campaign with an ACL injury and will spend the next three years giving opposing defenses headaches. A.J. McCarron knows how to run the offense and the defense has the talent to fill those big holes. The schedule is pretty interesting though. In conference play the Crimson Tide hit the road to play Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and LSU. And they open the season with the next team on our list.
6. Michigan
September and football season will start with a bang when Michigan heads to Arlington, Texas to face off against Alabama. Quarterback Denard Robinson, despite the detractors, had a great year and managed to stay healthy. With Fitzgerald Toussaint eventually turning into the feature back, the Michigan offense just needs to replace a couple of linemen and they should be ready to roll. The defense returns a lot of talent as well and is only getting better with another year under Coach Brady Hoke.
7. Georgia
The Bulldogs have a nice path back to the SEC Championship game. They avoid LSU and Alabama and the schedule makers have been kind. But Georgia is still a team that was getting better as the season progressed. Quarterback Aaron Murray will be just a junior and as long as new bodies can be found to man the line, Murray will have a great season. The defense looks solid on paper and do not lose too much from the unit they had in 2011.
8. Wisconsin
Wait…is Russell Wilson coming back? Nope, but Wisconsin was in the Rose Bowl two years ago and can you name the quarterback who threw for 2,459 yards, 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions? Of course it was Scott Tolzien. Tolzien played some great football, managing the team and letting his running backs do the work…and occasionally heaving the deep ball to Nick Toon. Few could stop it in 2010. It does not matter who the quarterback is and it really doesn’t matter that Montee Ball is back…although that helps. The Wisconsin offensive line will make the offense good. And the defense could be the best in the Big Ten.
9. Arkansas
The Arkansas offense should be extremely explosive…especially with Knile Davis back from injury. Some new wide receivers need to be found and the defense has to get better if the Razorbacks have any hope of winning the SEC West. But the good news for Arkansas is that both LSU and Alabama will make the trek to Fayetteville. That could make things very interesting in the SEC. The Crimson Tide actually play at Arkansas on September 15th, so the shakeup will happen early.
10. Virginia Tech
The ACC may turn into a three horse race between Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State. All three have issues. Clemson was extremely inconsistent and the defense, which will not be as good in 2012, never got the credit it deserved. Clemson will score a ton of points and Florida State can stop people from scoring points, but the Seminoles are a little too unpredictable to comfortably place atop the ACC. And that leaves Virginia Tech and a very talented quarterback in Logan Thomas. The passing attack should be good and the Hokies just need to find a replacement for David Wilson, who is leaving early for the NFL.
