Utah State is expected to be on a downswing in 2011. This is a team that only won four games in 2010, so, unless the Aggies exceed expectations and prove people wrong, they are most likely to wind up at bottom of the WAC standings come December.
After one of the roughest seasons in school history, the San Jose State Spartans are coming into 2011 with high expectations and seem ready to turn the tide of their losing ways.
After losing its first two contests of the season, UCLA appeared to have turned a corner winning three straight., but then tragedy struck as the Bruins finished out the 2010 season winning just one of its final seven, a 17-13 win over Oregon State.
Clemson football has developed a deep-seated reputation for under-performance. The Tigers routinely have elite athletes that are funneled to the professional ranks, yet it never seems to translate in the win column.
The Northwestern Wildcats were 7-3 last year when quarterback Dan Persa went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
Despite NCAA sanctions that prevented the team from participating in a bowl game in 2010, the University of Southern California Trojans burst out of the starting gate winning four straight and then suddenly faded, winning just one out of its next four to finish the season 8-5 overall under first year head coach Lane Kiffin.
Just over a month before the regular season starts, the Idaho Vandals are gearing up for a new season with a revamped roster at key positions. Sixth-year coach Robb Akey will no doubt have his team ready when game time arrives this fall.
Ron Zook is now 28-45 in his six years at Illinois. It seemed the program was ready to take off when they went to the Rose Bowl in 2007, but the last few years have been quite disappointing.
Glen Mason was fired from Minnesota after the epic bowl collapse against Texas Tech at the end of 2006. Tim Brewster was expected to bring in a new era of success at Minnesota, but Brewster’s team became the consistent cellar dweller in the Big Ten.
Louisiana Tech is heading into the 2011 season with high hopes, and there are plenty of reasons why. Despite, coming off a non-bowl season, the Bulldogs looked promising all year, and with a new, young quarterback — the sky is the limit.
The Hawaii Warriors capped off one of their best seasons in recent years with a 62-35 loss at the hands of Tulsa in front of a home crowd in the 2010 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, and now will look to 2011 as a season to build upon with success.
After finishing an otherwise successful 2010 season with a terrible 40-17 loss to Northern Illinois in the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl, the Fresno State Bulldogs enter a fresh year without the worry of Boise State, but will still have an uphill battle to a WAC title.
The Western Athletic Conference is a whole now environment now with the departure of Boise State, and that opens it up for the Nevada Wolf Pack to possibly finish the season atop the conference after being overshadowed for so many years by the Broncos.
The Stanford Cardinal lost only one game in 2010, a heartbreaking 52-31 defeat to PAC-10 powerhouse Oregon, a game in which they lead 31-24 at the half. Had they of won that single decision, it would have been them playing Auburn in the National Championship Game.
2011 Pac Twelve | Stanford Cardinal Football Preview
Coach: Brian Shaw
2010-11 Record: 12-1 (8-1)
Stanford Cardinal Gambling Odds from Bodog.com to win BCS: 16-1
Stanford Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
Despite the loss, Jim Harbaugh’s Cardinal finished the season 12-1, after a crushing defeat over Virginia Tech, 40-12 in the Orange Bowl. Regrettably for Stanford, Harbaugh left the team to coach the San Francisco 49ers this season.
Enter new head coach, former offensive coordinator Brian Shaw, who will get the privilege of taking over a team that has a ton of potential on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
And with a little “Luck”, as in QB Andrew, and a few other key returning starters, as well as getting Oregon at home this year. The Cardinal definitely have a shot of winning it all in 2011.
To get a better picture of who Stanford will put on the field come opening day, here is a breakdown and my prediction on where I see them finishing the year in the newly formed PAC-12.
After Harbaugh’s departure, there was much speculation that Luck would follow, deciding to enter the NFL Draft. However, the junior QB decided to stick around for at least one more season to see if he could lead his team to a National Title.
After passing for more than 3,300 yards with 32 TDs to just eight INTs, I’d say the odds are pretty good. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
But even great players can’t win championships alone, and he will get some help from returning starting running back Stepfan Taylor, who had a great sophomore campaign with 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns.
And while Taylor has the skills to help mix up the Cardinal offensive attack, there are a few questions concerning an offensive line that will need to find three new starters to bookend two of the best offensive lineman in the conference, in junior left tackle Jonathan Martin and junior right guard David DeCastro.
Nothing is perfect in the receiving corps either, as there is still the uncertainty left by a pair of departing pass catchers that combined for 99 receptions and 11 touchdowns in 2010.
However, tight end Coby Fleener is one of those guys who figures to see his numbers jump in 2011, especially being on the receiving end of a first-rate passer like Luck.
Just as the offense appears to have the necessary ingredients for a successful season, the same can also be said for a Cardinal defense that returns six starters that helped Stanford hold opponents to an average 17.4 PPG, beginning along the three-man front with senior defensive end Matthew Masifilo.
Just behind Masifilo, returning starters and two of the teams top tacklers who combined for 152 tackles, Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas, will anchor a solid linebacking squad.
The secondary should also be strong again in 2011, with three of four starters returning.
Senior safeties Delano Howell and Michael Thomas finished third and fourth in tackles last year, and Howell had a team-best five interceptions.
The team should be adjusted by Week 1 to Snow’s offense that I expect to mimic last year’s playbook, and I look forward to the Cardinal to knocking off the defending conference champs with a reverse in this year’s home meeting to finish the season with a perfect record.
I also anticipate this team to roll over anyone from the PAC-12 South in the title game, spotting them a bid for the National Championship.
9/3/11 12:00 PM ET SJST
9/10/11 3:30 PM ET @DUKE
9/17/11 9:45 PM ET @ARZ
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET UCLA
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET COL
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET @WSHST
10/22/11 8:00 PM ET WASH
10/29/11 8:00 PM ET @USC
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @OREST
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET ORE
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET CAL
11/26/11 8:00 PM ET NOTRE
“The U” was once a proud, self-proclaimed football factory perennially among the country’s elite. Much like Miami’s in-state rival Florida State, history hasn’t been so kind in recent years.
The 2010 season didn’t go at all the way Danny Hope had envisioned it. Purdue dealt with more key injuries than any other team in the Big Ten.
