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by: Jon Reynolds

The NFL Draft is behind us and free agency isn’t really gaining any traction. I thought I would look ahead to the next major event in the Football Universe, week 1 of the College Football Season. Auburn and Oregon put on a fantastic show in the Mythical National Championship (MNC) game in 2010. It was interesting to see the fast break offense of Oregon go up against the vaunted Auburn D and their own version of a fast break driven by #1 overall pick Cam Newton. I don’t see any way Auburn is back in the MNC in 2011. They have to replace the best player in college football who also happened to play the most important position in football. Newton 2.0 isn’t on campus at Auburn just yet so they will have a “rebuilding” season in 2011. Sorry Auburn fans but your team may resort back to the anemic offenses that Tommy Tuberville put on the field the last few years he was at the helm.

The Contenders:

Oregon

I think Oregon has a fantastic chance of playing for the MNC again in 2011. They do have some reloading to do along the O-line and at WR but the key components are returning. The most important being Darron Thomas (QB) and LaMichael James (RB). Darron Thomas is a very dynamic talent who is electric to watch as the Point Guard of the fast paced Duck’s offense. People might see Thomas as just a running read option type QB but he threw for nearly 3000 yards and 30 TDs in 2010 and if he can get some inexperienced WRs to step up there is no reason why he shouldn’t improve on those numbers in ’11. LaMichael James rushed for over 1700 yards and 21 TDs in 2010 and with the number of plays that Oregon runs he has the chance of eclipsing the holy grail of 2000 yards in a season. James and Thomas are both Heisman candidates in my opinion and will have every opportunity to lead their team to #1 ranking at the end of the season. The biggest problem standing in the way of the Ducks being national champs this coming season is the holes that they have to plug on the Defensive side of the ball. They have to replace 75% of their D line and the loss of Casey Mathews at MLB. I guess it’s not that big of a deal because Darron Thomas and Co. can always just throw 50 up on the scoreboard and see what happens.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is one of the most complete teams going into the 2011 season. They were fortunate to have Ryan Broyles (WR), Travis Lewis (LB), and Jamell Fleming (CB) return instead of being lured to the NFL. Fleming has had some issues come up and is currently not with the team but it looks like he is expected to rejoin the team in August. Lewis is the undisputed leader of the Defense and Broyles has the potential to get 6 any time he touches the ball. Landry Jones (QB) threw for over 4700 yards and 38 TDs in 2010 and will be on the short list of Heisman hopefuls going into the season. Oklahoma is probably the only team that will run more plays than Oregon this year so expect the Sooners to be able to light up the scoreboard like they have in the last 4 or so seasons. The Sooners problems in 2010 were mostly Defense related. With another season under their belts this D is not young anymore but experienced. They are also extremely talented and last year they were labeled as having “potential” which after a year of bumps and bruises has turned into lofty expectations. OU could have three players rush for more than 500 yards; Roy Finch (So. RB), Jonathon Miller (So. RB), and impressive True Freshman Brandon Williams. Having this many options at RB will allow Oklahoma to not worry about pressing the pedal to the metal and running 90+ plays per game. OU will be tested very early with a tough road game at Florida State on September 17th. Circle this one on the calendar. It is always nice to have a game with National Championship implications in September. They also have Oklahoma State and Texas A&M (other MNC contenders) on the docket.

Stanford

Stanford doesn’t play the sexy fast paced game that Oregon and Oklahoma play but they have arguably the best player in the Country on their team. Andrew Luck (QB) will likely be the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft and will be another of the front runners for the Heisman this season. Luck threw for over 3300 yards and 38 TDs and more importantly the guy is a winner. He came to a so-so Stanford team and has turned them, almost single handedly, into a National Championship contender year in and year out. Stanford has some O Lineman to replace, most important of those would be All American Center Chase Beeler. The Cardinal also need to replace some WRs and two way beast Owen Marecic (FB/LB). Another huge addition to the team will be at Head Coach. Jim Harbaugh left Stanford for the San Francisco 49ers and Offensive Asst David Shaw has taken over. I don’t feel too sorry for Shaw, because like I said, he walks into a situation with probably the very best player in all of college football on his team. One thing in Stanford’s favor is that they have Oregon at home on November 12th. A game this huge late in the season could potentially be the deciding factor in which of these teams moves on to the MNC game.

Boise St

Ok Ok, they aren’t really Cinderella anymore. The Broncos aren’t going to sneak up on anyone in 2011. I think Boise has the easiest road, schedule wise, the the MNC game. They get Nevada and TCU at home. This is huge for the Broncos. They are not going to face very many Top 25 teams and baring a massive set back (see 2010 vs. Nevada) they should be undefeated going into the bowl season. The Broncos bring back Heisman hopeful Kellen Moore (QB). All Moore has done is throw for 10,000 yards and 99 TDs while he has been in Boise. There is no reason for him to slow down now. The Broncos do have to replace two WRs that were selected in the Draft, Titus Young and Austin Pettis, but the biggest replacement isn’t on Offense or Defense. They must replace Offensive Coordinator Bryan Harsin who departed to be the OC at Texas. I understand that Chris Peterson is still the Head Coach but a change at OC is a fairly large ordeal to overcome. Luckily Kellen Moore has the Offense down and the Broncos don’t have any huge roadblocks on the schedule. 2011 could be the year that Boise really sheds the Cinderella stigma and wins the big one.

Prediction

I see the MNC game being OU vs UO. Oklahoma vs. Oregon. Fast paced vs. Faster Paced. If this comes true the game might last 5 hours. Each team could run 80+ plays. The D will be exhausted by the time the 4th Quarter rolls around. I give the depth advantage on D to Oklahoma. I would love to see this game as the MNC. Who doesn’t love a 52-50 shootout? I understand that living up to expectations is something that rarely happens but a guy can dream can’t he? Oregon has a few tough tests in the newly formed Pac 12 and Oklahoma has Oklahoma State on the road to finish off the season. If Oklahoma can overcome FSU early in the season and A&M and Ok State later in the season look for the Sooners to hoist their 8th National Championship and Second under Bob Stoops.

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