The Top Fan's Top 25 - Final Rankings

January 10, 2012 - Posted By: Brett Haynes - Greenville, SC

tags: BCS, college football, top 25
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Another season has come and gone, and with it the Southeastern Conference claimed its sixth straight national championship....here is my final top 25 for the 2011 season....

1. Alabama (12-1) - my preseason rank: 2 - The #1 team dominated the biggest game of the season to win it all (even though I think they weren't the team worthy of that opportunity)...

2. Oklahoma State (12-1) - my preseason rank: 22 - Once more, I feel the BCS let us down. OSU should have been able to challenge LSU. A great season for the Cowboys...

3. LSU (13-1) - my preseason rank: 5 - Should LSU still get #1 votes? I think so. They led the nation for 12 weeks before slipping...

4. Oregon (12-2) - my preseason rank: 4 - If the Ducks keep hanging around the top 5, eventually they will win a national championship...

5. Arkansas (11-2) - my preseason rank: 16 - The Razorbacks have become a factor in the nation's toughest division. That means annually a national title contender...

6. Stanford (11-2) - my preseason rank: 6 - The post-Harbaugh Cardinal proved to be just as tough as without him. That surprised me despite my nailing their preseason ranking...

7. Boise State (12-1) - my preseason rank: 7 - The Broncos are solid - they really are. But I feel that if they played a week in, week out tough slate annually it would see them as a 9-3 type of program (that aint bad)...

8. South Carolina (11-2) - my preseason rank: 12 - Despite losing RB Marcus Lattimore to injury and QB Stephen Garcia to being an idiot, USC put together a very strong 2011, capped off with wins over rival Clemson and bowl foe Nebraska....

9. USC (10-2) - my preseason rank: UR - The Trojans and their troubles are well known. But Lane Kiffin managed to put together a solid season and 2012 will be exciting in LA....

10. Wisconsin (11-3) - my preseason rank: 8 - QB Russell Wilson was a major success as a transfer (3,175 yards passing and 37 TDs passing/rushing). Look for the Badgers to be back for more in 2012 despite Wilson moving on....

11. Michigan (11-2) - my preseason rank: UR - Brady Hoke has restored the spirit in Ann Arbor. The bowl win was a major boost, but they know VT got robbed. A great season for Michigan....

12. Michigan State (11-3) - my preseason rank: UR - If the Spartans continue to be a top 15 caliber team, a huge season may bring some serious hardware soon enough...

13. West Virginia (10-3) - my preseason rank: 19 - The Mountaineers, the Ducks and the Tide were the only teams all year to put more than 20 on LSU's stout defense. And yes, the Orange Bowl impressed me just a hair...

14. Baylor (10-3) - my preseason rank: UR - Congrats to the Bears and RG-III for an awesome 2011 campaign. The Bear QB is a well deserving winner....

15. TCU (11-2) - my preseason rank: 10 - Another fine season under Patterson. If recruiting steps up any at all, TCU will be in the top ten for years to come....

16. Houston (13-1) - my preseason rank: UR - The Cougars were the latest team to make a strong case for a big college football playoff. With QB Keenum lighting up scoreboards, they could have made some noise...

17. Oklahoma (10-3) - my preseason rank: 3 - It has been 11 years since OU's national title - and that is amazing considering they have averaged 10.8 wins per year since that 2000 season...

18. Kansas State (10-3) - my preseason rank: UR - I am hesitant of KSU. Why? They played 4 real good teams and were 1-3 vs those teams (beat Baylor....lost to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Arkansas)...

19. Georgia (10-4) - my preseason rank: 22 - The Dawgs started 0-2 and ended 0-2, but ten straight wins in between made 2011 a season to build off of....

20. Clemson (10-4) - my preseason rank: 24 - An 8-0 start had Tiger fans thinking big. But the reality is that the defense was never really there, and in the end a deflating BCS bowl loss to West Virginia showed this in the worst possible way for CU....

21. Virginia Tech (11-3) - my preseason rank: 14 - The Hokies lost to just Clemson in the regular season, and played a classic Sugar Bowl. I feel they outplayed Michigan, but so it goes....

22. Florida State (9-4) - my preseason rank: 9 - Seminole fans were spoiled bad from the late 1980's to the mid 2000's. The 'Noles are a top 25 squad, but top 5 is still a few seasons away....

23. Nebraska (9-4) - my preseason rank: 11 - Nebraska fans are starting to grumble. They are used to the top 10 and Coach Bo Pelini has lost exactly 4 games in each of 4 seasons in Lincoln - not top 10 material...

24. Auburn (8-5) - my preseason rank: 1 - The Tigers had an up and down season, ending with a nice bowl win. 2012 will see if Gene Chizik can get the Tigers back into the SEC and national mix....

25. Southern Miss (12-2) - my preseason rank: UR - If not for a loss to UAB, this would be the team that rocked the BCS in 2011. Big wins included over Houston and Virginia...