2011 NCAA Division I FBS Football Conference Standings: A Comprehensive Overview
The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football season was a year of thrilling competition, surprising upsets, and memorable moments. The regular season began on September 1, 2011, and ended on December 10, 2011. The postseason concluded on January 9, 2012, with the BCS National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, where the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 1 LSU Tigers 21-0. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the conference standings, top teams, and key events that defined the 2011 college football season.
National Championship Landscape
Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship title. That title is bestowed by one or more of four different polling agencies. There were two main weekly polls that began in the preseason: the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Two additional polls were released midway through the season; the Harris Interactive Poll was released after the sixth week of the season and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings were released after the seventh week. The Harris Poll and Coaches Poll were factors in the BCS standings.
Following Week 2 of the 2011 college football season, the LSU Tigers took over the No. 1 spot in my National Top 25 rankings. From that point on, the Tigers held the top spot in the rankings for 13 straight weeks. Their brilliant run lasted for almost the entire season but came to an end in the season’s final game, with a 21-0 shutout loss to Alabama in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Not only did the top spot in the rankings change hands, but the rest of the rankings were shaken up considerably by bowl game results as well.
Top 25 Teams of 2011
Here’s a look at the final Top 25 rankings for the 2011 college football season:
Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1): The Alabama Crimson Tide had the best defense in the nation, and they proved it by shutting out LSU in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Against a team that had clearly established itself as the premier team in the nation, Alabama’s defense was completely dominant, holding LSU to zero points and 92 total yards of offense, never once letting them past the 50-yard line. This was representative of Alabama’s entire season: it held opponents to 14 points or less in 12 of its 13 games and ranked first nationally in total offense, passing offense, rushing offense, and scoring offense. While the Crimson Tide did lose at home to LSU in the regular season, they lost that game in overtime due to missed field goals and proved with their dominant performance in the national championship game that they are the best team in college football this season.
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LSU Tigers (13-1): The LSU Tigers’ season is reminiscent of that of the 2007 New England Patriots. The Tigers were dominant through a perfect regular season, but in a rematch against the team that gave them the most trouble in the regular season, which in LSU’s case was Alabama, they came up with a dud of a game and lost the game that mattered most. It should not be forgotten that LSU still had a tremendous season. It won games against the No. 1, No. 4, No. 6, No. 14, and No. 20 teams in these final rankings, and aside from the two games against Alabama, the Tigers otherwise gave every other team no chance to stay in the game for four quarters. The LSU Tigers had a tremendous regular season, which could have given them an argument for the top spot in a close BCS National Championship Game loss, but the shutout dropped them definitively to the second spot. That said, they are still a big step ahead of the next team in the rankings, given their tremendous body of work from this season that no other team could match.
Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-1): Many people argued that Oklahoma State deserved to play in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game instead of Alabama, since Alabama had already lost to LSU. With their shutout victory, Alabama certainly proved that it was the team that belonged in that game. That said, Oklahoma State fans had a legitimate case and will continue to argue that Oklahoma State deserves a piece of the championship pie after finishing its season with a Fiesta Bowl victory. The Cowboys had a terrific season, with wins over four teams included in the final rankings, but a devastating double-overtime loss to Iowa State knocked them out of the championship game. Oklahoma State certainly squeaked its way to victory in the Fiesta Bowl, a beneficiary of two missed field goals by its opponent, Stanford. That said, a win over a top-five team is still very impressive and solidified the Cowboys' status in the top three of the final rankings.
Oregon Ducks (12-2): The Oregon Ducks did not make a national championship run as they did the season before, but they ended up in the top four of the national rankings for the second consecutive year. The Ducks lost two games in the regular season, but both of them came against teams ranked in the Top 10, LSU and USC. Meanwhile, the Ducks also won two games against teams ranked in the Top 10, including their Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. The Ducks were an offensive juggernaut this season, ranking third in scoring offense and fourth in total offense. This led them to another tremendous season, a Pac-12 title, and the fourth spot in the final rankings.
Arkansas Razorbacks (11-2): Alabama and LSU both played in the national championship game, but they are certainly not the only top teams from the SEC, and not even in the SEC West. Another SEC West team, Arkansas, ranks in the Top Five, with the team's only losses coming against LSU and Alabama. Aside from losing to the top two teams in the nation, the Razorbacks won every other game they played, including two other top-15 ranked teams in South Carolina and Kansas State, the latter coming in the Cotton Bowl. With a successful record against a tough schedule, along with a victory in one of the biggest bowl games, the Razorbacks moved into the Top Five in the final rankings.
Stanford Cardinal (11-2): The Stanford Cardinal were a 35-yard field goal away from winning the Fiesta Bowl, but under the pressure of making a game-winning kick, Jordan Williamson missed wide left. Then in overtime, Williamson missed again, this time from 43 yards. Oklahoma State answered with a field goal to win the game, and that cost Stanford a one-loss season, a signature victory, and a win that would have earned it the third spot in the final rankings. In Andrew Luck’s final season at quarterback leading the Stanford offense, it was a good season, but not a great season, with Stanford's only win over a team ranked in the final Top 25 coming over USC. That keeps the Cardinal out of the Top Five in the rankings, but their two losses came against teams ranked in the top four, and they were very successful against the rest of their schedule.
USC Trojans (10-2): The Trojans were ineligible to play in a bowl game this season, the second year of a two-year bowl ban, but that did not stop them from having a fantastic season under the guidance of star junior quarterback Matt Barkley. The Trojans came out of the gates poorly, barely beating Minnesota and Utah in their first two games and losing against Arizona State in a disappointing September defeat. After that, though, the Trojans really turned things around. Their only loss came against Stanford in triple overtime, and they upset Oregon on the road to knock the Ducks out of the national championship picture. Not playing in a bowl game cost USC the chance to move up in the rankings, but the Trojans did not drop at all in the rankings, earning a top-seven spot.
Boise State Broncos (12-1): For the second straight year, the Boise State Broncos lost their chance to win a national championship on a missed field goal, this time by Dan Goodale as time expired against TCU. This was a major disappointment once again for the Broncos, but they had an otherwise successful season. The Broncos opened their season with a big win over Georgia and then won the rest of the games without any real trouble, aside from the TCU loss. They finished the season strong with a big 56-24 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl, a dominant performance over a Pac-12 team, which solidified their eighth national ranking.
South Carolina Gamecocks (11-2): The South Carolina Gamecocks got the lucky fortune of not having to play either LSU or Alabama in their SEC conference schedule this season, but they still made a big statement against a challenging schedule this season. Although the Gamecocks did lose to two of their toughest SEC opponents in Arkansas and Auburn, they got a big win early in the season over eventual SEC East champion Georgia and finished the season strong with victories over Clemson and a CapitalOne Bowl victory over Nebraska. The Gamecocks’ strong finish came even following the dismissal of quarterback Stephen Garcia and a season-ending injury suffered by star running back Marcus Lattimore. Although those losses caused some serious damage to their offense, the Gamecocks found ways to win, and because of that, rightfully earned a spot in the Top 10 of the final rankings.
Wisconsin Badgers (11-3): The Wisconsin Badgers won the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game and put up a very good fight against a top-five ranked Oregon squad in the Rose Bowl. The Badgers dropped one spot in the rankings after picking up their third loss of the season in the Rose Bowl, and they only beat two ranked teams, one of which was Michigan State, who beat the Badgers in their first matchup. That said, winning the Big Ten title and 11 games was enough for the Badgers to earn a Top 10 spot in the rankings, even with the disappointing two-game midseason lapse against Michigan State and Ohio State. The Badgers were one of the most well-rounded, complete teams in college football this year.
Michigan State Spartans (11-3): Although the Michigan State Spartans lost the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, the Spartans had a very strong season in-conference, with wins over conference champion Wisconsin as well as Michigan during the season. The Spartans fell to Wisconsin in the conference championship game and had letdown losses to Notre Dame and Arkansas, but they put an impressive cap on their season in the Outback Bowl. Down 16-0 at the half, the Spartans rallied in the second half to send the game into overtime, then fought into the third overtime, where they got the key stop they needed against SEC power Georgia to win the game. Winning one of the biggest bowl games of the season against one of the SEC’s best teams propelled the Spartans with a big surge up the final rankings, all the way up to the 11th spot.
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Michigan Wolverines (11-2): In the Wolverines’ first season under head coach Brady Hoke, Michigan’s football program made drastic improvements, returning much closer to the national powerhouse form that they are known for historically. The Wolverines lost only two games this season, with an 11th win coming in a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. The Wolverines did not have the most impressive winning performances this season, including that overtime Sugar Bowl victory in which they only managed 184 yards of offense. Their only win against a team ranked in the final rankings was Nebraska, while they lost to an non-ranked team in Iowa. That said, the Wolverines made huge strides this season.
Houston Cougars (13-1): The Houston Cougars rolled through their regular-season schedule and appeared set to play in the first BCS bowl in school history. With the most prolific offense in the nation, the Cougars had scored at least 35 points in every game they played, and won all of them. Then came a devastating loss in the Conference USA Championship, a very poor performance by the Cougars in which they lost to Southern Miss by three touchdowns. This sent the Cougars down to the TicketCity Bowl. But even though they also lost their head coach, Kevin Sumlin, to Texas A&M prior to the TicketCity Bowl, the Cougars were undeterred and came up with a big victory over a ranked team at the time, Penn State. That victory was the Cougars’ biggest win of the season, and as a one-loss team, the Cougars had to climb back up in the rankings as other teams lost their bowl games. The Cougars receive a well-earned 13th spot in the final rankings.
Kansas State Wildcats (10-3): Of all the teams ranked in the Top 25, the Kansas State Wildcats were the team I would have least expected prior to the season. The Wildcats do not have a roster loaded with talent, but they found ways to win big games, with wins over every team in the Big 12 except for Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The Wildcats won against one ranked team, Baylor, as well as having strong wins over Missouri, Texas, and Texas A&M. The Wildcats never made it easy on themselves at the end-only two of their wins were by more than seven points-but their knack for winning close games went a long way for them, and in the end, victories are all that matter. The Wildcats dropped slightly in the rankings as a result of their Cotton Bowl defeat, but given that their loss came against a Top Five team in Arkansas, they cannot feel shame in that defeat.
Georgia Bulldogs (10-4): While it is very rare for a four-loss team to have a spot in the Top 15 of the final rankings, the Georgia Bulldogs are a rare example of a team that deserves a spot that high. While the Bulldogs did lose four games, all four of them came against teams ranked in the Top 11: No. 8 Boise State, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 2 LSU in the SEC Championship, and finally No. 11 Michigan State in the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl loss, a game in which they relinquished a 16-point halftime lead, was a big disappointment and dropped them a few spots in the final rankings, but given the difficulty of the schedule they played, they still earned a top-15 spot. The Bulldogs cannot be penalized for their loss to LSU in the SEC Championship, a game in which they earned a berth and as a result, earned a game against a far superior opponent. While the Bulldogs did not record any victories over teams ranked in the final Top 25, they do have their share of strong wins over Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. Playing in a tough SEC, the Bulldogs managed to win 10 consecutive games, bookended by two losses at the start and end of the season, against the four toughest teams they played. Taking into consideration the strength of their schedule, the Bulldogs earned the 14th spot in the final rankings.
Virginia Tech Hokies (11-3): Of Virginia Tech’s three losses this season, two of them came against the same team: Clemson. In the regular season, the Hokies went 11-1, with their only loss coming against Clemson, but they lost to the Tigers once again in the ACC Championship Game and lost in a Sugar Bowl overtime thriller to Michigan. The Hokies had a very successful season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but losing twice, and badly both times, to the same Clemson team hurts their ranking, as does the fact that they did not win against one team ranked in the final top 25. Even still, with only one regular-season loss, the Hokies are worthy of consideration in the Top 25.
The remaining teams in the Top 25 were not specified in the user's provided data.
Key Rule Changes
Several rule changes were implemented for the 2011 season:
- If a player is penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for actions that occurred during a play ending in a touchdown, but before the goal line was crossed, the touchdown will be nullified and the fifteen-yard penalty enforced from the spot of the foul.
- Due to how the fourth quarter ended in the 2010 Music City Bowl, a 10-second runoff will be implemented (similar to the NFL rule adopted in 1980) when a team commits a foul in the final minute of either half that results in a clock stoppage.
- Video monitors were allowed in coaches' booths to allow coaching staffs to determine whether they should challenge a call.
- On placekicks, no offensive lineman can now be engaged by more than two defensive players. A three-man wedge is prohibited during kickoffs and punts.
- The officials' uniforms were slightly changed. The shirt stripes are wider, they now wear black pants instead of white, and the initial of the official's role (ex. HL for Head Linesman) is on the back of the uniform.
Conference Realignment
The 2011 season was also marked by significant conference realignment:
- Five FBS schools switched conferences prior to the 2011 season.
- On April 20, 2011, UMass announced that it would upgrade its football program to the FBS level and become a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference beginning in 2012.
- On September 18, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced that Big East Conference mainstays Pittsburgh and Syracuse had been officially accepted as the conference's 13th and 14th members.
- Texas A&M was welcomed to the SEC.
- The SEC accepted Missouri for 2012-13.
- TCU was set to join the Big 12 Conference.
- West Virginia University was set to join the Big 12 Conference.
- The MWC and C-USA were set to form a new conference.
Stadium Renovations
Several universities undertook significant stadium renovations:
- North Carolina continued renovations to Kenan Memorial Stadium, which were completed in time for the start of the season.
- California played the season at AT&T Park in San Francisco while California Memorial Stadium underwent a major renovation.
- Washington played the first six games of its home schedule at on-campus Husky Stadium. Following the November 5 game against Oregon, construction began on a $280 million renovation project.
Rules Violations and Penalties
The 2011 season was marred by several high-profile rules violations and penalties:
- Five Ohio State players were alleged to have improperly traded dozens of items to the owner of a tattoo parlor in exchange for tattoos, cash, and, in one case, a sport-utility vehicle. The players, along with head coach Jim Tressel, were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. The NCAA announced its final penalties on December 20, including an extra year of probation and scholarship reductions. The Buckeyes were also banned from postseason play in 2012. Tressel was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty.
- The University of North Carolina's football program faced scrutiny, ultimately leading to Butch Davis being fired as head coach. The NCAA added an extra year of probation and banned the Tar Heels from the 2012 postseason.
- A scandal involving former Miami Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro revealed massive amounts of improper benefits to Miami players and coaches from 2002 through 2010.
- The Penn State child sex abuse scandal led to the firing of Joe Paterno and significant repercussions for the university.
Individual Achievements and Milestones
The 2011 season saw numerous individual achievements and milestones:
- Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore led the Broncos to a 37-26 win over Air Force, giving him 45 career wins as a starter.
- Houston quarterback Case Keenum added another major FBS record to his collection, surpassing Harrell's previous record of 1,403 career completions in the first quarter of Houston's 37-7 win over SMU.
- Case Keenum set the NCAA record for total offense as Houston cruised.
- Case Keenum tossed 9 touchdowns, breaking the FBS career record in Houston's win.
- Case Keenum set the NCAA passing record in a romp over UAB.
- Kellen Moore tossed 5 TDs as Boise State dropped UNLV.
- Case Keenum set the completions record.
- East Carolina's Dominique Davis completed 26 straight throws in a win over Navy.
- Joe Paterno tied Eddie Robinson's Div. I wins mark.
- Joe Paterno broke the record for wins by a Division I coach.
Conference Player of the Year Awards
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC):
- Offensive Player of the Year: Hokies' Wilson.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Eagles' Kuechly.
- Coach of the Year: Mike London.
- Big Ten Conference: Awards were given.
- Conference USA (C-USA): Awards were given.
- Mid-American Conference (MAC): Awards were given.
- Pac-12 Conference: Awards were given.
- Southeastern Conference (SEC): Awards were given.
- Big 12 Conference: Awards were given.
- Mountain West Conference (MWC): Awards were given.
- Sun Belt Conference: Awards were given.
- Western Athletic Conference (WAC): Awards were given.
Robert Griffin III won the 77th Heisman Trophy.
tags: #2011 #ncaa #football #conferences #standings
