VanFulpen’s College Football Power Rankings

1 Alabama
Alabama is the defending National Champions and return the defending Heisman Trophy winner in running back Mark Ingram, their starting quarterback Greg McElroy, and their star wide receiver Julio Jones. The only problem is that they lost a lot on defense and only return two starters from last year’s team.

2 Ohio State
Ohio State brings back a number of players on defense that many thought would have left early for last years NFL Draft. On offense quarterback Terrelle Pryor is going into his third straight season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, so look for him to improve his overall game this season. A big test will come in week two against Miami (FL), but the game is at home.

3 Oklahoma
Because of all the injuries last year a lot of players got a chance to play and get experience including quarterback Landry Jones who played most of the season last year because of quarterback Sam Bradford injured shoulder.

4 Florida
They lost quarterback Tim Tebow but replace him with John Brantley who is a better pure passer then what Tebow was in college. Florida has a lot of young talent on offense and defense and they will need to grow up in a hurry because they head to Alabama early in the season.

5 Texas
Sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert was baptized by fire in the National Championship game last year against Alabama but that should help him going into this season.

6 Boise State
Boise State returns 21 of 22 starters from last years team that went undefeated and beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl but they have a huge test against Virginia Tech in week one of the season.

7 TCU
Andy Dalton is a very good quarterback and TCU should be favored in every game this season, and have NFL talent on both sides of the ball.

8 Nebraska
This will be Nebraska last season in the Big 12, before they make the move to the Big Ten and they will have a great shot at winning the Big 12 this season. They play Texas at home and if they are able to win that game they could go undefeated.

9 Iowa
Iowa is a senior lead team this season and will have a very good defense and the only team that could possible challenge Ohio State to win the Big Ten, and they play Ohio State at home this season.

10 Miami (FL)
Miami has a lot of talent and quarterback Jacory Harris could be a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate. A huge test will come when they travel to Ohio State in week 2 of the season.

11 Virginia Tech
Running back Ryan Williams is one of the best running backs in the county and should have a huge season this year. Week one they play Boise State at FedEx Field in Washington D.C. if they are able to win that game they could get on a role.

12 Wisconsin
Wisconsin always has a physical football team that is able to run the football and play good defense and this season it is no different with running back John Clay and offense tackle Gabe Carimi leading the way.

13 Oregon
Oregon went to the Rose Bowl last season and should end up there against this season, but they did lose their quarterback Jeremiah Masoli who was kicked off the team and end up going to Mississippi to finish up his college career. LaMichael James was one of the most talented freshman running back in the county last season.

14 Penn State
Many people where surprised that running back Evan Royster returned for his senior season but Penn State is going to need his this season as they travel to Alabama in week 2 of the season and also have to go to Ohio State this year as well.

15 Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is the class of the Big East and has two of the most talented underclassmen on offense in running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Jon Baldwin. Pittsburgh just needs to get the ball in both their hands as much as possible this season.

16 LSU
Quarterback Jordan Jefferson improved as the season went on last year and should be even better as a junior. They have a huge game week one against North Carolina in Atlanta.

17 North Carolina
There has been a lot of off the field issues this off-season with agents, but it looks like all players in question will be able to play this season. North Carolina has a number of NFL prospects on their team and play LSU in Atlanta the first week of the season.

18 Florida State
Bobby Bowden is gone but quarterback Christian Ponder is back for his senior season and that is good new for Florida State fans. They go to Oklahoma the second week of the season and still have to play Miami and Florida.

19 Arkansas
Quarterback Ryan Mallett should have another big season and then most likely will leave for the NFL Draft where he could possible be the number one overall pick next season.

20 Auburn
Quarterback Cameron Newton should be a big time player for Auburn and a star in the SEC, and is one of the biggest reason that Auburn should have an outstanding season this year.

21 Georgia
AJ Green might be the best wide receiver in college football right now. Georgia could possible be undefeated going into their game against Florida late in the season.

22 Oregon State
Running back Jacquizz Rodgers and wide receiver James Rodgers are big time player makers for Oregon State and they should be in the Pac-10 hunt right down to the end of the season. They open the season against TCU and also play Boise State this season.

23 Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech lost 4 juniors to the NFL last season and they will hurt them, but they still have quarterback Joshua Nesbitt and he is an outstanding running quarterback.

24 USC
USC can’t go to a bowl game for the next two season because of the Reggie Bush issues, but they still will have a very talented team this season.

25 Houston
Quarterback Case Keenum should put up ridicules passing number this season and his arm will keep Houston in every game this year.

Injuries start to hit NFL Draft Prospects

The College Football season hasn’t even started and some of the teams have already lost players for the season that were prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft.

DB Troy Woolfolk, Michigan - Wooolfolk dislocated his ankle and broke a bone in his leg at this past Tuesday’s practice and is most likely lost of the season, he could possible take this year as a redshirt season and come back for the 2011 season. He had a 5th to 7th round grade from the NFL going into the season and most people thought he would move to free safety at the NFL level despite playing cornerback at Michigan.

DE Ben Martin, Tennessee - Martin went down with an Achilles injury on the first day of summer practice and will miss the season. He will be taking this year as a redshirt season and plans to come back 100 percent for next year. He had a 5th to 7th round grade from the NFL going into the season and he would have been looked at as a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level because of his size and athleticism.

DE Danny Richard, Grand Valley State - Richard has been lost for the season after suffering a torn ligament in his left knee, it is the same knee he hurt in last years D-II national championship game. Richard plans to pursue a medical redshirt exemption from the NCAA so that he can play next season. He has a free agent grade going into the season, but Grand Valley has shown over the years to be a powerhouse on the field and also has had players either get drafted late or sign as free-agents.

DE Christian Anthony, Grambling – Anthony suffered an apparent heart attack last week Thursday afternoon. He was released from the hospital this past Wednesday after being in stable condition while in the hospital. There has been no official word if he will play football this season or ever again. Football is secondary to Anthony having a long a healthy life, if he can get cleared to play football again that would be great. Before the season he had a 5th round grade from the NFL.