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As with any journey, the traveler must endure many an obstacle and trial along the way. On the road, they become weary and at times, struggle to find themselves in the vast wilderness. Learning the faults and failures of those who came up short is more important than water in these lands. Hesitation is the difference between survival and ending up as just another story of what could have been.
The lights that cascaded down from high above onto players, coaches, and fans that final night might as well have been the sun. Beaming down, not only as a reminder that the road was about to come to an end, but also that the glory of college football rested its head inside those walls. In a season that had taught us that no team was safe, we learned that a chance at redemption isn’t taken lightly. For the second time in three years, the crystal ball will call make its home in Tuscaloosa as crimson and white fell to the ground like a soothing rain.
For a brief moment, we stand stunned in the idea that everything we expected from the season came true in more ways than we thought possible. From the scandals that disfigured mighty schools to the 81 times a top team lost its chance at perfection, we were given a journey that may have ended in an all too familiar place, but it’s one that could end as a true testament of what makes college football great.
Here is the final Top 25 rankings for the 2011 season:
1. Alabama
2. LSU
4. Oregon
5. Arkansas
7. Stanford
8. Michigan
9. USC
10. TCU
11. Oklahoma
12. Wisconsin
13. Kansas State
14. Michigan State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Baylor
17. Southern Miss
18. Houston
19. Boise State
20. West Virginia
21. Nebraska
22. Clemson
24. Georgia
25. Cincinnati
With the end of any season, there is this certain afterglow we are left to reflect in. The long windedness that comes with the extensive week in, week out analysis of the teams that are considered the best in the nation and dissecting their every play seems draconian at this juncture. There are no more games to tirelessly comb over in the hopes of finding something that will be interesting to bring to the sport’s table. Most of the athletes that have been named through-out the year are either prepping for the NFL Draft or enjoying a bit of time away from the local and national spotlight. The sport’s world is shifting its eyes from the gridiron to the hardwood as March seemingly approaches faster than it ever has before.
Since Alabama claimed the title, the better part of the last two weeks has been spent debating on what to say about these teams. Everything seemed to be a rehash. Talk about a team’s bowl game (or lack of one in USC’s case), talk about their future, rinse, repeat. Over the course of 5,000 words, the repetitiveness would be the literary version of pulling teeth with a string connected to a remote controlled helicopter.
While those of us who crave the elegance and grandeur that can only come in an atmosphere like this go into hibernation, we can still take this moment to remind ourselves how far we have come. As with any season, this list has seen teams come and go like most. Ten teams originally listed during the pre-season failed to make it to this final list, two of which were in the Top 10. The list saw only three teams (Oklahoma, LSU, and Alabama) hold its coveted top spot. Although the sport is known for being unexpected, never would it have come to mind that 81 times we would see a ranked team fall.
On the field, we saw quarterbacks like Baylor’s Robert Griffin III and Houston’s Case Keenum do things that we thought were impossible. Running backs like Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, Alabama’s Trent Richardson and Oregon’s LaMichael James showed us what it means to put the team on your back in those big moments. Wide receivers like Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon proved that one player can deserve double coverage. We learned that no matter how good an offense is, it’s still important to have a good kicker. Most importantly, we learned that having a great defense is still the way to a championship.
Predicting the future of these teams is something that has always been tricky. Teams like Boise State, Baylor, and Houston, who will lose a major chunk of their starters, will more than likely find themselves struggling early and often. Will we have a team like Florida State that completely collapses or a team like Clemson that surprises everyone? In the era of SEC dominance, what role will the USC Trojans play in the race to take home the crystal ball next year? At least at this point, we won’t know the answers to a lot of these questions and we won’t for a few months. For that reason, we are willing to wait for August and September to come again so we may sling our packs over our shoulders and being the great journey once more.
Follow me on Twitter: @VandalExaminer
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