2011 CFN Preview - Unit Rankings, O Lines

CFN 2011 Preview Unit Rankings from top to bottom - Offensive Lines

Preview 2011 - Unit Rankings

Offensive Lines

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2011 CFN Preseason Rankings  
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51 to 60 | 61 to 70 | 71 to 80 | 81 to 90 | 91 to 100 | 101 to 110 | 111 to 120

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CFN 2011 Unit Rankings
- Offenses | Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Receivers | Offensive Lines
- Defenses | Defensive Lines | Linebackers | Secondaries  | Special Teams  
- Preview 2011 | 2010 Unit Rankings

Note: This is based on talent, returning starters, and skill. It’s not necessarily based on what the final total offense statistics will be.

1. Ole Miss
Years of fantastic recruiting for the offensive front from the former coaching staff paid off last year, and now the results should be special. Partly because the offense didn’t throw on a regular basis and partly because Jeremiah Masoli was mobile, but the pass protection was strong and the front five paved the way for a great year from the ground game. With most of the key parts returning, there’s reason to be excited. Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie are terrific tackles to work around, and the interior isn’t anything to blow off. With bulk, experience, and talent, expect a special year for the team’s biggest strength.

2. Oklahoma State
There’s only one true star up front, OT Levi Adcock, but this is one of the most consistently productive and most experienced lines in the country. The Cowboy skill players get all the credit and all the spotlight, but this line could be the team’s biggest strength – fine, so second biggest behind the receiving corps, The only concern is backup experience. If a slew of big injuries hit, there might be problem with its consistency.

3. Missouri
Missouri always has a strong, talented offensive line, but it didn’t do as much as expected in pass protection last year and didn’t blast away like it needed to for the ground game. Four starters return with center Tim Barnes the only one gone from the mix, and now the expectations are sky high for a front five that should be dominant from the start, and is should be fine even with star tackle Elvis Fisher suffering a knee injury. Travis Ruth has been around long enough to know what he’s doing, while the other four starters have been through the wars and should be able to shine. Not only is this group full of veterans, but it also has a slew of all-conference performers in the classroom. There shouldn’t be too many mistakes, if any.

4. Wisconsin
This isn’t going to be the killer line it was last year, but it’s not going to be all that far off. Travis Frederick and Ricky Wagner will be great on the left side with a little bit of time, and Peter Konz is one of the best centers in America and is a huge piece of the puzzle to get back. Anything the line can get out of Josh Oglesby would be nice, and if it all finally comes together, look out. Don’t hold your breath, but there are more than enough massive blockers to see time in the rotation.

5. Kentucky
The line ended up being a positive for the offense as the season went on. With a standstill quarterback in Mike Hartline to protect, the Cats finished second in the SEC in sacks allowed and did a decent job for a running game that averaged 159 yards per game. For all intents and purposes, five starters are back on the line that held together relatively well last season. Considering experience was supposed to be a major problem last year, everything turned out fine. If everyone stays healthy, this should be a rock of a front wall working around the massive Larry Warford and veteran left guard Stuart Hines..

6. Alabama
Andre Smith left, and James Carpenter stepped in and was terrific. Carpenter is gone, and now it’s time for Barrett Jones, William Vlachos, and D.J. Fluker to become even more dominant blockers. There’s too much talent at all five spots, and there’s too much depth, for this to not grow into one of the nation’s best lines. Not only do four starters return, but many of the backups have had enough starting time to be ready to step in if needed. McCullough and Steen can play, and Boswell and Love are ready to do more.

7. Stanford
The largely unsung heroes of the program’s offensive success over the last two seasons, the line has been a fortress on the Farm. Although the unit is being remade in the wake of the graduations of center Chase Beeler, LG Andrew Phillips, and RT Derek Hall, hope can be found in the lone returning starters, David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin, both of whom earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 first team.

8. Florida State
While you don’t get better by losing OG Rodney Hudson and C Ryan McMahon, Florida State retains enough key parts to put together a strong front five. The margin for error, however, is considerably smaller than it was last fall. The keys will be staying healthy and getting Jacob Fahrenkrug assimilated as fast as possible. If those two hurdles can be cleared, the ‘Noles will again boast one of the ACC’s better blocking units. The tackles are seniors, with NFL ceilings, and the interior linemen do a nice job of sealing off the pass rush. Add in the athletic ability of new QB E.J. Manuel, and there shouldn't be too many sacks allowed.

9. Iowa
As always, the Iowa offensive line was good, but it wasn’t special. This year it could be terrific with enough starters returning to be very cohesive and even more consistent. The pass protection was solid allowing 20 sacks and was decent for the ground game, but the production wasn’t there on a consistent basis. Expect that to change and consider it a shock if this isn’t the best part of the offense by far. Tackle Riley Reiff is a sure-thing star to work around and will be a multi-millionaire whenever he’s ready to jump to the next level, and center James Ferentz is a rising star who’ll be a First Team All-Big Ten performer. There are great pieces in place.

10. Miami
The good news along the offensive line is that nearly everyone is back from a front wall that played very well last season. The concern is at left tackle, where massive all-star Orlando Franklin leaves an enormous void. If he can be replaced without there being a wicked backlash, the Hurricanes will once again boast one of the ACC’s more effective blocking units. Regardless of who starts the season, Miami will harbor a massive front wall that’s capable of bullying opposing fronts off the line of scrimmage. Almost half of the current two-deep tips the Toledos at no less than 320 pounds, a key factor in last year’s improved ground game. Brandon Washington is one of the nation's best guards.

COULD EASILY BE IN TOP TEN

BYU	Ind
LSU	SEC
Northern Illinois	MAC
Notre Dame	Ind
Ohio State	Big Ten
Oregon	Pac-12
Purdue	Big Ten
Texas Tech	Big 12

SOLID, WILL BE A POSITIVE

Arizona State	Pac-12
Auburn	SEC
Baylor	Big 12
Boise State	M-West
Boston College	ACC
California	Pac-12
Clemson	ACC
Connecticut	Big East
Florida	SEC
Georgia	SEC
Georgia Tech	ACC
Illinois	Big Ten
Michigan	Big Ten
Mississippi State	SEC
Nebraska	Big Ten
Nevada	WAC
North Carolina	ACC
Northwestern	Big Ten
Oklahoma	Big 12
Penn State	Big Ten
Pitt	Big East
Syracuse	Big East
Tennessee	SEC
Texas	Big 12
Texas A&M	Big 12
USC	Pac-12
Utah	Pac-12
Virginia Tech	ACC
Wake Forest	ACC
West Virginia	Big East

AVERAGE

Air Force	M-West
Arizona	Pac-12
Arkansas	SEC
Cincinnati	Big East
Colorado	Pac-12
Fresno State	WAC
Indiana	Big Ten
Iowa State	Big 12
Kansas	Big 12
Kansas State	Big 12
Louisiana Tech	WAC
Louisville	Big East
Maryland	ACC
Michigan State	Big Ten
Minnesota	Big Ten
Navy	ind
NC State	ACC
Ohio	MAC
Oregon State	Pac-12
Rutgers	Big East
San Diego State	M-West
SMU	C-USA
South Carolina	SEC
South Florida	Big East
TCU	M-West
Tulsa	C-USA
UAB	C-USA
UCLA	Pac-12
Vanderbilt	SEC
Virginia	ACC
Washington	Pac-12

NEEDS WORK

Ball State	MAC
Central Michigan	MAC
Duke	ACC
East Carolina	C-USA
Middle Tennessee	Sun Belt
Temple	MAC
Toledo	MAC
UCF	C-USA

A PROBLEM

Akron	MAC
Army	Ind
Bowling Green	MAC
Buffalo	MAC
Colorado State	M-West
Eastern Michigan	MAC
FIU	Sun Belt
Florida Atlantic	Sun Belt
Hawaii	WAC
Houston	C-USA
Idaho	WAC
Kent State	MAC
Miami Univ.	MAC
New Mexico State	WAC
Rice	C-USA
Southern Miss	C-USA
Troy	Sun Belt
Tulane	C-USA
UL Monroe	Sun Belt
Utah State	WAC
Washington State	Pac-12
Western Kentucky	Sun Belt
Western Michigan	MAC

THE BOTTOM TEN

Arkansas State	Sun Belt
Marshall	C-USA
New Mexico	M-West
North Texas	Sun Belt
San Jose State	WAC
UNLV	M-West
Wyoming	M-West
Memphis	C-USA
UL Lafayette	Sun Belt
UTEP	C-USA

CFN 2011 Unit Rankings
- Offenses | Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Receivers | Offensive Lines
- Defenses | Defensive Lines | Linebackers | Secondaries  | Special Teams  
- Preview 2011 | 2010 Unit Rankings