by Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven on Twitter)

Kickoff for the 2011 season is just a few weeks away. To help pass the time before the opening weekend, Athlon will be taking a look at the best units by conference. 

A "1" signifies the best unit in conference, while a "12" indicates the worst.

Athlon's 2011 Big Ten Unit Rankings

They're the teams within the team - those cohesive little units bound together by their shared responsibilities within the larger team context.

Whether it's the offensive linemen firing off time after time into those familiar blocking sleds, or the defensive linemen drilling repeatedly on how to shed blockers, or the defensive backs breaking on ball after ball - these teams in miniature hone their tasks on the practice field until those tasks become second nature.

The Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten are three of the deepest quarterback conferences in the nation. Athlon's editors have debated which quarterback they would vote No. 1 in the Big 12, and Andrew Luck is a pretty clear choice in the Pac-12.

We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money  — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach?

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)