5 BCS Teams We Already Know Will Be Overrated Next Season

The 2011 college football season sure did have its fair share of memorable moments, but overall, with all of the different scandals and the BCS championship controversy, this past year seems like one that most fans will be glad to put in the rear-view mirror. 

As we now try to forget about that utter abomination of a BCS Championship Game we just witnessed and as we begin to look forward to the 2012 season, it's time to start breaking down which teams look like contenders and which ones look like pretenders for the upcoming season. 

With that in mind, here's a look at five high-profile BCS teams that are the most likely to be overrated next season.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama will enter the 2012 season as the reigning champions of college football, but the Tide won’t get the chance to just ease into the season, as Nick Saban’s squad will square off with a scary-looking Michigan team at Cowboys Stadium in the season opener.

What we saw out of QB A.J. McCarron in the BCS championship game was definitely encouraging, but we’ll have to see how he fares without guys like RB Trent Richardson, WR Marquis Maze, TE Brad Smelley and C William Vlachos next year.

It’s on the defensive side of the ball where the Tide will really have some holes to fill, though.

We know that senior veterans such as DT Josh Chapman, LB Courtney Upshaw, LB Jerrell Harris, CB DeQuan Menzie and S Mark Barron are all leaving Tuscaloosa, but you’ve also got talented underclassmen like LB Dont’a Hightower, CB Dre Kirkpatrick and S Robert Lester who could all think about joining their buddies in the NFL draft as well.

With the way Nick Saban has been recruiting, Alabama will still have plenty of talent next year, but with so much inexperience at key positions, some growing pains are to be expected. They’re going to need a few lucky breaks to survive a schedule that includes Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn and make it back to the BCS Championship Game.

Oklahoma Sooners

Florida State and Texas A&M were two of the most disappointing teams of the 2011 season, but not even the Seminoles or the Aggies could compare with Oklahoma this year in terms of failing to fulfill preseason expectations. 

After starting off the season ranked No. 1 in both polls, the Sooners inexcusably lost at home to a mediocre Texas Tech team midway through the season. Then they decided to mail in a no-show performance against in-state rival Oklahoma State with the Big 12 championship on the line in the last game of the regular season. 

Still, now that QB Landry Jones is set to return, you have to figure that Oklahoma is going to receive a lot of love, and expectations will once again be high for the 2012 season. 

The problem is, Jones may be coming back, but you know who isn't? Ryan Broyles, one of the top players in school history and the most productive college receiver ever. 

I'd say that's a bit of a blow. 

So is losing two defensive ends of the caliber of Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis, and a linebacker like Travis Lewis. 

Oklahoma will have enough talent to win the Big 12 next year, but the question is, will Big Game Bob's squad step up and actually live up to the hype?

Texas Longhorns

After leading one of college football's most dominant teams for the better part of a decade, Texas coach Mack Brown has started to hear some grumbling recently.

The Longhorns have suffered through consecutive disappointing campaigns, but with so much talent returning for 2012, they'll be expected to be back in contention in the Big 12 next season. 

The big question, though, is will this team show the passion that it's lacked the past two seasons? And an even bigger question that has to be answered is this: Will David Ash be the answer at quarterback that Texas so desperately needs?

With a strong offensive line, two go-to receivers in Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis, and a potential star running back like Malcolm Brown surrounding him, Ash will have plenty of help in 2012. 

On defense, the losses of DT Kheeston Randall, LB Emmanuel Acho, LB Keenan Robinson and S Blake Gideon all hurt, but with emerging stars like DE Jackson Jeffcoat, DE Alex Okafor, LB Jordan Hicks and S Kenny Vaccaro all returning, the Longhorns should be fine on the defensive side of the ball. 

We know Texas has the talent, but the Longhorns first have to prove they're ready to play up to their potential, something they haven't done the past two years, before they deserve a high ranking.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

"This is the year!"

Every summer, we hear the same thing from the mainstream media and Notre Dame fans.

"Oh, this is the year when Notre Dame becomes Notre Dame again, you watch."

OK, we get it already.

Year after year, we listen to all of the preseason hoopla and then watch as the Irish fail to meet unrealistic expectations, just as they did once again in 2011.

If you go into a season with 17 returning starters, a Top 20 national ranking and a pretty manageable schedule, you're not supposed to go 8-5, but that's just what Brian Kelly's squad did this year.

Now Kelly will have to deal with the mounting pressure in South Bend, as this will truly be a make-or-break year for him and his staff.

It starts with making a quarterback decision between Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix.

Kelly can't afford to guess wrong again and watch as his team gets off to another slow start.

We know the Irish will have the talent needed to win games in 2012, with guys like RB Cierre Wood, LB Manti Te'o, WR Theo Riddick and DE Aaron Lynch, but now, they have to go out next year and show they've got the heart of a champion, instead of just talking about it.

With a schedule that includes Michigan State, Michigan, Miami, Stanford, BYU, Oklahoma and USC, nothing's going to come easy for Notre Dame next season.

Kelly's been bringing in the big recruits during his time at Notre Dame, but so did his predecessor, Charlie Weis. Now it's time for the coach to win with "his guys" because eight-win seasons will only last you so long in South Bend.

Wisconsin Badgers

The return of Heisman finalist Montee Ball will be a big boost for Wisconsin's offense, but losing star quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Nick Toon and center Peter Konz, who will all be playing on Sundays next season, leaves three big offensive holes that the Badgers will have to fill. 

We might have to take Big Game Bob's title away and give it to Wisconsin's Bret Bielema, because Bielema has been an utter coaching disaster in big games during his time at Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin is 2-4 in bowl games during Bielema's tenure, and the Badgers have absolutely been allergic to success on the road over the past few years. 

The schedule may not exactly be daunting and the return of Ball will definitely be a plus, but Bielema has to prove he can guide his team to success in a tough pressure-packed environment before Wisconsin deserves a spot near the top of the rankings in 2012.