College Football 2012 Rankings: 9 Teams Starting Unranked but Finish Top 25

Seems like every year when the preseason top 25 comes out, the end result in January looks very different. Last year, teams like Cincinnati, Southern Miss, Houston and Kansas State all came from the depths of being unranked to finish in the top 25.

This year, people have already put together their projections for the top 25 teams in the nation, and it gets you to wonder what teams that are not currently in this grouping have a chance of ending the year where they did not start it. 

Here is a look at nine teams that despite being overlooked in early preseason top 25 projections will finish the year inside of them. 

South Florida

South Florida may have struggled in the second half of the season, but not before B.J. Daniels and company showed some serious promise at the start of the 2011 season.

This year, South Florida is in the weakest BCS conference in the nation, and with the loss of West Virginia, the conference race is wide open.

With the exception of its game against Florida State, South Florida has a very manageable schedule, and regardless of starting the year outside of the top 25, this team should have no issues ending the year in the top 25. 

Washington

Last year, the Washington Huskies offense really started to come together and help bring Washington back to respectability. This year, the offense returns, and while it lost Chris Polk, it should not miss a beat. 

The problem and the reason the Huskies are not in the top 25 is because of their poor defense. While the offense can put up a ton of points, the defense has difficulty preventing them. 

In 2012, the schedule is not too bad, and assuming they get through the start of the year at 3-3, Washington should close in on eight or nine wins and finish as a top 25 program. 

Louisville

Last year Louisville earned itself a share of the Big East title. It's another team that will benefit from the exit of West Virginia. 

In 2011, Teddy Bridgewater was a freshman who had a solid season and is gearing up for an even better 2012 season.

With the weakened out-of-conference schedule and clearly a ruined down conference, Louisville should earn itself a shot at a second conference title. 

Virginia

When Virginia took on Virginia Tech at the end of last year, it had an opportunity to earn itself a spot in the ACC title game. Despite the loss, the Cavaliers still had a great year and are on track to continue their program's growth.

This year, Mike London and Virginia will start the year outside of the top 25, but based on their returning talent, the Cavaliers should earn their way back into the top 25 by year's end. 

Washington State

This may be going out on a limb but the Washington State Cougars may stun some people around the Pac-12 and the nation by finishing inside the top 25 this year.

In the offseason, Mike Leach was named the head coach and with his offensive scheme, Jeff Tuel should have his best season as Cougars quarterback. 

While the Cougars do play Oregon, they avoid USC and have a weak out-of-conference schedule that should allow them to make some noise in the 2012 season. 

SMU

Over the past couple of seasons, SMU has been making its way back, and this may be the season for the Mustangs to take advantage on their recent growth. 

Last year, SMU finished 5-3 in conference play, but with Tulsa and Houston both losing great senior quarterbacks, the door in Conference USA is wide open for the Mustangs to capitalize on. 

Tennessee

The SEC schedule can be very intimidating at times but this year, Tennessee has a very good schedule in which the only team they should be overmatched against is Alabama.

Last year, Tennessee appeared to be on a roll with Tyler Bray at quarterback, but an injury ended his season early. With Bray back under center, the Vols offense should get back on track and keep the team competitive throughout the year.  

NC State

Last year many expected a severe drop-off from NC State as it lost Russell Wilson to Wisconsin. Instead of folding up, the Wolfpack went 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

Much of the reason for last year's performance was quarterback Mike Glennon. Glennon did not only fill the role for Wilson but matched the kind of year that Wilson had in 2010. 

If the Wolfpack can get an improved effort from their defense and have Glennon take another step forward, then NC State fans will be in for a great year that ends with their team in the top 25. 

Texas Tech

After a win over Oklahoma on the road, Texas Tech saw the hope and promise that the showed go down the tubes as they crumbled down the stretch. This year, the Red Raiders hope to reverse the meltdown that they saw occur in 2011. 

Most importantly for Texas Tech is that Seth Doege is back under center and is a good fit in the Red Raiders offense. If Texas Tech can do something about its defense, which ranked 117th in the nation for points against, then it should have no problem soaring from being unranked to the top 25.