College Football Rankings 2012: Underrated Squads That Will Finish Strong

With three one-loss SEC squads in the Top Four, the remaining conferences have to feel snubbed. No. 5 Oregon and No. 6 Kansas State have to feel especially snubbed after being ranked second and first in the nation, respectively. 

These teams will finish strong as they prove their current rankings are too low.

No. 6 Kansas State Wildcats

So the top team in the country loses a fluky game to a mediocre opponent, and it falls out of the Top Five? This team has to feel snubbed, and it will take it out on Texas in its final game of the season.

Make no mistake: This is a top team. Collin Klein remains one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, that defense is still pretty talented and this is a team that has beaten a lot of great teams.

Beating Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State is no joke. Beating Oklahoma on the road is among the most impressive wins a team could have.

This is a battle-tested team that will be hungry to destroy Texas and hopefully earn a shot at the BCS National Championship. Expect the Wildcats to rise in a big way.

No. 17 UCLA Bruins

Another team that has some quality wins is the UCLA Bruins, who are perhaps the most surprising team in the nation.

With wins over Nebraska, Arizona and USC on their resume, these Bruins are battle-tested and ready to shock Stanford. 

In fact, UCLA will play a huge role in the Pac-12 Championship and maybe even the national championship race. 

This week, the Bruins will take on Stanford, and they will then play either Stanford or Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Winning these two games would put UCLA easily in the Top 10, and it has the talent to do it.

No. 20 Louisville Cardinals

An undefeated Louisville team was ranked just ninth in the nation last week. Now, a one-loss Louisville team has fallen to 20th, and it has two games to prove that it belongs with the other one-loss teams.

The loss to Syracuse last week was fluky, as the Cards can prove against Connecticut this week and Rutgers next.

The Rutgers game is especially important, but expect Louisville to win. Its offense, led by star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, is just too good for Rutgers.