BCS Party Crashers: Top Non-BCS Teams Looking To Crash The BCS In 2009

In the past few years, the whisper that once was the non-BCS conferences has now become a distinct roar. It started in 2004 when Utah went undefeated and was the first to crash the BCS party. Since then we have seen Boise St, Hawaii, and Utah once again crash the party. This year is no different and has the potential to possibly put a non-BCS school in the National Championship game.

Here is a preview of the top teams in non-BCS conferences that have a chance to make some noise.

7. Utah: The BCS busters from last season return a load of starters for a very stingy D and monster RB Matt Asiata. But they also lose QB Brian Johnson and place kicker Louie Sakoda not to mention the core of last years wide receivers. Even though watching Utah spank Alabama was one of the greatest things I've witnessed in recent memory, it is hard to expect that Utah will once again be standing alone a top college football as the only undefeated team. With road games at Oregon, TCU, and BYU I would be shocked if they were able to win 2-of-3.

6. ECU: The Pirates made a lot of noise in the first few weeks last season but faded as the year went on. This year however they return starting QB Patrick Pinkney and every offensive lineman. The Pirates certainly have there work cut out for them as they have road games at West Virginia and North Carolina then host Virginia Tech later in the season.

5. Houston: Are we sure that these guys are in the right conference? Because the Cougars can put some serious numbers up on the board and in a hurry. They also have loads of talent which makes you wonder why the heck they aren't in the Big Twelve. Case Keenum is returning at QB for the Cougars and in a lot of ways reminds me of Drew Brees; He is an undersized QB from Texas that can straight up throw the football. With games against Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech the Cougars will for sure have a chance to show the country what they are made of and could be in the top 15 when the regular season is said and done.

4. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles might be something of a sleeper to people who haven't really payed any attention to C-USA, but to those who have they know USM has some serious play-makers. At the top of the list is freakishly good WR DeAndre Brown and a very good young QB in sophomore Austin Davis. He is surrounded by a lot of players that could start in the SEC as well as every o-linemen from last year. On defense the Eagles also return the entire D-Line and defensive phenom Scottie Williams should create havoc at OLB/DE. What hurts the Eagles is the lack of a stellar non-conference schedule; Don't get me wrong road games at Kansas, Louisville, Houston, and ECU is no easy task but I think USM should come through it unscathed and end up in the top 10.

3. TCU: The Horn frogs are a team that I love to watch play football, and being a BYU fan I got to see them destroy my Cougars last year. They are athletic, intelligent, and tough as nails. What more is head coach Gary Patterson says that this year's defense could be even faster than last year's. Which will give Offensive Coordinators nightmares preparing for. TCU in my opinion does the best job recruiting out of all the non-BCS schools, I mean look where they are deep in Texas territory having to compete against all the Big 12 schools and yet they still get the speed that they have. QB Andy Dalton returns for his junior campaign and has some good talent around him. With a preseason ranking of 17th, TCU can make noise early with games at Virginia and Clemson, then later get Utah at home and travel to Provo to play BYU. Despite some youth on defense I think the Horn frogs are a scary team in 2009 and a legit shot at being undefeated, if not maybe 11 wins will be enough to get them into a BCS game.

2. BYU: Ahh yes the BYU Cougars, I've been a fan since birth and have been through much pain and turmoil with them but I'm still here rising and shouting even through all the BS that was last season. But I must say the 2008 BYU Cougars are still to this day a tough pill to swallow.

You might think that after their 3rd straight 10 win season you would think I'm on fertility drugs(thanks Manny) to say something like that but let me explain. In my entire life as a Cougar fan I've not seen them cry and moan as much as last year. Maybe they should have spent less time crying to the Media about their ranking and more time preparing for TCU, Utah, and Arizona eh? That usually is the best plan.

This year hopefully they have learned their lesson because the Cougars have set the stage for a possible national title run, even though its unlikely. Stud WR Austin Collie is now with the Indianapolis Colts but BYU gets speedster McKay Jacobsen back from his LDS mission. Senior QB Max Hall returns along with TE Dennis Pitta and bruiser RB Harvey Unga to create one dangerous offense. BYU also returns nearly all of its defense and that a good thing because the Cougars will open the season against Oklahoma in the new Cowboy Stadium.

The Cougars will then host Florida St in Provo. Fortunately for BYU most of their challenging games, aside from Oklahoma, will all be in Provo. TCU, Air Force, and Utah will all come to Provo where BYU plays much better than on the road. If BYU can get through with just one loss they could still be ranked in the top ten by seasons end. But by some miracle they were to win out they could very well in position to play in the BCS National Championship game.

1. Boise State: The Broncos have been the most consistent non-BCS team for the last five years in my opinion. They have always scheduled well and have finished well every year. This year is no different and the good thing for the Broncos is they return nearly every player from last years team that only lost one game to a very good TCU team. Sophomore QB Kellen Moore will be looking to build on a fantastic Freshman year last season and he has the offensive weapons around him to make it happen. This years schedule is actually pretty simple for Boise, at home against Oregon and that's about it. Win that game and the 15th ranked Broncos should be on the high road to another BCS game. Lose that game and even if they win out they might could be left out of the coveted 15th place needed to qualify for a BCS game.