Nebraska, Arkansas and 10 Other BCS Championship Dark Horses

What if the college football season ended the same way it started?  With the same two teams at the top of the rankings?

Meaning, Alabama would play Ohio State for the national championship.  

Although it can happen, the truth is, that's just not very exciting.  College football is about dramatic upsets and unexpected surprises, that's what makes it fun to follow.

So forget about the favorites, let's talk about other teams with a small yet somewhat possible shot at the title.

Here are 10 dark-horse contenders for the BCS Championship.

10. Michigan Wolverines

The emergence of Denard Robinson makes this team a dark-horse title contender.  After back-to-back losing seasons under head coach, Rich Rodriguez, Michigan might finally be in line to excel in the Big Ten.

It wasn't pretty but the Wolverines are actually 3-0 heading into Week 4.  It only gets tougher going forward, they do have to deal with serious competition by playing several heavy hitters in their schedule.

However, their matches against Big Ten Title contenders Iowa and Wisconsin will be at home.  The Wolverines will have to battle powerhouse Ohio State on the road and that could prove to be their biggest challenge this season.

With a Heisman candidate in Robinson, the team is capable of scoring in bunches.  And if they do take down Ohio State on their way to winning the Big Ten title, they'll also need to be considered for a spot in the BCS Championship game. 

9. Stanford Cardinal

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PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Andrew Luck #12 and Richard Sherman #9 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrate from the sidelines after Stanford scored a touchdown to go up 67-24 in the fourth quarter of their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Stanf

Last week it was Arizona that had a coming out party of sorts, starting Week 4 it will be Stanford's turn to show the nation that the Pac-10 is full of BCS title contenders. Andrew Luck has been leading the charge at quarterback where he has completed 45/70 passes, 674 yards, 10 TDs and no interceptions over three games.

Their last two games have been against some decent competition in UCLA and Wake Forest and have found themselves ranked No. 3 in points scored, with an average of 51.7 points per game.

Up next, Stanford takes on Notre Dame this weekend—a team that is arguably better than their 1-2 record.  If the Cardinal manage to take down Notre Dame and beat early Pac-10 title favorites, Oregon, on the road, then look out—there's nothing left to be said—the team is for real.

8. South Carolina Gamecocks

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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Steven Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Columbia, South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat the Bull

With a big win against Georgia in Week 2, they started their SEC record on a positive note.  The Gamecocks face more tough SEC matchups in their next two games, away against the Auburn Tigers and at home against defending national champion Alabama.

They enter the fourth week of the season ranked No. 12 by the AP.  Winning their next two games mean that Steve Spurrier and his team could take a big leap in the standings. In five seasons as head coach, Spurrier has never led this USC team to a 5-0 start, let alone three straight conference wins.

If they get past the big hurdle of beating Alabama's two best college football teams, they might garner enough confidence to overcome more obstacles in Arkansas and Florida later in their schedule.

7. Arizona Wildcats

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TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 18: Center Colin Baxter #64 of the Arizona Wildcats walks off the field after warm ups to the college football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Arizona Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the H

Arizona proved to be genuine contenders when they defeated the Big Ten's Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 3.

Their offense was clicking early and often and before you knew it, the Wildcats managed to score 27 points against a potent Iowa defense in the first half, on their way to a 27-7 lead.

But Iowa, ranked No. 9 before the start of the the game, would not go down without a fight.  The Hawkeyes scored three straight touchdowns to start the second half and tie the game.

However, that was the biggest test for Arizona.  Despite losing a 20 point lead, the Wildcats still managed to hold off the visitors and come up big in the end with a game-winning drive.

There are plenty more quality Pac-10 games up ahead in the schedule, so it could be a challenging task to move up in the rankings but they did show that they could play with and beat a big-time opponent in Iowa.

6. Wisconsin Badgers

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MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 18: Jay Valai #2 of the Wisconsin Badgers is congratulated by teammates after blocking an extra point attempt by the Arizona State Sun Devils at Camp Randall Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin defeated A

The Badgers came away with a close win against Arizona State this weekend 20-19. But that wasn't the only thing that went in Wisconsin's favor on Saturday—Iowa lost to Arizona.

With the big loss by Iowa, the Badgers' Big Ten title hopes slightly improved.

They will play host to Ohio State on October 22nd for a big showdown, and that game could determine how far the Badgers will go this season.  Of course they will also go on the road to Iowa to play the Hawkeyes.

If the Badgers defeat OSU at home later this year, they could find themselves in a scenario where a loss to Iowa on the road can still give them a possible share of the conference title.  And of course, a Big Ten title could also qualify them for a spot in the BCS championship game.

5. Utah Utes

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FORT WORTH, TX - NOVEMBER 14: Shaky Smithson #1 of the Utah Utes celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 14, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Phot

The Utes make it to the BCS title game? It could happen.

Their schedule gets dicey in November, facing TCU first and BYU at the end of the month, both at home.  In between, they'll have to face two decent opponents on the road, in Notre Dame and San Diego State.

The Utes already defeated the Big East's Pittsburgh Panthers to open the season.  But they've got to work harder to win-out their schedule. 

For a shot at the title, TCU needs to be taken down and other top-ranked teams ahead in the rankings, especially Alabama, Ohio State, and even Boise State need to suffer some unexpected losses.

4. Auburn Tigers

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Cameron Newton #2 of the Auburn Tigers rushes upfield in overtime against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

They were a preseason favorite to do well this year and so far they haven't disappointed with a 3-0 record.  However, their last two wins have been a little too close for comfort.  Last week, Auburn escaped with an overtime win against Clemson.

There are much tougher games still ahead in their schedule and this Tigers team needs to show significant improvement if they are to have a winning record in the SEC.

Their first test will come when the South Carolina Gamecocks come in to town.  If they can compete against Steve Spurrier's team this weekend, then there's a good possibility that their upcoming matches against SEC-rivals Arkansas, LSU, and Alabama will be hard-fought games.

If Auburn does find themselves atop the SEC at the end of the season, there's no question they'll be in the discussion for a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

3. TCU Horned Frogs

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ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 04: Head coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs walks on the field before a game against the Oregon State Beavers at Cowboys Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

How is a team ranked fourth by the AP considered a dark horse for the national title?

It's because they play in a non-BCS conference and the coaches always seem to find an excuse to exclude them from playing in the last game of the season.

The same scenario applies to Boise State and TCU's Mountain West rival Utah Utes, all they can do is win-out their schedule and hope to earn respect that way.

After a win against Pac-10's Oregon State at the start of the season, the only other difficult matchups for this team will be against Brigham Young at home and Utah on the road.

There's a small chance that with TCU's current high-ranking and Utah's tough schedule, the winner of their November 6th meeting, could have an opportunity to contend for a national title.

2. Nebraska Cornhuskers

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 18: Safety Rickey Thenarse #3 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers returns an interception against the Washington Huskies on September 18, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The play was nullified due to a penalty. (Photo by Otto Gre

After the beatdown given to the Washington Huskies by the Nebraska Cornhuskers during Week 3, Jake Locker will probably wish he can get a do-over so that he can still be considered for a Heisman trophy this season. 

But his meltdown actually drew more attention to a strong Nebraska defense and a good looking running-game ignited by the play of quarterback Taylor Martinez.  On paper, Washington probably offered them the most competitive out-of-conference match on their schedule but the Huskers made it look easy. 

Their schedule ahead looks very favorable.  The biggest game they'll need to win will be a face-off against Texas at home.  They'll also need to fend off an upstart Missouri Tigers also at home near the end of their schedule.

1. Arkansas Razorbacks

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 28: Quarterback Ryan Mallett #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks talks with his team during a time out against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 33-30

The Razorbacks find themselves in somewhat unfamiliar territory, starting the season 3-0 for the first time with Bobby Petrino as their head coach.

Playing in the SEC is no easy task, but quarterback Ryan Mallet has performed well and gives the team a lot of confidence.  He has converted 70 percent of his passes, for 1,081 yards and nine TDs.

Arkansas will host number one-ranked Alabama this weekend for a big showdown, providing the Hogs a measuring stick of how well they can fare this season.  A win or even a strong showing against Alabama mean that they're ready to face and play well against the likes of Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and LSU.