BCS Rankings 2010: 5 Teams That Are Ranked Way Too High
As the 2010 BCS rankings come out we get our first look at how the National Championship picture may play out.
This year we see the Oklahoma Sooners come in as a relatively surprising No. 1 ranked team. After them comes the Oregon Ducks, with the Boise State Broncos rounding out the top three.
As these early season rankings come out there are always teams that seem to be misplaced. Sometimes they appear ranked too low and sometimes too high. There are many factors that can lead to this as the BCS system is an intricate one.
For now lets take a look at some teams that should be pleasantly surprised with where they currently rank.
5. No. 1 Oklahoma
1 of 5
Yes Oklahoma is undefeated, and yes the Sooners do have wins over Texas and Florida State. However being ranked as the best team in the country is definitely stretch, something even the Sooners themselves would probably agree with.
Coach Stoops has already come out and said that this means nothing and the focus is on the remainder of the schedule. This is the right message, but it doesn't change the fact that the Sooners are probably not the most deserving of the number one ranking.
Although those two wins are impressive on paper, neither the Longhorns or the Seminoles is necessarily having an up year for their standards. Outside of those teams the Sooners have struggled in close victories over the likes of Cincinnati, Utah State, and Air Force, hardly a murderers row.
The Sooners are definitely a very good team, but to have them at number one is certainly a stretch.
4. No. 25 Virginia Tech
2 of 5
Although the Hokies boast a five game win streak and have handled their ACC competition, it is still very surprising the Virginia Tech was able to sneak into the Top 25 BCS standings.
The surprise comes after losing their first two games, both in disappointing fashion. First they lost a game to Boise State that was essentially a home game and looked uncharacteristically undisciplined.
Next came the real shocker when they were upset at home by lowly James Madison. This is definitely one of the more disappointing losses in school history and puts an automatic black mark on the season.
Although the Hokies seem to have rebounded to a point, I believe there is more to be done before this team should appear in the BCS standings.
3. No. 22 Kansas State
3 of 5
Kansas State makes a surprising appearance in these initial BCS rankings despite only having one loss.
The problem with this team is that they played their first five games at home, almost entirely against inferior competition. The only ranked team they played was Nebraska, who they were demolished by.
A dominating game last week on the road at Kansas probably catapulted them into these rankings, but Kansas has not shown much this year and it appears Kansas State has entered these rankings without a real challenge so far.
There are however several ranked teams left on their schedule and those games should be a test of whether they truly deserve this ranking or not.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
2. No. 14 Oklahoma State
4 of 5
The Oklahoma State Cowboys make their BCS debut this season in the top 15 with an undefeated record. This record however is deceiving as the Cowboys have yet to really be tested by a quality opponent.
They have played a schedule that has had them predominantly at home and only really playing lower level competition within the Big 12 and outside it.
Their wins against Texas Tech and Texas A&M have been their most impressive despite the fact that both teams are in relative down years. Outside of that the Cowboys have played mostly non-BCS opponents.
There are four ranked opponents left on the schedule so we should get an idea of what this team is really made of.
1. No. 9 Utah
5 of 5
Yes Utah is undefeated and they have more or less demolished all the competition thrown in front of them. However I believe this year the Utes ranking is a product of their past success.
In the last five games the Utes have handled four non-BCS opponents and the lowly Iowa State Cyclones. None of these wins are particularly impressive and the schedule certainly does not match up with other top 10 teams.
The one quality BCS opponent the Utes have beat is the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers however have not proven to be worth the preseason hype they garnered and are really just more proof of Big East mediocrity.
Despite this the Utes only beat the Panthers in overtime at home during a night game. A true top ten team should be expected to handle a team in that situation. A matchup looming against TCU should be a real test of this team's strength.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
