BCS Bowl Projections: 15 Teams That Will Be Knocked out by October
Let's be honest, every BCS conference team feels like they have a shot at the BCS this time of year.
And many teams do, however, a few of them face some significant roadblocks en route to a bowl.
And while losses later in the season seem to hurt BCS rankings worse than early ones, any loss before October will be a huge blow to a team's BCS chances. (Unless you are 2010's version of Va. Tech and win 11 in a row after that loss.)
So taking an early loss does not necessarily mean it's the end of the BCS road, but it sure puts a ton of pressure on for the rest of the season.
The following teams are facing extremely stiff competition early in the calendar, and each of these squads will be on the outside looking in on the BCS party come October.
15. Missouri Tigers
1 of 15
Missouri opens at home against Miami(OH) on Sept. 3.
The Redhawks are no pushover, and their offense will give the Tigers fits.
Even if Mizzou somehow escapes that one unscathed, they won't escape from Tempe without a loss.
The Tigers have to travel to Arizona State to take on the SunDevils, and it could get ugly.
The Devils have one of the speediest, most intense defensive units in the country, and the Tigers don't have the horses to hang.
14. TCU Horned Frogs
2 of 15
TCU has one of the more deceptively difficult early season schedules.
Going to Baylor and Air Force in back-to-back weeks will be no cakewalk for the Frogs, and on Set. 30, they face off against the SMU MUstangs and dynamic quarterback Kyle Padron.
While the Frogs' defense will undoubtedly be stout as always, the departure of quarterback Andy Dalton leaves questions as to the efficiency of the offensive unit.
Expect at least one loss in these three games, possibly two.
13. Pitt Panthers
3 of 15
Many have questioned the Big East after their less than stellar performances in recent seasons.
That will not change this year.
The Panthers have a couple of tough battles early in the season, and even though they are hosting Notre Dame, the Irish are too good this season.
Tino Sunseri might lead Pitt past Iowa on Sept. 17, but if he does, the buck stops against Notre Dame.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
12. Miami Hurricanes
4 of 15
Honestly, the 'Canes are not expected to make a BCS bowl, but it might be worse than that.
Even with the turmoil that Ohio State has been through this offseason, their trip to Miami on Sept.17 won't be a walk in the park Miami.
With the issues the "U" has been having at quarterback, they may even struggle with Maryland in their season opener.
A loss in either of those games means Miami would have to win the ACC Coastal division and then the ACC Championship to get into a BCS game
11. Texas Longhorns
5 of 15
OK, so maybe this one goes without saying.
The Longhorns have about as much chance of going to a BCS bowl as the USC Trojans.
That being said, a bout with BYU, followed by a trip to UCLA will derail the 'Horns shot before the season really gets rolling.
Mack Brown has his work cut out for him.
10. Michigan Wolverines
6 of 15
The first night game at the "Big House" will be electric.
Notre Dame should be top 15-20 by that time, and it will be the Wolverines first real barometer of how far they have actually come to this point under Brady Hoke.
Should the Wolverines sneak away with a victory, they have another tough one in Week 4 against San Diego State
Obviously, the two coaching staffs know each other fairly well, and the Aztecs have a dynamic duo in quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman.
9. West Virginia Mountaineers
7 of 15
In all reality, either West Virginia or Pitt will make the BCS.
However, it won't be because they deserve it.
It will be because the Big East gets to send their champ to a BCS bowl.
West Virginia is probably the class of the conference, but the Mountaineers are going to have difficulty hanging with the team speed of LSU on Sept. 24 and will suffer their first loss of the season before the calendar hits October.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
8 of 15
The Huskers enter their first season as a member of the Big Ten with a ton of questions, and spring ball did little to answer them.
While the defense looks to be stout, the questions surrounding the quarterback position leave room for doubt.
It won't technically be before October, but on the Oct. 1, Nebraska travels to Wisconsin for their first Big Ten conference tilt.
The Badgers have the manpower to take out the Huskers and squelch their BCS shot.
7. Texas A&M Aggies
9 of 15
The Aggies boast one of the most dynamic running back duos in the country in Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray, but their schedule has them losing before we reach the fourth week of the season.
A&M has to face a very tough, explosive Oklahoma State squad on Sept. 24, and the Cowboys are no pushover.
Even though the Aggies are hosting Okie Lite, expect the Cowboys to come out on top.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions
10 of 15
The Nittany Lions end their 2011 season with back-to-back road games against Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Unfortunately for them, they play Alabama early in their schedule, so they will go into those road games with at least one loss already.
If they get pasted by 'Bama like they did last season, it could be a blow that JoePa's young crew will have a tough time recovering from.
A loss to the Tide would effectively end all hopes of a BCS shot in Happy Valley.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
11 of 15
Even with the departure of wunderkind Ryan Mallett, expectations are high for the Hogs this season.
And Mallett's replacement, Tyler Wilson, has given the Razorbacks a reason to have those expectations.
Problem is, it's tough in the SEC.
Arkansas' very first conference matchup is against Alabama on the road, Sept. 24.
With the quality of play in the SEC West next season, a loss that early will effectively end the Razorbacks' run at a second consecutive BCS game.
4. Boise State Broncos
12 of 15
Boise, Boise, Boise.
The Broncos may have actually stretched themselves to the breaking point with their early season schedule this season.
Their game against Georgia on Sept. 3 will be the barometer of their entire season.
The problem is, the Dawgs have too much talent to fall to the Broncos, and rather than make us wait until the final weeks of the season, Georgia will put BSU fans out of their misery early by crushing the Broncos' title hopes.
3. Utah Utes
13 of 15
Welcome to the Pac-12, Utah.
The Utes open the season Sept. 1 against FCS school Montana State, who is no slouch.
Then things get tough.
Utah must travel to BYU and USC in back-to-back weeks, and a loss is more than likely in each of those games.
On the bright side, they get to finish off the season against UCLA and Washington State...
2. Arizona Wildcats
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The Wildcats have to be looking at their schedules and going, "What were we thinking?"
They start out with a cupcake, Northern Arizona, before facing a brutal stratch of games, including a trip to visit Oklahoma State before hosting Stanford Sept. 17 and Oregon the following week.
It would be tough to find a more difficult three-game stretch on anyone's schedule.
Even quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Juron Criner will be hard pressed to lead the Wildcats to a victory in any of those games.
1. LSU Tigers
15 of 15
For all the talk of quarterback Jordan Jefferson's improvement over the spring, after his third skipped pass of the Spring Game, it became apparent it was just that—talk.
While LSU has the talent to put together a title run, the questions surrounding the program is consistency.
The Tigers face some stiff competition in the first month of the season, from Oregon on Sept. 3 to Mississippi State and West Virginia on Sept. 15 and 24 respectively.
The fact of the matter is, the Tigers will suffer at least one loss in September, and with the brutal conference schedule ahead of them, that one loss will be hugely detrimental to their BCS hopes...
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
