2011 College Football Rankings: 5 Dark Horses That Could Win BCS Championship

With the summer upon us college football fanatics are beginning to evaluate their favorite team's chances of winning the 2012 BCS National Championship.

Teams like Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, and LSU are early favorites to claim the 2012 title, however, there are some wild card teams that could emerge as dark horse candidates.

Auburn is the defending champion, but will they be able to make their presence felt next year with the loss of Cam Newton?

Anything is possible in the strange world of college football so here are seven dark horses that could find themselves making an appearance in the 2012 BCS Championship Game.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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EL PASO, TX - DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Tommy Rees #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes at Sun Bowl on December 30, 2010 in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Notre Dame is consistently mentioned as a championship contender every season, however, they have struggled to in previous seasons.  They are again entering another season with high expectations and are ranked No. 17 in the 2012 ESPN CFB Live Preseason Poll.

Notre Dame appears to be back on the right track with head coach Brian Kelly.  They won their final four games last season and will be looking to continue that success over into this fall.

Notre Dame is going to have a bit of a quarterback controversy this offseason as they will be forced to decide between Dayne Crist who went 4-5 last season and Tommy Rees who led the team to the 4-0 finish.

It remains to be seen how these quarterbacks will respond to the competition, or how the starter will react during the season when they know the other will be snipping at their heels if they make any mistakes.

Notre Dame also added a top ten recruiting class this offseason to a team that already had a lot of talent.  With Michael Floyd returning to the team they have the playmaker they need on offense to go with a defense that should be much improved from last season.

Michigan State Spartans

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up during the Capitol One Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Michigan State finished 11-2 last season, but were blown out of the water by Alabama in the Capital One Bowl.  Even with the loss, the Spartans finished with a share of the 2010 Big Ten Championship and will be looking to build on that success next season.

The Spartans enter 2011 as the No. 16 ranked team according to the ESPN CFB Live Poll.  Michigan State is returning their star quarterback Kirk Cousins and RB Edwin Baker who topped 1,200 yards rushing last season.

However, Michigan State will have to recover from the losses of three starters on the offensive line and key LBs Greg Jones and Eric Gordon who were the top two tacklers from last season.

The key players on the defensive side of the ball next season for Michigan State will be DT Jerel Worthy, who some believe have the potential to be a top five pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and FS Trenton Robinson.

If the Spartans new offensive line can mesh, and they are able to get solid production out of their revamped linebacking corps, the Spartans could again make a run at the Big Ten Title and a BCS berth.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 04: Quarterback Taylor Martinez #3 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers looks for an open receiver against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cowboys Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Nebraska finished the 2010-11 season with a 10-4 record behind the running ability of Roy Helu Jr and QB Taylor Martinez. 

They lose Helu Jr who graduated last season, but will be returning talented RB Rex Burkhead who averaged over five yards per carry last season.

They also lose WR Niles Paul and TE Mike McNeil.  However, they are expecting WR Brandon Kinnie and TE Kyler Reed to fill those voids.

On the defensive side of the ball they lose three key players in the secondary including CB Prince Amukamara.  However, they are returning CB Alfonzo Dennard who they are expecting to lead the pass defense and DT Jared Crick to lead the defensive line.

Nebraska is going to join the Big Ten, so it remains to be seen how well they will transition, but there are only four teams in the Big Ten that are ranked in ESPN's Preseason Top 25 poll.

If Taylor Martinez spent the offseason working on his passing game, there is a chance Nebrask could have a balanced offense to go with their extremely talented defense. 

Oklahoma State Cowboys

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STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Brandon Weeden #3 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys walks off the field after failing to make a first down against the Oklahoma Sooners at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo b

Oklahoma State is the No. 9 ranked team in the ESPN Preseason Top 25, however, they are not getting a lot of attention as a potential title team.  Their in-state rival, the Oklahoma Sooners, are stealing all of the thunder out of the Big 12.

Oklahoma State has their two biggest weapons returning to school in rising SR QB Brandon Weeden and star WR Justin Blackmon.  However, they will need to replace RB Kendall Hunter who departed for the NFL.  They will be expecting rising SO RB Joseph Randall to step up and fill that void.

With all five starting offensive lineman returning and Weeden's second favorite target WR Josh Cooper returning, the Cowboys' offense could be one of the most explosive in the country.

However, the problem for Oklahoma State is that they will need to replace six starters on the defensive side of the ball.  SS Markelle Martin will be essential to this team's defense and will be the key playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.

If the youngsters on the Cowboys' defense steps up the sky is the limit for this team next season and they could make a run at an undefeated season.

Arkansas Razorbacks

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AUBURN - OCTOBER 16: Backup quarterback Tyler Wilson #8 of the Arkansas Razorbacks threw for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns during the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers beat the Razorbac

The Arkansas Razorbacks ended up in the Sugar Bowl last season and were defeated by the Ohio State Buckeyes, and they could end up back in a BCS game next season. 

While their star QB Ryan Mallett left for the NFL, they have QB Tyler Wilson who is expected to fill in next season.  Wilson was impressive in limited work last season, including a game against the Auburn Tigers where he threw for over 300 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Wilson will have a loaded offense around him as RB Knile Davis, as well as WRs Joe Adams, Greg Childs, and Jarius Wright.  The Razorbacks have possibly the best returning players at the skill positions, and Wilson has the ability to lead this team next season.

The defense will be extremely experienced next season and if they can cut down on some of the big plays they gave up last year and this team has real potential to take it to the next level.

This team is going to need Tyler Wilson to be effective and protect the ball, and if he can do so they have a legitimate chance at returning to a BCS game next season and ending up as a surprise National Champion.