College Football Rankings 2011: 5 Teams That Will Crack Top 25 in Week 2

Now that cream puff week is over, its time for some real college football.

Aside from a few great matchups, the vast majority of teams in the top 25 were involved in one-sided romps opening weekend.

This week’s slate is going to feature much more competitive games, which means more upsets and more movement in the AP poll.

Here are five teams poised to crash the Week 3 polls.

5. Houston Cougars

The Cougars pulled off one of the better wins of Week 1 with their 38-34 win over UCLA.

Quarterback Casey Keenum is back and better than ever. The Heisman candidate is already in midseason form, and the Cougars look like a serious threat to go undefeated.

Their schedule is nothing but cupcakes from here on out, and the Cougars should be rewarded with a spot in the polls after they demolish North Texas.

The toughest game on the schedule has already been won.

4. Maryland Terrapins

Ugly jerseys aside, the Terps showed some very encouraging signs against Miami. The offense is in good hands with Dan O’Brien at quarterback, and the defense got key stops when they needed to down the stretch.

They have the week off and should sneak into the polls, as teams 21-25 are all extremely vulnerable this week. The Terps are already knocking on the door.

Call it a delayed reward for a terrific start—even if their jerseys almost set Twitter ablaze.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish fell from 16th to the street after getting off to a slow start against South Florida. Now, they are in the outside looking in with a huge game on deck.

Brian Kelly and co. will be traveling to the Big House to take on the Michigan Wolverines with a berth into the Top 25 on the line.

Notre Dame really stepped up in the second half under quarterback Tommy Rees, so expect the Irish to win and regain a spot in the polls.

If they lose, I think Kelly’s head will explode as he screams his lungs out.

2. USC Trojans

The Trojans were penalized for not winning big. They squeaked out a 19-17 win over Minnesota.

The Gophers are underrated and will upset a ranked team sooner or later. The pollsters didn’t take that into account when evaluating USC.

USC can quickly turn that around with a victory over Utah. Matt Barkley looks like a Heisman candidate, and the defense is loaded with top talent. They just got off to a slow start against a sneaky-good opponent.

Expect USC to be back where they belong by this time next week.

1. Arizona St. Sun Devils

The Sun Devils have the best shot to break the Top 25 barrier, as they play a team currently in the “exclusive” club.

No. 21 Missouri comes into town for a prime-time game that is one of the highlights of the Week 2 schedule.

Mizz looked awful in their 16-7 win over Miami (OH) and looked more like a team that will struggle to make a bowl game.  

With the home crowd rocking and a balanced offense on full display…the Sun Devils will be swapping spots in the Top 25 with the Tigers on Monday.