College Football Rankings: 5 Unbeaten Teams That Won't Be Ranked at Year's End

There are a number of college football teams that are still undefeated, but those same teams haven't reached the gauntlet of their schedule yet, and they haven't gone against tough competition yet.

Then there are those teams that haven't entered conference play and will most likely see a lot of letdowns as the year goes along.

The usual suspects—Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Stanford and Boise State—are sitting atop the AP Poll and will likely stay there for most of the year. Those teams will, without a doubt, finish ranked in the Top 25.

These teams, however, will not.

Vanderbilt

New head coach James Franklin has the Vanderbilt squad heading in the right direction, and their trouncing of Ole Miss yesterday was a hint of proof, but they haven't played against the likes of Alabama, LSU, Florida or even Georgia yet.

While they have shown vast improvements and their program could potentially be one on the rise, this year isn't going to be the year that shows them finishing ranked in the Top 25.

The Commodores are undefeated right now, and that's very admirable for their program, but don't expect them to continue the trend.

Iowa State

Iowa State is 3-0, and bravo to Paul Rhodes and the coaching staff, but Iowa State fans shouldn't be expecting anything special or anything out of the ordinary—which would be them winning out.

Iowa State looks better under Rhodes than they did under Gene Chizik, but they still have leaps and bounds to go before they are considered a good program.

The Cyclones haven't started their Big 12 schedule, and everything single team in the old Big 12 South is considered better than them. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M will all beat Iowa State, and they will beat them soundly.

Iowa State could finish with a 6-6 record though, that's not out of the question.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech dismantled Kansas yesterday, but that was against Kansas—one of the worst teams in the country.

The Yellow Jackets have a 3-0 record, and they haven't started their ACC schedule yet. Miami, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia, North Carolina and even Duke all pose threats.

Georgia Tech could end the season with a 7-5 record or even an 8-4 record, but they won't end the year ranked in the Top 25.

California

California is 3-0 so far, but they don't look so good, especially with that overtime win over Colorado.

Jeff Tedford needs to have a good year to keep his job, but this year won't be the year. Their next four games are against Washington, Oregon, USC and Utah—all four games could result in losses, giving them a 3-4 record.

The Golden Bears still have Stanford and Arizona State for their final two games as well. It doesn't even seem possible for them to beat Stanford, and Arizona State is a much improved team.

Sorry Cal, a final Top 25 ranking doesn't look feasible.

Illinois

Illinois had a big win against Arizona State last night, but now the Big Ten schedule will be starting.

The Illini don't look to have a bad team by any means this season, but they don't appear to have a nine or 10-win team—eight wins could be a stretch.

After their next game against Western Michigan, the Illini will be playing against Northwestern, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. If they come out of that stretch with a 4-4 record, that will be very impressive.

Illinois could end up being a surprise team, but Ron Zook never seems to follow through, and this team is going to struggle in Big Ten play. They may end with a losing record on the season yet again.

One thing is for certain: They won't finish in the Top 25.