College Football Rankings 2011: Teams That Aren't Getting Any Love

We’re only a month into the college football season, yet already we’ve seen some big shakeups in the AP and coaches’ polls.

As we enter conference play, some teams are rocketing up the rankings, while others are headed for obscurity.

At this point, it’s still hard to decipher which teams are legitimate and which ones are faking the funk.

There are, however, a few teams that must feel shortchanged, even at this early juncture in the season.

Here’s a look at four schools that aren’t getting a lot of love from the pollsters.

Houston Cougars

The AP college football poll currently features seven teams with at least one loss. However, one team you will not see in there is the undefeated Houston Cougars.

After a 56-0 victory over Georgia State on Saturday, Houston is now 4-0 on the season, and the Cougars show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

With QB Case Keenum back behind center, the Houston offense has been rolling through opponents, averaging 44 points and 585 yards per game.

The only problem is it's been doing it against inferior competition.

After a strong statement victory over UCLA in Week 1, Houston has gone on to play North Texas, Louisiana Tech and Georgia State, three teams that are each currently 1-3.

Once the Conference USA schedule kicks in, the Cougars will have a few more notable opponents to point to, but as it stands right now it’s going to take a lot of work, as well as a lot of ranked teams falling on their faces, for Houston to move up very far in the polls.

If the Cougars run the table and finish undefeated, they will surely find a spot somewhere in the Top 25, but it’s doubtful they will ever move up far enough to earn BCS bowl consideration.

Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State went down to Miami this past weekend and rained all over Al Golden’s parade by taking down the Hurricanes 28-24.

The win helped the Wildcats improve to 3-0 on the season.

That victory is really the only one Kansas State has to hang its hat on this season, but Bill Snyder’s squad will have a great shot to make a name for itself when it heads down to Baylor for a nationally televised game on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats' nearly disastrous 10-7 victory over Eastern Kentucky on opening weekend doesn’t look great on a résumé, but this is a team that’s getting better each week.

The defense, which is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in total defense and scoring defense, is only allowing 10 points and 246 yards per game.

The team lacks any true standout players, but this is a group of kids that is fundamentally sound and well coached. They’re always going to give you a game no matter what.

Arizona State Sun Devils

After a tough 17-14 road loss at No. 24 Illinois in Week 3, Arizona State bounced back with a big statement win over USC last weekend.

With the win, the Sun Devils crept back into the AP Poll at No. 25, but the coaches still shut them out.

This is a team that’s 3-1 on the season and already has two quality victories over Missouri and USC, two teams that have been ranked at some point during the season. They look like the favorite to win the Pac-12 South division.

QB Brock Osweiler and RB Cameron Marshall have established themselves as players to watch, and the defense is shaping up to be one of the best in the Pac-12.

If Osweiler keeps developing as expected, the Sun Devils are only going to get better as the season wears on.

Iowa State Cyclones

One team that has a chance to make a big statement this weekend is Iowa State.

The Cyclones host Texas on Saturday, and they’ll be trying to replicate the big upset they had over the Longhorns last season.

This year’s Iowa State team is a gritty bunch that isn’t overly flashy but plays tough defense with LB Jake Knott, the Big 12’s top tackler, leading the way.

They’ve proven they can grind their way to victory, as they’ve already taken down in-state rival Iowa and defending Big East champion Connecticut.

Remember, a lot of these players were recruited during the Gene Chizik era, so this team is more talented than you might think.

If the Cyclones can find a way to take down No. 17 Texas, they'll be 4-0 and deserving of some Top 25 consideration.