College Football Rankings: 5 Top 25 Teams Looking to Move Up in Conference Play

The first month of the college football season has passed, and as October approaches, conference battles around the country finally take center stage.   

While several high-profile non-conference matchups have already impacted the rankings, league play will have a huge say in who will fill the highly prized spots in the BCS bowls.  

For the second week in a row, four matchups will feature ranked teams doing battle against one another. 

The rankings should once again provide major shifts after this weekend’s action.  However, there is a group of teams that will be waiting in the wings to sneak up toward the top 10 in November.  

Here are five teams that will make the biggest move during conference play.

5. Florida State

The Seminoles entered 2011 with a gaudy preseason ranking to match their soaring expectations for the first time in recent memory. 

After back-to-back losses in the waning moments against two ranked opponents, the offseason buzz in Tallahassee has silenced considerably.

But as famed 'Nole alumnus Lee Corso would say on College GameDay, "Not so fast, my friend!"

With their bye coming this weekend and a soft schedule that should see them favored in every game until the season-ending tilt at Florida, the 'Noles have a great shot to quietly make their way back toward the spot they occupied at the beginning of the season.  

If Clemson suffers its normal hiccup or two, don't be surprised to see the 'Noles playing in Charlotte in the first week of December for a chance at an ACC title and a BCS-bowl berth.   

4. West Virginia

The Mountaineers fell short in their quest to upset newly crowned No. 1 LSU last weekend. 

After taking on Bowling Green this weekend, West Virginia enters Big East play the following weekend when UConn invades Morgantown.  

The Mountaineers also get Louisville and Pittsburgh at home, and their toughest game will be the season finale at No. 16 South Florida.   

Powered by the lethal pass-catch combo of quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Tavon Austin, coach Dana Holgorsen’s squad will fly up the rankings before the season comes to a close.  

3. South Carolina

Every year there seems to be an SEC school that flies under the radar and ascends to a prized slot in November.  

Like Auburn and Arkansas last year, South Carolina is climbing up the rankings with little fanfare due to the love shown to top-five heavyweights Alabama and LSU.  

With two conference wins under their belts, the Gamecocks have a schedule that sets them up to make a repeat trip to Atlanta as champions of the SEC East.  

South Carolina gets Florida and Clemson at home in November but must navigate through three consecutive road games at Mississippi State, Tennessee and Arkansas. 

Counting on quarterback Stephen Garcia is risky no matter which way you look at it, but trusting stud running back Marcus Lattimore, an emerging defense and veteran head coach Steve Spurrier makes it a lot easier to believe in the Gamecocks.  

2. Oregon

When the Ducks got blasted by LSU the opening weekend of the season, many fans erased them from the list of teams that could contend for a BCS-bowl berth.  

Three weeks later, Oregon’s high-powered offense has put up at least 56 points in each game since, and quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James are spearheading their charge toward a Pac-12 conference title—perhaps more.  

A battle with No. 6 Stanford will likely determine the winner of the Pac-12 North, and the Ducks will host South division-favorite No. 25 Arizona State next weekend.  

Do not be surprised if the Ducks are being mentioned later in the season as a potential one-loss team that could end up in the BCS title game. 

1. Wisconsin

One of the biggest games this weekend will take place at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., when the Nebraska Cornhuskers play their first conference game as members of the Big Ten against Wisconsin.  

Fans around the country will finally get to see if the Badgers and new quarterback Russell Wilson are, indeed, the real deal. 

Obviously, for them to be on my list, you can count me as a believer—so much so that I think this team has a great shot to go unbeaten. 

If the Badgers get past Nebraska, a pair of back-to-back road contests later in October against Michigan State and Ohio State will likely be the their biggest stumbling blocks. 

Still, with Wilson and their offense flying high, this season is setting up as one to remember.