NCAA Football Rankings: Clemson Tigers and 3 Biggest Surprises This Season

College football is very hard to predict, which is why every year around this time there are a few teams that have shocked everyone by climbing up the rankings. 

It's uncertain whether or not these surprise teams will hang around for the entire 2011 season, but one thing is for sure, these teams have proven they can win in the biggest moments. 

There's a lot of games left on the schedule, which means so much could change before season's end. For now, these three teams have been quite the pleasant surprise to not only their fans, but all of college football.

No. 9 Clemson Tigers

Unranked in the preseason polls, the Tigers looked a little shaky at first. They showed the country they can compete after a big win over the Auburn Tigers at home. 

Nobody believed in them after their win over Auburn, but then they went out and beat the Florida State Seminoles, who had a ton of hype heading into the 2011 season.

With back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, the Tigers had to hit the road to to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies, and still many doubted they would win because it was their first away game of the year.

I eat my words from a week ago because the Tigers have proven they're contenders this year under Dabo Swinney. Three wins in a row against ranked teams is something not many believed this Clemson team could do, but they're legit contenders in the ACC now. 

They've been known to falter in the past, but Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins have been stellar for the Tigers, and Clemson has been a huge surprise this so far this season.

No. 13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 

Nobody predicted the Yellow Jackets would start this season off 5-0 and be ranked No. 13 in the country after having to replace key offensive starters. An option attack replacing their quarterback, Georgia Tech was expected to start slow this year, but that hasn't been the case. 

They may not have played anyone ranked yet, but they've dominated all of their opponents.

The ACC Coastal looks like it's the Yellow Jackets to lose now, and with only two ranked teams on the schedule, it's possible Georgia Tech could run the table in 2011. Their offense has been very hard to stop, and they're currently the second best team in the country in total offense. 

Georgia Tech has been known to choke and fall to low quality teams early in the season, but they've been strong so far, and are off to a surprisingly great start in 2011.

No. 12 Michigan Wolverines 

It's amazing that one of the worst defenses in the country a year ago has made a drastic turnaround in one year thanks to new coaches. Nobody thought that the Wolverines would be 5-0 with their confidence sky high after a shutout victory over a division rival. 

New head coach Brady Hoke has this team believing they can beat anybody, and it's very possible with Denard Robinson running wild for the Wolverines. 

However, the real story comes back to Michigan's defense. This team couldn't stop anybody last year, and even though they hired Greg Mattison to be their defensive coordinator, nobody thought they would've improved this much so quickly.

The Wolverines are second in the country in points scored against them, allowing opponents to score an average of 10 points a game. Michigan has emerged as a legit contender in the Big Ten because their defense continues to get better.