College Football Rankings: 5 Teams That Could Rise from the Dead

A loss early on in the college football season can be a death sentence for a team that had high expectations coming into the season.

Suffer a pair of losses through five weeks and then you are likely all but forgotten about in the national picture.

Yet some teams shouldn't be written off just yet despite an early loss or two.

Here is a look at five teams that could rise from the dead this week with a win (and maybe a little luck).

Texas A&M Aggies

No team has suffered a more heart-breaking couple of weeks than the Aggies.

Back-to-back second half blown leads have seen Texas A&M go from possible title contenders to pretty much an afterthought nationally.

The Aggies can get back on track this week with a win at Texas Tech.

This team has way too much talent not to be a factor the rest of the season.

Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes came mere inches away from defeating Kansas State and a nice 3-1 start to the season.

Instead they sit at 2-2 with not much hope in sight.

Yet with a win at Virginia Tech on Saturday, Al Golden's team could still find a way to win the ACC Coastal Division.

This is pretty much an elimination game for both teams and a Miami win could propel the Hurricanes back into the national spotlight.

Florida State Seminoles

The Seminoles found a way to fall from the No. 5 team in the nation with a shot at playing in the BCS Championship Game, to a 2-2 team coming off back-to-back defeats.

Granted, they lost to a pair of very good football teams in Clemson and Oklahoma and no team in the nation is as banged up as Florida State, but they could still wreak some havoc in the ACC the rest of the way.

They can get back on track today with a win against upstart Wake Forest.

A win, parlayed with some starters returning to the lineup and the Seminoles will get back on the winning track.

Pittsburgh Panthers

This could be viewed as a bit of a surprise, especially since the Big East isn't being talked about much, but don't forget about the Panthers.

After losing two in a row to Iowa and Notre Dame, Pitt put on a show in prime time against South Florida. Realistically, the Panthers are a couple plays away from sitting at 5-0 for the season.

But, which Pitt will show up Saturday against Rutgers?

If it's the explosive team from last Thursday that featured running back Ray Graham, the Panthers have a realistic shot to run the table in the Big East to set up a meaningful Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on November 25.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

After two losses to start the season, everyone had written off the Fighting Irish.

Now Brian Kelly's team has ripped of three consecutive victories and with a win today against a very tough Air Force team, Notre Dame could realistically go on a tear.

Today's game is the first of three straight at home for Notre Dame, so if they can continue their winning ways as of late, Notre Dame could still force its way into the BCS somehow.