College Football 2011: 5 College Football Teams Exceeding Expectations

Go ahead and put those hands up if you had the Clemson Tigers as a Top 10 team after six weeks of the college football season. 

If your hand is up, you're a liar. Or, you're a diehard fan of Clemson who believes that every year the Tigers will go 12-0 winning the ACC and the BCS National Title.

Either way, Clemson is one of a few teams that is blowing away expectations so far this year. However, it's one thing to have a great first half, but to have a great season, these teams must finish as strongly as they started.  

Who else made our list of surprising teams through almost a half of the football season? 

You'll just have to take a look through to see who made the list.

Illinois: 6-0 Overall 2-0 Big Ten

Last year, this Illinois team finished 6-6 overall with a Bowl Game victory over the Big 12's Baylor Bears. They returned  A.J. Jenkins (pictured), the best receiver in the Big Ten. He has carried his team this year with a Heisman Trophy worthy season after six games. 

Illinois has had to survive a number of close games this year winning against Arizona State 17-14, Western Michigan 23-20 and Northwestern 38-35. 

How far will this team go as they still have to play Big Ten powerhouses Wisconsin and Michigan? Only time will tell.

Kansas State: 5-0 Overall 2-0 Big-12

Kansas State started out last year hot - winning their first four games. But, a cold streak had them losing five of their next eight. Overall, they still finished their season with a good record of 7-5. They made the inaugural Bowl Game, the Pinstripe Classic, losing to Syracuse 36-34. 

Through five games this year, Kansas State has five total wins, two of which were over Big 12 schools - Missouri and Baylor. 

They still have to play formidable opponents - Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas. 

Needless to say, there is still a long way to go for this Kansas State team to finish better than last year's record, but there is hope.

Michigan Wolverines: 5-0 Overall 1-0 Big-Ten

Previously, Michigan has had a hot start only to fall flat on their face in the second half of the year. 

Last year, they won their first five games. But, those wins were followed by only two additional wins in their last seven games of the season. 

The year before that, they won their first four games only to lose seven of their next eight games of the season. 

It looks like this Michigan team was blessed with something those previous teams were not: defense. 

However, they still have games against Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio State on their schedule. Hopefully, past performance will not dictate their future. 

Texas Longhorns: 4-1 Overall 0-1 Big-12

It's hard to feel positive about these Texas Longhorns after their poor showing against Oklahoma today - losing 55-17. But, after a 5-7 season last year, their 4-1 start is nothing but a shining positive. 

Having wins against UCLA and Iowa State helped get the Longhorns back into their consistently winning routine. 

Hopefully, the beat down by OU today doesn't undo all the positive momentum this young Texas program has done in five weeks. 

Their certainly not out of the woods yet, Texas still has to play Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas A&M. 

Georgia Tech: 6-0 Overall 3-0 ACC

Georgia Tech has been the surprise team of the ACC this year. In a year when Florida State and Virginia Tech looked to dominate the conference, it's Clemson and Georgia Tech who have emerged as the teams to beat. 

Last year, Tech went 6-6 with a Bowl Game loss to Air Force. 

This year, after winning their first six games, they look primed to play for an ACC Championship Game with a possible BCS Bowl birth, win or loss. 

They still have Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia - their interstate rival. 

Twitter: @tjmcaloon