BCS Rankings Projections 2011: Clemson and 5 Teams That Won't Get Proper Respect

With the BCS rankings set to come out in a week, every college football fan is interested to see where his or her favorite team will stack up. The most important thing will obviously be the two teams at the top, as that will be the early projection for the national championship game.

Several other teams will hope for a good ranking, too, as they have BCS bowl hopes of their own. It's pretty safe to predict that LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma will occupy the top three in some order, but after that it is much less clear.

Few people truly understands how the BCS system operates, but there always seems to be some sort of controversy. Here are five teams that will be disrespected in the first set of BCS rankings and will have to work hard to reach their desired position moving forward.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Not much was expected out of the Illinois Fighting Illini this season, but they currently sit with a 6-0 record and are among the beasts of the Big Ten. Currently ranked No. 19, Illinois has beaten just one ranked team in the No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils, but it seems to be for real.

Because of their unimpressive resume of wins, though, the Fighting Illini are unlikely to get much respect in the initial rankings. It's true Illinois may not be the sexiest team in the nation, but it seems to be one of the more consistent teams in terms of weekly performances.

Illinois has one of the better scoring defenses in the nation and its offense has been solid as well. Sophomore quarterback Nate Scheelhaase has been "Mr. Everything" for the Illini as he has 1,200 passing yards and 10 touchdowns through the air, as well as more than 300 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Despite that, I get the feeling the system won't look on Illinois too favorably.

Boise State Broncos

Despite the fact they are perennially among the nation's best teams and that they face and conquer every challenge put in front of them, the Boise State Broncos simply don't get the respect they deserve in the media or in the BCS rankings.

The No. 5 Broncos moved to a slightly tougher conference in the Mountain West this season, but that doesn't seem to have changed the public's perception of them. Boise State is 5-0 and has run through all of its opponents, including Georgia, but the Broncos aren't being mentioned in the same breath as LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma.

With the way quarterback Kellen Moore and the defense are playing, all signs point to the Broncos going undefeated. That can only get them so far, however, because if two of LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and perhaps others go undefeated, the Broncos probably will be snubbed in terms of getting a shot at the national championship once again.

Kansas State Wildcats

One of the season's more surprising teams has been the No. 20 Kansas State Wildcats. While they weren't on anyone's radar prior to the season, the Wildcats have gone 5-0 thus far and have muscled their way into the Top 25.

The Wildcats have fairly impressive wins over Miami, Baylor and Missouri and haven't shown any signs of slowing down. Kansas State has gotten the job done to this point thanks to a stout defense and an excellent running game. It is rarely pretty or scientific when the Wildcats play, but they have simply gotten the job done time and time again.

Seeing as the Wildcats haven't gotten much love in the human polls, I doubt they will get a fair ranking in the BCS. If Kansas State can upend Texas Tech next week, it will be 6-0 heading into the first rankings. The Wildcats will have an opportunity to move up quickly, though, as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas are all on the schedule in the coming weeks.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Say what you will about the level of competition the No. 13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have faced thus far, but they have been incredibly impressive. At 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference, the Jackets are currently in complete control of the ACC Coastal division.

Georgia Tech has been so successful due to an incredible running game that ranks first in the nation with nearly 400 yards per game. The Yellow Jackets have seven players with more than 100 yards rushing this season, including running backs Orwin Smith and David Sims, who have done the bulk of the running this season.

The Jackets shouldn't have much trouble against Virginia next week and could certainly be in the Top 10 in the AP Top 25. That may not translate to the BCS rankings, though, as their most impressive win has probably come over unranked North Carolina. Georgia Tech's defense is fairly average, so that could come back to haunt the team eventually, but it deserves a great ranking based on offense alone.

Clemson Tigers

The No. 8 Clemson Tigers have been a revelation this season as they have toppled ranked teams such as Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech en route to a surprising 6-0 start. Few believed in the Tigers prior to the season, but they seem to have proven that they are a true national championship contender.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd has been absolutely spectacular and he may be a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate, but he left Saturday's game against Boston College with a hip injury. As good as Clemson seems to be, a serious injury to Boyd could certainly halt their BCS bid in a major way.

Provided the Tigers can beat Maryland next week, they probably will be deserving of a Top 5 spot in the BCS rankings, but I doubt they will get placement over Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Boise State or Stanford, despite that fact they have some impressive wins. A clash with Georgia Tech is looming in a couple weeks in what could determine the ACC representative in a BCS bowl game.