College Football Rankings Week 7: 5 Bottom Tier Teams Poised to Move Up

With the recent release of the Week 7 college football Coaches' poll rankings, only one team (Texas A&M at No. 23) is ranked with two losses.

The Top 10 has only Oregon as the lone team with one loss, and four of the 13 undefeated schools rank No.12 or lower.

So to that end, here are five school's ranked No. 12 or lower that will be ranked in the Top Ten by season's end.

Click the link for a full view of the Week 7 Coaches' Poll.

No. 22 Houston Cougars

Last week the Houston Cougars were the only undefeated school that wasn't ranked.

And although their schedule is egregiously weak in comparison to their fellow undefeated brethren, regardless of who you are, finishing a season 14-0 is no easy task at the FBS level.

Plus, even though the Cougars are playing a weak schedule, winning is all that matters.

Currently Houston has an average score of 45-26 per win, but that differential will only separate further as the season continues.

After bowl season Houston won't be any higher than No. 10 at 14-0 because of their schedule, but that only gives them more motivation to repeat that again in 2012 where they could really make some noise.

No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers only loss came against the LSU Tigers, and even in that loss West Virginia was only down 27-21 late in the third quarter, but ultimately fell 47-21.

They are the best the Big East has to offer, and if the Mountaineers can finish 12-1 and win their BCS game, there's no doubt they'll finish in the Top Ten.

However, being in the weak Big East, they are on a short leash and the Bayour Bengals are the only allowed loss on their schedule.

With that said, here's to hoping the Mountaineers can keep the Big East alive, finish 12-1, and have a final ranking in the Top Ten.

No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Despite getting obliterated by the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, the Nebraska Cornhuskers overcame adversity and responded well with a 34-27 win over Ohio State.

Although the Buckeyes were unranked, coming off a big loss to Wisconsin the 'Huskers were vulnerable, hence the slow start that saw Ohio State sitting pretty with a 27-6 lead in the early going of the second half.

But Nebraska really showed poise, maturity, and growth with their comeback win and that significantly increases their confidence.

Now they also still have a solid shot at winning the Big Ten Legends Division, so redemption may come against the Badgers in the form of a Big Ten Championship game rematch.

Regardless, the Cornhuskers are still alive to finish in the Top Ten and are looking like a 12-2 team right now.

No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gamecocks were ranked as high as No. 9 after their 4-0 start, but the loss to Auburn at home was devastating.

However, South Carolina still has a great chance at the SEC East title with Florida having lost twice and slipping out of the Top 25.

Also, the Gamecocks' only SEC East competition comes from the Georgia Bulldogs who they beat back in Week 2.

It's going to be close if the Gamecocks finish in the Top Ten because they're not going to win the SEC over LSU/Alabama.

At the moment they're most likely to finish around 11-3 or 12-2, which will be good enough for a No. 8 or No. 9 final ranking.

No. 12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have yet to play a ranked team, but being 6-0 right now has earned them a No. 12.

Yes, you can make the argument that they're slightly overrated. However, they're still one of the best teams in the ACC and until proven otherwise Tech deserves to be recognized for their efforts.

With that in mind, they still have to play both Clemson and Virginia Tech in consecutive games.

Therefore, expect the Yellow Jackets to finish 12-2 (losing twice to Clemson) and earn a final Top Ten ranking.

It will certainly give them a lot of momentum for 2012, which the ACC needs if they want to try and keep pace with the Big Ten and SEC.

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