BCS Rankings Predictions: 5 Teams That Will Get More Love Than They Should

The first BCS rankings are released Sunday, giving college football fans a clearer perspective on the BCS national championship hunt.

The annual release of the BCS standings brings about praise from fans whose teams are elevated by the computer formulas and chastisement by those who are snubbed.

In other words, it is a great day for college football.

BCS computers are criticized for being unable to accurately judge on-field play, the aspect that human polls are able to decipher. Thus, battle-tested teams often fall prey to undeserving resumes. 
 
Based on the Top 10 projections of BCS guru Brad Edwards, this year's rankings are no different,

Here are five teams that will be ranked higher than their body of work merits on Sunday. 

Oklahoma State Cowboys

What looked like a marquee win at Texas A&M has since been diminished due to A&M's second straight loss to Arkansas. 

The Cowboys are projected to be No. 4 when the BCS rankings are released on Sunday. The Cowboys have a dynamic offense led by the prolific duo of quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon. The boys from Stillwater are first in points per game in the country at 51.4 per game.

That being said, Oklahoma State's No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll more accurately reflects its appropriate placement in the pecking order. The Cowboys had to make a valiant comeback just to beat the Aggies, who went on to lose to the Razorbacks and labored versus Texas Tech.

No sweat Oklahoma State fans. They have a chance to prove themselves down the road with showdowns against Texas, Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma.

 

Michigan Wolverines

Before Big Ten fans go crazy over Michigan's inclusion on this list, answer this. Who have the Wolverines played?

Notre Dame does not count. They are perennially overrated and can be counted on to underachieve until further notice.

The Wolverines have only played one road game, a win over a mediocre Northwestern team.

Michigan has a Heisman contender in Denard Robinson and a much-improved defense, allowing only 12.5 points per game.

And, like every other team on this list, Michigan has opportunities to prove the critics wrong with wins over ranked teams down the road, including a showdown at Michigan State this Saturday.

However, there are one-loss teams that are more deserving of a Top-10 spot in the BCS rankings. Michigan's body of work, even with a win versus the Spartans, leaves much to be desired to this point in the season.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Paul Johnson's triple option attack has looked very impressive this season, compiling 46.5 points per game. 

The reason? A more balanced attack, luring defenses in with run after run, followed by long passing plays over a drawn-up defense.

There are chinks in the armor for the Yellow Jackets, however.

The Georgia Tech defense is once again the weak link, giving up 24.2 points per game in six games. In addition, Johnson's team has yet to defeat a team currently ranked in the Top 25.

In three of its last four games, Georgia Tech has to play Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia. In that stretch, the Yellow Jackets have a chance to validate a high BCS ranking.

Based on its resume to date, however, the Ramblin' Wreck are undeserving of a Top-10 rating. 

 

Illinois Fighting Illini

The BCS tends to reward teams with undefeated records over more deserving one loss teams.

As a result, Illinois will likely be ranked higher by the computers than it is in the human polls.

They should not be.

Illinois does have one quality win, beating a ranked Arizona State team 17-14 earlier in the season.

It is the close wins that cause doubt when discussing the Fighting Illini. Illinois has a close win over Western Michigan, who lost to Michigan by 24 points. In addition, Illinois only beat Northwestern by three points at home.

Illinois, with an unblemished record, does deserve to be ranked.

Just do not buy into to the computerized hype. Yet. 

Kansas State Wildcats

Like Illinois, it is the close wins that put Kansas State on this list.

The Wildcats are undefeated this season, but only defeated FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky by a score of 10-7.

Give Kansas State credit, though. It followed that disappointing performance with four wins including three quality wins over Miami, Baylor, and Missouri.

That being said, Miami and Missouri are 2-3. Baylor was overrated, based on a win against a TCU team that has since lost to SMU at home.  

Keep an eye on the Wildcats. Kansas State has a brutal four game stretch around the corner, playing Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas all in a row.

Until that series of games, however, the jury is still out on the Wildcats.