BCS Poll 2011: Stanford Cardinal and Top Teams Hurt by Weak Schedules

The first BCS rankings of 2011 will be revealed on Sunday night after the Week 7 games are finished, and there will be a few teams who will be hurt because of their easy schedules. 

With plenty of time left in the season, the BCS rankings are sure to change quite a bit, but when the first ones are announced, some teams will feel shafted while others rejoice.  

Of course, those with easy schedules do have a few hard games remaining on their schedule, which will certainly help down the road. But for now, these three teams and their fans will be feeling left out come Sunday because of early easy schedules. 

Stanford Cardinal 

Currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, the Cardinal have yet to be challenged this season. Stanford has won every game by three or more touchdowns, and none of the teams have been, or will be, ranked this season.  

In fact, Stanford has one tough game all season long, which is against the Oregon Ducks at home. That's the only team that can really beat them this season, and because of that, the Cardinal will have to hope other teams lose more if they want a shot at the BCS National Title Game. 

You could argue that USC or Notre Dame will be a challenge, but in the eyes of the BCS, it won't matter too much.

Stanford may be undefeated, which the BCS loves, but when only one of the teams you've played has a winning record right now, you aren't going to get a ton of love from the BCS. 

Wisconsin Badgers 

 The No. 4-ranked Badgers would probably still be undefeated right now whether or not they had Russell Wilson at quarterback, but his presence has made them legit contenders for the title game this season. 

However, the BCS isn't going to recognize that, as they will focus on how easy the Badgers' schedule has been. Sure, they have a win over a team that was ranked in the top 10 at the time, but they destroyed them and proved that Nebraska was overrated.

Only two of the teams Wisconsin has beaten so far this season have winning records, and while the Nebraska win looks good on paper, they really aren't that great of a team.

In the long run, the easy schedule should help the Badgers, but right now it doesn't do much for Wisconsin, given the fact that other top teams have played multiple tough opponents.

The Badgers should be a top team all season long, but their weak schedule to start the year won't help them.

Boise State Broncos 

The No. 5 team in the country has one decent victory this season, but even that won't help the Broncos in the first BCS Poll of 2011. 

Their win over Georgia is starting to look better, since the Bulldogs are getting better, but because Georgia is 0-2 against ranked teams, the BCS will look over that win and focus mostly on how weak the Broncos' schedule has been. 

Boise State has one win against a team with a winning record, and the remainder of their schedule will hold them back in the BCS rankings. 

The Broncos tried to do as much as possible to help themselves when it comes to the BCS, but because their schedule is too easy, they probably won't be in the top 5.