BCS Rankings 2011: Notre Dame and Underrated Teams That Will Be Placed Too Low

When the season's first BCS rankings are released in the coming days, there are sure to be some surprises among the nation's top programs.

Schools like Notre Dame and Oregon will likely be haunted by early season failures, while SEC powerhouses LSU and Alabama continue to impress the coaches and computers.

Join Bleacher Report as we take a closer look at underrated teams that will be placed too low in the season's first BCS rankings.

No. 13 West Virginia (5-1)

The Mountaineers took a chance by hosting the LSU Tigers this season, but unfortunately for them it cost them a shot at a perfect season.

Now WVU will be forced to play out their Big East schedule and hope for a major collapse from the top 10.

West Virginia's team is much better than many realize; however, remember that they only trailed LSU 27-21 late in the third quarter before a Morris Claiborne kickoff return sealed their fate.

No. 20 Baylor (4-1)

The Bears will kick themselves for falling one point short against Kansas State on the road a couple weeks back.

Other than that one blemish, Baylor has been exceptional in 2011, led by Heisman candidate quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Baylor boasts the nation's fourth-best scoring offense, averaging nearly 50 points per game, and will face a telling stretch of their Big 12 schedule, in which they'll visit Texas A&M and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks.

Notre Dame (4-2)

Since losing back-to-back games to USF and Michigan to start the season, the Fighting Irish have fought back and won four straight games, including two impressive road wins over Pittsburgh and Purdue.

The Irish are on a bye this week but will then host the USC Trojans on October 22 in a game that will truly determine whether Brian Kelly's group is worthy of being in the top 25.

Considering the way in which the Irish lost those two early season game, they are much better than their current spot in the polls would have you believe.

Look for a very good Notre Dame team to be overlooked in the BCS rankings this year.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter @_Pat_Clarke