BCS Rankings 2011: 5 Teams That Will Have a Short Stay in the BCS Rankings

With the first BCS poll of the 2011 college football season set to come out tomorrow night, there are some teams that will be on there that probably shouldn't be. Some of them aren't even better than the teams that will be left out of the polls. 

Some of these teams are one-loss teams or even undefeated, but there is no way they stay in the poll all season long. It could be that they don't have the ability, the record or perhaps it could just be their schedule, but these five teams won't find themselves in the poll week in and week out for the rest of the season.

No. 24 Auburn Tigers

How the Auburn Tigers are still in the Top 25 is inexplicable.

The Tigers sit at 4-2 on the campaign, and despite wins over an overrated Mississippi State team and South Carolina, Auburn hasn't been all that impressive this season following their National Championship season last year. Though it is an unfair comparison, running back Michael Dyer has stepped up and taken the load for the offensive production of Auburn in the absence of Cam Newton.

The Tigers still have yet to play the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, the top two teams in the nation, and are barely squeaking by in their victories.

Don't expect such close games in those two games. The defensive woes of the Tigers will be exposed in the coming weeks, and with four of their upcoming six games against defenses ranked in the top 15 in the nation, the Tigers' 65th-ranked offense won't be putting up many points or victories down the stretch.

The Tigers won't be in the polls much longer.

No. 20 Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears' dream season is rapidly coming to an end.

At 4-1, the 20th-ranked team in the nation surprised everyone this year with their stunning opening game victory in a shootout over TCU and have gone on to lose just one game coming into their game against Texas A&M.

The Bears have yet to play anyone of importance since their first game, however, and still have Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas to play. 

Currently losing to Texas A&M, the Bears' defense has not been good enough for them to stay in the polls this season. It is too bad Robert Griffin III can't play defense, because he has given Baylor the fourth-ranked offense in the nation. 

The Bears' defense will cost them their season, and if they cannot make some game-changing plays in games upcoming, the Bears will rotate in and out of the polls for the rest of the season.

No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats

The Kansas State Wildcats should cherish their time in the polls while they can.

The Wildcats have had a less-than-average schedule to start the season. They sit 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big 12, but they have also only defeated one ranked opponent—Baylor—by just one point.

Besides Baylor, the Wildcats have yet to play anyone who has any potential this season.

Kansas State still has Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M on the schedule before finishing the season against Iowa State.

Kansas State won't beat OK State or Oklahoma, and their games against Texas and Texas A&M could go either way. If the Wildcats can beat Texas and A&M, they could claw their way back into the polls, but after Week 10, they should find themselves on the outside looking in on the polls.

No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illinois Fighting Illini could potentially have a huge drop-off from the Cinderella season they have been having.

The Illini are not leaders in any statistical category, have played just one ranked opponent in Arizona State all season and they barely scraped by with a three-point victory.

In addition to barely beating ASU, the Illini barely beat Western Michigan and Northwestern, escaping with three-point wins in both of those games. 

The Illini haven't shown us anything this season other than their 6-0 record against an easy schedule. With upcoming matchups against an unpredictable Ohio State team, and two ranked teams in Michigan and Wisconsin, the Illini could lose up to three games and find themselves out of the poll in the last week of the season.

Strength of schedule plays a big role in the BCS, and Illinois' performance so far this season will not keep them in the polls all season long.

No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks

After a long week that saw starting quarterback Stephen Garcia kicked off the team for off-field issues, the Gamecocks' chances of consistently being in the polls went out the window.

Although Garcia isn't the offensive leader on the team, you need a solid QB/RB combo to win games in the SEC. Although Marcus Lattimore will continue to tear it up on the ground this season, he cannot win the Gamecocks' remaining games on his own.

Lattimore has been limited on the ground in games this season, and if Connor Shaw cannot perform in big games at quarterback, the Gamecocks are going to struggle. 

The Gamecocks still have Clemson, Florida and Arkansas on the schedule, and could easily lose two of three to find themselves out of the polls for the first time this season. Though many may think of the Gamecocks as a staple of the BCS poll this season, among the Top 10 teams in the nation, the 'Cocks are only team that seems poised to disappoint and drop out of the polls and back in.

Update: With Lattimore now suffering an apparent knee injury, the Gamecocks could further fall in the rankings with a big loss offensively.