BCS Poll 2011: Notre Dame and the 5 Teams Who Will Emerge from Back of BCS Pack

Through seven weeks of the college football season we have seen which schools are legit and which are not...or have we? These back-of-the-pack schools are about to come rushing forward to get back into the picture.

Schools like Notre Dame, which got off to a bad start, still have hope, and with some impressive wins at the end of the season the Irish and Co. are likely to get back into the thick of things.

Keep an eye on these teams as we near the end of the season...

Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans are 5-1 after beating Michigan at home on Saturday.  The Spartans topped the Wolverines 28-14, but they allowed the second-most points against them this season.  Yeah, 14 points is the second-most they've allowed.

The Spartans have the third best defense in the country, allowing 10.2 points per game coming into today, and 10.8 after.  The only team to have scored more than 14 was Notre Dame, who scored 31 in the only loss for the Spartans this season.

Michigan State has allowed seven points or less in four games, and their defense has been utterly ridiculous.

Their offense has been sharp too, averaging 398 yards and 28 points per game coming into today.  They have passed effectively, averaging 269.2 yards per game through the air.  Their ground game has been pretty good, averaging 128.8 yards per game coming in, and they ran for 213 yards against the Wolverines.

The Spartans were ranked No. 23 coming into today, and a statement win over No. 11 Michigan should put them around No. 18 next week.  If the Spartans can beat either Wisconsin at home or Nebraska on the road they should catapult up the rankings.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies had a statement win today against the Baylor Bears, who were ranked No. 20 in the nation.

Ranked No. 21 coming into today, the Aggies put on a show, winning 55-28.  The No. 18 offense in the country put up a whopping 55 points, 681 yards (415 passing, 266 rushing), and only one turnover.

The Aggies built on their 273.4 passing yards per game and 222 rushing yards per game in this one, and they proved themselves an excellent offense.

With games coming up against Oklahoma, Kansas State and Texas, the Aggies could go from No. 21 to a top 10 team in a few weeks with wins over these teams.

Keep an eye on Texas A&M as the season draws to a close.

Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 6-0, and have a date with the Ohio State Buckeyes today.  The Illini use their ground game a good defense to win games, and they have been very successful so far.

They have averaged 226.2 rushing yards per game (No. 13 in the nation) and only 17.8 points against them per game (No. 17 in the nation).  They average a good 34.7 points per game (No. 31 in the nation), and they have not had a lot of close games, with their closest being a three point victory over No. 22 Arizona State.

The Illini have a lot of potential, and are currently ranked No. 16 in the country.  The Illini have two big games that could make them a BCS contender.  If they can beat No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 11 Michigan then they are sure to top the Big 10, as they would probably go undefeated.

I like this Illinois team, and they are consistently showing that they are a good team.

Kansas State Wildcats

The Kansas State Wildcats are 5-0 and ranked No. 17 in the country coming into their game against Texas Tech tonight at 7:00 pm EST.

The Wildcats have relied heavily on their ground game and stingy defense to win them games, and they have had a lot of close victories against good teams so far.

The Wildcats average 208.6 rushing yards per game, and surrender only 16.6 points against per contest.  They are consistently controlling the clock and not giving opponents chances to score.

The Wildcats have the chance to prove themselves in the final weeks of the season, facing No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 22 Texas in four straight weeks in that order.  If they can win three of those games they will go 11-1 and be in the BCS conversation for sure.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The unranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish haven't given up hope just yet.  After losing the first two games of the season the Fighting Irish have won four straight and are looking good.

The only matchups standing between them and a 10-2 season are against USC next week at home, and on the road at Stanford.

The Stanford game is a big one because that will tell whether or not Notre Dame will be back in the conversation or not.  A win at Stanford would be huge, and that is what is necessary to get back.

They were down, not out, and the Fighting Irish are trying to prove that.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sportswriter dedicated to bringing you everything related to college football, college basketball, the NFL, MLB and NBA.  Follow him on Twitter.