4 College Football Teams Ready to Take Torch from Conference Heavyweights

The nation is seeing a trend throughout quite a few of the major conferences.

As the legendary singer Bob Dylan once said, "the times, they are a-changin."

New schools are fighting for the top spot in their conferences and it's happening throughout the country. No longer is the BCS dominated by Florida, Ohio State or USC, as they have all graduated their best players or are dealing with NCAA-imposed sanctions—or both.

Here's some of the teams primed to take their spots.

Wisconsin Badgers

Ohio State and Michigan have arguably been the most dominant teams in Big 10 history.  Michigan State has had recent success, as has Penn State.

But it's time to welcome a new kid to town.

Bret Bielema's Wisconsin Badgers.

Last season, the Badgers finished first in a three-way tie for the Big 10 Championship, thus advancing them to their first Rose Bowl since 1999.

Even though they lost to TCU in that game and they lost their three best players left to the NFL, the transfer of quarterback Russell Wilson (above) from North Carolina State has kept Wisconsin flying high.

The emergence of Wilson as a potential Heisman winner, combined with the problems and allegations that Ohio State is facing, has left the door wide open for Wisconsin.

The Badgers are ranked sixth in the BCS and are still in the hunt for a national championship berth.

Stanford Cardinal

Not many people realized it, but the transformation of the Stanford Cardinal began with the signing of Jim Harbaugh back in 2006.

The next step was the emergence of running back Toby Gerhart in 2009. That year was the first time the country was introduced to quarterback Andrew Luck.

Now it's 2011 and, despite Harbaugh's departure to the NFL, the Cardinal are the eighth team in the nation. They're led by red-shirt junior Andrew Luck, who is the favorite in the Heisman race so far.

Stanford has gotten some help along the way; USC isn't eligible for a bowl game this year and their loss in scholarships could hurt the program down the road. Oregon has been dominant as of late, but a loss to LSU to open the season has jeopardized their shot to be top dog in the Pac-12. On top of that, the Ducks have lost running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas to injury.

The time is now for the Cardinal to regain the Pac-12 and national spotlight.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson has come out of nowhere to become the best team in the ACC and the No. 7 team in the nation.

The Tigers started the season ranked behind both Florida State and Miami; now neither Florida team is anywhere to be seen in the rankings while Clemson is in the Top 10.

Clemson has been led by the spectacular play of freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins (above). Watkins has been one of the most exciting players to watch this season and is only going to get better with experience and age.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd has proven he's the real deal now that he has such a good receiver to throw to. This has helped him get the 13th best passer efficiency in the nation.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has built a very solid and young team, and they are beginning to look like they will be the powerhouse of the ACC for the next few years.

LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers are a bit of a stretch here seeing as they are always a very strong team. But in recent years, Auburn, Alabama and Florida have been the kings of the SEC—LSU hasn't won the SEC or been to a BCS bowl game since 2007.

But this year the Tigers are back. Even after losing star cornerback Patrick Peterson to the NFL and Jordan Jefferson, their starting quarterback, to a suspension to start the season, LSU is atop the BCS rankings.

With backup Jarrett Lee starting the season at quarterback, the No. 4 Tigers cruised to a 40-13 victory over the No. 3 Oregon Ducks.  

LSU hasn't stopped winning ever since.

While the Jefferson and Lee led offense isn't spectacular, the defense is.

The Tigers have the fourth best total defense in the nation, and they are led by cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu.

The biggest challenge for LSU will be on Nov. 5 when they play at Alabama in a matchup that could decide both the SEC and national champion.