BCS Rankings 2011: 10 Teams Whose BCS Bowl Dreams Are Just an Illusion

The BCS rankings can bring false hope for a lot of teams. Read on for which ones.

Each and every year there are teams who have BCS bowl dreams dancing in their heads who in reality have no chance of getting there. This year is no different.

There are clearly many teams this season who believe they can make it to a BCS game. Many of those fall into the aforementioned category.

Here are 10 teams whose BCS hopes are just illusions.

Arkansas

I hate to rain on this team’s parade, but it just isn’t happening Razorback fans.

The Hogs have already lost to Alabama and still have to play South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU in Baton Rouge. The BCS rule of each conference being limited to getting just two teams in kills Arkansas’ hopes.

In a conference with Alabama and LSU, the Hogs have no chance.

Kansas State

Much like Arkansas, Kansas State is hurt by the two teams per conference rule and their schedule.

The Wildcats have overachieved so far this season, but it will be very difficult to continue that stretch. They face Kansas next week but then must go up against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas in four consecutive weeks.

Their schedule is murder, and it will murder their BCS hopes.

South Carolina

Even though they have a very good chance of winning a weak SEC East, the South Carolina Gamecocks have no shot at a BCS berth.

They have games against Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Clemson remaining, any of which could be a loss. Plus they just lost Marcus Lattimore, a huge blow to an offense that was already far from prolific.

Michigan State

The Big Ten probably won’t get two teams into BCS contention, which stinks for Michigan State.

The Spartans have the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation (10.8 per contest), but they really haven’t played anyone of merit until this past week against a one-man Michigan team.

The Spartans have to follow up that win with a game at home against Wisconsin and one on the road against Nebraska. Even if they are lucky to win one of those (which is a long shot), they still will have a tough time getting up high enough in the rankings to get a BCS berth.

Texas A&M

Big expectations for a team can have two effects: propelling a successful season or giving false hopes to a mediocre team. After losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, it’s clear which of those effects Texas A&M is suffering from.

The Aggies still have to play Missouri, at Oklahoma, at Kansas State and against Texas. They could lose all four of those and will at least lose one. A 9-3 record won’t be good enough this year in the Big 12.

Michigan

It’s no coincidence that the first time the Michigan Wolverines played against a good team they lost.

Michigan rose all the way up to No. 11 nationally really based on name only. They have beaten no one of merit. Their schedule avoids Wisconsin, but they still have to go on the road to Illinois and play Nebraska at home. Neither of those will be easy.

Not to mention they still have that last game at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes. That game is never a given.

Houston

I like this team, really I do. But it just isn’t happening.

At the end of the season, the Houston Cougars will have played against a total of zero ranked teams. Their toughest games remaining are against Southern Methodist and on the road against Tulsa.

It’s very unlikely if they go undefeated, and it’s completely impossible if they lose a single game.

Illinois

Just when people started believing in the Illinois Fighting Illini, they get upset by a mediocre Ohio State team.

That game clearly illustrated why this team will not make a BCS game. They are not ready. They don’t have the mentality that they are good enough to go out there and beat anybody, and that’s what you need to win big.

They let a team that completed a total of one pass beat them. How can a team be worthy of a BCS game when they can’t stop a team that imbalanced? The answer: they can’t be.

Florida State

Florida State is a perfect example of just how far a team can fall in a few short weeks.

The Seminoles went from being ranked fifth in the country to being 3-3 and having a losing record in the conference. It’s nothing to be too proud of when your lone conference win is against lowly Duke.

The Seminoles have an outside chance of being able to win the ACC, but it won’t happen. This team has already shown itself to be a pretender. That won’t change.

Penn State

After an early-season loss to Alabama, the Penn State Nittany Lions have rebounded to a 6-1 record and are undefeated in the Big Ten. It appears that Joe Paterno and his Lions still have it, right? Not entirely.

Penn State’s last five wins have been against Temple, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Purdue. Those are not impressive wins for anyone, especially since none of those wins were by more than 10 points except the one over Eastern Michigan.

With games coming up against Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin, Penn State is nowhere near a BCS game.