BCS Rankings: 10 Teams Who Got Way Too Much Respect  

The first rankings were released this week from the controversial BCS computers.  LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma are ranked in the Top Three, in that order, and rightfully so. These are the teams that could very well make it to the BCS championship. 

The BCS computers are all about the numbers and past opponents, and some of the teams are ranked just too high for my liking.

Here are 10 teams who got way too much respect in the first BCS ranking and will need some convincing wins to actually deserve their rankings.

No. 24 Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are a team that is still in transition.

The quarterback play is headed by a tandem of Ash and McCoy, which is a disaster waiting to happen as the season progresses. 

This team is 4-2 with its last two losses against No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 Oklahoma State. The Longhorns got demolished by the Sooners and played well against the Cowboys, but had average wins against mediocre teams in the first four games. 

So, Texas being ranked 24th by the BCS is just too high.

If the Longhorns had one convincing win against a ranked opponent, then I could see them in the Top 25.

But, this team continues to be ranked for the sake of the Texas legacy and its hype.

No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The BCS computers have the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ranked 22nd with no impressive wins. This team is powered by the No. 2-ranked running game in the country, but its wins have been against mid-major teams.  

The loss against an average Virginia team this past week and the overtime win against Maryland should automatically push this team outside of the rankings.

The biggest test for this team to prove that it belongs in the BCS rankings will be in back-to-back games against No. 12-ranked Virginia Tech and No. 7-ranked Clemson.

No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions are ranked 21st in the BCS polls, with their only loss coming from No. 2 Alabama.

Penn State could not get anything going against Alabama’s superior defense. A loss is a loss, but this loss does not hurt the team as much as its unimpressive wins. 

I would bump this team a few spots lower for the sheer fact that they have not beaten a ranked team. They should be right behind their conference foe Illinois, who is ranked 23rd.

The upcoming games will be the true test for this team, taking on ranked Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Let's see if Joe Paterno has any magic left in his tank.

No. 19 Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars are the lowest-ranked undefeated team, and they should be proud of it. They also boast the No. 1 offense in the country with quarterback Case Keenum at the helm.

Teams like Illinois and Auburn should be ranked higher because of their schedules.

The 19th-ranked Cougars have beaten Louisiana Tech, Georgia State, UTEP and every other irrelevant team. The trend will continue throughout the season, as Houston’s schedule is very weak.  

If this team finishes undefeated this season, it should not be ranked any higher than 15th for not having great wins.

This is definitely a team getting way too much respect.

No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia is ranked 15th by the BCS computers after going 5-1 with its only loss coming against No. 1 LSU.

The Big East is way down this year with no other team besides the Mountaineers being ranked. As of today, the only ranked team on West Virginia’s schedule is LSU, who won very convincingly in Week 2. 

This team should win out the remainder of its games with no real threat on its schedule.

Auburn and Texas A&M should be ranked higher than this team.

No. 13 Nebraska Cornhuskers

To many people, a No. 13 ranking for Nebraska makes sense, but its schedule has been mediocre.

The Cornhuskers' true test was against the Wisconsin Badgers, who absolutely dominated them.

This Nebraska team is talented and led by a good quarterback in Taylor Martinez, who can win games with his legs. 

When this ranking came out, I saw a few teams that should have been ranked higher than this team.

As the season progresses, Nebraska will try to prove its BCS ranking by trying to beat its Big Ten Conference rivals.

No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies

How in the world is Virginia Tech ranked higher than South Carolina?

The BCS rankings have the Hokies ranked No. 12 with their only decent win coming against a shaky Miami Hurricanes team. 

The 23-3 dominating loss to a far better Clemson team was a chance for the Hokies to prove that they were good. But, the loss reiterated how far away this team really is. 

The early-schedule wins against Appalachian State, East Carolina and Arkansas St. do not mean anything.

This is a team getting way too much respect because of how they've played in previous years. There are far better teams who should be ranked higher than this weak Hokies team.

No. 8 Stanford Cardinal

I know that the Stanford Cardinal are undefeated and they have the great Andrew Luck, but who has this team really beaten?

The Pac-12 is a weak conference, and Stanford has dominated all six of its opponents. 

The only true test for this team will come against the Oregon Ducks, who are currently ranked 10th in the BCS standings. Although the Ducks do have one loss to the No. 1-ranked LSU Tigers, I still believe that they are a better team than the Cardinal.

Stanford is benefiting from human preseason rankings and the fact that the Pac-12 used to be good.

I would love to see the Cardinal play some better teams, but I guess we only have the Ducks to serve as a true measuring stick for this team.

No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers

The addition of Russell Wilson has given the Badgers a legitimate quarterback for the first time in a long time.

Many people believe that Wisconsin should be ranked higher, but why?  

The Badgers' only ranked win came in dominating fashion against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who I think are overrated. All the teams ahead of the Badgers besides Boise State have played a tougher schedule and should be ranked higher. 

Although the Badgers are the best team in the Big Ten, I still have Arkansas and Clemson ranked higher.

If Wisconsin can run the table against the rest of the Big Ten, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team in one of the top bowl games. This is a very scary team with Russell Wilson able to take over games.

This is a team waiting for the top four teams to lose to each other so they can take their spot.

The Badgers are getting too much respect this week but will soon prove that they belong.

No. 5 Boise State Broncos

Of course, Boise State is going to go undefeated once again and probably make a bowl. The Broncos have been impressive in previous bowls, but this team is not as talented as teams of the past. 

The BCS computers have this team ranked No. 5, ahead of teams that play in far superior conferences.

The rest of the Broncos' competition will lose by more than 20 points, and it disappoints me to see this team continually scheduling weak opponents every season. They have a great college quarterback in Kellen Moore, who is a stats stuffer. 

If Boise State would ever go to a better conference, then this team would have some losses to its record.

I am really tired of the Broncos being ranked in the Top Five every season when no one can really tell how good they are.

The true test, once again, will come when they play in their bowl game.