BCS Rankings 2011: Penn State and Teams Who'll Continue to Jump in Rankings

We've seen Clemson and Kansas State slowly but surely rise from non-factors to undefeated teams on the verge of jumping into a BCS game.

There are a number of other teams who will replicate this sort of rise and climb the BCS standings as the season goes on.

Here are three teams who'll continue to jump in the BCS rankings.

Penn State

Penn State has been written off virtually all season. The knock on the Nittany Lions is that they haven't beaten anyone worth mentioning.

They've suffered one loss this season—which came at the hands of national powerhouse Alabama—but can we really buy into a Nittany Lions team that hasn't won a signature game?

Yes. Penn State allows the sixth-least amount of points in the entire nation.

They may not have a signature win under their belts yet, but with home games against Nebraska and Illinois, Penn State has a decent chance at taking down at least one ranked opponent prior to going into their nightmare matchup with Wisconsin to close out the season.

Houston or SMU

Houston has the No. 1 passing offense in the entire nation, and aside from SMU, they don't have a single game on their schedule that is a potential loss.

They have a great chance at running the table, and their No. 19 ranking is only going to get better from here on out.

That is, unless they lose to SMU.

SMU already has a big win over TCU this season, and taking down Houston wouldn't just pop them into the rankings, it would mean they are going to go undefeated. Running the table is a huge step in the rebuilding process for SMU.

The winner of the Houston vs. SMU game should finish in the top 15.

Stanford

Stanford could very well sneak into the national championship.

They have one of the best players in the nation in Andrew Luck and could bring home the Heisman as well. Stanford is an undefeated team who plays in a legitimate conference, yet they've been pushed to the wayside and are ranked seventh.

As long as they can take care of Oregon at home, the Cardinal should skip to the first ever Pac-12 Championship.

As teams above them acquire losses, Stanford's perfect record and elite play could propel them into the National Championship.