2011 BCS Standings: 5 Teams That Could Crash the Party

Since its inception in 1998, the Bowl Championship Series has been among the most hotly debated topics in all of sports. Fans have derided the BCS for its favoritism toward teams in the so-called "power conferences," the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Big East, SEC and Pac-12. These six conference are each allotted an automatic spot in the BCS, which sends a total of 10 teams to 5 games, leaving only 4 spots available to teams from conferences not given automatic qualifying status.

Further complicating matters, of those 4 spots, 2 are given "At-Large" status, meaning the committees that run the BCS can pick any team from any conference and, traditionally, these spots are reserved for the runners-up in power conferences. Ultimately, this means that if Penn State wins the Big 10 with an 11-1 record, Ohio State at 10-2 is also likely to make it as was the case in 2008.

While the odds are stacked against them, the last few years have seen non-automatic qualifier (non-AQ) schools gain some ground in terms of their ability to be recognized for their accomplishments. In the last five years, at least one team from a non-AQ conference has made a BCS bowl.

In 2011, only two teams from non-AQ conferences are even in the initial BCS standings, released on Sunday night, making it increasingly likely that this could be the first season since calls to make the BCS more accessible to everyone became sports crusade of the decade.

There are, however, some teams that have never, despite their automatic qualifier status, made a BCS bowl near the top of the standings, which makes the real source of intrigue to this year's BCS not about who is there who shouldn't be, but more about who is there for the first time.

Here are five schools that have a chance to crash the BCS party in 2011, including teams from non-AQ conferences, and teams that are beginning to sniff their first chance at a BCS bowl.

Houston Cougars

The University of Houston's football team was, at one time, a member of the Southwest Conference which, in its glory days, was a true power conference. Riddled by scandal and pillaged by the new Big 12, the Southwest Conference fell apart in the 1980's and the teams that did not get invited to the Big 12 were relegated to college football obscurity.

This year however, with major conferences like the Big East and Big 12 saving their number on speed dial in case of any additional conference realignment, the University of Houston is back as part of the major college football discussion, the school's allure to major conferences as a large school in a major TV market not being the only reason. The Houston Cougars football team is 6-0 and #19 in the initial BCS standings.

Led by QB Case Keenum, a sixth-year senior with a slingshot arm, the Cougars have simply outpaced their opponents through six games this season, averaging 47 points per game on offense and leading the nation with 435 passing yards per game. That offensive firepower has the campus buzzing about a possible BCS bid for a team that plays in Conference USA.

Coach Ken Sumlin's crew has a realistic shot at going undefeated with only storied rival SMU standing in the way. If the Cougars offense can maintain its frenetic pace and if its defense can simply hold opponents to less points than their offensive teammates can score, it will be the first team from Conference USA to make a BCS Bowl appearance.

Boise State

Boise State is, along with Utah, the original BCS party crasher. While their compatriot simply joined the enemy by moving to the Pac-12, Boise State has become the most sought after non-AQ school in this frantic period of conference realignment. The attention afforded to the school with the blue turf has been the direct result of the Broncos' success in the last decade.

In 2011, senior QB Kellen Moore has led Boise State to a 6-0 record and a No. 5 ranking in the initial BCS poll. Since defeating Georgia in the Georgia Dome in a high-profile matchup in their first game of the season, Boise State has rolled over each of their next five opponents.

With only a home game against TCU remaining as a red date on the calendar, look for the Broncos to handle their business the rest of the season and avoid a repeat of last season where two missed field goals against Nevada were the difference between a BCS Bowl birth and playing in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah. That experience left a sour taste in the mouths of the Broncos, who felt they should have been part of the national championship discussion, let alone a participant in a BCS Bowl.

This season, Boise State will win out and, when the SEC schedule forces its teams to begin to cannibalize themselves out of undefeated seasons, the Broncos will quickly become the first non-AQ school to be a serious part of the discussion for the BCS National Championship Game.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys, members of the Big 12 Conference, have never been to a BCS bowl game. At 6-0 and No. 6 in the initial BCS Standings, the 2011 version of the Cowboys are poised to break the mold.

Led by electrifying receiver Justin Blackmon, a sure-fire first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and the steady Brandon Weeden, a former minor league baseball player, at QB, the Cowboys' offense has been nearly unstoppable this season. After hanging 70 points on an inept Kansas squad, the Cowboys came back and struck for 38 points against Texas.

With such an explosive offense, the OK State defense need not be perfect, but merely good enough to keep teams from matching their own offense's off-the-charts pace. Thus far in 2011, the Cowboys defense has done just that, having a nose for turnovers at critical points in games.

The Cowboys' remaining schedule is favorable; its toughest tasks are home dates against Baylor, Kansas State, and the Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma. Oklahoma is the only team of that bunch with an offense that could match OK State's, so if Mike Gundy's crew can survive a possible trap game next week at always tough at home Missouri, look for the Cowboys to finish with at most one loss and reach their first BCS Bowl game as an At-Large bid.

Clemson Tigers

Since 2000, one of the most disappointing teams in college football has been the Clemson Tigers. Despite recruiting classes that have consistently been among the most highly rated in all the land, the talent-laden Tigers have rarely been able to translate the hype into success on the field. Clemson has never reached a BCS Bowl.

The 2011 Tigers were not expected to change that history. The Tigers were entering the season with an unproven sophomore quarterback, Tajh Boyd, and a difficult schedule featuring dates against supposedly better Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech.

Through seven games in 2011, Boyd has been sensational and, with a remaining schedule featuring all winnable games, Clemson could run the table and sneak into the National Championship game. Talk about making a splash in your first BCS appearance!

At 7-0 and No. 8 in the first BCS poll, the Tigers must first survive a trip to College Park, GA to face Georgia Tech, always difficult because of their unique offensive scheme, and to Columbia, SC to face their rival South Carolina, a talented team that is reeling due to the dismissal of QB Stephen Garcia and the injury of star RB Marcus Lattimore. If the Tigers are victorious in those and the rest of their remaining games, it would set up a possible ACC Championship Game rematch with Virginia Tech, a team Clemson trounced 23-3 on the road in Blacksburg.

Not much has been made of Clemson's 2011 campaign up to this point but look to hear more about the Tigers in the coming weeks. With its favorable remaining schedule, Clemson has the opportunity to repeat the run of another Tiger, Auburn, who came out of nowhere to win the National Championship in 2010.

Washington Huskies

The Washington Huskies aren't entirely new to the BCS, they did make the Rose Bowl in 2001, but given their recent history which includes a winless season in 2008, the fact that they are even ranked at No. 22 in the initial BCS poll is a testament to the job that Steve Sarkisian and his staff have done in their short time at the helm.

The Huskies were projected to struggle in 2011, having to replace first round pick Jake Locker at quarterback and numerous graduating seniors at key positions, but sophomore Keith Price has surprised the college football world with his poise and leadership, and has guided the Huskies to a 5-1 start and an appearance in the first BCS poll at No. 22.

The task is tall in Seattle, with upcoming dates against Stanford, Oregon, and USC in their next four games. Sandwich a game with Arizona in between that line of behemoths and it is conceivable that Washington could be 5-5 as quickly as it seems they have risen from the ashes of their 0-11 campaign in 2008.

Before writing the Huskies off as BCS wanna-bes, consider that Sarkisian was groomed as a head man at USC, where swagger and self-confidence were a major part of their winning formula. Sarkisian has turned the program around more quickly than anyone could imagine and all dynasties must start somewhere, so while a BCS berth in 2011 may be nothing more than a pipe dream, it is not hard to envision the Huskies challenging the Pac-12 elite in the very near future.

An upset in either the Stanford game or the Oregon game (due to NCAA sanctions, USC is not eligible for Bowl participation) would surely shake the entire college football landscape and give the country a glimpse of what those in Seattle already know; this team is only going to get better.