BCS Rankings Week 9: 5 Unranked Teams That Will Soon Enter BCS Poll

Ranked teams that loaded up the start of their seasons with weak competition are going to get knocked off in bunches in the coming weeks.  Many of the following teams have already played the toughest part of their schedules.  Here are five unranked teams that will soon enter the BCS Poll:

5. Miami

Miami is one of the most inconsistent teams in the country and already has three losses, but those include a four-point loss at now No. 12 Virginia Tech, a three-point loss to now No. 8 Kansas State and a six-point loss at Maryland with a handful of starters still suspended.  The Hurricanes are still a talented football team that won’t face off against another ranked opponent for the remainder of the regular season.  A convincing win at their bitter rival’s house in Florida State could bump them back up into the rankings.

4. Syracuse

The first of three Big East teams on the list, Syracuse is coming off a huge 49-23 victory over West Virginia and is looking for more.  Louisville and UConn should be easy wins the next two weeks.  After that, they’ll get a large audience at home against South Florida as the game that may make or break their season will be featured on ESPN2 on Friday, November 11^th.

3. Rutgers

Rutgers is 5-2, but they’re four points away from potentially being undefeated.  Their offense is shaky, but they have one of the best defenses in the nation as they’re ranked ninth in points allowed.  The Scarlet Knights will shoot up the polls with a win against WVU this upcoming week.

2. Southern Miss

Southern Miss should be undefeated, but a six-point loss to Marshall will prevent the Golden Eagles from going perfect in 2011.  Their schedule is filled with weak competition the rest of the regular season.  Now at 6-1, as long as they keep winning games that they should win, they’ll find a home in the No. 20-25 range.

1. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is 6-1 and their only loss of the season was at Tennessee.  They are 2-0 in the Big East this year and sit atop the conference.  The Bearcats should be able to knock off the Panthers in Pittsburgh and taking out the now No. 25 ranked Mountaineers would boost Cincinnati in the polls.

Here are the current BCS Rankings:

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9702
2	Alabama	.9627
3	Oklahoma State	.9240
4	Boise State	.8302
5	Clemson	.8240
6	Stanford	.8124
7	Oregon	.6877
8	Kansas State	.6681
9	Oklahoma	.6642
10	Arkansas	.6581
11	Michigan State	.538
12	Virginia Tech	.534
13	South Carolina	.501
14	Nebraska	.439
15	Wisconsin	.433
16	Texas A&M	.428
17	Houston	.368
18	Michigan	.342
19	Penn State	.307
20	Texas Tech	.201
21	Arizona State	.163
22	Georgia	.159
23	Auburn	.131
24	Texas	.119
25	West Virginia	.073

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.