BCS Rankings: Penn State and 4 Teams That Will Charge Up the Table

It was another exciting week in the world of college football.

Oklahoma and Wisconsin fell. Michigan State and LSU picked up big wins.

Now it's time for Week 2 of the BCS rankings.

With four or five games left before conference championships there is plenty of change yet to come. There will be shocking upsets, just ask Sooner fans, and other teams will make a strong late-season push.

Here are five teams poised to climb even higher in the BCS rankings.

11. Michigan State

October has been thrilling for Michigan State.

The Spartans kicked off the month with a tight win over Ohio State at the Horseshoe. This is a big moment for any Big Ten rival, regardless of the state of the Buckeye program.

In the following game, Michigan State took down their in-state rival from Ann Arbor.

On Saturday, the Spartans earned a miracle win over the Wisconsin Badgers. A last-second, deflected hail-mary touchdown saved Sparty in a nail-biting overtime.  

This team is riding high after three emotional wins, but there is no time for a let down. Next week, Michigan State hits the road to take on a tough Nebraska team.

The Huskers are the only ranked team remaining on the Spartans' schedule. If Michigan State can find a way to pull out this win, their ranking could soar.

An 11-1 season and Big Ten championship berth would be in their sights.

Michigan State will need to ride its wave of momentum to get past Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers. But if they do, watch out.

12. Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech Hokies are cruising towards the ACC title game.

They are a game ahead of Georgia Tech and will have a chance to seal the Coastal division with a win over the Yellow Jackets on November 10.

This pivotal game looks less intimidating with each passing week. Georgia Tech's season is starting to slip away. They have lost consecutive games and will face Clemson before hosting the Hokies.

Virginia Tech's other remaining games are against Duke, North Carolina and Virginia.

Anything can happen in football, and the Hokies can't take these opponents lightly. However, they are looking like a team that will finish the regular season 11-1.

Winning out would make Virginia Tech a Top 10 team and give them another shot at Clemson in the ACC Championship game.

17. Houston

Houston has largely stayed out of the national spotlight despite a 7-0 record. They play in Conference USA and quarterback Case Keenum is their only household name.

Houston has historically won with a prolific passing game. This year is no different. They lead the nation in passing yards and points per game.

The Cougars have run roughshod over their conference and show no signs of stopping.

The toughest games left on Houston's schedule are against SMU and Tulsa.

Expect this team to finish the regular season 12-0.

Their schedule is soft and they lack the non-AQ credibility of Boise State, but this Houston Cougars team will be hard to ignore.

Their credentials may not be enough to get them into a BCS bowl game, but an undefeated season has to move them up the rankings.

19. Penn State

Penn State, the most boring team in the FBS, just might have turned a corner on Saturday.

Joe Paterno has been rotating underachieving Rob Bolden and a former walk-on, Matt McGloin, at quarterback all season.

While neither signal-caller pulled away in this competition, McGloin was clearly more effective and finally earned the starting job.

Nobody will confuse him with a Heisman candidate, but McGloin played well in his first full game.

If the Nittany Lions are able to get even average play out of their quarterback, they will be a very dangerous team. Penn State has a strong defense, and sophomore Silas Redd has quietly been a top eight rusher.

Penn State currently leads their division and still has games against Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions are an improving team that will control it's own destiny.

21. Arizona State

After a week off, the 5-2 Arizona State Sun Devils are ranked 21st in the newest BCS rankings.

This is not a dominant team and they wont challenge for a BCS at-large berth, but they will make noise in the rankings.

There are two primary components to Arizona State's impending charge.

First, there is the simple fact that they sit near the bottom of the rankings. This means they have more room to improve.

The other part of the equation is their soft schedule. The total combined record for the Sun Devils' remaining opponents is 13-23.

If Arizona State takes care of business they will add five wins while teams ahead of them falter. The Sun Devils are poised to make some ground in the BCS rankings.