BCS Rankings 2011: Unranked Teams That Will Shine in Bowl Games

Obviously, unranked teams don't belong in the BCS. Still, teams that are unranked are often in that position because of a few plays, or a bad situation.

That's the case with all of these teams. They won't be in a BCS game, but they will be impressive in the games that they end up in. 

Notre Dame 

The Fighting Irish showed that they can play with anyone throughout the 2011 season. They also made too many bad mistakes, which is why their record was 8-4. It's also why they're unranked. 

Still, the last two bowl games the Irish played in were blowouts. After the 2008 season, they dismantled Hawaii and after 2010, Miami was on the wrong end of a blowout.

The talent that Notre Dame is great, particularly in Michael Floyd. Look for him to shine, as the Fighting Irish will send him off with a win, jump starting a 2012 team that will be under a strong spotlight.

Ohio State

This team is far from perfect, but they have looked a lot better since getting their starters back from their early season suspensions. Both Mark Schlabach and Brad Edwards have the Buckeyes opposing the Florida Gators.

The SEC is a good conference, but it's not as deep as we're used to seeing. Florida is not a strong team at all, although they do have a lot of speed. 

Look for the Buckeyes to show well in this matchup. Urban Meyer's new team will have some luck going into the 2012 season. They will do that whether they need to beat his old team, or someone else.

Cincinnati

Unlike the other two teams, Cincinnati doesn't bring a particularly strong draw to the table, but they will do quite well for themselves. 

The Bearcats were a good team all year. The loss of Zach Collaros clearly hurt the team, but they were more than just a one-man show.

As of right now, they're not a Top 25 team, which will cost them against West Virginia. To be fair, West Virginia is the better team. But Cincinnati's defense is impressing me. Their defense has done well and Isaiah Pead is a strong running back. They will do well for themselves in whatever bowl game they end up in.