College Football Rankings 2011: Dark-Horse Teams Who Will Shock Us All
Do you think your team is a dark-horse program that can come out of nowhere and shock the college football world in 2011?
Of course you do.
What self-respecting fan out there doesn’t think that their team has a shot to be the Cinderella team and win the BCS national championship out of nowhere?
It’s just the way of the fan, and it’s what makes college football so exciting.
There is so much competition and parody in the NCAA that almost any team has the ability to make a big run. Sure, there are always teams like Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU that always seem to find themselves right in the middle of the BCS talk, I still do feel that there is some room for interpretation in today’s BCS.
Here are a few teams I feel are ready to break loose:
Michigan State: The Spartans have gotten better every year under coach Mark Dantonio, and last year they won a share of the Big Ten title. I think this year they are ready to take that next step and put themselves into BCS talks, if not contention. Kirk Cousins is going to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league, and he has a stellar and balanced offense around him. I really like how the Spartans have been building, and I think they may be able to make a run this year.
Notre Dame: Could this be the year that Notre Dame puts themselves back on the college football map? I think it may be. It seems like the golden-domers haven’t been relevant since the days of Rudy, so it’s about time they make a move. I like what Brian Kelly is building over in South Bend, and I think quarterback Dayne Crist is ready for a breakout season. Keep your eye on the Fighting Irish in 2011.
I think you will definitely want to pay attention to both of these teams. They have been building solid programs and have remained under the radar in the college football landscape. The Big Ten is in somewhat of a transition mode, and with MSU already on top I think they are ready to put their foot down and take that next step forward. Notre Dame is just bursting at the seams to get back to relevancy, so this may be their year.
Do you think you’re team deserves to be a dark-horse candidate?
Let me know!