Five teams in the “Also Receiving Votes” category of the AP and Coaches’ Polls have better-than-even chances of cracking (or, in some cases, rejoining) the ranks of the 2010 BCS standings. Included in the waiting room are two Conference USA teams, a MAC team and a WAC team struggling for rankings recognition. Oh, and a Big East team too, bless their hearts.
College Football Rankings’ Next 5: Who’s The Big East’s Best Hope For A Ranked Team?
Assessing the pitfalls and fortunes of the top five teams in the “also receiving votes” category that serves as college football’s casting couch. This week: On the outside looking in are four mid-major teams and the entire Big East.
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• Northern Illinois
Where They’re At: 9-2, atop the MAC West, highest unranked vote-getter in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls, and it’s not even close. There’s a 46-vote gap between the Huskies and the next vote-getter in both polls.
What Went Wrong: The Huskies lost their first two games against Big Six competition (Iowa STate and Illinois) before knocking off their third (Minnesota), but they’re in the MAC, which unfortunately doesn’t help their public perception.
What’s Next: A cakewalk at Eastern Michigan and what ought to be a year-end rankings appearance as higher-ranked teams fall in Rivalry Week. They own the head-to-head divisional advantage over Toledo, and are assured of an appearance in the conference championship game.
• West Virginia
Where They’re At: The 7-3 Mountaineers trail Pittsburgh for Big East leadership heading into the Backyard Brawl, and with 26 votes in the AP Poll and 13 in the Coaches’, are currently the highest-ranked team in the conference.
What Went Wrong: The Mountaineers’ first loss, a 14-20 slugfest versus LSU, was an understandable one. Their next two, similarly low-scoring teeth-pullers against Syracuse and UConn, were not.
What’s Next: A noon date with the hated Panthers and a walk in the park with Rutgers Dec. 4.
• Tulsa
Where They’re At: 8-3, with an identical conference record to division-leading SMU but a head-to-head loss. Third team in the ARV section of the AP Poll but last in the Coaches’.
What Went Wrong: Early-season losses to the fairly stalwart East Carolina and Southern Methodist and the surprisingly nasty Oklahoma State, but the Golden Hurricane has been riding a five-game win streak that stretches back to mid-October.
What’s Next: One more Conference USA game with Southern Miss.
• Central Florida
Where They’re At: 8-3, 8th team in the AP Poll’s waiting room but second in-waiting squad in the Coaches’ Poll. (This makes Central Florida our weekly evidential token to remind you that no coaches actually watch enough football games during the season to merit them getting votes at all, ever.)
What Went Wrong: UCF is the latest victim of Southern Miss’ late-season resurgence, experiencing a brief flash of rankings glory (No. 25 and 23 in the major polls in Week 11!) before taking on a ten-point loss to the Golden Eagles.
What’s Next: Don’t laugh: Memphis. On whom the Knights could easily hang a hundred after rolling up 61 on Tulane last week. We may not have seen the last of them.
• Hawaii
Where They’re At: 8-3, trailing only the Boise State hydra in the WAC, but with No. 19 Nevada at their heels. Fifth unranked vote-getter in the AP Poll; third in the Coaches’.
What Went Wrong: Early-season misfires against USC and Colorado forgiven, the Warriors have been featured more than once in this space, but will need all available remaining quarters to make up the ground they lost getting shellacked by the Broncos in Week 11.
What’s Next: Eight full quarters in which to do just that. The Warriors hop the ocean to San Jose State this Saturday and host UNLV in December.
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