2008 College Football Teams Under the Radar
Non-BCS Teams to Watch

The College Football Top 25 is almost an exclusive club for BCS schools. We will take a look at some of the schools that while they may not get the ink, possess talent and may surprise in 2008. Here is a list of our Top 5 non-BCS teams that deserve some attention. Last yer we projected Hawaii to run the table all the way to a BCS Bowl and they did. This season no team appears strong enough to repeat that, but the Top 2 could make a run. Below are our Top 5, along with an honorable mention - a team that will come out of nowhere as a dark horse to watch.

Honorable Mention: WESTERN MICHIGAN
Rising from the ashes of a 2-10 season

This is a team that was much better than their 2-10 record would indiacte in 2007, as they caught every bad break a team could possibly catch. They lost four games to BCS conference teams, which you would expect. They lead Akron 38-33 with :15 seconds left and took an intentional safety to try to ice the win. Then the unthinkable happened as Akron returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a TD. They lost to Central Michigan with :12 seconds to play in the game. They also lost to Ball State when they went in for a TD with a minute left in the game. It doesn't stop there. They had six turnovers vs Eastern Michigan, turning a probable win into a loss. So they finished with a horrible season, despite outgaining MAC teams by over 60 yards per game! This is a team that will return all 22 starters and a chip on their shoulder. They should have the best defense in the MAC as well as one of the best offenses. We like them to go from 2-10 to Bowling this year.

5.  TCU

Seems like this team always gets mentioned either in the polls or from an upset they pull during the season, such as Oklahoma on the road in '05. They have been to 5 Bowls in the last 6 years, and this should be 6 of 7. The calling card for this team is defense, which should be vastly improved from a year ago's 8-5 team, and the only sure loss on the schedule is at Oklahoma in late September. Could surprise enough to sneak into the Top 25 at some point.

4.  BOISE STATE

This may not be a vintage Boise State team of recent memory, but the fact is they are always there regardless of losses suffered. The talent and experience may be a cut below what they have had in the recent past, but the good news for the Broncos is all their tough games are at home this year where they have been invincable on the Smurf Turf over the years.

3. TULSA

This could be an interesting team. They have a chance at running the table if they can get a competent QB to emerge with the departure of Paul Smith. The recieving corp is there, with an amazing three recievers returning that went over 1,000 yards. They also return a 1,000 yard running back and a more experienced and deeeper defense. Tulsa plays one of the weakest schedules in the country, if not the weakest this year. So although they don't belong in the Top 25, if they suddenly begin to run the table they are going to climb week after week. If they get a QB that can deliver to the talent, this team could actually be the Hawaii of '08 and find themselves in a BCS Bowl. It's not likely, but the potential exists.

2.  UTAH

This team was ranked just outside of our top 25 at #26. They are a potent team and QB Brian Johnson has another year under his belt after an injured shoulder. He should be more like the '05 version than what we saw last year. This team had over 50 starts last season lost to injury (ranked amongst the highest in college football), yet they still won nine games and their 5th straight Bowl game. The schedule is very favorable in 2008. The game to watch will be early as they go to Ann Arbor on August 30th to face Michigan. If they can win this game, then the showdown at home vs BYU could have them coming in undefeated. This team is another BCS Bowl sleeper team that should be fun to watch.

1. BYU

This pick should be no surprise here as we had them in our Top 25. BYU has won their last two Bowl games vs Pac-10 teams and they face Washington and UCLA early this season, both highly winnable games. If they get by these two, the only roadblocks left on the schedule would be at TCU and the season finale against Utah, both on the road. Wouldn't it be exciting to see both Utah and BYU enter that game on November 22nd undefeated? If that happens, one of them is going to a BCS Bowl.

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