2010 BCS Sleepers

[Eric]

Who are your sleepers for the BCS this year? I have a major one that I think is capable of surprising everybody: Navy. Yes, the Midshipmen I think have a good shot at doing the impossible this year because of their schedule. I'm not sure what their returning situation looks like, but usually they plug the pieces in and are fine. But hear me out on this. This their schedule:

9-6-10 Maryland @Baltimore, MD (Mon.)
9-11-10 GEORGIA SOUTHERN
9-18-10 at Louisiana Tech
10-2-10 at Air Force
10-9-10 at Wake Forest
10-16-10 SMU
10-23-10 Notre Dame @East Rutherford, NJ
10-30-10 DUKE
11-6-10 at East Carolina
11-13-10 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
11-20-10 ARKANSAS STATE
12-12-09 vs. Army @Philadelphia, PA

Now, there are 4 BCS conference teams on this schedule. Maryland, Wake, Duke, and Notre Dame (I'll count the Irish). It's unlikely that they'll run the table with this, but I believe Maryland, Wake, and Duke should be at the bottom of the ACC this year. If they can keep it close against Notre Dame (who will be a lot better with Kelly), I think getting in at 11-1 is a marginal possibility. Would you guys consider an 11-1 Navy with a close loss to good Notre Dame as being a BCS-worthy team this year?

Also, who do you guys think will be BCS sleepers this year? If Mallett is healthy, I'm pretty sure Arkansas is a legitimate threat. I also think Kelly will get Notre Dame into the BCS at 10-2. Boise doesn't really count anymore. So who you got? I'm kind of thinking really out-of-left-field predictions like mine, if you think any are possible at all.

[Spence]

I'm not sure they can really be counted as sleepers, but Nebraska is on my list. North Carolina, Washington, and Pitt round out my top 4.

[GoBoilers]

My heart is with the Middies!

[Spence]

The middie sleepers are harder to predict. I have to study on that some before trying to guess.

[Vileborg]

Air Force was pretty good last year and they have some key starters coming back. I'm not sure they'll have a BCS year but they could cause problems for Navy.

Wake, Duke, & ECU are all teams that can trash a teams season if they catch them looking forward. I think Brian Kelly will produce at Notre Dame and I think he's a good fit for the program to bring it back to national prominence. The best chance a team has against them is to catch them early this year while they are working out the kinks in the offense changes. Navy has a chance at a good season but if they are not careful they could easily finish 8-4 with a mediocre showing.

Nebraska had some impressive moments last year. I'll bite and say they are going to have some good recognition this year. If their level of improvement continues I'd have to agree they are on course for a great season.

Washington scares me. Every time I think they are on the rise they drop an anchor and pull the rip cord on their parachute while walking into a 50 mph headwind.

The state of the big east is poor at the moment. Nobody seems poised to really take control except Pitt. I'd have to agree that they seem to be the odds on favorite to win the conference and a BCS bid. Wannstedt has Pitt poised to take over the Big East reins and to build Pitt into a BCS program.

Personally, I haven't really found any sleepers for the next year. All of my sleeper teams have risen and fallen.

[Eric]

I don't think too much of ECU next season without Holtz, but Air Force like you said and SMU will be really sneaky. Navy has a tendency to lose to these types of teams at least once per year. It's far from a given that they go 11-1 with a close loss to Notre Dame, I was just pondering if it was possible

[billybud]

I might have to classify Iowa as a sleeper (since BCS bowls aren't often there for them). I like their chances of taking one of the two BCS bowls seemingly annually handed out to the Big Ten.

[Spence]

Air Force was pretty good last year and they have some key starters coming back. I'm not sure they'll have a BCS year but they could cause problems for Navy.

Wake, Duke, & ECU are all teams that can trash a teams season if they catch them looking forward. I think Brian Kelly will produce at Notre Dame and I think he's a good fit for the program to bring it back to national prominence. The best chance a team has against them is to catch them early this year while they are working out the kinks in the offense changes. Navy has a chance at a good season but if they are not careful they could easily finish 8-4 with a mediocre showing.

Nebraska had some impressive moments last year. I'll bite and say they are going to have some good recognition this year. If their level of improvement continues I'd have to agree they are on course for a great season.

Washington scares me. Every time I think they are on the rise they drop an anchor and pull the rip cord on their parachute while walking into a 50 mph headwind.

The state of the big east is poor at the moment. Nobody seems poised to really take control except Pitt. I'd have to agree that they seem to be the odds on favorite to win the conference and a BCS bid. Wannstedt has Pitt poised to take over the Big East reins and to build Pitt into a BCS program.

Personally, I haven't really found any sleepers for the next year. All of my sleeper teams have risen and fallen.

I agree that Kelly could bring the Irish back. I'm not completely on board with his defensive abilities to jump on that bandwagon yet though.

[Jason G]

If we're talking non-BCS teams being sleepers for a BCS game I'd look at the top programs in C-USA. The WAC and MWC have had their entires and a Sun Belt or MAC team going undefeated still probably would get them in, but C-USA that is where some sleepers could lie if someone was able to run the table.

[billybud]

ECU from CUSA would go to BCS if undefeated...they play VT, NC, NC State, and Tulsa..plus a CCG

Houston might have a shot at a BCS if they go undefeated, beating UCLA, Tulsa, Miss State, Texas Tech, and CCG...


A MAC rep, after the Ball State 12-0 fandango, would have to beat some heavy hitters to get folks to believe....A few that have several pretty good programs on the schedule might have a chance with an undefeated run...beating Penn State and Boston College on the road just might be enough...or beating Iowa and Purdue ....all combined with a CCG win.