7. Duke Blue Devils
Duke has had a rollercoaster of a season so far, with wins over NC State and Syracuse, but rough losses against Tulane and Illinois. They've shown they can hang with teams like Illinois, just not for the whole game. They hung around with Illinois for most of the first half in that game.
Duke hit their stride in the past two weeks, with a solid win over NC State and a complete blowout win over Syracuse yesterday.
It's all about whether the Blue Devils can maintain this momentum or if they will revert to what Duke football usually is.
6. Cal Golden Bears
I was high on Cal going into this season, and after the first couple weeks I seemed to be right about them. At least until their 34-0 shutout loss to San Diego State last week.
The Golden Bears found a way to put it back together yesterday though, as they took care of business against Boston College, even if it was a little messy to start. Cal has a stud at quarterback this year and I wouldn't be surprised if they can keep their previous positive momentum going.