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I've got a few. I really like Boston College to be one of the deep sleepers to win the ACC Atlantic. Stanford will be a lot better than anyone is predicting, and Rutgers will surprise a few teams if it plays a complete season. But my big sleeper to watch out for is Kansas.

Do you want to try to figure out the Big XII North? Take all six teams, mix them up, and come up with a finish and you'll have as good a chance at coming up with the final order as anyone else.

This is the fifth year of the Mark Mangino era, and he has the team ready to get to a bowl led by one of the stingiest defenses in the conference. Eight starters return led by Nick Reid and a fantastic linebacking corps. Corner Charles Gordon is one of the best all-around talents in America as the star of a great secondary. If the offense can just provide wee bit of help, look out for the Jayhawks.Boston College. Didn’t Virginia Tech teach us anything last year? The southern leap from the Big East to the ACC may not be as pronounced as originally believed. No, Boston College won’t be as good as last year’s Hokies, nor will they win the conference title, but an Atlantic Division crown is not as far fetched as every preseason prognosticator with a publishing house would have you believe. The Eagles have all the ingredients to be one of this year’s big surprises, yet they’re getting all the respect of a Republican stumping at Quincy Market. Something just isn’t adding up. They’re a veteran group that returns 16 starters, including the entire offensive line, fifth-year senior quarterback Quinton Porter, four young backs that had at least 50 carries last year and a pair of bona fide stars in defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and Will Blackmon, who’ll be a playmaker whether he returns to cornerback or permanently switches to wide receiver. Injuries and youth kept the Eagles from running the ball effectively last year, but that ought not be the case in 2005. Up front, Jeremy Trueblood, Patrick Ross and Josh Beekman should all be doing this for a living someday and backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender are healthy and no longer wide-eyed rookies. Maybe the best reason to like the Eagles in the upcoming season is a Tom O’Brien-led coaching staff that resists turnover and is among the most underrated in the entire country. If there are any distractions associated with changing leagues, the no-nonsense O’Brien won’t let it trickle down to his kids. BC will be better than North Carolina State, Maryland and Clemson and just a cut below Florida State. The ‘Noles visit Chestnut Hill on Sept. 17, and you can bet Eagle fans will be rooting for unseasonably cool weather, or better yet, a Nor’easter.

Penn State and Washington State will also overshoot their targets in 2005. The Lions have one of the nastiest defenses in the country, and the offense figures to make more big plays than the last two years...combined. A confident and trim Michael Robinson is entrenched at quarterback and incoming freshmen Derrick Williams and Justin King give the program a much-needed jolt of speed that’s been noticeably absent of late. Up in Pullman, Wazzu has a nice array of explosive playmakers on offense, a defense that’s going to put pressure on the passer every Saturday and a burning desire to get back to the postseason after last year’s 5-6 mark snapped a streak of three straight ten-win seasons. Inside the Top 25, Auburn, Texas A&M and Purdue—each considered a second banana in their respective leagues—will be good enough to contend for a BCS bowl berth.Wyoming. Yes, attention spans are short in this day and age, but with the Cowboys, there's a legitimate chance that last December's win over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl will not be so quickly forgotten. I see that game as a real and substantive emotional springboard for a team and program that will have a world of confidence. Teams will sneak up on others when they establish a powerful internal belief system, yet outside the notice of most of their competitors. With the win over UCLA, the Cowboys developed that culture of belief; yet, at the same time, the diminished nature of the Bruin program and the low amount of attention given to a lower-tier bowl meant that most of America didn't take notice of the boys from Laramie.

To offer a point of comparison in the Mountain time zone, Boise State is a team that won't sneak up on people anymore. The Broncos have deservedly earned a reputation as a "name" program that won't be off anyone's radar. The epic Liberty Bowl against Louisville solidified BSU's stature nationally, since that game--both the matchup and the high quality of the contest itself (plus the presence of Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit in the broadcast booth)--generated substantial buzz and attention. Wyoming hasn't reached that plateau, but precisely because they're still in the shadows, the Cowboys are off the radar, they stand a chance of making a surprising statement this year... well, surprising to everyone other than themselves.