2011 recap: Non-AQ

5 days until kickoff....

And it's Saturday! It's the final football-less Saturday until January.  In one week, you'll be too busy watching football to be reading about it.

But today is the final part of our 2011 recap, and this time we take a quick look at the non-AQ teams.

The non-AQ team is becoming a dying breed.  The BCS is getting rid of AQ designation, even though I'm not sure if that means anything.  There's still a huge divide between the 6 conferences that are part of the BCS and the 5 that are not.

Also, most (if not all) of the non-AQ teams that have become "BCS Busters" in the last few years are moving up to the AQ conferences.  Utah went to the Pac-12 last year, TCU is in the Big 12 this year, and Boise State is on the way to the Big East in 2013.  2011's non-AQ sensation Houston is also moving to the Big East, along with several of the "top tier" Conference USA teams.

So, there's not a lot to recap here, since most of the noteworthy teams aren't around.  TCU and Boise State were in the same conference for once, and TCU crippled Boise's chances of reaching the top in a 1 point win on the blue turf.  However, TCU themselves were out early after a surprising week 1 loss to Baylor.

Houston surprised everyone by going undefeated until their loss in the CUSA title game against Southern Miss.  By the time the bowl season rolled around, interest in the non-AQ teams dwindled.

Coming into 2012, there is little talk of "BCS Busters", since most of those teams are unknown quanties.  Boise State lost several players to the NFL, so they will not be the same team they were for the last four years.