It really isn't that difficult to pluck a few really good teams out as national championship contenders. You take the teams that finished in the top-5 last year, look at the talent they have returning and make your list according to those rules. This is why Notre Dame, Ohio State and West Virginia are often touted as championship contenders, even without a down being played. In the end, there is a good chance that at least two of these teams actually contends for the championship, if not wins it.

Instead of just going with the safe picks and choosing the 5 teams that I think will win the national championship, I have decided to take a look at possible sleeper teams that might compete for the national championship. And yes, I'm being ambiguous when I say compete because that could mean they finish anywhere from 5th in the nation to even possibly 10th -- so it isn't like I'm really going out on a limb here.

Last season, Penn State and West Virginia were the two teams that shook the college football landscape by dominating their way to a near perfect record. Even though neither program finished undefeated, they contended for the championship and were a Texas and USC loss away from being in the thick of things. This season, it's anyone's guess, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Michigan

A surprise only because of the way Michigan finished last season. Generally, they seem to always be a preseason favorite to finish in the top-5, however this year the Coaches Poll has them pegged at 15th to start the season.

What seems to derail Michigan every year is one inexcusably bad loss early on in the season that always throws them out of national championship contention. For all that he's accomplished at Michigan, Lloyd Carr has had difficulty putting together a truly great season (outside of their national championship one in 1997). Michigan won't win the national championship, but don't be surprised if they win the Big Ten and play in yet another Rose Bowl.

Virginia Tech

Frank Beamer and the Hokies have put together some really good seasons over the past few years, but have never really been great. Last season wasn't any different, as V-Tech lost to Miami and FSU in two pivotal ACC games. This season however, they need to replace a lot on offense, but quarterback Sean Glennon should lead the Hokies into the 10-win zone and a possible stunner against a Miami program in disarray. If V-Tech can beat Miami at the Orange Bowl, don't be surprised if they're playing in the ACC Championship game come November. They probably aren't experienced enough to go undefeated, thus sliding into the #1 or #2 spot, but an 11-1 finish isn't out of the question.

Tennessee

Like Michigan, the Vols had an embarrassing down year last season. Unlike Michigan, Tennessee failed to have a winning season, a big surprise since a few had Tennessee winning the national championship. This year, head coach Phillip Fulmer knows his Vols need to win and win now because he may be out of a job if they don't. He quickly hired quarterback mentor and former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe and the Vols do have some good returning talent. Now the Vols need to shake off last year's miserable campaign and get back to their winning ways.

The season's success will ultimately come down to junior quarterback Erik Ainge's ability. If he can't pull it together, the Vols will struggle yet again and most likely will be looking for a new coach by the time November rolls around. If he has a strong season, there's no reason the Vols can't win 10 games and position themselves as a top-10 contender.

TCU

The Frogs nearly went undefeated last year, but were stunned only 2 games into the season by their crosstown rival SMU. This season, the Frogs return an awful lot talent and if they can get through the early part of their schedule undefeated, they have a great shot at going undefeated. Of course, contending for the championship would require teams in front of them to lose, as 2004 proved that a non-BCS team can't just get in by going undefeated alone. That might be the biggest hurdle for the Frogs in their quest to become the first non-BCS team to ever play for a BCS Championship. Well that and Utah...

Utah

An obvious homer pick, but not out of the realm of possibility. Like TCU, the Utes will need a lot of help from BCS teams if they want to compete for the national championship. However their schedule arguably can be a lot tougher this season depending on how UCLA, Boise State, TCU and BYU finish. If UCLA, BSU and TCU can finish the season in the top-25 -- and even maybe two possibly in the top-10 -- the Utes, going undefeated of course, could position themselves as a national championship dark horse.

Utah returns a lot of talent, especially on offense, from last year's mediocre 7-5 season. And with all the unlucky breaks that went to the Utes last season, it's only plausible to believe they have some good luck coming their way...or so I hope.