I think what helps us the most in that regard is the Luck rating. This is the deviation between a team's actual record, and what their record would expect to be using the correlated gaussian method. A negative number indicates that the team hasn't been as lucky as most, whereas a positive number indicates a team that has been fortunate.
We have a higher negative rating than any team above us (there are only two teams from 1-12 that have negative luck ratings, Michigan State and Wisconsin. The team immediately below us (Auburn) has a bigger negative rating than we do. So apparently with a couple breaks, our record could be better.