College Football Rankings: TCU, Boise State and Alabama

In the small world of setting odds for wagering, the name of Kenny White is not unknown to high rollers. 

A respected insider in Las Vegas, White has expanded his influence by creating a ratings program that evaluates the relative strengths and weaknesses of college football teams.

Known as The Las Vegas Rankings, the system of Mr. White identifies the top 30 teams in the nation on a weekly basis.

With the season more than half over, a concentration on the Top 15 teams in the rankings should provide us with the most reasonable and viable candidates for the BCS Title Game. 

In the following pages we will journey into the mysterious world of inside knowledge concerning the top football teams in the nation.

Teams Ranked No. 11 Through No. 15

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BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 16: Members of the Louisiana State University Tigers warm up before playing the McNeese State Cowboys at Tiger Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Looking into the abyss of teams in this selected group, followers should recognize they are given very little consideration for an invitation to the national championship game.

A cold glass of water to the face of many who feel undefeated LSU is on track for national success this season.

Rank:     Team:               Last Week:          Relative Strength Rating:

No. 11:      Virginia Tech      (20)                      113.6

No. 12:      Stanford             (10)                      113.5

No. 13:      Florida State       (9)                       113.1

No. 14:      LSU                   (13)                      112.8

No. 15:      Wisconsin          (20)                      112.7

If the season plays out according to White's ranking system, Virginia Tech has the edge on Florida State in the ACC while LSU and Wisconsin can only hope for a major bowl invitation.

Stanford appears to have earned the respect of knowledgeable viewers.

Rankings For No. 6 To No.10

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TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes prepares to snap the ball during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the H

The position of these five teams seems to indicate each is a dark horse for the BCS Title game but very much in the race for major bowl consideration.

Rank:     Team:               Last Week:          Relative Strength Rating:

No. 6:      Ohio State          (2)                        115.7

No. 7:      Auburn               (13)                      114.5

No. 8:      Nebraska            (6)                       114.2

No. 9: (Tie) Utah                (16)                      113.9 

No. 9: (Tie) Iowa                 (15)                     113.9

The Top 5 Teams In The Nation

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FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 16: Superfrog, the TCU Horned Frogs mascot, stands on the field as TCU takes to the field against the BYU Cougars at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU beat BYU 31-3. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Ge

The top five teams make a strong argument for being the group where we find the eventual  BCS Title game participants.

Oklahoma, No. 1 in the BCS Poll this week, is only ranked No. 5 in the Vegas ratings.

Oregon, No. 1 in the AP Poll this week, is ranked only No. 4 using the same system.

Note that Alabama was No. 2 last week but was jumped by unbeaten Boise State this week. This action demonstrates the inaccuracy of believing SEC teams cannot be jumped by non-BCS Conference teams under unbiased conditions.

To further drive home that point, TCU of the Mountain West Conference remained No. 1 in the nation.

Rank:     Team:            Last Week:           Relative Strength Rating:

No. 5:      Oklahoma          (8)                      115.8

No. 4:      Oregon              (5)                      117.1

No. 3:      Alabama            (2)                      117.4

No. 2:      Boise State        (4)                      117.9

No. 1:      TCU                   (1)                      118.1

Where Do We Go From Here With The BCS Bowl Games?

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LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 16: Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers react after fourth a quarter punt return for a touchdown of their game against the Texas Longhorns at Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Texas Defeated Nebraska 20-13. (Pho

If we take the rankings to its natural conclusion we would see Boise State and TCU clash in the BCS Title Game.

These two titans have played in Bowl games against each other in the past two seasons, each game fiercely contested and decided late.

There is no reason to think a clash between the two behemoths would not have the potential of being the one of the greatest championship games of all time.

The remainder of the BCS Bowls, following the specified rankings, would unfold in this manner:

Sugar: Alabama (SEC Champion) vs. at-large Nebraska

Orange: Va Tech (ACC Champion) vs. at-large Auburn

Rose: Oregon (PAC10 Champion) vs. Ohio State (Big10 Champion)

Fiesta: Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion) vs.  Big East Champion ?

All of these contests would be potentially exciting, attract media attention, and produce contests worthy of a stadium sell out.

The Las Vegas Rankings just might be on to something.