BCS Rankings: Projecting the Top 5 Teams in the Week 11 standings

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Les Miles has his Tigers at No. 1 in the BCS standings, and his defense didn't disappoint in what was a hard fought struggle at Tuscaloosa.  The Tigers win should ensure that LSU keeps its hold on the No. 1 BCS spot, but the rest of the weekend produced some interesting results.

With the human polls a large part of the equation in the current BCS formula, it is a little more difficult to predict how the rest of the BCS will shape out.

Will the pollsters continue to disrespect Boise for another lackluster first half in an unimpressive win over a 2-6 football team?  Will voters be hesitant to put Stanford ahead of Alabama considering its first half struggle with Oregon State?  Were voters impressed by Weeden and OK State's explosive offense?

How much will Alabama be penalized for losing a tough game to a great team?

This is how I believe the rankings will pan out:

5. Alabama

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Two things hurt Alabama here: One, a loss in general just kills you in terms of the BCS standings.  The second, a loss at home.

Although it is really hard to fault a team for taking the No. 1 team in the nation into overtime and holding them to just six points in regulation, a loss is a loss and it will slot your team behind undefeated teams like Boise, Stanford and Oklahoma State.

4. Boise State

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Boise State picked up another ho-hum victory. This time, a 48-21 triumph over the Rebels of UNLV.

The 2-6 Rebels were tied with the Brocs late in the second quarter before Kellan Moore's touchdown pass to Matt Miller put the Broncs ahead for good with 25 seconds remaining in the first half. 

The question remains, how penalized will Alabama be for their hard fought loss to LSU and how much respect with the Broncs get from the human pollsters and the computers for their win over yet another bad football team?

When the BCS comes out, Boise will be No. 4 in the BCS—a spot ahead of Alabama—but I think Alabama should stay ahead of Boise. 

3. Stanford

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Andrew Luck got off to a bad start against arguably, the worst team in the Pac-12—the Oregon State Beavers.

The Beavers rode an early mistake by Luck—a bad interception at midfield—and some solid defense to keep the game scoreless for a quarter.  It was relatively close for a half, as Luck and the Cardinal only managed to lead 17-7.

However, the Cardinal won going away, 38-13.  An in-conference road win never hurts your BCS chances and Stanford should move up from No. 4 to No. 3.

2. Oklahoma State

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Oklahoma State picked up the most impressive victory of the day in any game held outside the state of Alabama that didn't involve the No. 1 vs. No. 2 teams in the nation, defeating the K-State Wildcats in a wild game, 52-45.

Justin Blackmon caught 13 passes for a staggering 205 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns on the day for the Cowboys.

Brandon Weeden did his usual video game-like performance, throwing for 502 yards in the win.

The offensive explosion makes the Cowboys the No. 2 team in the BCS this week and sets up the possibility of a delectable matchup with LSU down the road, in an offense vs. defense showdown—the kind of game network television likes. 

1. LSU

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The Tigers were No. 1 coming in, they stay undefeated and ought to be No. 1 coming out of this week's games when the BCS comes out later tonight.

What else can you say about this defense?  The Tigers held the talented Alabama Crimson Tide offense down, holding Heisman candidate Trent Richardson under 100 yards rushing and without a touchdown on the day.

Although the LSU offense was held down itself, it came up with enough plays, including a made field goal in overtime to hang on for the road win at Tuscaloosa, one of the toughest places to play in the country.