How College Football's Biggest Injuries Have Altered 2012 BCS Landscape

Injuries are the one thing that not even college football's most talented teams can overcome. In the sport of football, they are going to happen and can affect anyone from the third-string player all the way down to the starting quarterback.

Although we are only two weeks into the college football season, there have been a handful of injuries. Many of these have happened to key players who are on some of the top teams in the country.

How will these setbacks affect the teams that are chasing conference and national championships?

Let's take a look at some of the key injuries that have already taken place and see what those teams look like moving forward.

Alabama

Who got hurt: Running back Jalston Fowler

How long he is out: He will likely miss the entire season with a knee injury.

Key games he will miss: At Arkansas, at Missouri, at Tennessee, at LSU, vs. Auburn 

Impact it has on the team: Although Fowler is second on the team in rushing yards after the first two games of the season, the Crimson Tide are still very deep at the running back position. Freshman T.J. Yeldon has quickly become a star in the backfield, while Eddie Lacy was expected to carry the majority of the load to begin with.

Impact on the rest of the conference: With Arkansas falling off the face of the earth and Georgia not playing particularly well, LSU and Alabama seem to remain the favorites in the SEC. It is never positive to lose a productive player such as Fowler, but Alabama is fortunate enough to have other reliable runners in the backfield.

Virginia Tech

Who got hurt: Wide receiver D.J. Coles

How long he is out: He will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

Key games he will miss: At North Carolina, at Clemson, at Miami, vs. Florida State

Impact it has on the team: Virginia Tech only returned three starters on the offensive side of the ball as it was, leaving this an inexperienced group. Coles was one of the more experienced receivers on the team, catching 36 passes last year for 480 yards and three touchdowns. It certainly does not help the offense moving forward.

Impact on the rest of the conference: While the offense has taken another hit with this injury, the Hokies still have a playmaker at quarterback in Logan Thomas. To be perfectly honest, Virginia Tech wasn't going to win the ACC with its offense anyway. Teams like Clemson and Florida State will remain the favorites, but as long as the Hokies have a top-10 defense, they will remain contenders.

Florida State

Who got hurt: Defensive end Brandon Jenkins

How long he is out: He will miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.

Key games he will miss: vs. Clemson, at N.C. State, at Miami, at Virginia Tech, vs. Florida

Impact it has on the team: Considering Jenkins led this team in sacks last season, I would assume this is a big deal. He is actually an NFL-caliber player who has racked up 21.5 sacks the last two years at Florida State. This is a major blow to both the defense and the Seminoles as a team.

Impact on the rest of the conference: While this may be the most devastating injury on this list, Florida State still remains a national championship contender. The offense is led by senior quarterback E.J. Manuel, and the defense is absolutely loaded. While playmakers such as Jenkins don't grow on trees, this is Florida State, and it has replacements for the big man.

Oregon

Who got hurt: Offensive guard Carson York and safety John Boyett

How long they are out: Both will miss the remainder of the season due to knee injuries.

Key games they will miss: vs. Washington, at USC, vs. Stanford

Impact it has on the team: Carson York was the most experienced lineman on the Ducks roster, but he will be replaced by Nick Cody, who started every game last season at right tackle. John Boyett led Oregon in tackles last season and will be replaced by Avery Patterson, who finished fifth last year in tackles.

Impact on the rest of the conference: Losing two leaders on your football team is nothing to get excited about, but luckily for Oregon, it has experienced players who are more than capable of taking on starting roles. The Ducks will remain Pac-12 contenders along with USC, even with these two crushing blows.

South Carolina

Who got hurt: Quarterback Connor Shaw

How long he is out: Missed Week 2 with a shoulder injury. He is questionable for this week's game against Alabama-Birmingham.

Key games he will miss: None at the moment.

Impact it has on the team: Sophomore quarterback Dylan Thompson will take over once again if Shaw can't go this week. While nearly anybody is capable of knocking off UAB, it does affect the offense, as Shaw is much more mobile than Thompson. South Carolina loves to run zone-reads, which really makes things difficult without Shaw in the lineup.

Impact on the rest of the conference: The Gamecocks are still dark-horse contenders in the SEC and one of the favorites to win the SEC East. If this injury lingers throughout the season, South Carolina could be in trouble. The injury is to Shaw's throwing shoulder, never good for a quarterback. This is certainly something to keep an eye on as we enter the thick of the SEC schedule.

LSU

Who got hurt: Left tackle Chris Faulk

How long he is out: Faulk will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

Key games he will miss: at Auburn, at Florida, vs. South Carolina, at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama, at Arkansas

Impact it has on the team: Anytime you lose a starting left tackle, somebody who protects the blind side of a quarterback, it is a big deal. Faulk was a second-team All-SEC selection last year and started 13 games at the position last season for the Tigers. He will be replaced by sixth-year senior Josh Dworaczyk.

Impact on the rest of the conference: Even with the loss of Tyrann Mathieu and Faulk, the Tigers remain contenders for the national championship. LSU has an experienced offensive line that will continue to be effective and has a defense that has NFL-caliber players all over the field. The backups on this program are better than the majority of the starters anywhere else. The Tigers will be just fine moving forward.

Arkansas

Who got hurt: Quarterback Tyler Wilson

How long he is out: Remains questionable for this week's game against Alabama with a head injury.

Key games he may miss: vs. Alabama

Impact it has on the team: If Wilson can't go, redshirt freshman Brandon Allen will take over. He played in the game against Louisiana-Monroe, completing just 30 percent of his passes for 85 yards. Wilson is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the country, so another loss for Arkansas will be expected if he can't play.

Impact on the rest of the conference: Arkansas has looked terrible to begin the season and simply can't afford another loss. If the Crimson Tide win this weekend, you can remove the Razorbacks from the SEC hunt, as they will have dug themselves a huge hole early on.