2012 NCAA College Football Polls: Kansas State to Leap Oregon in BCS Rankings?

Week 9 was Statement Saturday for the top four teams in the BCS rankings. College football polls will likely feature strong results for Alabama, Florida, Oregon and Kansas St.

Though Oregon was impressive Thursday night, Florida and Kansas St. also put forth exceptional efforts against highly-rated opponents. Florida could take more second place points from Oregon, and Kansas St. could also gain more from the USA Today Coaches poll and the Harris Interactive poll.

Will it be enough for Kansas St. to leap past Oregon for No. 3?

The following calculations are a projected breakdown and preview of Sunday’s BCS rankings.

BCS Ranking/Team       Coaches Poll         Harris Poll          Computers

1.  Alabama         .9694            1.000                  .9983                   .9100                             

2.  Florida            .9190            .8895                  .8974                   .9700

3.  Oregon            .9152            .9492                  .9565                   .8400

4.  Kansas St.       .9057            .8915                  .8957                   .9300

5.  Notre Dame    .8637            .8346                  .8365                   .9200

6.  LSU                   .7585            .7864                  .7791                   .7100

7.  Oregon St.      .7101            .6725                  .6577                   .8000

8.  Oklahoma       .6793            .7058                  .6922                   .6400

9.  USC                   .5910            .6861                  .6369                   .4500

10. S. Carolina     .5297            .5166                 .5224                   .5500  

11. Georgia           .5249            .5647                 .6301                   .3800

12. Miss. St.          .5020            .4556                 .4904                   .5600

13. Texas Tech     .4756            .3403                 .3064                   .7800

14. Florida St.      .4472            .6163                 .6452                   .0800

15. Rutgers           .4471            .3783                 .4230                   .5400

16. Louisville        .4191            .4712                 .4661                   .3200

17. Rutgers           .3189            .3898                 .3869                   .1800

18. Stanford         .3494            .2190                 .3558                    .4600

19. Boise St.          .2675            .3098                 .2428                   .2500

20. Texas               .1688            .1831                 .2233                   .1000

The Big Five

Notre Dame squeaked past another solid opponent and could very well control their own destiny to gain a national championship bid.  Though the Irish boast a stalwart defense, their erratic quarterback play does not pass the eye test against the likes of the other top four teams. However, the Notre Dame brand name could persuade more human votes in late November.

Alabama keeps rolling along without having been tested against an elite team. Lost in the shuffle of this week’s games is next year’s SEC schedule in which the Crimson Tide will not play Georgia, South Carolina or Florida. For now, Alabama is the clear favorite for the crystal ball.

Kansas St. could benefit or be undone by not having a Big-12 title game. Should Oregon and Notre Dame lose, the Wildcats would just as soon not have the conference championship. But without it, the other two could pass them should they all finish the season undefeated. It’s likely one or two of them will lose once before the season is over.

 

BCS Chaos

Chaos is coming, but for now, the real mess is from No. 10 to No. 15. South Carolina has two losses, but their schedule has been far tougher than Georgia’s, so even lower scores in the human polls could still push them past the Bulldogs.

Texas Tech has a strong computer backing and may move up four or five slots. It’s still wide open for Florida St., Rutgers and Mississippi St. to jockey for these positions.

Will Oregon St. pass Oklahoma? It’s a strong possibility it they gain more human support, but their win-ugly game against Utah may not be enough. Still, the numbers for them are positive.