BCS Standings 2012: Week 10 Rankings and Bowl Game Projections

The Week 10 edition of the BCS standings have officially been released. There were some major shakeups to the rankings following this past weekend's action, in which five undefeated teams went down.

There are currently four teams—Alabama, Notre Dame, Kansas State and Oregon, which appear to have the best shot of making it into the BCS championship game. However, it's still a tight race and a lot can certainly happen in the final five weeks.

At this point in the season, here's a look at possible postseason destinations for every BCS Top 25 team. 

No. 25 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Bowl Projection: Poinsettia Bowl

Louisiana Tech may have lost its chance to possibly crash the BCS bowl party when the Bulldogs were knocked off by Texas A&M back in Week 7. However, the team is still in great shape in the WAC race with a 7-1 record and a 2-0 record in league play. 

If Sonny Dykes' squad can beat Utah State and San Jose State in the final two weeks of the season and win the conference, the Bulldogs will get an invitation to play in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. 

No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys

Bowl Projection: Holiday Bowl

Watch out for Oklahoma State, because the Cowboys could be ready to make a big push in the final weeks of the season. 

Mike Gundy's team is now 5-2, and it still has important games with West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma left on the schedule. 

If the Cowboys can win at least two of those games, there's a good chance that they could end up in one of the better bowl games that the Big 12 is affiliated with such as the Holiday Bowl. 

No. 23 Texas Longhorns

Bowl Projection: Meineke Car Care Bowl

Texas may be 6-2 and ranked in the BCS standings. However, the Longhorns clearly have some serious issues to work out. 

If Texas can't fix the flaws that are currently plaguing the team, there's a good chance that the Longhorns could lose at least two more games and end up playing in a mediocre postseason game such as the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

No. 22 Arizona Wildcats

Bowl Projection: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas

Arizona picked up one of its biggest wins of the last decade when the Wildcats shocked USC in a 39-36 upset victory in Tucson on Saturday. 

You have to give Rich Rodriguez a ton of credit for what he's doing with the program. 

Rodriguez's squad is now just one win away from bowl eligibility. With games against Colorado, Utah and Arizona State remaining on the schedule, the Wildcats should be able to earn a postseason invitation to one of the Pac-12 affiliated bowl games such as the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. 

No. 21 West Virginia Mountaineers

Bowl Projection: Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

West Virginia experienced two bad blowout losses to Texas Tech and Kansas State in consecutive weeks. The Mountaineers now have a steep uphill climb ahead of them if they want to win a Big 12 title in their inaugural season in the conference.

With tough games against TCU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Iowa State still remaining on the schedule, it’s likely that the Mountaineers will end up with a 9-3 or possibly even an 8-4 record. 

If they can get to eight wins, West Virginia will likely fill one of the Big 12’s slots in a postseason game such as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

No. 20 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Bowl Projection: Rose Bowl

Since Ohio State isn't eligible for postseason play this season, it looks like Nebraska is the Big Ten's top championship contender at this point. 

After beating Michigan 23-9 on Saturday, the Cornhuskers are now 6-2 and 3-1 in league play. 

If they can survive tough tests from Michigan State, Penn State and Iowa in the final four games of the season, Bo Pelini's squad will win the Legends division and earn a shot to play in the Big Ten championship game for a Rose Bowl berth.

No. 19 Boise State Broncos

Bowl Projection: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas

Boise State has taken a trip to the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas in each of the past two seasons, and it appears that's where the Broncos will be headed back to if they win the Mountain West this year. 

There's an outside shot that if enough teams in front of them keep losing the Broncos could move up into the discussion to get an at-large bid to a BCS Bowl game. However, ultimately, they just won't have enough quality wins even if they do end up 11-1. 

No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Bowl Projection: Pinstripe Bowl

Texas Tech experienced its second loss of the season when the Red Raiders got romped by Kansas State 55-24 on Saturday. 

Since the team still has matchups with Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor remaining on its schedule, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Red Raiders experience another late-season swoon like the one we saw from them in 2011. 

If Tommy Tuberville's team finishes with four or five losses, Texas Tech could end up heading to New York City for the Pinstripe Bowl. 

No. 17 USC Trojans

Bowl Projection: Sun Bowl

USC's hopes of competing for a national championship are long gone, and now after being upset by Arizona 39-36 on Saturday, the team's hopes of winning a Pac-12 title have taken a major hit as well. 

The Trojans now have two losses on their 2012 resume, and they still have some extremely tough matchups with Oregon and Notre Dame remaining on their schedule. 

If USC loses both of those games and finishes 8-4, Matt Barkley and the rest of the Trojans will likely end up in the Sun Bowl down in El Paso. 

No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies

Bowl Projection: Gator Bowl

Texas A&M has played very well in its first season in the SEC. The Aggies moved their overall record to 6-2 with a dominant 63-21 win over Auburn on Saturday. 

Although they have two tough upcoming battles with Mississippi State and Alabama, there's a good chance that Kevin Sumlin could finish with a 9-3 record in his first season if the Aggies can beat the Bulldogs on Saturday. 

If Sumlin's squad finishes with a 9-3 record, it will likely end up filling the SEC's slot in the Gator Bowl. 

No. 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bowl Projection: Liberty Bowl

After starting the season 7-0, Mississippi State got a reality check this past weekend when it got hammered 38-7 by Alabama. 

The Bulldogs may likely have two more losses coming, as they still have to play LSU and Texas A&M before the season ends. 

A 9-3 record would be a great achievement, but it may only get them into a mediocre postseason game such as the Liberty Bowl. 

No. 14 Stanford Cardinal

Bowl Projection: Alamo Bowl

Following a surprisingly tough win over Washington State on Saturday, Stanford is now 6-2 and 4-1 in the Pac-12. 

The Cardinal are still very much alive in the conference race, but they have a brutal three-game stretch coming up, which includes matchups with Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA to end the season. 

If Stanford slips up once or twice, the Cardinal will likely end up filling the Pac-12's slot in the Alamo Bowl. 

No. 13 Clemson Tigers

Bowl Projection: Fiesta Bowl

It seems like a foregone conclusion that the SEC and the Big 12 will both send two teams to BCS bowl games. But the question is, which other conference will get an at-large bid? 

The Big Ten and the Big East are both likely out, which leaves the ACC and the Pac-12. Last year, the ACC put two teams in BCS bowl games, and the league might just repeat that feat again this season.

If Clemson finishes with just one-loss but fails to overtake Florida State in the Atlantic division, the Tigers may be good enough to get an at-large bid, especially if they can put together an impressive win against South Carolina in their final game. 

No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners

Bowl Projection: Sugar Bowl

There really isn't such a thing as a bad loss, especially at home. But Oklahoma probably has the two best-looking losses in college football, since the two teams that beat them, Kansas State and Notre Dame, are both ranked in the top 3 of the BCS standings. 

The Sooners may not be able to overtake Kansas State and win the Big 12 this season, but if they can win out, they should end up getting the conference's at-large bid to a BCS bowl game. 

The bowl that they would most likely end up in is the Sugar Bowl, where they'll probably battle an SEC team such as Georgia. 

Still, with games against Baylor, West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State still remaining on the schedule, Oklahoma certainly won't be able to just cruise to the finish line. 

No. 11 Oregon State Beavers

Bowl Projection: Holiday Bowl

Oregon State's surprising undefeated run came to an end this past weekend when the Beavers were cut down by Washington 20-17 in Seattle. 

Mike Riley's squad is still in great shape at 6-1 and 4-1 in the conference, but they've still got two tough matchups against Oregon and Stanford remaining on their schedule. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see them ultimately finish with three losses and end up in the Holiday Bowl when all is said and done. 

No. 10 Louisville Cardinals

Bowl Projection: Orange Bowl

Louisville has survived a few close calls in recent weeks, most recently in a 34-31 overtime victory over Cincinnati last Friday. But the bottom line is that the Cardinals are now 8-0 and in great shape to win the Big East championship this season. 

If Charlie Strong's team can get through Temple, Syracuse, Connecticut, and most importantly Rutgers, the Cardinals will win the Big East and end up representing the conference in the Orange Bowl. 

No. 9 Florida State Seminoles

Bowl Projection: Orange Bowl

Florida State may have been knocked out of the national championship discussion with a shocking loss to N.C. State a few weeks ago. However, the Seminoles still control their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic division. 

Virginia Tech and Maryland are the only two teams that stand between them and the ACC championship game. If Florida State takes care of business against the Hokies and the Terrapins and goes to Charlotte and wins the conference crown, they'll be headed down to Miami Gardens to play in the Orange Bowl. 

No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks

Bowl Projection: Chick-fil-A Bowl

South Carolina is still technically alive in the SEC East, but the Gamecocks no longer control their own destiny in the division, and it doesn't seem likely that they'll have everything fall in their favor. 

Now that star running back Marcus Lattimore has been lost for the season, there's a good chance that South Carolina will lose to Clemson in its season finale and end up with three losses. 

If that were to happen, the Gamecocks would still likely end up in a quality postseason game such as the Chick-fil-A Bowl. 

No. 7 Florida Gators

Bowl Projection: Capital One Bowl 

Florida gave up control in the SEC East by losing to Georgia down in Jacksonville on Saturday. The loss dropped the Gators from No. 2 to No. 7 in the BCS standings. 

Luckily for the Gators, they shouldn't have much trouble winning their next three games against Missouri, Louisiana-Lafayette and Jacksonville State. However, beating Florida State in Tallahassee is a whole different story. 

If Florida loses to the Seminoles and finishes 10-2, there's a slim chance the Gators will make it into a BCS bowl. However, they should still get an invitation to one of the premier bowl games that the SEC is affiliated with such as the Capital One Bowl. 

No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs

Bowl Projection: Sugar Bowl

Everyone pushed Georgia to the side after the Bulldogs were blown out by South Carolina in Week 7. However, they bounced back with a huge 19-7 victory over their rival Florida on Saturday. 

The win now puts Mark Richt's squad in the driver's seat in the SEC East, and they're on track to make it back to Atlanta for the conference championship game. 

If the Bulldogs finish the regular season 11-1 but ultimately lose to Alabama in the SEC championship, they'll still likely have done enough to earn the SEC's at-large BCS bowl bid. 

No. 5 LSU Tigers

Bowl Projection: Cotton Bowl

LSU already has one loss on its resume, and the Tigers may be about to add a second if they aren't able to take down Alabama in Baton Rouge on Saturday. 

If the Tigers finish with two losses to top-10 teams, there's a chance that they could still end up in a BCS bowl game. But if they don't, they'll likely represent the SEC in the Cotton Bowl instead. 

No. 4 Oregon Ducks

Bowl Projection: Rose Bowl

Oregon currently has the weakest resume of the four top-ranked undefeated teams. 

The Ducks have beaten just two ranked teams, and the computers don't seem to be impressed by them beating up on weak opponents such as Tennessee Tech, Washington State and Colorado. 

Luckily, Chip Kelly's squad has three remaining matchups with ranked teams: USC, Stanford and Oregon State. However, the Trojans and the Beavers both just lost in Week 9, so they're not as highly ranked as they once were. 

If the Ducks get upset by the Trojans, the Cardinal or the Beavers, but still win the Pac-12, they'll find themselves back in the Rose Bowl for the third time in the last four years. 

No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Bowl Projection: BCS Championship Game

Notre Dame beat its fourth ranked team of the season when the Irish went into Norman and knocked off Oklahoma 30-13 on Saturday. 

They're now in great shape to make a run at an undefeated season. Their next three games are against three teams that don't have winning records: Pittsburgh, Boston College and Wake Forest. Then they end the season in Los Angeles against USC. 

If Notre Dame wins out, the Irish should be able to leapfrog Kansas State in the BCS standings and ultimately battle Alabama in the BCS championship game. 

No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats

Bowl Projection: Fiesta Bowl

Kansas State beat its third ranked team of the season when it dismantled Texas Tech 55-24 on Saturday, which improved its record to 8-0.

The Wildcats have the most dangerous playmaker and game-changer in the country, Heisman favorite QB Collin Klein, leading their offense. Plus, they have one of the best overall defenders in college football, LB Arthur Brown, leading the way on defense.

Bill Snyder’s squad will face a tough test from Oklahoma State in Week 10. However, if the Wildcats can beat the Cowboys, they should be able to win their three remaining games and take home the Big 12 title.

The problem is, if Notre Dame also finishes undefeated, the Irish would likely jump over Kansas State, which would force the Wildcats to head to the Fiesta Bowl.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

Bowl Projection: BCS Championship Game

Alabama has conquered every challenger that has squared off with the Tide this season. The boys from Tuscaloosa have looked like the most dominant team in college football so far this season.

After thoroughly hammering Mississippi State 38-7 on Saturday, the top-ranked Tide are now 8-0 and 5-0 in the SEC.

Nick Saban’s squad still has tough matchups with LSU and Texas A&M remaining, as well as the SEC championship game. However, if Alabama keeps playing the way it’s been playing through the first nine weeks of the season, it’s unlikely that any opponent will be able to knock the Tide off.