College Football Rankings 2012: Teams That Will Rise After Huge Week 14 Wins

The final rankings of the 2012 college football regular season will be released on Sunday, and with that will be unrepentant glee for those teams that came away victorious in Week 14.

Conference championship week is always a prime example of dueling emotions, as some squads feel the triumph of conference-championship glory while others saw their season crumble in the wake of a disappointing defeat. 

For those teams that came away victorious in Week 14, where they finish in the next batch of rankings will be critical. Just one or two spots could be critical, as it may wind up being difference between BCS glory and a second-tier bowl for at least one school.

With that in mind, here is a look at a few teams that should be on the rise in this week's rankings and where they should end up. 

No. 21 Northern Illinois Huskies

Perhaps the most intriguing question coming out of Week 14's slate of games is whether Northern Illinois will leapfrog enough teams to get into the Top 16. If the Huskies, who defeated No. 17 Kent State on Friday to take the MAC championship, get to that coveted No. 16 ranking, they will automatically qualify for a BCS bowl game.

At this juncture, it seems very much in the air. UCLA, Texas and Kent State all lost and the Huskies should overtake those schools in the rankings. However, No. 20 Boise State won and No. 18 Michigan was idle, leaving Northern Illinois to sit white-knuckled until the BCS standings are released. 

As superficial as this sounds, Northern Illinois' ranking will come down to how much the voters fell in love with quarterback Jordan Lynch. The scintillating signal-caller captured the imaginations of many watching, as he accounted for 372 total yards and four touchdowns.

Those who watched the Huskies play all season already knew of Lynch's brilliance. In fact, Lynch's 160 rushing yards on Friday gave him 1,771 on the season, which broke the FBS record for a quarterback.

If the Huskies make the leap, it will be awfully interesting to see how Florida State (their likely opponent) handles Lynch.

No. 8 Stanford Cardinal

It took a last-minute missed field goal to seal the deal, but Stanford proved itself as the best team in the Pac-12, defeating UCLA 27-24 on Friday night.

As the eighth-best team in the country, there isn't much wiggle room atop the standings. Georgia, which lost to Alabama, will likely fall back beyond the remaining one-loss teams and battle Stanford for No. 6. 

While the difference between No. 6 and No. 7 may seem minuscule in the macro, whichever team that winds up in that six slot will end the regular season considered the best two-loss team in the country.

It may not seem like much, but this has been a season full of history for Stanford. Led by one of the nation's best defenses (though it did not play up to par on Friday) and efficient play from the offense, David Shaw's bunch did something the Cardinal never did under Jim Harbaugh or Andrew Luck—won the Pac-12 championship.

Being considered the best two-loss team in the country would simply be another feather in Shaw's cap. 

Wisconsin Badgers

Stanford's opponent in the Rose Bowl, meanwhile, took advantage of an opportunity it otherwise wouldn't have had and came away with a dominant victory over No. 12 Nebraska on Saturday.

The Badgers drubbed the overwhelming favorites from start to finish, going into halftime with a 42-10 lead and finishing the game with a whopping 70 points.

For a squad that came into the Big Ten Championship Game 7-5 and nowhere near anyone's Top 25, Wisconsin may now wind up at the tail end of the rankings.

Equipped with one of the best running games in the nation, the Badgers scampered all over Nebraska to the tune of 539 yards. With Stanford's defense being among the nation's stoutest against the run, the Rose Bowl should provide an intriguing clash of styles.

One may argue that Wisconsin doesn't deserve to be ranked nor to go to the Rose Bowl, but the team's talent is apparent after Saturday night. The performance certainly wasn't there all season, but a drubbing of Nebraska proved there's still some fight left in this squad.

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