BCS Standings 2013: Breaking Down Week 15 Top 25 Teams
The Week 15 BCS standings were released on Sunday night, officially putting the lid on a weekend that will forever live in college football lore.
From the Iron Bowl in Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium—which may have been the best game in series history and definitely had the best ending—to almost every other major matchup, the themes of Week 14 included rivalry, tradition, passion, close endings and upsets.
It was truly something to behold.
As you might imagine, a weekend so grand had a massive impact on the BCS standings, radically altering the shape of the postseason picture.
Here's a look at the new Top 25.
25. Texas
1 of 25
Texas makes its debut in the BCS standings this week—a sentence that would have seemed ludicrous to write earlier in the season, when Manny Diaz was fired as defensive coordinator and things appeared to be crumbling toward oblivion.
The Longhorns aren't the team some expected at the start of the season, but if nothing else, they have to be applauded for resolve. It would have been easy for them to pack it in after a slow start; instead, they fought hard to keep improving.
A win over Baylor this week is improbable, though given the Bears' recent form, not many folks would bat an eyelash should it happen. Even that might not be enough to save Mack Brown's job, but at least it's...something.
Right?
24. Texas A&M
2 of 25
Texas A&M is one of just two four-loss teams in the BCS Top 25—both from the SEC and both disappointed at the course their season took.
It's hard to blame the Aggies for any of their losses, though. Three of the teams that beat them rank in the current BCS Top Five, while the other, LSU, is ranked in the Top 15 and simply seems to have their number.
A porous defense and a slow end to the season have sealed Johnny Manziel's fate as a non-repeat Heisman Trophy winner. Still, if this is indeed the end of his college career, the bowl game will provide one more chance to end it with a bang.
23. Fresno State
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Fresno State didn't plummet all the way out of the BCS standings, but it did take a precipitous and impactful fall after losing its first game of the season.
San Jose State quarterback David Fales shredded the Bulldogs defense, exposing a weakness that they have been plagued by all season. Only now, for the first time, it finally caught up with them.
As a result, this team's BCS bowl hopes are nil. The Bulldogs must focus on beating Utah State in the conference championship game this weekend to even score an MWC title. And even though the Aggies are playing without Chuckie Keeton, they are still plenty capable of winning that game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Georgia
4 of 25
It's hard not to root for Georgia, even if the Bulldogs are your bitter rival. The way this team has fought through adversity is everything—or at least most of—that's right with college football.
Despite an endless rash of injuries—the latest to team leader and SEC record book destroyer Aaron Murray—the Bulldogs were able to fight back and win a thrilling double overtime game at Georgia Tech this weekend, securing their eighth win of the regular season.
People want Mark Richt to be on the hot seat because UGA didn't live up to some sort of farcical preseason expectations. Given the hand he was dealt and the schedule he faced, though, I think he has actually done a remarkable job this year.
21. Wisconsin
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In a lesser week, Penn State's unexpected upset of Wisconsin might have made huge news. In Week 14, though, it was just a small ripple in the pond.
But that doesn't diminish its importance. The Badgers almost certainly cost themselves a shot at making a BCS bowl, falling all the way down to No. 21 in the standings.
The Capital One Bowl now likely awaits Wisconsin, which might at first seem like a disappointment, given how close it was to playing somewhere bigger. But in Gary Andersen's first year at the helm, that is still a decent place to be.
This program does not much miss Bret Bielema.
20. Duke
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It wasn't pretty, but no one expected it to be. Still, Duke scratched and clawed its way past North Carolina in Chapel Hill, winning the ACC Coastal Division and advancing to play Florida State next week in the conference championship game.
The Blue Devils are roughly four-touchdown underdogs against the Seminoles in Charlotte, and based on their opponent's body of work, they would be lucky to finish even that close. Even the most quixotic Duke football fan should not watch Saturday's game with bated breath.
Even if it gets crushed, though, David Cutcliffe's teams has been among the best stories of the season—and if not for a certain team down on the Plains, it might rank alone at the top of that list.
No matter what happens from here, nothing can take that away from this team.
19. Louisville
7 of 25
Louisville was officially eliminated from AAC contention with UCF's win over South Florida, making it a virtual certainty that Teddy Bridgewater will not return to the BCS.
It's hard to imagine what motivation the Cardinals will have next week when they play at Cincinnati, and that could be a problem. The Bearcats actually do have a (small) chance at winning the conference, and they have always given Louisville some trouble.
Head coach Charlie Strong has a tough task ahead of him. He needs to wake his team up for Week 15's game; otherwise, despite superior talent, it could finish third in a not-that-good conference.
18. UCLA
8 of 25
For all we know, the actual balance of power in Southern California might well have changed a while ago, but up until Saturday, it was still up for debate.
Not anymore.
UCLA soundly handled USC on its home turf in Week 14, walking away from the Coliseum with a 35-14 win. Brett Hundley played his best game of the season against a bitter rival, reminding fans and NFL scouts alike why he is so highly regarded.
The Bruins technically took a step back from last season, as they were unable to win a second consecutive Pac-12 South title. But anyone who watched this team play knows that not to be the case. Jim Mora Jr. has it moving in the right direction.
17. Oklahoma
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Oklahoma got the week off in Week 14, providing it ample opportunity to build on one of its best games (a win over Kansas State) and prepare for Bedlam against Oklahoma State.
The Sooners defense has oscillated all season, but the peaks and valleys haven't been too dramatic. It's moved steadily between good and very good, rarely touching either great or decent or bad.
The offense is the real question mark, capable of looking phenomenal one week and anemic the next. If Trevor Knight plays like he did against Kansas State, this team can definitely hang around in Stillwater. If he plays like he did the first few weeks of the season, Week 15 could be a bloodbath.
16. UCF
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UCF struggled to put away South Florida in Week 14, showing once again, despite an impressive one-loss record, that it might not be ready for BCS-level competition.
But none of that will likely matter. The Knights can clinch the AAC and a spot in the BCS by either beating SMU next week or having Louisville beat Cincinnati.
No matter how bad Central Florida has looked against Temple and USF, it is capable of stringing together 60 minutes of very good football. There is no other way to beat Louisville on the road.
With a month or so to prepare—assuming they get there—Blake Bortles and Co. will come out ready for their close-up on a national stage.
15. LSU
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LSU kicked off a wild week for the SEC, needing backup quarterback Anthony Jennings to come in for injured starter Zach Mettenberger and lead a miraculous game-winning drive against Arkansas.
The Tigers struggled to put away their opponent even before losing their quarterback, but that seems like more of a letdown than a cause for concern. After such a thorough beatdown of Texas A&M, that can be (semi-) forgiven.
The last-minute heave from Jennings to Travin Dural helped LSU finish with just three losses on the season, allowing it to remain in play for some of the SEC's signature non-BCS bowls. It's not what this team has come to expect, but it is nothing to scoff at either.
14. Northern Illinois
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Northern Illinois is sitting pretty right now, almost certainly in control of its own BCS fate on the heels of Fresno State's loss at San Jose State.
The Huskies are ahead of UCF and in the BCS Top 14, both of which are important for their candidacy as a BCS party crasher. So long as they take care of business against Bowling Green, it's hard to imagine a scenario where they don't make it.
Doing so, however, will be no small task. The Eagles a very capable team. But given the way NIU beat down on Toledo (and iced Ball State), betting against it seems like pure folly.
13. Clemson
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Clemson may have lost its realistic shot at making a BCS bowl on Saturday, but it restored some pride by playing fairly well on the road against a prestigious SEC team.
The Tigers eventually petered out and fell short at South Carolina, unable to keep up with the Gamecocks' aggressive, big-play defense. Still, they didn't get run off the field like they did against Florida State, and that has to count for something.
Where does Dabo Swinney's team go from here? Probably the same route it went last year: shut just outside the BCS but still with a chance to upset a quality team during bowl season.
This year could still end on a decent note.
12. Oregon
14 of 25
Clearly, there's something wrong with Oregon, who needed a late comeback to win the Civil War over rival Oregon State—a team that has been crushed by numerous Pac-12 opponents this year.
That's the bad news. The good news is that the regular season is over, and with so much time to prepare for their next game—be it BCS or not—the Ducks have time to rest up, heal up and begin to get their act back together.
Mark Helfrich's first year at the helm was a mixed bag, but there were plenty of reasons for encouragement early in the season, despite how things melted down late. This team will likely be a (if not the) Pac-12 favorite before next season.
11. Arizona State
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The train keeps on rolling in Tempe, Ariz., where the Sun Devils stormed past rival Arizona, putting up 58 points in a lopsided rivalry upset.
They'll get to host the Pac-12 Championship Game against Stanford next weekend, a rematch of the Cardinal's 42-28 win in Palo Alto earlier this season. But that game wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated; Stanford was the far better team.
Still, things have changed as the season has progressed, and ASU is peaking at the right time. This is not the same team that it was back in September.
There's a reason it's favored to win.
10. Michigan State
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Michigan State completed a perfect Big Ten season by beating Minnesota 14-3, and that is just scraping the surface of its conference domination.
MSU won every Big Ten game by 10 or more points, holding five of its last six opponents to less than seven points. Its defense leads the country in several key metrics—even though they aren't adjusted for opponent—and the offense has slowly improved each week.
The Spartans have yet to face an offense like Ohio State's all season, and they will likely allow more yards and points than they are accustomed to. In that vein, Connor Cook, Jeremy Langford and Co. might end up being the key to the game.
The Buckeyes defense looked far from stout against Michigan.
9. Baylor
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Baylor skated by TCU in a game it probably should have lost, which was not the statement Art Briles' team wanted to make after getting blown out by Oklahoma State.
It's hard to tell if the Bears are worn out, injured, solved by opponents or simply regressing to the mean. Whatever the case, they have a lot of personnel and soul-searching to do before hosting Texas next week.
The Longhorns aren't anything special, but they're a pretty good litmus test. If Baylor doesn't improve its form from the previous two weeks, a BCS bowl will not be in its future.
8. South Carolina
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South Carolina beat Clemson—then the No. 6 team in America—on Saturday, but almost everything else that happened in Week 14 was an exercise in Murphy's Law: All that could have gone wrong, did go wrong.
Missouri beat Texas A&M, clinching the SEC East and keeping the Gamecocks out of the conference championship game. Auburn also beat Alabama, making the Tide a very easy at-large choice for a BCS bowl.
It's highly unlikely that the final BCS will accept three teams from the same conference, so South Carolina might have drawn the short straw. Unlike folks in Auburn and Columbus, Ohio, Gamecocks fans were not jumping for joy during Chris Davis' touchdown.
7. Stanford
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Stanford didn't blow Notre Dame out or cover the two-touchdown spread, but beating the Irish is no small task—something that's proven too difficult for quality sides like Michigan State, USC and next week's opponent, Arizona State.
The Cardinal and Sun Devils are vastly different teams than they were when they met earlier this season. Still, the degree to which Stanford dominated ASU when they met has to be an encouraging sign.
Todd Graham's team is a different beast at home, but the Cardinal have enough talent to mitigate that advantage. This should be one of the closest major conference championship games.
6. Oklahoma State
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Oklahoma State enjoyed a well-earned bye in Week 14, but in hindsight, after seeing TCU almost beat Baylor, its most recent blowout win looks slightly less impressive.
The Cowboys are still an incredibly talented team, though, and especially in Stillwater, they should—repeat: should—be able to beat Oklahoma in Bedlam.
But we've just seen how crazy rivalry week can get: Even one week removed from the madness, OSU-OU is just as intense and passionate as any of this week's rivalries. Anything could happen, but for now, the Cowboys have a clear path to the BCS.
5. Missouri
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Missouri didn't blow out Texas A&M the same way LSU did, but it still beat a very dangerous team at home and secured the SEC East division title.
The Tigers have been precise and dominant all season, even though nobody seems willing to give them any credit. Save for one poor quarter against South Carolina—the No. 8 team in America—no team has been able to hang with them all year.
A win in the SEC Championship Game would put Mizzou in the national title discussion, provided either Florida State or (much more likely) Ohio State loses.
If that's how this plays out, the debate between it and one-loss Alabama would be a fascinating one. Neither side's fans would go down without a fight.
4. Alabama
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Alabama is still ranked No. 4 in the BCS standings after blowing losing the most dramatic Iron Bowl we have seen in recent memory—perhaps of all time.
The Crimson Tide have to be kicking themselves after the kicking game cost them a potential shot at the national three-peat. They might be the best team in America in two phases of the game, but special teams can derail even the most otherwise capable clubs.
Still, this team has a national title pulse, albeit a small one. A lot would just have to break in its direction, which seems unlikely until you remember that this is Alabama.
This wouldn't be the first time it won a BCS National Championship despite suffering a late-regular-season defeat.
3. Auburn
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It's my personal belief that higher powers, if they even exist, do not care one iota about college football, nor do they care about anything that happens in any sport. By that token, the concept of any team being one of "destiny" has always rubbed me the wrong way.
But how else can anyone explain this?
Auburn won the Iron Bowl in preposterous fashion on Saturday, returning a missed field goal—Alabama's fourth of the game!—109 yards for the game-winning score as time expired.
Even in video games, that is too unrealistic—too poetically scripted—to be allowed to happen. But it did, and now the Tigers are one more win and a tiny bit of help away from heading to Pasadena and playing for a national title, just one year after the program hit historic lows.
Is this a Team of Destiny? I'm not yet ready to say it. But by the end of next week, if things continue to break their way, the Tigers will leave me no other choice.
2. Ohio State
24 of 25
Ohio State was the opposite of South Carolina in Week 14: Despite playing its worst game of the season against a poor opponent, it is the biggest winner of the weekend.
Auburn's miraculous defeat of Alabama pushed the Buckeyes up to No. 2 in the BCS standings, ostensibly allowing them to control their own fate for the first time all season.
The margin between them and Auburn in the polls was big enough for comfort; if Ohio State beats a very good Michigan State team on Saturday, completing yet another perfect season, it will almost certainly play for a national title.
Argue all you want, SEC fans, but that's the way it is.
1. Florida State
25 of 25
Florida State was one of the biggest winners on Saturday, but not for the reason you might think—not the one that helped it ascend to No. 1 in the rankings.
It matters not (or at least just very little) that Auburn beat Alabama, because the Seminoles were a virtual lock to hold off Ohio State in the rankings and make the national title game anyway. Even before the week, all they needed to do was win the ACC championship and they were in.
That's where FSU got some help. As phenomenal as the Duke story has been this year, Virginia Tech, by virtue of personnel and experience, posed a much bigger threat to dethrone this team in Charlotte.
Playing the Blue Devils over the Hokies is a very good thing.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
