BCS Standings Week 15: Biggest Risers and Fallers After Chaotic Saturday
The BCS standings were released on Sunday following Week 14 action, and this weekend's action was arguably the most chaotic of the entire college football season.
The No. 1 team in the country went down, San Jose State upset No. 16 Fresno State in a high-scoring affair and two top-tier squads were able to stave off strong performances by their opponents.
After such a hectic week, the BCS standings understandably received a much-needed facelift. They got one, and several teams saw big-time movement in the process.
| Ranking | Team | AVG | Previous Ranking |
| 1 | Florida State | .9948 | 2 |
| 2 | Ohio State | .9503 | 3 |
| 3 | Auburn | .9233 | 4 |
| 4 | Alabama | .8539 | 1 |
| 5 | Missouri | .8428 | 5 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State | .7629 | 7 |
| 7 | Stanford | .7069 | 8 |
| 8 | South Carolina | .7037 | 10 |
| 9 | Baylor | .6623 | 9 |
| 10 | Michigan State | .6529 | 11 |
| 11 | Arizona State | .5833 | 12 |
| 12 | Oregon | .5321 | 13 |
| 13 | Clemson | .5201 | 6 |
| 14 | Northern Illinois | .4812 | 14 |
| 15 | LSU | .4213 | 17 |
| 16 | Central Florida | .3858 | 19 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | .3808 | 18 |
| 18 | UCLA | .3506 | 22 |
| 19 | Louisville | .2630 | 20 |
| 20 | Duke | .2252 | 24 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | .1988 | 15 |
| 22 | Georgia | .1143 | NR |
| 23 | Fresno State | .1006 | 16 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | .0995 | 21 |
| 25 | Texas | .0666 | NR |
ESPN.com
Riser: Ohio State (No. 3 to No. 2)
Ohio State didn't move up a large number of positions in the BCS rankings, but Alabama's loss gave the Buckeyes the opportunity to move back into the national title picture. That qualifies as a big jump in my book.
As one of the nation's two undefeated teams remaining, the Buckeyes will take on the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Championship Game in Week 15. A Buckeyes win would essentially punch their ticket to the national title game.
Michigan almost upset Ohio State had it not been for a failed two-point conversion, and a loss easily would have defined the Buckeyes' season. Regardless, Urban Meyer has yet to lose a game as Ohio State head coach, and he has his team in fantastic position to play for the biggest prize in the sport.
In all likelihood, Ohio State will finish the season at No. 2. The only way the Buckeyes can get to No. 1 is if Florida State somehow loses to Duke this week.
Faller: Alabama (No. 1 to No. 4)
We might as well stick to the most obvious.
All Alabama had to do was defeat then-No. 4 Auburn to pretty much guarantee a national title-game berth, but late-game heroics by Auburn returner Chris Davis ended those hopes. It also ended Alabama's bid for an undefeated season.
To make matters worse, it probably ended AJ McCarron's bid for the Heisman trophy. His case may not have been strong to begin with, but he was certainly deserving of recognition.
With one loss, the Crimson Tide lost a ton. A drop of four places in the BCS standings is also quite substantial, and that's ultimately the one that will come back to haunt them.
Riser: Duke (No. 24 to No. 20)
Duke will play Florida State in Week 15 in the ACC Championship Game, and their 10-2 season has been storybook ever since they lost back-to-back games against Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.
Along the way, they have defeated Navy, Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina, but they face a tough test in the Seminoles this Saturday.
Regardless, a 10-2 season has earned the Blue Devils the No. 20 ranking in the BCS standings. They are solid in nearly every aspect of the game, even if their players or overall numbers aren't the flashiest. It will be interesting to see how they fare against the Seminoles.
Look for the Blue Devils to use this as a building year and come back even stronger as an ACC threat next season. That being said, there's a ton to be proud of from this season.
Faller: Clemson (No. 6 to No. 13)
Clemson's 31-17 loss at the hands of South Carolina this past week was a crushing blow to the end of its season. The Tigers won't be playing in a championship game, and their chances of playing for a top-tier bowl game went down as well.
Clemson saw the biggest drop of any team in the rankings this week because of the loss, and it would have been a great opportunity for them to pick up ground given the shake up at the top.
Losses to the Gamecocks and Florida State certainly didn't help their cause this season, though, and they'll need to improve against top opponents next season.
The Tigers didn't lose as much as the Crimson Tide, but they certainly lost something.
