BCS Rankings Week 2: How BCS Rankings Differ from AP/Coaches Poll
BCS Rankings Week 2 are even wilder and more contentious than they were a week ago.
It's a safe bet to assume that none of the principles in the BCS championship race are going to win out, and even if they did, it still wouldn't solve the headaches.
So for another week, we'll take a look at the standings and debate their merits.
But you've got to wonder about whether or not the top spot in the BCS is a curse: The Buckeyes might have been tops had they managed to beat Wisconsin and the Sooners just folded after claiming the initial top ranking.
Look out Auburn!
Wisconsin Badgers (7-1)
1 of 10
BCS: 10th
AP: No. 9
Coaches/USA Today: No. 9
Last Week: 31-30 win at Iowa
Next Week: at Purdue
Analysis: An incredible eight-day stretch catapulted the Badgers into the Top 10. First they beat the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes—pretty convincingly, no matter the final score. Then they come back in the final minutes to defeat Iowa on the road.
They won't have the credentials to earn themselves a national title berth, but if Michigan State stumbles even once this season, the Badgers should settle in to a BCS berth.
Oklahoma Sooners (6-1)
2 of 10
BCS: No. 9
AP: 11th
Coaches/USA Today: 11th
Last Week: 36-27 loss at Missouri
Next Week: vs. Colorado
Analysis: Even if the previously No. 1 ranked Sooners had lost to an unranked team, they wouldn't have fallen below the 15th spot—it's just too difficult to drop that far in the span of one week.
Still, to drop a game to Missouri, who hasn't defeated Oklahoma in more than a decade, is a major disappointment. They might be over-ranked at ninth in the BCS.
But the Sooners aren't dead in the water yet. If they win out, they should add two victories against ranked teams to their resume. More importantly, they'll earn either a rematch with the Tigers or a showdown with the Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Title Game.
Utah Utes (8-0)
3 of 10
BCS: No. 8
AP: No. 7
Coaches/USA Today: No. 7
Last Week: 59-6 win vs. Colorado State
Next Week: at Air Force
Analysis: The Utes have managed to do their part all season. And if they get by Air Force next week, they'll be in great position to climb inside the Top Five: they host the TCU Horned Frogs on November 6.
Until then, it's a bit too hard to determine whether or not they deserve an eighth spot in the BCS.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1)
4 of 10
BCS: No. 7
AP: No. 6
Coaches/USA Today: No. 6
Last Week: 41-10 won at Tennessee
Next Week: at LSU
Analysis: The Crimson Tide are far from dead just because they have one loss on their record. We all know that winning out sets up an epic rivalry game against Auburn that might put them in position for a return to the BCS Title Game.
But consider the rest of the schedule. They've already beaten Penn State, Florida and Arkansas; LSU, Mississippi State, and whoever they might play in the SEC Title Game still remain.
There's a good chance the Tide finish the season with seven wins over ranked teams. That—coupled with a triumph over a No. 1 ranked Auburn—should be enough to get them in the BCS Championship.
Missouri Tigers (7-0)
5 of 10
BCS: No. 6
AP: No. 8
Coaches/USA Today: No. 8
Last Week: 37-26 win vs. Oklahoma
Next Week: at Nebraska
Analysis: The Tigers only have one real impressive win on their BCS resume; of course, it's the biggest win any team has managed all season, defeating the top ranked Sooners last weekend.
That alone is not enough to put them in the driver's seat for a BCS Title Game bid. But they can certainly get a lot closer next Saturday when they travel to Omaha for a matchup with Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers.
Afterwards, they won't play another regular season game against a ranked opponent, but that shouldn't keep them out of the BCS Championship. They'll play Oklahoma again in the Big 12 Title Game and a win there will make it almost impossible to for the computers to keep them out.
Michigan State Spartans (7-0)
6 of 10
BCS: No. 5
AP: No. 5
Coaches/USA Today: No. 5
Last Week: 35-27 win at Northwestern
Next Week: at Iowa
Analysis: As their 5-5-5 ranking indicates, the Spartans are in the perfect spot. For any team, an undefeated record in the Big Ten, at this point in the season is a huge accomplishment: Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin couldn't get this far without a loss.
Still, their resume is a bit bloated because of wins over Michigan and Notre Dame, two teams who are not quite as "back on track" as everyone thought back in mid-September.
Although they don't play Ohio State this season, they can still be the conference's unquestioned champion, by winning out. And they'll deserve it if they do win the Big Ten.
Wins at Iowa and at Penn State would mean that—from the opening weekend to the final day of the regular season—they were one of the nation's two or three best teams.
TCU Horned Frogs (7-0)
7 of 10
BCS: No. 4
AP: No. 4
Coaches/USA Today: No. 4
Last Week: 38-7 win vs. Air Force
Next Week: at UNLV
Analysis: The Horned Frogs don't have any type of stunning, signature win on their record thus far: They haven't beaten Stanford in a major showdown like Oregon, or Missouri's recent stunner over Oklahoma, or Auburn's triumph over LSU. Although their 45-10 win over Baylor is looking more and more impressive.
They can get one in two weeks when they head to Salt Lake City to face the eighth-ranked Utes.
That win will be huge, but there's another reason why the Horned Frogs are an appealing BCS team. Of all the contenders, TCU is the only one that features a better defense than offense: They've allowed only 10 total points in their last four games.
In a college football landscape that is dominated by offense (see the Arkansas-Auburn game for example), it's nice to have TCU in the mix.
Boise State Broncos (8-0)
8 of 10
BCS: No. 3
AP: No. 2
Coaches/USA Today: No. 2
Last Week: Did Not Play
Next Week: (Tuesday) vs. Louisiana Tech
Analysis: An undefeated WAC team deserves to be trailing behind an undefeated SEC team and an undefeated Pac-10 team. And they probably should be behind Missouri, as well.
But that doesn't mean they don't ultimately deserve to end up in the BCS Title Game. And they still have a good shot of doing so.
Apart from Nevada, the Broncos probably won't grab a huge win over a ranked opponent anytime during the remainder of the season. So they have to win out to have a realistic look at finishing second in the BCS rankings.
Because Auburn has Alabama and an SEC Title Game, their undefeated finish is a tall order. The same goes for Missouri, Oklahoma and/or Nebraska. And since Oregon still has trips to USC and Oregon State, and a showdown with Arizona, they are could fall to the one-loss category as well.
Look for the undefeated Broncos to slide in should there be less than two other undefeated teams.
Oregon Ducks (7-0)
9 of 10
BCS: No. 2
AP: No. 1
Coaches/USA Today: No. 1
Last Week: 60-13 win vs UCLA
Next Week: at USC
Analysis: The Ducks have nothing to worry about just because they are second in the BCS. Without a conference title game they have an edge over either Auburn or Missouri. And they already have a leg up on teams like Michigan State and Boise State.
A critical trip to the LA Coliseum isn't easy. Neither is their home game against Arizona. And neither is the Civil War with Oregon State.
Nevertheless, the Ducks should be able to squeak through. Even if they don't finish undefeated, there is an outside shot at the BCS Title Game. A loss to USC next week might come early enough that it doesn't hurt them in the BCS computers. All hope would be lost if they fail in Corvallis in early December.
Auburn Tigers (8-0)
10 of 10
BCS: No. 1
AP: No. 3
Coaches/USA Today: No. 3
Last Week: 24-17 win vs. LSU
Next Week: at Ole Miss
Analysis: The Tigers are deserving of both their first ranking in the BCS and their third ranking in the AP.
On paper, the Tigers have the two most impressive back-to-back wins of any team this season: They won with offense against No. 12 Arkansas and with defense against No. 6 LSU. And considering that they (narrowly) edged out South Carolina—who had a win over then-No. 1 Alabama—they are appealing to the BCS criteria.
The third ranking by the human polls also makes sense. The Tigers haven't played great on the road (field goal wins only against Kentucky and Mississippi State) and the defense has shown flaws against Kentucky and Arkansas.
Still, at this particular moment, they are probably the best team in the nation.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
