BCS Rankings Week 3: Predicting How the Top 25 Will Change By Next Week
BCS Rankings Week 3 were released on Sunday, and a new No. 1 sits atop the rankings once again.
The Oregon Ducks, fresh off an impressive win over the USC Trojans, jumped the Auburn Tigers to become the third top-ranked team in as many weeks.
All five remaining undefeated schools—Oregon, Auburn, TCU, Boise State and Utah—are in the top five of this week's rankings, and it looks like we could see a BCS buster play for a national championship.
But they better not get too comfortable.
Some one-loss teams from college football's power conferences are right on their tail and are looking to make that leap into the top five.
So which schools will climb up the BCS rankings this week and which schools will fall?
Let's take a look at the top 25 teams in this week's BCS standings and see which teams will be the biggest movers and shakers.
25. North Carolina State Wolfpack
1 of 25
How They Could Rise: NC State will have a tough matchup against Clemson this week, but the Wolfpack shouldn't have a problem if their 15th-ranked passing offense and 20th-ranked scoring offense keeps it up.
How They Could Fall: Losing to a 4-4 team that has lost four of its last six games is going to send the Wolfpack tumbling from the rankings.
Prediction: NC State 38, Clemson 24. A win over a .500 team won't move them up more than two or three spots—unless it's a blowout.
24. Florida State Seminoles
2 of 25
How They Could Rise: Florida State faces a 5-3 North Carolina team whose offense ranks just 74th in the nation at 25.8 points per game.
How They Could Fall: The Tar Heel defense ranks 38th in the nation in scoring and has won five of its last six games after starting 0-2.
Prediction: Florida State 35, UNC 20. A big win here should put the Seminoles around 18th or 19th next week.
23. Nevada Wolfpack
3 of 25
How They Could Rise: Nevada has one of the country's best rushing and scoring offenses, so the Wolfpack shouldn't have a problem running against a mediocre Idaho team this week.
How They Could Fall: Idaho does have the nation's No. 4 passing attack, which might not bode well for Nevada this week.
Prediction: Nevada 42, Idaho 24. A win over a weak WAC opponent isn't going to push Nevada into the top 20.
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22. Virginia Tech Hokies
4 of 25
How They Could Rise: A win over 5-3 conference rival Georgia Tech would be a great resume booster, especially considering the Yellow Jackets boast the nation's No. 1 rushing attack.
How They Could Fall: See above. Georgia Tech rushes for 317 yards a game, which doesn't bode well for the Hokies.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Virginia Tech 28. Since I'm predicting an upset for Georgia Tech, I think the Hokies fall out of the top 25 by next week.
21. Baylor Bears
5 of 25
How They Could Rise: This week is a huge opportunity for Baylor to prove it's real when the Bears face Oklahoma State on the road in a Big 12 showdown.
How They Could Fall: Oklahoma State has the nation's No. 3 scoring and passing offense, so Baylor's 52nd-ranked defense might cost them a shot at moving up.
Prediction: Baylor 42, Oklahoma State 35. I'm going with the upset again because the the Cowboys defense ranks 82nd in the nation in scoring.
20. Mississippi State Bulldogs
6 of 25
How They Could Rise: The Bulldogs are off this week, but several teams ahead of them have big games, so we could see them rise despite sitting at home.
How They Could Fall: I don't see them falling during an off-week.
Prediction: Mississippi State will spend this weekend preparing for a monster road test against Alabama next week. They could jump up a spot or two depending on what happens in front of them
19. South Carolina
7 of 25
How They Could Rise: Another week, another big SEC showdown as South Carolina takes on Arkansas, who's ranked one spot ahead of the Gamecocks in the BCS standings, this Saturday.
How They Could Fall: The Razorbacks have the nation's No. 2 passing attack, which is hard for any team to stop.
Prediction: South Carolina 38, Arkansas 31. The Gamecocks pull the slight upset and make their way into the top 15.
18. Arkansas Razorbacks
8 of 25
How They Could Rise: As I noted in the last slide, this is a big SEC matchup between two top-20 teams that have went toe-to-toe with teams like Alabama and Auburn.
How They Could Fall: Arkansas has a tendency to give up a lot of points to good offenses, so we could see Marcus Lattimore run wild all day.
Prediction: South Carolina 38, Arkansas 31. The Razorbacks fall a few spots to No. 21 or No. 22.
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys
9 of 25
How They Could Rise: A win in an offensive showdown over a surprising team is most likely, but Oklahoma State has to show its defense can step up too.
How They Could Fall: Baylor's top 10 passing offense could keep the Cowboys No. 3 passing attack off the field.
Prediction: Baylor 42, Oklahoma State 35. The Cowboys drop to No. 22 or No. 23 after being upset at home.
16. Iowa Hawkeyes
10 of 25
How They Could Rise: Everybody's been beating up on Indiana lately, but the Hawkeyes might jump up slightly with a blowout victory over the Hoosiers.
How They Could Fall: With big games looming against Northwestern and Ohio State, the Hawkeyes could overlook the Hoosiers, who throw the ball over the place.
Prediction: Iowa 31, Indiana 10. The Hawkeyes barely moved up the polls last week after destroying Michigan State, so I don't see them moving much higher than to No. 14 or No. 15 with a win.
15. Arizona Wildcats
11 of 25
How They Could Rise: Arizona's seventh-ranked scoring defense will try and slow down Stanford and its fifth-ranked scoring offense. A win here is obviously huge.
How They Could Fall: A close loss to such a good offensive team doesn't hurt the Wildcats too bad, but a blowout loss won't look good to the BCS voters.
Prediction: Stanford 34, Arizona 24. The Wildcats drop to No. 18 or No. 19 following a reasonably tight game against the Cardinal on the road.
14. Michigan State Spartans
12 of 25
How They Could Rise: Michigan State takes on 1-8 Minnesota this week, and nothing more than an absolute dismantling of the Golden Gophers does much for the Spartans.
How They Could Fall: A loss would send the Spartans out of the top 20 for sure, but even a close win for Michigan State won't look good.
Prediction: Michigan State 42, Minnesota 10. The Spartans probably jump up a spot or two depending on what happens with the 13 teams ranked ahead of them.
13. Stanford Cardinal
13 of 25
How They Could Rise: A big victory over a top-15 opponent and conference rival (Arizona) would certainly help Stanford as they continue their quest to make their way back to the BCS.
How They Could Fall: Stanford scores a lot. Arizona stops teams from scoring. If the Wildcats continue to do that, Stanford will have a tough time winning this one.
Prediction: Stanford 34, Arizona 24. This will be a nice resume booster for Stanford, but I just don't see enough teams ranked ahead of them losing for the Cardinal to crack the top ten.
12. Missouri Tigers
14 of 25
How They Could Rise: The Missouri Tigers get Texas Tech on the road, so a victory over the Red Raiders' seventh-ranked passing attack looks better than their 4-4 record indicates.
How They Could Fall: If Missouri's defense gets owned like it did last week against Nebraska, the Tigers will continue to tumble down the BCS rankings.
Prediction: Missouri 34, Texas Tech 27. The Tigers get leapfrogged by Stanford and either stay put or jump up to No. 11.
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
15 of 25
How They Could Rise: It's an off week for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes could take advantages of potential slip-ups ahead of them.
How They Could Fall: I don't see it. They'll stay put or move up, but they won't fall.
Prediction: The Buckeyes move up to No. 9 thanks to two losses by top 10 teams.
10. LSU Tigers
16 of 25
How They Could Rise: LSU has the potential to skyrocket up the polls with a win at home against defending national champion Alabama.
How They Could Fall: If the Tigers continue to have shaky quarterback play and don't play a close game against the Crimson Tide, they'll fall at least three to four spots.
Prediction: Alabama 27, LSU 17. The Tigers don't fall too far because they hang with the Crimson Tide. I'll say they move down to No. 13.
9. Wisconsin Badgers
17 of 25
How They Could Rise: Wisconsin plays Purdue this week, and the Boilermakers have been blown out the past two weeks, scoring just 10 total points. The Badgers need a decisive victory here.
How They Could Fall: Again, Purdue lost 49-0 and 44-10 the past two games. Wisconsin can't afford to play them close, and a loss is certainly devastating.
Prediction: Wisconsin 38, Purdue 13. The Badgers move up one spot with only one team ranked ahead of them losing.
8. Oklahoma Sooners
18 of 25
How They Could Rise: Oklahoma has a tricky little matchup against Texas A&M, who sits at 5-3 but all three losses came against teams currently ranked in the top 20.
How They Could Fall: Same as above. The Aggies lost two of those games by seven points or less, so Oklahoma will get their best shot.
Prediction: Oklahoma 31, Texas A&M 27. Oklahoma moves up one spot to No. 7 with the victory.
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers
19 of 25
How They Could Rise: Nebraska faces Iowa State this week, and the Cyclones sit at a very surprising 5-4 but still rank 88th in the nation in points allowed, and Nebraska's running game could go off again.
How They Could Fall: The Cornhuskers absolutely cannot afford a loss here, but the Cyclones have already pulled upsets against Texas Tech and Texas. Plus, this is the fourth top-10 team they've faced this season.
Prediction: Nebraska 45, Iowa State 20. Nebraska jumps up to No. 6 with a lopsided victory.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
20 of 25
How They Could Rise: Against a one-loss SEC and top-10 team on the road. That'll certainly boost a team's resume.
How They Could Fall: They've lost on the road in a tough SEC environment already this season, so it's not out of the question that we'll see it again.
Prediction: Alabama 27, LSU 17. I think Alabama leapfrogs two teams to move to No. 4—one that loses and another undefeated that actually wins.
5. Utah Utes
21 of 25
How They Could Rise: Utah plays No. 3 TCU in a battle of potential BCS busters, so a win over a top-three team is obviously a monster resume booster.
How They Could Fall: TCU has the nation's No. 9 scoring offense and No. 1 scoring defense, which could mean bad things for Utah.
Prediction: TCU 31, Utah 28. Utah stumbles out of the top 10 after losing the only very difficult game on its schedule.
4. Boise State Broncos
22 of 25
How They Could Rise: This week's game against Hawaii is one of the few games that might impress the BCS voters—so a decisive win at home is the only result that helps Boise State.
How They Could Fall: Hawaii has the nation's No. 1 passing offense and No. 11 scoring offense, and the Warriors should prove to be the biggest test for the Broncos so far.
Prediction: Boise State 45, Hawaii 27. The Broncos get leapfrogged by Alabama and drop to No. 5.
3. TCU Horned Frogs
23 of 25
How They Could Rise: As I noted two slides ago, this is a game of two top-five schools looking to bust the BCS. It's the game of the year for both teams.
How They Could Fall: TCU hasn't faced a team like Utah all season, who has the nation's No. 3 scoring offense and No. 6 scoring defense.
Prediction: TCU 31, Utah 28. TCU stays at No. 3 with the victory.
2. Auburn Tigers
24 of 25
How They Could Rise: The Auburn Tigers are all but assured a victory over Chattanooga this week, but they have to show for once that their defense can come up with a good performance.
How They Could Fall: The only way I see Auburn moving down the poll is with a loss (which won't happen) or a closer-than-expected victory.
Prediction: Auburn 63, Chattanooga 10. The Tigers and Cam Newton stay put at No. 2.
1. Oregon Ducks
25 of 25
How They Could Rise: Well, since they're No. 1, they can't rise. But they can help their resume with a blowout win against 3-5 Washington.
How They Could Fall: If Oregon wins by less than most people expect and Auburn blows Chattanooga out of the stadium, I could see the schools swapping spots again.
Prediction: Oregon 52, Washington 17. Oregon stays at No. 1.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
