BCS Rankings Week 3: Grading the Strength of Schedule for the BCS Top 25
BCS rankings (Week 3 edition) are out and as we get closer to bowl season, it's time to figure out who has the easiest road down the stretch.
Every win counts and they could drastically change your bowl at the end of the year. Every team wants a bowl on New Year's Day or later. I've broken down each team and their remaining schedule and ranked them accordingly.
Agree or disagree? Leave it in the comments.
No. 25: Missouri
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Missouri got a rude awakening this past Saturday as Nebraska beat the Tigers down and are on the outside looking in on the Big 12 championship game.
The Tigers play Texas Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas to finish the year and none of those opponents are something that should strike fear into the hearts of a top 25 team. It's a good way to finish out the season with a couple of wins.
Missouri is going to see that Nebraska game as a huge missed opportunity.
No. 24: Michigan State
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With a rather easy schedule for its final three games, all Michigan State had to do was beat Iowa on the road and the Spartans would be looking at a possible undefeated season.
Too bad Sparty got their doors blown off against the Hawkeyes and it wasn't even close, The game was blown open early and by the time it was halftime, Michigan State looked dazed and confused heading to the locker room.
Michigan State has Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State to finish the season, all games that should be wins.
No. 23: NC State
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NC State got a big win over Florida State on national TV last Thursday but from here on in, it's not like the road gets any tougher for the Wolfpack.
The final three games of the season are Wake Forest, North Carolina and Maryland, and with how bad the ACC is this season, the Wolfpack could lose, but those teams aren't very good, with North Carolina being the best of the bunch.
An ACC championship appearance is a possibility with a win over Maryland.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 22: Florida State
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Florida State looked like the class of the ACC until the Seminoles dropped a game to NC State this past week.
The Seminoles wrap up their regular season with Clemson, Maryland and Florida and could still make the ACC championship game if they win out and NC State loses to the Terrapins.
Florida State has had an up-and-down season so far but then again, who in the ACC hasn't?
Things could be worse for Florida State down the stretch.
No. 21: Boise State
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The only test left on Boise State's schedule is a matchup with Nevada and even that won't be enough to boost the Broncos' strength of schedule.
That schedule has already dropped Boise State from third to fourth in the BCS behind TCU and it looks like the Broncos are going to miss out on the national championship game yet again despite a likely undefeated schedule.
Can we please get a playoff now?
No. 20: Wisconsin
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After getting a big win over Iowa last week, Wisconsin kept itself alive in the Big Ten title hunt but will need help down the stretch.
The Badgers are lucky, as they don't really have a tough stretch of games to finish the season. Wisconsin's final games are Purdue, Indiana, Michigan and Northwestern—all games the Badgers should end up winning.
Wisconsin will need help but it should be in a position for a good bowl bid.
No. 19: TCU
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TCU is now third in the BCS standings, hopping Boise State this week and now has a big showdown with No. 5 Utah on the road this week.
If the Horned Frogs win this game, it would put TCU is a good position to sneak into the national championship game if Oregon or Auburn were to lose before the end of the season.
It's clear that the Horned Frogs are the BCS Buster with the best chance of the national title game.
Other than Utah, TCU has a cakewalk of a schedule.
No. 18: Utah
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The Utes are the final non-BCS conference team to be in the top-10 of the BCS.
Utah are fifth in this week's rankings and has big national games against TCU and Notre Dame, with the latter looking increasingly easy.
Utah is suddenly in play for the national title game, albeit an outside chance. However, with the way the BCS is, who knows what's going to happen on a week-to-week basis?
Who would have thought that a game with Utah and TCU would be the game of the week this Saturday?
No. 17: Stanford
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Stanford just got finished giving the business to Washington and has a big matchup against No. 15 Arizona this week as the last big game for the Cardinal.
The Cardinal would not only have to win out, but have the Ducks lose twice down the stretch, something that looks unlikely, to win the Pac-10 and take a trip to the Rose Bowl. But for now, it looks like Stanford is on the outside looking in.
Stanford has had a good season, but that shootout loss to Oregon will kill any chance of a Pac-10 championship.
No. 16: Ohio State
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Other than a game with No. 16 Iowa, the Buckeyes have nothing to fear for the remainder of the season.
Ohio State has the rivalry game with Michigan to finish the season, but the Buckeyes have a game against Penn State, not exactly what you'd call a tough test.
However, playing Devil's Advocate, Penn State did play its best game of the year against Michigan on Saturday.
Terrelle Pryor is having a strong season, and the Buckeyes are right back in the hunt for the Big Ten title.
No. 15: Nebraska
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Nebraska has to be kicking itself about losing to Texas, as the the Cornhuskers just stomped Missouri and the Longhorns dropped yet another game, this time to Baylor.
Nebraska is in line to play in the Big 12 title game and with the final contests of the season coming against Iowa State, Kansas, Texas A&M and Colorado, it looks like we'll see the Cornhuskers competing for the conference title for the last time before they head to the Big Ten.
That would be insult to injury to win the conference and then leave.
No. 14: Nevada
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While Nevada does have No. 3 Boise State on the schedule down the stretch, there is no other opponent that should give the Wolfpack much of a challenge.
Teams like Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State aren't exactly teams that draw a lot of national attention and put together many great seasons.
Boise State is the end-all and be-all in terms of the schedule and the Broncos will likely beat Nevada handily.
It's sad, but it's true for Wolf Pack fans.
No. 13: Virginia Tech
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Virginia Tech hasn't exactly had the season that a lot of people thought they would have coming into this year.
The Hokies lost to Boise State and lowly James Madison. that loss was the worst of all.
It was a humiliating defeat to a team that has no business being on the same field as the Hokies. Since then, the Hokies have rebounded and are going to get to the ACC championship game.
If Virginia Tech can beat Georgia Tech and Miami and win out, a trip to a BCS bowl is in the cards.
No. 12: Oregon
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The Ducks continue to roll as they dominated another opponent; this time it was USC in a tough environment on the road.
Oregon only has a big matchup against Arizona down the stretch, not to mention a rivalry game against Oregon State to finish the season. It's not a tough stretch by any means, especially with the type of offense that the Ducks have.
The Ducks are in prime position to play in the national title game this year.
No. 11: South Carolina
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The Gamecocks are sitting around right now thinking about what might have been.
South Carolina is still in line to get to the SEC title game, but the Gamecocks need to do work from here on out, including a big game against Arkansas to finish the year and a game against Steve Spurrier's former school in Florida.
That game will determine who makes the conference title game and if South Carolina makes the title game, it will likely take on Auburn or Alabama.
I'm not sold on the Gamecocks, but we'll see what they're really made of in that game against the Gators.
No. 10: Iowa
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While there were high hopes coming into the season for Iowa, it doesn't mean the season is over, in fact, it's far from it.
Iowa will take on Ohio State before the end of the year, and a win there would put the Hawkeyes into great position in terms of bowl position and if Iowa plays the way it did this week against Michigan State, the Hawkeyes will be hard to beat.
Despite that, it won't be the easiest road.
No. 9: Baylor
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The Baylor Bears would play in the Big 12 title game if the season ended today, and after the way the Bears beat Texas this week, it looks less like a joke.
The Bears just keep on winning and are bowl eligible and are one of the best stories in college football this year.
The Bears have Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to finish the season and those are all games the Bears can lose.
It's been a great run, but I don't see a conference title game coming Baylor's way.
No. 8: Mississippi State
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You don't normally think of Mississippi State as a tough team in the national picture, but the Bulldogs only have two losses and they're to Auburn and LSU. Not bad at all.
However, the final stretch of games features Alabama and Arkansas and the Bulldogs are already out of the SEC championship picture but I expect Mississippi State to put up one heck of a fight against those two top squads.
I didn't think we'd see Mississippi State ranked at this point of the season. At all.
No. 7: Oklahoma State
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The Cowboys control their own destiny in terms of making the Big 12 title game with games against Baylor and Oklahoma.
That's a tough stretch to go through, and with Oklahoma State not really being tested, it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys respond to playing tough teams. The only real test was Nebraska and the Cowboys left with a defeat.
It's possible we'll see Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game. I'm just not sure it's probable.
No. 6: Arkansas
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The Razorbacks are a good team but cannot seem to beat any other good teams when they come up on the schedule.
Arkansas will take on South Carolina, Mississippi State and LSU down the stretch, and losses there could either kill or really boost the Razorbacks' bowl position this winter. The SEC championship is a distant memory but there's still plenty of work to be done.
It certainly won't be easy. It never is in the SEC.
No. 5: Arizona
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You know, Arizona, I'm real happy for you and I'm gonna let you finish, but I think it's time for the Cinderella story to come to an end in the Pac 10.
The next three games on the Wildcats' schedule are against Stanford, USC and Oregon and that's a span of games that most teams wouldn't be able to run successfully.
It's going to be hard to win each of those games and I'm looking for the Wildcats to come out of this 1-2 at best.
I'm sorry all of you Arizona fans out there, but that's the reality of the situation.
No. 4: Oklahoma
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While Oklahoma let its chance at the national title game slip through its fingers, there's still a good shot at a BCS bowl.
The Sooners take on Baylor and Oklahoma State and winning out puts Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and a shot at revenge against Missouri.
Bob Stoops isn't exactly the best big game coach but I like his chances of getting the Sooners into the conference title game.
However, I don't trust him once he gets there.
No. 3: Auburn
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Despite losing the top spot in the BCS standings, there's no doubt that if Auburn runs the table, it will get that spot back.
The Tigers have the season finale against Alabama and it will likely determine who goes to the SEC championship game.
If Auburn gets by that, it will have to deal with another tough test, but that's just life in the SEC.
Cam Newton will have to keep playing at the level he has been if the Tigers want to get through that stretch.
No. 2: LSU
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With the other shoe finally dropping on Les Miles' coaching style, the Tigers still have a lot of meaningful football left on the schedule.
The Tigers still have Alabama and Arkansas to finish the season and with the way that LSU loves to play right on the edge of victory and defeat, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Tigers lose both games.
But at least you know that Miles will give you one heck of a show.
No combination of results out of those two games would surprise me.
No. 1: Alabama
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Don't look now, but here come the Alabama Crimson Tide in your rear-view mirror if you're Oregon and Auburn.
Alabama still has games against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn to finish the season. That's a brutal stretch for the Crimson Tide but it seems like that loss to South Carolina really woke Alabama up and winning out through the SEC championship game will put the Crimson Tide into the national title game.
A repeat is far from out of the question at this point. It's not about who you lose to, it's about when you lose.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
