BCS Rankings Week 11: How BCS Rankings Differ from AP/Coaches Poll
BCS Rankings Week 5 were released on Sunday, and Oregon remained No. 1 with a hefty lead over Auburn.
The three major college football rankings--the BCS, AP and USA Today Coaches Poll--all have the Ducks as the best team in the nation.
But there are some noticeable differences between the polls from top to bottom.
So let's see how they stack up next to each other, and I'll offer my take on which polls got it right and which ones screwed it up.
Here we go.
25. Aggies Keep Rolling
1 of 25
BCS: Texas A&M
AP: UCF
Coaches: Texas A&M
My Take: It's hard to argue against the Aggies here. After a tough three-game losing streak, they've won three in a row, including a big victory over Oklahoma this week.
But I don't think UCF is a top 25 football team. Yeah, they've won five games in a row, but three of those came against Marshall, Rice and UAB, who are all below .500.
24. Gator Bait
2 of 25
BCS: Kansas State
AP: Florida
Coaches: Florida
My Take: The Wildcats did have an impressive victory over this week, but that came against a down Texas team. They've still lost three of their last five games as well, so I'm thinking they probably should have been left out of the top 25.
As for Florida, they've rebounded with two wins following a three-game losing streak. I'm still skeptical about putting them this high considering that their win this week came against lowly Vanderbilt. I need to see more.
23. Triple Threat
3 of 25
BCS: South Carolina
AP: Texas A&M
Coaches: UCF
My Take: You know my take on UCF, but there's nothing wrong with the other two teams here. Texas A&M looked very good against the Sooners, and South Carolina wasn't going to drop much further than this with a loss against Arkansas, even if the game wasn't close.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. SEC Showdown
4 of 25
BCS: Florida
AP: South Carolina
Coaches: South Carolina
My Take: I'm certainly not crazy about the Gators being this high considering who they beat this week (Vanderbilt), but I guess all you can do is play the games on your schedule.
Again though, the Gamecocks looked far from good against Arkansas this week, it would have taken a massacre to drop them out of the top 25. And South Carolina has a chance for redemption this Saturday against the other SEC team at this spot, Florida.
21. Blackjack For The Wolfpack
5 of 25
BCS: Nevada
AP: Nevada
Coaches: Nevada
My Take: I know that Nevada plays in the WAC, but you have to be impressed with a team that's put up 119 points over its past two games. Wolfpack quarterback Colin Kaepernick might be one of the most underrated players in the country, and there's no reason to think he won't have his team undefeated heading into the showdown with Boise State on Nov. 26.
20. Two Former Top Ten Teams Tied at 20
6 of 25
BCS: Virginia Tech
AP: Missouri
Coaches: Missouri
My Take: The Hokies sure have erased the memories of that loss to James Madison, haven't they? They've won seven straight games since that 0-2 start, including a gutsy comeback victory against Georgia Tech this week, so I'm actually surprised they're this low on the list.
As for Missouri, they've lost two in a row since that surprising undefeated start. The voters get no objections from me, as the Tigers look like a shell of their former selves.
19. Sooners and Wildcats Stumble
7 of 25
BCS: Mississippi State
AP: Oklahoma
Coaches: Arizona
My Take: What does Mississippi State have to do to get a little love from the voters? They haven't lost since the third week of the season, but they can't crack the top 15.
They were much more impressive than Oklahoma and Arizona this week, as the Sooners got beat by Texas A&M and the Wildcats were blown out by Stanford.
18. And So We Meet Again
8 of 25
BCS: Arizona
AP: Arizona
Coaches: Mississippi State
My Take: There isn't that much of a difference between No. 18 and No. 19, and I'd still argue that the Bulldogs should be a bit higher considering they're on a six-game winning streak.
Arizona, on the other hand, is right where they belong following that 25-point loss against Stanford. You can't drop them further than this considering it was only their second loss of the season.
17. Winning Streaks Catapult Hokies and Bulldogs
9 of 25
BCS: Missouri
AP: Mississippi State
Coaches: Virginia Tech
My Take: I love that the Bulldogs and the Hokies are finally getting a little respect at the No. 17 spot, and Missouri was ranked too high last week to fall much lower than this. No objections here.
16. Virginia Tech Keeps Climbing
10 of 25
BCS: Oklahoma
AP: Virginia Tech
Coaches: Oklahoma
My Take: This is too high for Oklahoma considering they've lost two of their last three games. But Virginia Tech hasn't lost since Week 2, so I like their positioning at No. 16.
15. How Far Can You Fall, Utah?
11 of 25
BCS: Arkansas
AP: Utah
Coaches: Utah
My Take: Arkansas might deserves to be a little higher after a 21-point victory on the road against a tough South Carolina team.
As for Utah, they got destroyed by TCU, and a loss like that is obviously going to kill the Utes' chances of playing in a BCS bowl.
14. Same Teams, Different Spot
12 of 25
BCS: Utah
AP: Arkansas
Coaches: Arkansas
My Take: Well, the Razorbacks have won three in a row while Utah lost by 40 points at home this week. You tell me who deserves to be here more.
13. Iowa Survives Scare, Still Aiming For BCS
13 of 25
BCS: Iowa
AP: Iowa
Coaches: Iowa
My Take: Iowa kept its hopes of playing in a BCS game alive with a closer-than-expected victory over Indiana this week, but you can't drop them down considering that they still won the game and that they annihilated Michigan State a couple of weeks ago.
12. Crimson Tide Finds Itself Out of Top 10
14 of 25
BCS: Alabama
AP: Oklahoma State
Coaches: Alabama
My Take: I'm actually surprised that the Crimson Tide dropped this low considering they were the highest ranked one-loss team, but it makes sense since they're still the highest ranked two-loss team.
As for Oklahoma State, I think they deserve to be a couple of spots higher. They have only one loss on the year, and that came against a top 10 team (Nebraska).
11. Shouldn't Oklahoma State Be Higher Than This?
15 of 25
BCS: Michigan State
AP: Alabama
Coaches: Oklahoma State
My Take: Let's see, we've got a one-loss team that was destroyed by Iowa two weeks ago, a two-loss squad and a one-loss team whose only loss came against a top 10 opponent.
I think it only makes sense that Oklahoma State should be ranked higher than Michigan State and Alabama.
10. Cowboys Vs. Spartans: Part Two
16 of 25
BCS: Oklahoma State
AP: Michigan State
Coaches: Michigan State
My Take: Michigan State has a very real shot at running the table the rest of the way while Oklahoma State's path is probably slightly more difficult. Do either of them play for a national championship if that happens? No shot.
9. Which Is The Better One-Loss Team?
17 of 25
BCS: Ohio State
AP: Nebraska
Coaches: Stanford
My Take: Three one-loss teams take the No. 9 spot, and I'd give Stanford the slight edge here because the Cardinal's only defeat came at the hands of Oregon. This one's a tough choice though.
8. Who Ya Got: Cornhuskers Or Buckeyes?
18 of 25
BCS: Nebraska
AP: Ohio State
Coaches: Nebraska
My Take: It's hard to argue against either school here, but Nebraska played Iowa State too close for comfort this week while Ohio State is coming off of two consecutive blowouts. I'd give Ohio State this spot if I had to pick, but Nebraska's just behind the Buckeyes.
7. Wisconsin Getting Disrespected?
19 of 25
BCS: Wisconsin
AP: Stanford
Coaches: Ohio State
My Take: Wisconsin beat Ohio State in that head-to-head matchup, so I have the Badgers ranked ahead of the Buckeyes. Still, I think Stanford should be ahead of both of these teams because their only loss is to Oregon and they just beat Arizona by 25 points.
6. Some Indecision Over Who Deserves This Spot
20 of 25
BCS: Stanford
AP: Wisconsin
Coaches: LSU
My Take: LSU has one loss on the season, which came against Auburn. Stanford has one loss, which came against Oregon. Wisconsin has one loss, which game against Michigan State.
I'll give LSU the slight edge here considering they just beat Alabama.
5. LSU Makes Big Jump This Week, But Should They Have Leap Frogged Wisconsin?
21 of 25
BCS: LSU
AP: LSU
Coaches: Wisconsin
My Take: LSU has four victories over top 25 teams and one loss on the road against arguably the best team in the nation. Wisconsin beat Ohio State and Iowa in consecutive weeks.
You can't go wrong with either team, but I'll take the Tigers by a hair.
4. It's a Unanimous Choice
22 of 25
BCS: Boise State
AP: Boise State
Coaches: Boise State
My Take: No surprise here. Oregon and Auburn have been the two most impressive teams all season, and TCU is coming off a monster victory over Utah.
3. All The Voters Like The Horned Frogs Here
23 of 25
BCS: TCU
AP: TCU
Coaches: TCU
My Take: A 47-7 blowout over a top five team would usually translate to a No. 1 or No. 2 ranking. But while that win was certainly impressive, TCU hasn't played the schedule that the two teams ranked ahead of them have.
2. Auburn Is Right Where It Belongs
24 of 25
BCS: Auburn
AP: Auburn
Coaches: Auburn
My Take: Auburn--or should I say Cam Newton?--has looked nearly unstoppable all season, putting up 50 points on five different occasions. That 55th-ranked scoring defense is the only thing that will prevent the Tigers from playing for a national title.
1. Quack, Quack, Quack: Ducks Flying High
25 of 25
BCS: Oregon
AP: Oregon
Coaches: Oregon
My Take: It's hard to make a case against the Ducks. They destroy every team they play, and their season low for points in a game is 42. That's ridiculous.
LaMichael James is arguably the biggest threat to a Cam Newton Heisman Trophy win, and Darron Thomas has made everyone forget about Jeremiah Masoli. I can't see anyone beating Oregon right now.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
