BCS Rankings Week 12: Who Will We See In The BCS Title Game?

The Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers sit at No. 1 and 2 respectively in the BCS rankings as we come closer and closer to the end of another season.

But in a sport that typically gets shaken up week by week will these be the two teams we see playing for it all in early January? Obviously these teams have the inside track to that spot but there are still many scenarios in place that could change this matchup.

So who can come up and steal these spots? The first two candidates are our perennial Cinderellas Boise State and TCU. Both are undefeated and look poised to finish the season that way.

TCU currently sits ahead of Boise State and would appear to have the inside track on upending one of those top two teams. However TCU's best win was over Utah, who at one point were a Top 5 team in the BCS, but now are slipping after a loss to unranked Notre Dame.

This will hurt TCU as they only have one game left and even a win against New Mexico could see them slip in the rankings before they rise.

Boise State still has three games remaining including one against a ranked opponent in the Nevada Wolfpack. Three more impressive victories including one over a ranked opponent may be enough to catapult the Broncos over TCU in the rankings. 

The problem for both of these teams is that they will likely need a loss from one or both of the top teams to reach the championship game. Unfortunately their weak schedules could once again have them on the outside looking in.

After these two teams there are a long list of 1-loss teams that still have some National Championship dreams. Although the list has quite a few names on it, the only team that I believe has a legitimate shot at making the title game are the LSU Tigers.

LSU Head Coach Les Miles is a lot of things. He eats grass, he mismanages the clock and he routinely makes play calls that seem like they came from the mind of a child playing a video game.

Despite his quirks, he has consistently been able to win games over the years and this year there seems to be more magic surrounding his team than in the last few years. Because of this I don't think we can completely count out this year's team.

LSU still has a game left over ranked Arkansas and an impressive win there could give them a nice boost in the rankings. Their title hopes would then rely on Auburn losing to Alabama and then losing to South Carolina in the SEC championship game.

This is a legitimate possibility this happens and it could propel the Tigers into the National title game.

There are a lot of 'ifs' in these scenarios, but the biggest if of all is this: If Oregon and Auburn win out, they will play for the National title.

Oregon appears to have the easiest path with just one game left against a ranked opponent in Arizona and a rivalry game against Oregon State. You never know with conference play, but the odds seem to be in Oregon's favor for them to make the title game.

Auburn's road is much bumpier and the roadblocks are not only on the football field. There are a litany of accusations currently against Auburn QB Cam Newton and while his eligibility should be okay for the rest of this season it puts a dark cloud over the team going forward.

Past this they still have matchups left against rival Alabama and South Carolina. I think Auburn should be able to survive against Auburn, although it would not be a huge upset if Alabama did upend them.

I believe the SEC Championship game against South Carolina could be where the Tigers slip up. Steve Spurrier will have his team ready to avenge a loss to Auburn from earlier in the season and RB Marcus Lattimore will be be ready to pound Auburn's suspect defense.

At this point the pressure on Auburn will be at its highest and we will see if they have the mental toughness to keep winning. If Auburn does lose, the Championship picture gets even more muddy.

The spot next to Oregon would probably come down to Auburn, Boise State and TCU. I do not have the math skills to predict who the computers would put in the title game, but I can guess that the margin that would put a team in would be miniscule.