BCS Projections: How the Iron Bowl, Other Games Will Change the BCS Standings
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and there's plenty for college football fans to be thankful for.
The final BCS rankings are due to be released on December 5th—less than two weeks away—and, as always, there's still plenty at stake.
Four matchups between ranked teams, including Friday's Iron Bowl between second-ranked Auburn and 11th-ranked Alabama, highlight this weekend's docket.
Hence, Friday's and Saturday's results are that much more important for determining who will and won't get to play in the big-money bowls in January.
Here are the 10 most important games of Thanksgiving Weekend that could shake up the BCS picture.
No. 2 Auburn at No. 11 Alabama, Friday, 2:30 PM ET
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As previously mentioned, this Friday's game between Auburn and Alabama is arguably the biggest game taking place during Thanksgiving weekend.
The Tigers have been in the top two of the BCS since the second week of its release, while the Crimson Tide began the season as the No. 1 team in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll before succumbing to South Carolina and LSU, both on the road.
While Cam Newton and company have their eyes set on the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona, Mark Ingram's crew still has a shot at landing an at-large bid, albeit an outside one.
On an individual level, this game will pit Ingram, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, against Newton, this year's front-runner.
So, is there really any good reason NOT to watch this one?
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 21 Arizona, Friday, 7:00 PM ET
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Later that evening, Oregon, the other team at the top of the BCS standings, will face off against 21st-ranked Arizona in what could be a tough test for Chip Kelly's Ducks.
LaMichael James and company are looking to regroup after a close call against Cal. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are coming off consecutive losses to Stanford and USC, and are looking to maintain their prospects of playing in a New Year's Day bowl game before heading into their dance in the desert with Arizona State.
Oregon will have to come out with a much stronger effort this week than it did against the Golden Bears in order to put up yet another win at Autzen Stadium.
If the Ducks keep their eyes too strongly fixated on the prize, they may very well trip up and fall before they ever get there.
No. 4 Boise State at No. 19 Nevada, Friday, 10:30 PM ET
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Boise State will have a golden opportunity this weekend to finally make its way into the national championship picture.
Aside from the threats faced by the top two teams in the BCS standings, the fourth-ranked Broncos will cap off Friday's slate of games with a tussle against 19th-ranked Nevada.
Beating a ranked team in their own conference, and doing so soundly, would likely do wonders to boost the profile of Chris Petersen's squad, both in the minds of poll voters and in the tabulations of the computers.
Such will require yet another sparkling effort by Heisman-contending quarterback Kellen Moore, who has been one loss shy of perfect ever since his debut on the Smurf Turf.
This game will likely go a long way toward determining whether or not a team from a non-AQ conference can, or will, play for the BCS title.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 8 Ohio State vs. Michigan, Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
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Even with Michigan solidly out of the BCS and Big Ten title picture, Saturday's edition of The Game against The Ohio State University should be a doozy.
The eighth-ranked Buckeyes are in the thick of the Big Ten race, running neck-and-neck with Michigan State and Wisconsin all the way to the finish line.
Jim Tressel will look to star quarterback Terrelle Pryor to extend Ohio State's win streak over the Wolverines to seven games and keep his team's Rose Bowl dreams alive.
Of course, Rich Rodriguez's players will have something to say about that.
Most notably, the Buckeyes will have to deal with quarterback Denard Robinson, who has danced and dodged defenders all season to become the first player in college football history with more than 1,500 yards passing AND 1,500 yards rushing.
With Rich-Rod's job potentially on the line, expect Robinson and his Wolverine teammates to come into this rivalry game with fangs at the ready.
No. 16 Virginia Tech vs. Virginia, Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
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Frank Beamer once again has Virginia Tech in the hunt for a BCS bowl berth.
Since relinquishing their season opener to Boise State and embarrassing themselves in a loss to FCS cupcake James Madison, the Hokies have gone undefeated in the admittedly woeful Atlantic Coast Conference.
Va-Tech has already secured itself a place in the ACC Championship Game against either North Carolina State or Florida State, but will first have to contend with woeful in-state rival Virginia on Saturday.
Will Tyrod Taylor and company be caught looking ahead to the conference title game and suffer another embarrassing loss, or will they end the regular season on a high note?
No. 5 LSU at No. 12 Arkansas, Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
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The Iron Bowl isn't the only SEC game this weekend with huge BCS implications.
There's quite a bit still at stake in Saturday's bout between fifth-ranked LSU and 12th-ranked Arkansas.
Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks are looking to throw themselves into the BCS mess, while the Bayou Bengals, led by Jordan Jefferson, are hoping to leapfrog their way into the national title game should there be any slip-ups among the top four teams in the BCS standings.
Like Oregon, which is currently slated for the BCS title game, Les Miles' gang will have to perform better this week than it did last week against Ole Miss to keeps its national championship aspirations alive.
All of this should make for some fun-filled football festivities in Little Rock.
No. 10 Michigan State at Penn State, Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
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Tenth-ranked Michigan State's season has turned out be among the most surprising in the country, and for more reasons than one.
While it is shocking enough that Kirk Cousins and company are sitting at 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten, they've managed to do so amidst the health concerns of their head coach, Mark Dantonio.
The Spartans enter their season finale against Penn State in a three-way tie for the Big Ten lead and, hence, are playing with a shot at the Rose Bowl on the line.
But don't expect Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions to lay down, especially with the game set to take place in Happy Valley.
Whether it's JoePa or Dantonio who emerges with a smile on his face is anybody's guess.
No. 7 Wisconsin vs. Northwestern, Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
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Speaking of the Big Ten title race, seventh-ranked Wisconsin currently stands as the highest-rated of the three teams currently vying for the conference crown.
Not that any of that matters to Northwestern.
The Wildcats will step onto the field at hostile Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, their bowl eligibility already sewn up, with their eyes toward a huge upset.
To do so, they'll have to find a way to slow down the Badgers' three-headed backfield monster of John Clay, Montee Ball and James White, each of whom has run for 13 touchdowns so far this season.
Coach Bret Bielema and Badger Nation certainly would not be pleased if Wisconsin loses with the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth on the line.
No. 3 TCU at New Mexico, Saturday, 4:00 PM ET
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Third-ranked TCU is both blessed and cursed to face New Mexico in its season finale on Saturday.
On the one hand, the Horned Frogs are virtually guaranteed a second consecutive undefeated regular season with only the woeful 1-10 Lobos standing in their way.
On the other hand, unless Andy Dalton leads the Frogs to an absolute demolition job in Albuquerque, TCU may find itself leapfrogged in the second-to-last BCS standings by teams like Boise State and LSU, without any more games on the schedule to prove its case.
Regardless, coach Gary Patterson has his team poised to make its second straight appearance in a BCS bowl.
However, the Frogs would be hard-pressed to sneak their way into the National Championship Game unless everything somehow falls their way.
No. 6 Stanford vs. Oregon State, Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
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While TCU is guaranteed a spot in the BCS with a win, sixth-ranked Stanford may find itself on the outside looking in even with a convincing win over Oregon State this weekend.
Should Oregon finish the season undefeated, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal would have to vie for an at-large bid with teams like TCU and Boise State to make it into the Big Dance on New Year's Day.
Of course, that's assuming they can get past Jacquizz Rodgers and the erratic Beavers in Palo Alto.
Though Oregon State is still short of bowl eligibility, Mike Riley's crew did manage to knock off USC once again in Corvallis, demonstrating that the Beavers are as likely to be studs as they are duds (see Oregon State's loss at UCLA).
Add to this the possibility of Jim Harbaugh leaving for a high-profile gig (at Michigan or in the NFL) and of Andrew Luck making the leap into the NFL draft, and it may be now or never for the resurgent Cardinal football program.
No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Oklahoma, Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
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The best game of the weekend may just be the one saved for last.
With no teams in the national title hunt, the Big 12 has been largely forgotten this season, but Saturday's Bedlam game between ninth-ranked Oklahoma State and 13th-ranked Oklahoma should bring some of the fervor back.
Just in time for the conference to shrink back to ten teams.
In one corner of this rivalry bout are Mike Gundy's Cowboys. The Pokes have managed to shock the world in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year by picking up 10 wins in 11 games, including a 6-1 mark in the Big 12, thanks in large part to the historically prolific aerial assault of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
In the other corner are Bob Stoops' Sooners. Led by All-Big 12 quarterback Landry Jones, perennial power Oklahoma is looking to ride its way back into the BCS picture by beating OK State and mucking up the picture in the Big 12 South.
Essentially, if the Pokes win, they go to the Big 12 title game.
However, if the Sooners take their rivalry game, and 17th-ranked Texas A&M prevails over Texas, the Big 12 South will have itself a three-way tie, which would likely be broken in favor of Oklahoma.
Eat up, everybody!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
