BCS Contenders: Statistical Bonus or Bust

Some teams gave themselves one more boost before the BCS standings were released while others did not measure up. Let's look at this weekend's games and see who will benefit.

Texas cemented No. 1, dominating Missouri at home. Colt McCoy must be looked at as a real Heisman Trophy candidate at this point in the season.

Alabama, on the other hand, could have lost to Ole Miss very easily if not for just a couple of keys plays. Alabama gave up a fake field goal for a touchdown. It also had a key fourth-down stop in the second half; without it, this game could have spelled doom for the Crimson Tide. Alabama may drop a spot in the rankings.

Michigan battled Penn State valiantly for a half, but the quality of the Penn State team was obvious as The Nittany Lions turned this game into a blowout. Penn State deserves the No. 2 ranking.

Oklahoma handled No. 22 Kansas without too much difficulty but lost its No. 1 receiver to injury. That could be serious, but Oklahoma is loaded offensively. I think they deserve to remain at No. 4.

Now things get a little more complicated. Florida had an off week and USC blew out Washington State, 69-0. Can Florida keep the No. 4 spot or will USC move up? We will see.

Texas Tech had a nice day, beating A&M, 43-25, after a slow start. Can they slide up or remain at No. 7? Graham Harrell recorded five touchdowns, three passing and two rushing.

Oklahoma State had an easy time with Baylor, 34-6, and should not drop any lower.

Georgia won, 24-14, over Vanderbilt and will maybe hang on to No. 10.

We know BYU is toast after a loss to TCU and has no chance to be ranked anywhere near Nos. 1 through 6 throughout the rest of the year!

Ohio State beat Michigan State and will move back up in the rankings a tad, maybe into the top 10. The Penn State-Ohio State game is big for both teams now.

LSU dropped further out of the chase after a poor showing against South Carolina.

Boise State beat an uninspired Hawaii team and may slide up a notch or two.

Utah got a victory over Colorado State, 49-16, but it's sure hard to crack the top 10 being in a weaker conference than the Big 12, Big 10, or SEC.

Honorable mention to South Florida for stomping Syracuse, 45-13. South Florida has a pretty good team.

Wake Forest lost to Maryland, 26-0, and that will knock them out of the top 25.

Boston College knocked out Virginia Tech from a good ranking, as well.

Finally, Pitt and Florida State may climb into the top 20 and top 25, respectively.

That's about all the games that matter in the BCS standings once they are released on Sunday.

My projections put Texas No. 1, Penn State No. 2, Alabama No. 3, Oklahoma No. 4, and Florida No. 5.

Followed by USC, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and Georgia.

Utah and Boise State should make it to just out of the top 10.

The ratings come out for the BCS on Sunday, then people can really start arguing.

Good luck to all your favorites,

Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland.