BCS Rankings 2011: Michigan and 3 Teams That Will Bolster Their BCS Positioning

With college football's first set of BCS rankings set to come out in a week's time, many of the nation's top contenders will be jockeying for position in Week 7.

While the initial rankings mean little, they are a sign of a particular team's status in the current college football landscape. Many teams will undoubtedly want to be ranked highly, so they will have to make a statement this weekend.

Here are three teams that will make a last-ditch effort to improve their BCS rankings with wins on Saturday.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

As the top offensive team in the nation, the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys are certainly one of the nation's best teams, but they haven't gotten the acclaim that other undefeated squads like LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma have.

Much of that probably has to do with a fairly weak schedule that has featured only one impressive win, over the Texas A&M Aggies. The Cowboys will have another opportunity to prove that they are for real this weekend, though, when they travel to take on the No. 22 Texas Longhorns.

The Longhorns are coming off a drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma, but beating them would still be considered a signature win for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State likely won't be satisfied with a narrow win either, so I expect them to run up the score in hopes of being mentioned with the top National Championship contenders.

Oregon Ducks

Since being romped by No. 1 LSU in Week 1, the No. 9 Oregon Ducks have looked as impressive as ever—particularly on offense. They will receive their first true test since that loss to LSU this weekend, when they host the No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils.

Things won't be easy for the Ducks, as they will likely be without the services of star running back and Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James after he suffered an elbow injury against California last week.

With that in mind, a victory over a tough Arizona State team would look even more impressive with James out of the lineup.

The Sun Devils have been very impressive defensively, so the Ducks won't have an easy go of things, but quarterback Darron Thomas is perfectly capable of carrying the Ducks' offense on his back.

A win will prove to the voters (and perhaps the computers) that Oregon is still a formidable contender. 

Michigan Wolverines

Say what you will about the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines being overrated and playing beyond their talent level, but the fact remains that they are 6-0 and have won nearly all of their games in convincing fashion (with the exception of a last-second victory over Notre Dame).

The Wolverines haven't had a particularly tough schedule to this point, but quarterback Denard Robinson has been excellent through the air and on the ground, and the defense has been far superior to what it was last season.

Michigan will face its stiffest competition this weekend, when it takes on the No. 23 Michigan State Spartans on the road. This game certainly has the makings of a grind-it-out affair, but under new head coach Brady Hoke, the Wolverines seem perfectly capable of winning that type of game.

If Michigan is, in fact, victorious on Saturday, then it may well find itself in the Top 10 when the rankings are released.