College Football: First BCS Rankings of 2011; so Far so Perfect

The first BCS rankings of the 2011 college football season have been released and I could not be more excited.  Wait, you don’t like the BCS?  I guess that means I am one of the few who actually favors the BCS over a play-off.

Believe it or not, there are actually people out there who like the BCS.  I happen to be one of them.

For now, I will spare you my arguments on why the BCS is actually better than a play-off.  However, as the weeks continue to pass and the BCS unfolds, I will be writing a lot more about why I favor the BCS.  If you are interested in reading my reasons, please stay tuned.      

Until then, let’s take a look at the first BCS rankings of 2011.

LSU is No. 1

If you are a fan of the Crimson Tide, I would not worry about the current rankings that have Alabama in the No. 2 spot.  In fact, it’s not really worth your time arguing over whether LSU or Alabama should be ranked No. 1, as these two teams will be playing each other on Nov. 5. 

The State of Oklahoma

It can also be said that it’s not worth arguing over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.  These two teams are ranked No. 3 and 4 respectively, and are set to play each other on Dec. 3.    

Lucky No. 5

Boise State is ranked No. 5 and it is the No. 5 spot where things start to get interesting.  Currently, the Broncos are sixth in the computer rankings, and fifth and seventh in the human polls.  As of today, that leaves the Broncos ranked fifth in the BCS standings.

Wisconsin is right behind Boise State in the No. 6 spot.  Apparently the human polls love the Badgers more than the Broncos, as both the human polls have Wisconsin ranked fourth. 

However, it is the computer rankings that are dragging the Badgers back to their overall sixth ranked position, as their computer ranking is currently 11th best. 

It will be interesting to see what the computers do with Wisconsin after this next weekend, when the Badgers travel to take on the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans. 

Wisconsin also takes on Ohio State, Illinois, and Penn State later this season.  If those teams remain ranked, the computers will take notice if Wisconsin goes undefeated.

No Respect

Clemson is in the exact opposite position that Wisconsin is in.  Clemson debuts at No. 7 in the BCS standings, but it’s not because the human polls are drinking the Kool-aid. 

Both human polls have the Tigers ranked at No. 8, while the computer rankings have them in fifth. 

However, it is only the first week of the BCS.  If the Tigers can keep winning, there is plenty of time for the humans to get on the Clemson bandwagon. 

Points of Interest

Most people don’t pour over the rankings after they come out.  At best, most just take a look at the teams and where they are ranked.  For this reason, I want to point out a few things you may not have noticed in the first rankings of 2011.

No. 4 Oklahoma State is ranked No. 6 in both human polls, but is ranked No. 1 by the computer polls! 

Of the seven computer rankings, five have the Cowboys ranked No. 1 and two have them ranked No. 4.  After either LSU or Alabama loses to the other, the Cowboys will only need to defeat the Sooners to launch themselves into the No. 1 or 2 overall spot in the BCS standings. 

The Longhorns find themselves sitting in the No. 24 spot of the BCS.  They are the only team ranked in the BCS poll this week that is completely unranked in either of the human polls. 

Finally, Texas A&M is ranked No. 17 and can only be wondering “what if!?” 

What if, they had not blown those second-half leads to No. 9 Arkansas and No. 4 Oklahoma State?  One can only assume they would be currently sitting in the Top 5, awaiting the outcome of the LSU vs. Alabama game.