BCS Rankings 2011: Nebraska Among 3 Teams Who Benefited from Others' Struggles

The first BCS rankings of 2011 were revealed on Sunday night, and a few teams greatly benefited from others' misfortunes. 

Had a few teams won on Saturday, then others wouldn't be as high as they are right now. Since that didn't happen, some teams have new-found confidence that will no doubt make some fans quite cocky. 

Here are three teams that received more love from the BCS because others fell flat on their face. 

No. 13 Nebraska 

Heading into this past weekend I didn't believe the Cornhuskers should be in the BCS Top 15. There's a very good chance they would be just outside of it, had teams like Michigan, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Texas all won. 

That didn't happen, and now the Cornhuskers are in a great position, despite having a relatively easy schedule. Nebraska has yet to show me they're an elite team, but there is still time to do just that.

Since the Cornhuskers received a good ranking, it should help them to thrive in the coming weeks, but there's still that chance they falter and prove that they're overrated.  

No. 14 South Carolina 

Much like Nebraska, I didn't see the Gamecocks as a BCS Top 15 team, but when other teams lost this past weekend it gave South Carolina a chance.

The Gamecocks somehow escaped defeat this past weekend against Mississippi State, but the win came with a price: They lost their top running back for the season.

Marcus Lattimore is done for the year, which means the Gamecocks' season is hanging by a thread. 

No. 19 Houston 

The BCS does love winners, which is why the 6-0 Cougars find themselves in the Top 20. However, they wouldn't be there if some teams didn't lose this past weekend. 

Houston had an off week, but even if the Cougars had played they wouldn't be this high if other teams had won.

The Cougars have yet to play a ranked team, and it will stay that way all season long.

Rank	Team	BCS Points
1	LSU	.9522
2	Alabama	.9519
3	Oklahoma	.930
4	Oklahoma State	.857
5	Boise State	.803
6	Wisconsin	.771
7	Clemson	.758
8	Stanford	.748
9	Arkansas	.626
10	Oregon	.619
11	Kansas State	.569
12	Virginia Tech	.505
13	Nebraska	.497
14	South Carolina	.491
15	West Virginia	.373
16	Michigan State	.329
17	Texas A&M	.308
18	Michigan	.300
19	Houston	.286
20	Auburn	.265
21	Penn State	.231
22	Georgia Tech	.197
23	Illinois	.152
24	Texas	.135
25	Washington	.087