BCS Rankings: Where Will Every BCS Top 25 Team Finish the Year, Higher or Lower?

The latest BCS rankings are out and it is time to dissect who is going to move up and who is on their way down.

Thus far in the season, the Top Five teams have dominated the competition and one has to think there will soon be closer games on the horizon in the upcoming weeks.

Is there a dark-horse BCS contender outside of the Top 10 and which team in the current Top 10 will fail to make a BCS bowl?

I give my predictions on whether each team will be ranked higher or lower when the regular season comes to a close.

No. 25 Washington

Maybe I am drinking the purple Kool-Aide a bit too soon, but I love the Huskies' chances of going 9-3 this season which would include an upset over either Stanford, Oregon or USC.

Finish: Higher

No. 24 Texas

The Longhorns were just destroyed by Oklahoma and they followed it up by losing by double digits at home against a very good Oklahoma State team. With the Aggies, Bears, Wildcats and Tigers of Missouri still on the schedule, I see no realistic possibility of Texas staying in the Top 25.

Finish: Lower

No. 23 Illinois

The Illini suffered a terrible loss at home to an inept offensive Ohio State team. Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan are all going to get their points, so it might be important to avoid turning the ball over before you go 8-4 or 7-5. 

Finish: Lower

No. 22 Georgia Tech

Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech are all up next for the Yellow Jackets. That spells big trouble for Georgia Tech since their defense could not stop my high school football team right now.

Finish: Lower

No. 21 Penn State

Penn State has Illinois and Northwestern next which should enable them to get their confidence even higher up until they face Nebraska at home. However, they could pull off an upset over the Huskers. Still, they must to go Columbus and Madison where most teams do not come out alive. 

Finish: Barely Lower

No. 20 Auburn

Have you seen their schedule? Congrats on those wins over South Carolina and Florida, but LSU, Georgia and Alabama are licking their chops right now. Auburn is a legit Top 25 team at the moment, but they better get healthy fast or else the team may fall apart. 

Finish: Lower

No. 19 Houston

Their defense has to eventually cost them a game, right? Well, the competition is not getting that much tougher and I will gladly take Case Keenum and his filthy receiving corps over the rest of Conference USA all day. I smell a 13-0 and Top 15 ranking in six weeks.

Finish: Higher

No. 18 Michigan

I am taking a risk banking on Denard Robinson and that he will stay healthy for the remainder of the season, but he is still a lot better than the rest of the competition he will face. Perhaps just Nebraska will outscore the Wolverines, so I foresee possibly a 10-win season.

Finish: Higher

No. 17 Texas A&M

The Aggies still need to go to Norman where the Sooners lose once every 10 years, so I am not sold on A&M getting much higher in the polls. Plus, they still need to go Manhattan as well, though I do see an upset over the Wildcats (that sounds weird with the preseason poll stuck in my head).

Finish: Barely Higher

No. 16 Michigan State

If the Spartans were to borrow some magic from last season and get by their next two games unscathed, we might just see them in the Top 10 very soon. I doubt they are able to knock off the Badgers at home and the Huskers in Lincoln, but I like their chances of winning all of the rest of their games.

Finish: Barely Higher

No. 15 West Virginia

Who is going to beat West Virginia? Rutgers and Cincinnati should give them solid games, but there is a decent chance the Mountaineers run the table from here on out. 

Finish: Higher

No. 14 South Carolina

Don't be shocked if the Gamecocks lose three more regular-season games. The schedule is fairly soft still, but the offense may become inept without their superstar Marcus Lattimore. Clemson should be highly ranked in the season finale, plus Arkansas is already in the Top 10 and they await next weekend.

Finish: Much Lower

No. 13 Nebraska

I am going to be one of the few people that eat some corn with the rest of Lincoln as I fully buy this team. Now do I buy them as a legit Top 10 team? No! But I truly believe they have an excellent chance at running the table and getting a rematch with the Badgers, who hammered them in Madison.

Take a look at their schedule and outside of Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan, they are at a cakewalk. Two of those three games above are on the road, however I still love Taylor Martinez's ability to run the football against those defenses.

Finish: Barely Higher

No. 12 Virginia Tech

The Hokies have an extremely favorable schedule out there, as they should be favored the next six weeks until they play Clemson in the ACC Championship. They still must get by Georgia Tech on the road, but I like the Hokies to be at 11-1 until they get dethroned by the Clemson Tigers.

Finish: Barely Lower

No. 11 Kansas State

Let it be known that I love this team since I have already talked about how they are the most underrated team in the nation despite the ranking. They have received no love until now, which makes me believe it will slowly go downhill in a few weeks. They the Sooners at home on Oct. 29th until they must go up against A&M, Oklahoma State and Texas.

Hang on for the roller coaster ride we are about to jump on.

Finish: Much Lower

No. 10 Oregon

LaMichael James and Darron Thomas should return soon for the Ducks and I am banking on the Ducks to get a huge win in Palo Alto. This Pac-12 race is starting to heat up with USC and Washington playing better, but the Ducks rushing attack against ASU was the most entertaining part of this past weekend.

They will be on their way to another Pac-12 Championship if they can avoid a stunning loss to UW and if they take care of business against the Cardinal.

Finish: Higher

No. 9 Arkansas

The Razorbacks have a great opportunity to jump into the BCS standings if they run the table going into their game against LSU in Baton Rouge.

However, only two teams from the same conference make a BCS bowl, but the Razorbacks could be flying with confidence if they meet up with an LSU team that already has a loss. The winner would then be a lock to at worst reach the BCS Sugar Bowl. I like the Tigers defense a tad more than the Razorbacks offense, which will be the end-all result.

Finish: Barely Lower

No. 8 Stanford

The Cardinal will have a tough sledding against the likes of Oregon and Notre Dame down the road. Though they are both road games, I am still not buying the Cardinal as legit BCS National Championship contenders. Time will certainly tell though.

Finish: Lower

No. 7 Clemson

Who is going to knock off these Clemson Tigers? North Carolina, Georgia Tech and South Carolina should be tough outs for the Tigers, but I can't go against this high-octane offense until it sputters. Even if they beat Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game and they finish 13-0, they will be left out of the national championship unless the teams ahead of them lose a game or two.

Finish: Barely Higher

No. 6 Wisconsin

The Badgers' schedule starts to pick a bit and it starts with a night trip to East Lansing. The Spartans are about to find out how legit they are when they take on the highest-scoring offense in the nation.

The Badgers will not fall apart by any means, but I doubt they go unscathed in the Big Ten. History has proven it rarely ever happens, though this Badgers bunch has the tools to do it. 

Finish: Lower

No. 5 Boise State

The Broncos are likely to run the table if their offense continues to get production form Doug Martin. The defense is teeing off on teams right now and with two of the Top Four losing a game this season, the Broncos would be a lock for a Top Four finish.

Finish: Higher

No. 4 Oklahoma State

Can the Cowboys knock off the Sooners at the end of the season? Also, can they avoid an upset this weekend against Missouri?

This offense is as good as any in the nation. The defense is extremely opportunistic, causing turnovers with a few athletic freaks roaming the sidelines. If they can avoid some turnovers of their own they have a shot at playing in the BCS National Championship, but I am not buying yet.

Finish: Lower

No. 3 Oklahoma

Call me crazy, but I think the Sooners are going to trip up very soon. Kansas State is inching ever so closely, but their high-powered offense sputtered at times against Kansas. It is funny since they still hung 600 yards and 45-plus points on them, but if they cannot stop the run they will not have their offense on the field as much.

Kansas State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State will put a scare into the Sooners before it is all said and done. 

Finish: Lower

No. 2 Alabama

Well, you can't get much higher then No. 2—unless, of course, you are No. 1. I doubt I would pick the Tide atop the rankings and the polls if they were to play LSU in Baton Rouge. However, payback is in store from last season and with a BCS National Championship berth on the line, expect Saban to pull out all the stops.

Finish: Higher

No. 1 LSU

The LSU Tigers are soaring above the rest of the nation right now, but they still have to get by Alabama to reach the BCS National Championship. The stakes will be at an all-time high and the loser will likely be out of the title chase.

LSU has all the pieces to go 14-0 and they could easily knock off Alabama, however they will need to pull off a few tricks on the Alabama defense. The Tide will not allow LSU to run the ball down their throats so this game should come down to Reuben Randle, Russell Shephard and Odell Beckham stretching the field against the Tide's secondary.

If those players can put together one fine game they will be rewarded with a chance to win the BCS National Championship.

Finish: Lower