BCS Rankings 2011: Wisconsin Badgers and Teams That Will Rise After Week 8

Now that the first batch of BCS rankings have been released, teams finally know exactly where they stand and how many teams they'll need to jump over to reach the ultimate goal. Here are three teams that will rise toward the top with big Week 8 victories.

No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin has just one win over a ranked team this season, which is likely the main reason the computers don't like the Badgers as much as human voters do. Saturday's trip to Michigan State will give them the opportunity to pick up a marquee win.

The Spartans are coming off a triumph over rival Michigan and are ranked 16th by the BCS. They are allowing barely more than 10 points per game and will be the Badgers offense's biggest test so far. It's hard to imagine them slowing down Russell Wilson and Montee Ball for the entire game, though.

Prediction: Badgers by 10

Projected Ranking: 4

No. 8 Stanford Cardinal

Stanford, which has had concerns raised about its weak schedule so far, catches a break with the BCS ranking Washington inside the top 25. Paired with a trip to USC and a game against No. 10 Oregon on the horizon, the Cardinal schedule isn't as much of a concern, at least for now.

Washington allowed 51 points to Nebraska, which means the Cardinal offense, led by superstar quarterback Andrew Luck, should be able to rack up a lot of points on Saturday. It's a game that not only has BCS implications, but big Pac-12 consequences as well.

Prediction: Cardinal by 17

Projected Ranking: 6

No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia got handled rather easily by LSU earlier in the season, so the Mountaineers aren't national title contenders, but the game against Syracuse is big in terms of getting the Big East's automatic bid into a BCS game.

Syracuse has had an up-and-down season, but did knock off a formidable Wake Forest squad and their only home loss came in a controversial game against Rutgers. The Mountaineers, led by Geno Smith, can't afford a letdown in Friday's prime-time clash.

Prediction: Mountaineers by 12

Projected Ranking: 13