BCS Rankings: LSU vs. Alabama and the 10 Most Important Games Remaining

Every college football fan recognizes just how pivotal LSU and Alabama's Nov. 5 SEC showdown will be in deciding the January BCS lineup, but there are many other still-to-be-played games that will affect BCS rankings.

While the Tigers-Crimson Tide battle is lining up to be one of the best in recent memory, there are 120 FBS football teams—and eight of them are still undefeated.

These are the can't miss games to mark on your calendars through the rest of the regular season.

Oct. 29 — Oklahoma at Kansas State

Oklahoma needs to show that Saturday's crucial loss to Texas Tech was a fluke. The Sooners are not completely out of the BCS picture, but the team cannot afford to lose another game this season.

Shockingly, Kansas State remains undefeated, but there are still tons of doubters. Beating Oklahoma would not get them out of the woods, but it would be a big step towards converting voters into believers.

Oct. 29 — Clemson at Georgia Tech

Say what you want about Clemson, but there are not too many teams remaining on the ACC schedule that can defeat them. However, Georgia Tech is one of those teams. 

The Yellow Jackets appeared to forget how to score during the last two weeks despite starting the season as one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. A trip back home might be exactly what Georgia Tech needs to rediscover its mojo.

Clemson is immensely talented, but Dabo Swinney has a very young team, and the national pressure might start getting to them.

Oct. 29 — Michigan State at Nebraska

There are now five one-loss teams in the Big Ten, all of them competing for a chance to play in a BCS bowl. Of all the teams remaining though, Michigan State is the only team with an outside chance to play for a national championship.

The Spartans have been very impressive during their last two games—wins over Michigan and Wisconsin, both of whom were ranked in the top 15 at the time. However, each of those games was at home.

Michigan State will need to prove it can win a tough game on the road if it wants to enter any significant title discussion.

Nov. 5 — LSU at Alabama

This might be one of the best regular season games in recent memory—on a par with No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan back in '06.

Alabama and LSU rank first and third respectively in the nation in points allowed. Both offenses ooze talent as well, but it will be hard to envision either team scoring more than 20 points in this match up, where defenses seem destined to rule the roost.

It would be extremely disappointing if the winner of this game does not go on to at least play for the BCS National Championship.

Nov. 5 — Kansas State at Oklahoma State

If Kansas State is able to get past Oklahoma, this game all of a sudden ramps up in terms of excitement. Two Big 12 teams that have not been in the national discussion for years would have a chance to play themselves into January's national title game.

Unfortunately, neither team would be scot free after this game—even with a win. Each has a few more ranked opponents on the docket, including the Cowboys' epic battle with Oklahoma.

Nov. 12 — Oregon at Stanford

Finally Stanford will have a chance to prove itself after weeks spent steamrolling Pac-12 opponents. A win over the well-respected Ducks (it's easy to forget they are just one season removed from a national title appearance) will go a long way toward showing voters that it deserves mention as one of the best teams in the country.

Still, Oregon is playing for far more than pride. The team stumbled out of the gate with a loss to LSU in Dallas, but is still an outside contender to play for the national championship. If the Ducks can win on the road over Stanford, and their only blemish is that loss against the top-ranked Tigers, we might just see them sneak back into the title game.

Nov. 12 — TCU at Boise State

All Boise State does is win, but the poor team simply cannot fashion a schedule that will impress voters. TCU looked much better on the schedule in the preseason, but at two losses and in rebuilding mode after last season's Rose Bowl victory, the Horned Frogs will not help their conference rivals out too much.

However, if there is anyone that has a chance to defeat Boise State this season, its a TCU team that is very used to the national spotlight, and still very dangerous with Gary Patterson devising his devious defensive schemes.

Nov. 25 — Arkansas at LSU

If LSU defeats Alabama, most people will be ready to pencil in the Tigers for the BCS National Championship Game.

Those people should be a little more cautious.

Not only is Arkansas a great team that has the talent to defeat the Tigers, but Arkansas has BCS dreams of its own. The Razorbacks can create a three-way tie in the SEC West, and a win in the last game of the season might be able to convince voters to at least give the team an at-large bid.

Nov. 26 — Clemson at South Carolina

Clemson has a good chance at remaining undefeated going into the final game of the season against in-state rival South Carolina. The Gamecocks have lost its starting quarterback and running back for the season, but the team keeps on winning, albeit in precarious fashion.

Depending on how the cards fall, Clemson has a serious chance to play themselves into the championship game with a win in this match up. Few would have predicted this even a month ago, but it is beginning to look increasingly realistic.

Dec. 3 — Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

This game looked to have far more drastic implications on the national title discussion as early as two days ago. Many believed this could shape up as a "semi-final" game that would have the winner placed directly into the championship game.

But that was before Oklahoma lost Saturday's home game to Texas Tech.

Still, Oklahoma is not going away anytime soon. Even if the national championship is now out of the picture, the Sooners would love nothing more than to ruin Oklahoma State's perfect season and put themselves in the running for another Big 12 title.

I hope you fans are ready for another great finish to the college football season, because these next two months promise to be a doozy.