BCS Rankings: Stanford and 3 Teams That Won't Be in the Final BCS Rankings Top 8

If we learned anything from Week 8 of the 2011 College Football season, it's that things can and will change quickly—especially where BCS tenterhooks are concerned.

Sunday's latest rankings saw two teams from the initial Top Eight—Oklahoma and Wisconsin—drop down on account of shocking defeats (Texas Tech and Michigan State, respectively).

These three teams figure to suffer similar falls at some point or another (for one reason or another) before all is said and done.

Stanford

I'm as impressed by what Stanford has accomplished this season as much as the next guy, but it's tough to imagine the Cardinal not slipping up at some point.

Sure, they've looked about as good as any team in college football outside of the SEC, with wins by 25 points or more in each of their last 10 games dating back to last season. They have won 14 games in a row, and quarterback Andrew Luck looks well on his way to the '11 Heisman if he keeps playing this well.

However, Luck and Co. showed some serious vulnerability in the first half of their 65-21 win against Washington, when Huskies running back Chris Polk gutted their defense for touchdown runs of 46 and 61 yards.

Granted, it's not Luck's fault that the Cardinal weren't the staunchest in defense Saturday night, but that doesn't change the fact that they'll face athletes who are just as fast and as talented—if not more so—when they face off with USC next weekend and No. 7 Oregon two weeks thereafter.

Remember that Stanford's last loss came against Oregon in 2010, when an exhausted Cardinal defense was eventually overrun by Oregon's relentless offensive efficiency in the second half of what would become a 52-31 beat down in Eugene.

And if the computers didn't like Stanford enough to put them higher than sixth after the way the team has demolished its opponents to this point, you can only imagine what they'll think if/when the Trees finally get chopped down.

Boise State

The Broncos should be used to getting shafted by now. Quarterback Kellen Moore has guided Boise State to a 7-0 start and a No. 4 place in the newest BCS rankings, but the Prosser, Wash. native will need some serious help if his team is to avoid dropping down the rankings as the schedule weakens from here on out.

Aside from blowing out UNLV, TCU, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico—who have a combined record of 14-18 to this point—the Broncos must keep their fingers crossed that Georgia, whom they coasted past 35-21 in the season opener, continues to play well—even well enough to win the SEC East (the Bulldogs are currently 5-2).

Not that Boise State is necessarily in any danger of not making yet another BCS bowl if it wins out, but sneaking into the BCS National Championship Game will require the sort of slight of hand that even head coach Chris Petersen will be hard-pressed to devise.

In the meantime, one-loss teams like Arkansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Virginia Tech could, if they continue to win, overtake the Broncos in the rankings.

Kansas State

Frankly, the Wildcats are lucky to be undefeated and ranked eighth in the BCS at this point. They barely beat Eastern Kentucky in Week 1 and have nearly succumbed to Miami, Baylor, Missouri and Texas Tech since that narrow win.

And that, by the way, was the easy part of K-State's schedule.

Now, head coach Bill Snyder must brace his team for a pivotal four-game stretch—vs. Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State, vs. Texas A&M and at Texas—that could very well knock the 'Cats not only from the ranks of the unbeaten, but also out of the Big 12 title race and the BCS altogether.

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9702
2	Alabama	.9627
3	Oklahoma State	.9240
4	Boise State	.8302
5	Clemson	.8240
6	Stanford	.8124
7	Oregon	.6877
8	Kansas State	.6681
9	Oklahoma	.6642
10	Arkansas	.6581
11	Michigan State	.538
12	Virginia Tech	.534
13	South Carolina	.501
14	Nebraska	.439
15	Wisconsin	.433
16	Texas A&M	.428
17	Houston	.368
18	Michigan	.342
19	Penn State	.307
20	Texas Tech	.201
21	Arizona State	.163
22	Georgia	.159
23	Auburn	.131
24	Texas	.119
25	West Virginia	.073