BCS Rankings Week 9: Oklahoma vs. Kansas State and Week's Most Important Games

The BCS rankings underwent a major overhaul following a couple shocking upsets over the weekend. There's another slate of important games in Week 9 that will likely lead to another shake up before the much ballyhooed Alabama vs. LSU game in Week 10.

But first, here are next Saturday's biggest games:

Illinois at Penn State

Illinois is one loss away from being officially eliminated from BCS contention, so if the Fighting Illini want to forge an amazing comeback it must start against Penn State. Nathan Scheelhaase will need more support from his offensive line to make that happen.

Led by a defense which ranks fifth in the nation in points allowed, the Nittany Lions are currently leading the Big Ten Leaders division. Saturday's game marks the beginning of a rough four-game stretch, though, so it's vitally important for Silas Redd and Co. to knock off a reeling Illinois squad.

Michigan State at Nebraska

Lost in the hysteria of its stunning Hail Mary victory over Wisconsin is the strong résumé Michigan State has built. If it weren't for a hiccup against Notre Dame, the Spartans would be in the national title conversation. They are still strong BCS contenders.

Nebraska has knocked off Ohio State and Washington, but is still looking for its first win over a ranked team when they welcome Michigan State to Memorial Stadium. Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez will both need to be in fine form to end the Spartans hot streak.

Oklahoma at Kansas State

Oklahoma was doomed by a brutal first half against Texas Tech. Hope is far from lost in Norman, though, because a win over Kansas State will immediately make them the most eligible one-loss team in the country.

On the flip side, Oklahoma is the first of four straight games against ranked teams for the Wildcats. There's been a lot of questions about the legitimacy of Kansas State's unbeaten record and they will all be answered by mid-November.

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