BCS Standings Week 9: Predictions for Every Top 25 Team

After watching Oklahoma and Wisconsin become the first two major college football casualties of the 2011 season, you have to now wonder which highly-ranked team will be the next to fall.

No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama will both be sitting at home this weekend, gearing up for their colossal showdown on Nov. 5.

No. 4 Boise State will also take a break to rest up for the stretch run of the season.

That doesn’t mean, though, that we won’t see some major shakeups to the BCS standings this week.

There’s a lot of room for some more upsets, and it will be fun to see which teams survive and which teams fall.

Here’s a look at my Week 9 predictions for the Top 25 teams in the BCS standings.

No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys

Prediction: Oklahoma State 52, Baylor 35

This one will feature two of the most explosive offenses in the country going up against very mediocre defenses, so the scoreboard operator should be ready for a busy day. 

Baylor QB Robert Griffin III is the most dangerous single offensive weapon in the country, but the Cowboys have the more complete team and the benefit of home-field advantage. 

The Bears have to prove they can handle life on the road before they can be considered trustworthy.

No. 5 Clemson Tigers

Prediction: Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 17

Clemson has to be wary of a letdown game after putting a whooping on North Carolina last week, but you just can’t like the way this Georgia Tech offense has been playing lately after getting off to a hot start.

The Tigers will still have to make sure they stay disciplined and patient on defense to contain Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack, which is capable of breaking a big play at any time.

Clemson is riding a lot of momentum right now, but this isn’t a team that’s used to this kind of success, and it will be interesting to see how they handle this kind of tricky test.

No. 6 Stanford Cardinal

Prediction: USC 35, Stanford 27

Is it OK to buy into this USC team yet?

Sure, the Trojans had a down season last year, but after a big win on the road last week, they’re now 6-1, and they’ll be looking to make a big statement against Stanford on Saturday at the Coliseum.

The Cardinal have looked like a machine so far this season, but they haven’t played a team nearly as good as USC yet.

Everyone is talking about Andrew Luck, but don’t forget about USC's Matt Barkley, who has proven he can win big games before.

No. 7 Oregon Ducks

Prediction: Oregon 61, Washington State 20

Washington State is a step up from Colorado, but not that big of a step up. 

Oregon should win this one easily, whether the second-teamers are in or not.

The Ducks know they have to start making statements with big blowouts, and this will be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats and No. Oklahoma Sooners

Prediction: Oklahoma 35, Kansas State 17

Kansas State has been one of the surprise stories of the 2011 season, as the Wildcats have gone from unranked afterthought to Top 10 team, but the fairy tale will end this weekend.

It’s hard to trust Big Game Bob’s Sooners after that embarrassing effort last week, but Oklahoma is more talented on both sides of the ball, and if they actually show up in Manhattan this weekend, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to prevail over an inferior Kansas State team.

No. 10 Arkansas Razrobacks

Prediction: Vanderbilt 27, Arkansas 24

Last week at Mississippi, Arkansas proved that it was allergic to 12:21 kickoffs on the road; however, somehow the Razorbacks clawed their way back after a painfully slow start to get a 29-24 win.

They better make sure they wake up early enough at Vanderbilt this weekend.

Keep an eye on new Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers, Aaron's little brother. He could be dangerous. 

No. 11 Michigan State Spartans and No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Prediction: Michigan State 29, Nebraska 24

After two highly emotional victories in the past two weeks, it’s going to be very difficult for Michigan State to get up for this Saturday's matchup with Nebraska, and there’s definitely a strong chance that this could be a major letdown game for the Spartans.

After last week’s last-second win against Wisconsin, the Spartans are going to have to figure out a way to get amped up on the road against a very solid Nebraska team.

It certainly won’t be easy, but this team does have a lot of momentum and positive energy right now.

No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies

Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Duke 10

I'll go out on a limb and say that this game won't be one to save on the DVR. 

Duke's decent, the early start time on the road is a little scary and Virginia Tech has a habit of playing down to its competition, but if the Hokies can't beat the Blue Devils by at least two scores, then they don't deserve a Top 15 BCS ranking.

No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks

Prediction: South Carolina 36, Tennessee 24

South Carolina’s past track record in Knoxville is terrible, but the Gamecocks should be able to reverse that trend this year, even without star running back Marcus Lattimore.

Tennessee’s got some talent, but the Vols also have Matt Simms playing quarterback.

Enough said.

No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers

Prediction: Wisconsin 30, Ohio State 20

This is a very dangerous game for Wisconsin.

Ohio State has had two weeks to prepare for the Badgers, and you can never tell how a team is going to respond to the type of devastating loss that Wisconsin experienced last week.

Wisconsin is better in practically every phase of the game, but this one is going to be all about what type of emotion both teams play with.

No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies

Prediction: Missouri 37, Texas A&M 34

Texas A&M is 5-2 and Missouri is 3-4, but in reality, these two teams are very evenly matched on paper.

Texas A&M’s secondary appears to be trying to redefine the word atrocious, as the Aggies rank dead last in the country in pass defense, giving up an average of 335 yards through the air per game.

Let’s see if James Franklin, T.J. Moe and Michael Egnew can take advantage of that glaring weakness.

No. 17 Houston Cougars

Prediction: Houston 55, Rice 24

On Friday night, the powerful Houston offense will get another weak defense to feast on.

All you need to know about this game is that Houston ranks No. 1 in the country in total offense and Rice ranks 115th.

Get ready for another meaningless blowout by the Cougars. 

No. 18 Michigan Wolverines

Prediction: Michigan 38, Purdue 17

Purdue is a pesky team this year, and the Boilermakers proved that last week when they took down Illinois, but it’s doubtful that they’ll be able to match that effort against Michigan on Saturday. 

These aren’t the same Wolverines that folded down the stretch last season.

QB Denard Robinson and the rest of the maize and blue crew have had an extra week to get over the loss to Michigan State, and they should be able to rebound with a big performance on Saturday.

No. 19 Penn State Nittany Lions

Prediction: Illinois 27, Penn State 24

After starting off the year 6-0, Illinois is beginning to slide fast with back-to-back losses. 

The Illini have a dangerous offensive weapon in QB Nathan Scheelhaase, but the question is, do they have the pieces in place to beat Penn State on the road?

I could see this game going either way, but I think Illinois is the more desperate team right now.

No. 20 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Prediction: Texas Tech 38, Iowa State 20

It’s always tough to tell how a team is going to respond after making an unexpected statement against a top-five team the week before, but if Texas Tech can recover from the Oklahoma hangover, the Red Raiders shouldn’t have too much trouble with Iowa State on Saturday.

No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils

Prediction: Arizona State 45, Colorado 20

Colorado has not been enjoying its first year in the Pac-12, and that misery will continue on Saturday in Tempe.

No. 22 Georgia Bulldogs

Prediction: Georgia 17, Florida 10

This game may not have the same type of juice and hype as in years past, but I have a feeling it’s still going to be a slugfest.

These are two talented and physical defenses, and there are going to be bodies and helmets flying all over the place down there in Jacksonville on Saturday.

No. 23 Auburn Tigers

Prediction: Auburn 24, Ole Miss 17

With all due respect to Michael Dyer, who I think is one of the top five backs in the country, I still have to ask this question.

Is there any reason to bother watching either of these two teams this year?

No. 24 Texas Longhorns

Prediction: Texas 38, Kansas 3

If you’re ever looking to get your season back on track after two tough losses, here’s a tip:

Play Kansas!

No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers

Prediction: West Virginia 33, Rutgers 27

West Virginia got embarrassed at Syracuse last Friday night, which has left the Mountaineers clinging to a BCS ranking.

Dana Holgorsen will have to take his team back out on the road this weekend to visit a dangerous Rutgers team.

We’ll find out if West Virginia is really a true Big East contender, or if the Mountaineers were overvalued at the beginning of the year.