BCS Rankings 2011: Projecting the Week 10 Standings

It seemed like we had been waiting for so long for the college football season to really start getting crazy, and after the the last two weekends, I think we can officially say that the craziness is upon is.

After watching Oklahoma and Wisconsin go down last weekend, we saw two more top 10 teams, Clemson and Kansas State, fall from the unbeaten ranks this week, and another one, Stanford, get taken to the brink.

The two upsets are sure to shake up this week’s standings, but at least we know that the top three will stay the same.

LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma State will top the rankings once again, but with next weekend’s huge showdown between the Tigers and the Tide in Tuscaloosa looming, it won’t stay that way for long.

There are a lot of questions that will be answered when the Week 10 BCS standings are released tonight.

Can Stanford jump Boise State?

How far will Clemson and Kansas State fall?

Who will move into the top 10?

How high will Houston climb?

We’ll find out tonight, but until then, here’s a look at what I think this week’s BCS standings could look like.

1. LSU Tigers

LSU had the week off to prepare for its mega-matchup against Alabama on Nov. 5.

With an 8-0 record and five wins over ranked opponents, the Tigers have the best resume in college football through two months of play, but obviously, going on the road and beating an unbelievably strong Alabama team is going to be a tremendous challenge.

If the Tigers can roll over the Tide in Tuscaloosa next weekend, they’ll be on the fast track to make it to New Orleans to play for college football’s biggest prize.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama has relied on the best defense in college football, the powerful running of Heisman candidate Trent Richardson and the efficient play of first-year starting quarterback A.J. McCarron to sprint out to an 8-0 record.

Like LSU, the Tide also had the week off to prepare for next week’s showdown, and you better believe that Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and the rest of the Alabama brain trust will have this team ready to battle next Saturday.

If McCarron can keep up his steady play, the Tide will have a great opportunity to beat the Tigers and take over as the No. 1 team in the country. 

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys

If it were up to just the BCS computers, the Oklahoma State Cowboys would likely be ranked No. 1 in the country right now, but as it stands, they’ll have to settle for the third spot once again, even after destroying Baylor 59-24 on Saturday.

Still, the Cowboys will control their own destiny from here on out, and if they can win their final four games, including the Bedlam matchup against Oklahoma on Dec. 3, they'll get to the big game.

The defense finally stepped up yesterday, and if the Cowboys can get similar play out of the unit for the next four games, they have the type of high-powered offense to beat everybody on their schedule.

4. Boise State Broncos

Like LSU and Alabama, Boise State took the week off to rest up for the stretch run of the season.
The Broncos are 7-0, and they’re actually getting some surprising love from both the voters and the computers, but the rest of their remaining schedule, besides TCU, isn’t all too overwhelming.

Boise State has a great opportunity to finish undefeated, but Kellen Moore and the rest of the smurfs are going to need some help if they want to finally break through and make it to the national title game.

5. Stanford Cardinal

There I was, sitting in my kitchen last night, prepared to watch the final four minutes of the Stanford-USC game, which was tied 27 all at that point, and then eerily on cue, Zap, the snowy New Jersey weather finally got the best of our power grid and robbed me and the family of enjoying the most exciting finish of the 2011 season.

As I followed the rest of the game on my phone, I couldn’t believe what was unfolding.

Stanford’s superstar quarterback Andrew Luck came up big when he needed to, leading the Cardinal to a wild 56-48 victory over the Trojans in triple overtime. As if we needed anymore reason to gush over Luck, right?

The future No. 1 pick’s dream season continues, and he’s now distanced himself from the rest of the Heisman pack and has put his team in position to make a run at not just a Pac-12 championship, but possibly a national title as well. 

6. Oklahoma Sooners

You had to have expected that Oklahoma would come out angry and looking to prove a point after a disappointing performance in a loss to Texas Tech last weekend, and the Sooners did just that on Saturday, making a 58-17 statement against Kansas State.

There’s no questioning that Oklahoma has one of the most talented rosters in the country, but with that loss on their resume, it’s going to be hard for the Sooners to climb back into title contention. However, if teams in front of them keep falling, they will only keep climbing.

If they don't slip up, Bob’s boys still have a great chance to win the Big 12 and make it to a BCS bowl.

7. Oregon Ducks

Oregon fans were glad to see their injured quarterback-running back tandem of Darron Thomas and LaMichael James return against Washington State on Saturday, but they probably weren’t happy to see Thomas toss two early interceptions.

Regardless of the mistakes, the Ducks still cruised to a 43-28 victory to improve their record to 7-1 on the year.

Oregon may only have one win over a ranked opponent under its belt, but this team is still as explosive as any other squad in the country, and they’ve got what it takes to win another conference championship this season.

8. Arkansas Razorbacks

For the second week in a row, an early kickoff on the road threw Arkansas out of whack, as the Razorbacks stumbled out of the gate against Vanderbilt, before catching a few lucky breaks to survive and come away with a 31-28 win.

It’s hard to trust this Arkansas team just yet, but with the type of offensive firepower that the Razorbacks possess, you’ve got to respect what they’re capable of doing on any given Saturday.

After two consecutive scares on the road, Arkansas will be happy to head back to Fayetteville for three straight home games.

9. Virginia Tech Hokies

Judging from what we’ve seen out of Virginia Tech so far, it’s hard to really get excited about the Hokies, and it’s equally as difficult to justify the love that they’re getting from the computers.

Virginia Tech has beaten exactly zero ranked teams this year, played down to its competition on a regular basis and failed its only true test of the season in an embarrassing home loss to Clemson.

The Hokies looked like they were sleep-walking during their 14-10 win at Duke yesterday, but even so, they’re still going to get a high ranking in this week’s standings, even though they really haven’t earned it.

10. South Carolina Gamecocks

It wasn’t pretty, but South Carolina managed to get the job done at Tennessee, beating the Vols 14-3 on Saturday night.

The Gamecocks obviously miss star running back Marcus Lattimore, and quarterback Connor Shaw is still getting his feet under him, but the fact is, Steve Spurrier’s squad still controls its own destiny in the SEC East.

South Carolina is now 7-1, but Arkansas, Florida and Clemson are all waiting around the corner.

We’ll get to see what the Gamecocks are really made of in November.

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Even though they’re still struggling to get a consistent passing game going, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are slowly starting to gain some momentum, and they picked up another big win at home over a strong Michigan State team on Saturday to move their record to 7-1.

The Blackshirt defense is beginning to look like the type of unit that we were expecting before the season started, and QB Taylor Martinez is developing into a quality offensive leader.

Nebraska’s rushing attack is one of the most potent in the country, and it’s one that the Cornhuskers could rely on to get them all the way to Indianapolis.

12. Clemson Tigers

For the last few weeks, we’ve been waiting for Clemson to pull a Clemson and finally fall apart, and this weekend looked like the perfect spot for a letdown (there was a reason the spread was only four points).

The Tigers fell right into the trap, as they got swarmed by the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta last night.

Clemson’s national title dreams may have been dashed with a 31-17 loss to Georgia Tech, but Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and the rest of the Tigers still have what it takes to win the ACC championship if they can find a way to regroup and gain back the momentum they had.

13. Houston Cougars

Case Keenum, welcome to the Heisman discussion.

Keenum wowed the college football world by throwing nine touchdown strikes in a dominating 73-34 blowout over Rice on Thursday.

The Cougars have been destroying basically every team that’s dared to step on the field with them, but the only problem is, most of those teams have just been flat out bad.

The eight teams that Houston has beaten are a combined 26-38, and none of them have a winning record.

14. Michigan Wolverines

This year’s Michigan team doesn’t look like the same one that fell apart down the stretch last season, losing six of its last eight games.

After suffering a tough loss to in-state rival Michigan State back in Week 7, the Wolverines took a week off to refocus, and they came out and really took it to Purdue on Saturday, beating the Boilermakers 36-14.

The Wolverines are now 7-1 on the year and are fully alive in the race to the Big Ten championship game.

If QB Denard Robinson can keep developing as a passer, the Wolverines should be able to make a strong run.

15. Kansas State Wildcats

Talk about getting exposed.

Many were questioning if Kansas State was truly a top 10 team, and yesterday we got a definitive answer.

No!

The Wildcats got run out of their own stadium, as Oklahoma rolled up 690 yards of offense on their way to a 58-17 blowout win.

Bill Snyder’s squad was a nice early surprise story, but it’s quite clear that Kansas State is not a true contender.

16. Penn State Nittany Lions

The snowy conditions may have slowed down the Penn State offense, but neither the weather nor the Illinois defense could stop the Nittany Lions from coming up with the deciding touchdown to give coach Joe Paterno his record 409th win with a hard-fought 10-7 victory.

Penn State has now quietly climbed to 8-1 on the year behind the play of one of the strongest defenses in the country.

Although they haven’t gotten much publicity this season, Paterno’s squad is right in the thick of the Big Ten race.

17. Arizona State Sun Devils

The Arizona State Sun Devils took advantage of an extremely weak Colorado team and waltzed their way to a 48-14 victory at home last night.

The win now moves their record up to 6-2, and it makes them the favorite to win the Pac-12 South division.

QB Brock Osweiler has been one of brightest breakout stars of the 2011 season, and the junior signal-caller is really starting to take his team to the next level.

18. Georgia Bulldogs

After starting off the year 0-2, Georgia has rallied to win six straight games and helped calm the building storm that was surrounding head coach Mark Richt.

After beating Florida down at the Cocktail Party on Saturday, the Bulldogs are now real players in the SEC East, and they’ve got the type of schedule that sets up well for a big late-season run.

Don’t throw Mark Richt out of Athens just yet.

19. Michigan State Spartans

After two highly emotional victories over Michigan and Wisconsin over the past two weeks, many expected Michigan State to have a letdown performance at Nebraska on Saturday and the Spartans did just that, only mustering up three points in Lincoln.

The loss drops Michigan State to 6-2 on the year, and it puts them in the passenger seat on the drive to win the Big Ten Leaders division.

The Spartans will now need Nebraska to lose a game if they want to make it to the Big Ten championship game this year.

20. Auburn Tigers

New starting quarterback Clint Moseley looked a lot more comfortable yesterday against the Ole Miss defense than he did last weekend against LSU. Mosley threw four touchdowns in a 41-23 victory over the Rebels.

You’ve got to hand it to Auburn. The Tigers have surpassed very moderate expectations and are now 6-3 on the season.

Gene Chizik’s crew will have a much-needed off-week before a big battle with Georgia on Nov. 2.

21. Texas Longhorns

If you ever need to turn around your season after two tough losses, Kansas is always a great remedy.

Texas had its way with the abominable Jayhawks defense, piling up 590 yards of offense on the way to a 43-0 victory.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Longhorns defense also got in on the fun, holding Kansas to just a pitiful output of 46 total yards.

There’s not much to brag about, but Texas fans can take solace in the fact that the Longhorns are now 5-2 on the season, even though they’ve yet to beat a ranked opponent.

22. Wisconsin Badgers

Heartbreaking.

That’s the only word I can think of to describe Wisconsin’s last two weeks.

After losing to Michigan State by inches on a freaky fluke play back in Week 8, the Badgers looked like they were about to get a rebound victory at Ohio State before Braxton Miller heaved a 40-yard bomb to Devin Smith for a late game-winning touchdown.

After the 33-29 loss, Wisconsin will have some work to do to get back in the Big Ten race.

23. West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia survived mother nature’s wrath in Piscataway on Saturday and managed to beat a feisty Rutgers team 41-31 in a snow-covered stadium.

The win moves the Mountaineers to 6-2 on the year, and it helps them gain back some credibility after a disastrous loss to Syracuse in Week 8.

This team looks like the favorite to win the Big East this year, but first, they’ve got to get through an imposing Cincinnati squad.

24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

After two consecutive bad road losses to Virginia and Miami, Georgia Tech rebounded and played the role of spoiler, as the Yellow Jackets rained all over Clemson’s parade last night.

The win, which moves their record to 7-2 on the season, should be enough to get the Yellow Jackets back into the BCS Top 25 after making an early exodus last week.

25. Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati has been flying under the radar for the past few weeks, but at 6-1, the Bearcats are starting to look like the team we saw during the Brian Kelly era.

With the quarterback-running back tandem of Zach Collaros and Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati has the type of explosive offense to challenge West Virginia for the Big East title this year.

The Nov. 12 matchup with the Mountaineers could end up being a de facto conference championship game.