BCS Rankings: Power Ranking the Top 25 According to Toughest Remaining Schedule

This past Saturday provided a huge shakeup in the upcoming week's college football rankings, as a number of Top 25 teams would go down, some in more dramatic and jaw-dropping fashion than others.

With little over a month remaining in the 2011 college football season, only a handful of games are left for teams to make a run up the BCS ladder. Given that several ranked programs fell down a couple of rungs, the opportunity to jump into the postseason picture is brighter than ever.

The schedule will be a huge factor going into the final weeks of the season. Lose once and your BCS dreams likely sink down the drain. Run the table and a shot at glory is still alive.

Deviating from the norm, here is a power ranking for the remaining schedules in the projected BCS Top 25 per bcsguru.com and this week's USA Today Top 25.

Nebraska

Schedule

11/5: vs Northwestern
11/12: at Penn State
11/19: at Michigan
11/25: vs Iowa

The Cornhuskers arguably have the toughest road ahead leading up to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Home games against Northwestern and Iowa will not be easily won. The Wildcats are actually better than their 3-5 record would indicate, though not by too much. The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, have lost all three of their road games by a combined 14 points.

The biggest shakeup will be Nebraska's back-to-back road contests in Happy Valley and Ann Arbor. Neither exactly provides warm feelings and peace. Rather, both will be huge tests for the Huskers if they want to challenge for the conference title.

Penn State

Schedule

11/12: vs Nebraska
11/19: at Ohio State
11/26: at Wisconsin

Penn State has operated on a completely different philosophy than most this year: just win.

After a 1-1 start, the Nittany Lions have reeled off seven straight wins, each in dramatic fashion in their own right. Their average margin of victory through those seven wins is a mere 9.4 points. Talk about cutting it close.

All of that will not matter a lick if Joe Paterno can get to 412 wins this season.

Three games remain on the Penn State schedule, but it arguably will be the toughest three-game stretch of any team this season.

Hosting Nebraska figures to be the "easy" one, but road trips to Columbus and Madison to close Big Ten play is silly.

At least Penn State has learned how to grind.

LSU

Schedule

11/5: at Alabama
11/12: vs Western Kentucky
11/19: at Mississippi
11/25: vs Arkansas

The war-daddy matchup obviously comes this next weekend when the Tigers head out to Tuscaloosa in what likely will be the ticket into the SEC Championship Game, which likely will be the ticket into the BCS Championship Game.

On the back-end, hosting the Razorbacks will be the final test for LSU's defense, as Bobby Petrino boasts a passing game that ranks among the top 10 in the country.

Call the Tigers remaining schedule an elephant-hog sandwich, because WKU and Ole Miss are simply filler for an otherwise really chewy meal.

Alabama

Schedule

11/5: vs LSU
11/12: at Mississippi State
11/19: vs Georgia Southern
11/26: at Auburn

What keeps Alabama behind LSU in this ranking as well as most others is the fact that the Tide are hosting the Tigers.

Much like the Bayou Bengals, Bama will sandwich two cakewalks (at least, they should be cakewalks) between some stiff competition.

We all know what the Tigers will bring to the table. But Alabama going into Auburn for its annual rivalry match could be one of the most exciting games of the season if the Tide are undefeated going into the contest.

Arkansas

Schedule

11/5: vs South Carolina
11/12: vs Tennessee
11/19: vs Mississippi
11/25: at LSU

Arkansas is sitting in an interesting position.

The Razorbacks' single blemish to date is their Sept. 24 loss to Alabama. If the cards fall into the right hands, we could be looking at a three-way tie atop the SEC West standings. Of course, that means that Arkansas would 1) run the table and 2) go into Baton Rouge and miraculously exit with a win.

The Hogs will host South Carolina, Tennessee and Ole Miss before their final conference game, but winning those three by themselves will be tough enough without looking ahead to LSU.

Oregon

Schedule

11/5: at Washington
11/12: at Stanford
11/19: vs USC
11/26: vs Oregon State

At this point in time, we almost have forgotten about Oregon's season-opening loss to what was a pretty decent LSU team. Fast forward nearly two months and the Ducks are right back in the thick of the BCS race.

En route, they have scored at least 41 points in every game since then, winning matches by an average margin of 31.9 points. Yeah, they are pretty good.

But the season is far from over. Consecutive road games at Washington and Stanford could derail Oregon's shot at a Pac-12 title, and home contests against USC and Oregon State are no walk-throughs either.

Oklahoma State

Schedule

11/5: vs Kansas State
11/12: at Texas Tech
11/18: at Iowa State
12/3: vs Oklahoma

Save for its dramatic win in College Station, Oklahoma State has breezed past its competition so far, winning every game by an average margin of 22.1 points.

But the toughest portion of the Pokes' schedule lay ahead.

Luckily for them, their stiffest tests will come at home (against Kansas State and Oklahoma). However, overlooking road games in Lubbock and Ames would be foolish as the Cowboys look to take home the Big 12 title.

The annual Bedlam matchup could put Oklahoma State into the BCS Championship or slingshot Oklahoma right past them and get the Sooners to New Orleans.

South Carolina

Schedule

11/5: at Arkansas
11/12: vs Florida
11/19: vs Citadel
11/26: vs Clemson

The Gamecocks have managed without their star running back Marcus Lattimore, but the road ahead is the toughest four-game stretch this season.

A road game in Fayetteville followed by a home game against Florida provides the end to an SEC schedule that shockingly was void of an LSU or an Alabama.

After hosting Citadel, South Carolina rounds out the year with its annual contest with Clemson in what will be a thrilling SEC-ACC showdown. For either team, this game likely will mean the difference between a one-loss season and a two-loss season.

Stanford

Schedule

11/5: at Oregon State
11/12: vs Oregon
11/19: vs California
11/26: vs Notre Dame

Stanford survived a triple-overtime thriller against USC this weekend; the schedule lightens somewhat as the Cardinal finish their season.

A trip to Oregon State hardly should provide a test, but be wary of a letdown after a dramatic finish against the Trojans.

Stanford should take its perfect season into its Nov. 12 contest against Oregon, a matchup that likely will determine the Pac-12 North's representative in the conference championship game.

Two final home games against Cal and Notre Dame should be comfortable wins as Andrew Luck and the Cardinal hope to receive that coveted BCS bid.

Kansas State

Schedule

11/5: at Oklahoma State
11/12: vs Texas A&M
11/19: at Texas
12/3: vs Iowa State

Kansas State dropped its first game of the season in sheepish fashion, losing 58-17 at home to the Sooners.

The Wildcats can still make amends by running the table. If they can go into Stillwater and steal a win from the Cowboys, it will leave a three-way tie atop the Big 12 table, leaving a Bedlam matchup between OU and OSU as a hugely deciding factor for the Big 12 champion.

But Bill Snyder's tenacious team will have to battle past the Aggies and the Longhorns before hosting the Cyclones to finish the season.

No one game is particularly easy, as Kansas State is in the midst of its toughest stretch in 2011.

Oklahoma

Schedule

11/5: vs Texas A&M
11/19: at Baylor
11/26: vs Iowa State
12/3: at Oklahoma State

After an embarrassing home loss to Texas Tech, you knew the Sooners would come back firing on every cylinder possible, and they did just that in a 58-17 dismantling of Kansas State.

Oklahoma looks primed to jump back into the BCS picture, and with a number of losses ahead of the Sooners, they have done just that.

Home games against two-faced Texas A&M and Iowa State and a road game at Baylor all appear standard victories, leaving the final matchup in Bedlam as the game of the season which likely could decide the Big 12 champion and a ticket into the BCS National Championship game.

Michigan

Schedule

11/5: at Iowa
11/12: at Illinois
11/19: vs Nebraska
11/26: vs Ohio State 

Michigan got back on track with a convincing win over Purdue after dropping its in-state rivalry match with Michigan State two weeks ago.

With four games remaining for the Wolverines, they are in position to win a bid to the Big Ten Championship Game, but a few more tests lay ahead.

Consecutive road trips at Iowa and Illinois, which will be no easy matters, are followed by consecutive home contests against the Huskers and the Buckeyes.

With the tie-breaker procedures in the Big Ten's new division system, Michigan will need the Spartans to lose another conference game, but the first step in the right direction would be to win out, a tough task as it is.

Auburn

Schedule

11/12: at Georgia
11/19: vs Samford
11/26: vs Alabama

Auburn has a couple more chances to prove that its three-loss season is worthy of some recognition.

A road game at Georgia will provide the momentum needed for the Tigers' final game of the season against Alabama, but both present equally stiff challenges.

Even if Auburn loses at Georgia, a win against the Tide puts a huge stamp on an otherwise inconsistent campaign for the defending BCS National Champs.

Texas

Schedule

11/5: vs Texas Tech
11/12: at Missouri
11/19: vs Kansas State
11/24: at Texas A&M
12/3: at Baylor

The Texas Longhorns came off their two-game losing streak with a dominating win against the Kansas Jayhawks in what would be their first Big 12 win at home since 2009.

Five games remain for the Longhorns, but none will be easy as each opponent presents a challenging offense that is completely different from the next.

Home games against the Red Raiders and Wildcats should be welcomed, as both teams have given Texas trouble in recent years.

But road trips to Columbia, College Station and Waco all will be tough contests against three teams that will be looking to re-establish their footing.

Wisconsin

Schedule

11/5: vs Purdue
11/12: at Minnestoa
11/19: at Illinois
11/26: vs Penn State

Consecutive heartbreaking losses may haunt Wisconsin in the coming weeks, as the Badgers had control of their destiny before it slipped away twice in the final seconds against both Michigan State and Ohio State.

As it stands, the Badgers will be on the outside looking in come the Big Ten Championship unless some dominoes fall their way.

Wisconsin plays some of the worst teams in the Big Ten, as far as records are concerned, with a home game with Purdue before back-to-back road contests with Minnesota and Illinois.

If Penn State loses before the final game of the season, then mark Nov. 26 as an important Saturday as it could provide the Leaders Division representative in the Big Ten title game.

Georgia

Schedule

11/5: vs New Mexico State
11/12: vs Auburn
11/19: vs Kentucky
11/26: at Georgia Tech

After an 0-2 start to the season with losses to No. 5 Boise State and No. 12 South Carolina, Georgia has rebounded strongly, reeling off six consecutive wins to jump back into the SEC East picture.

Unfortunately, unless the Gamecocks lose another SEC game, the Bulldogs will not be in the SEC Championship Game.

Like the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs somehow missed on both LSU and Alabama this season, leaving hope for Georgia to run the table. 

Consider New Mexico State and Kentucky shoe-ins for victories, but a home game against Auburn and the annual Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Game in Atlanta are far from that.

Virginia Tech

Schedule

11/10: at Georgia Tech
11/17: vs North Carolina
11/26: at Virginia

Virginia Tech has benefited from a relatively weak non-conference schedule and a similar story in the ACC.

The Hokies only loss came against a Clemson team that has taken most by surprise.

Nevertheless, Frank Beamer is once again in position to represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game at the end of the year, and just three games stand between his Hokies and that bid.

But these last three contests could be the three most challenging with road games against Georgia Tech and Virginia and a home game against North Carolina.

The Tar Heels and Yellow Jackets are known and proven competition while the Cavaliers, though typically at the bottom of the conference, always prove to be a rash that simply will not go away.

Arizona State

Schedule

11/5: at UCLA
11/12: at Washington State
11/19: vs Arizona
11/25: vs California

Arizona State is just four games away from claiming a Pac-12 South title and a shot at a conference championship bid.

Both USC and UCLA are one game back of the Sun Devils, and there is little reason to believe Arizona State should not finish the season strongly.

A win against UCLA would all but declare ASU the Pac-12 South champs. Another road game against Washington State, followed by two home contests against Arizona and Cal should not challenge the Sun Devils too much, though stranger things have happened before.

All things considered, Arizona State looks set for a 10-2 mark on the year, but there is still work to be done.

Clemson

Schedule

11/12: vs Wake Forest
11/19: at NC State
11/26: at South Carolina

Perhaps Clemson's fabulous run of things has come to an end. Perhaps not.

The Tigers had been on a tear from the beginning of the season, but they were derailed Saturday by an always systematically successful Georgia Tech team.

Still, Clemson controls its own destiny for a place in the ACC Championship Game. 

A win over Wake Forest in two weeks would solidify the Tigers' spot in the conference title game before consecutive away games at NC State and South Carolina.

The rivalry game between the Gamecocks and Tigers will mean nothing for their respective conference standings, but could have big BCS implications.

West Virginia

Schedule

11/5: vs Louisville
11/12: at Cincinnati
11/25: vs Pittsburgh
12/1: at South Florida

West Virginia, coming off an embarrassing loss to Syracuse two weekends ago, barely survived in the snow-ridden grounds at Rutgers.

Nevertheless, the Mountaineers still have a legitimate shot at the Big East title, and their matchup against Cincinnati in two weeks could be the deciding game.

The Big East has never been a conference with impressive scheduling, and this season is no different. Pittsburgh and South Florida will round out the season, and though typically the two programs are a couple of the conference's best, both have struggled.

Michigan State

Schedule

11/5: vs Minnesota
11/12: at Iowa
11/19: vs Indiana
11/26: at Northwestern

Michigan State did not come out of its midseason gauntlet unscathed, but the Spartans impressed many with wins over Ohio State, No. 11 Michigan and No. 6 Wisconsin before losing to No. 14 Nebraska.

As it stands, the Legends Division in the Big Ten has a three-way tie atop the standings, but the Spartans will need help to make it into the conference title game.

Michigan State can help itself by running the table against four of the Big Ten's worst.

Only Iowa holds a winning record, with Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern combining for a 6-19 record.

Boise State

Schedule

11/5: at UNLV
11/12: vs TCU
11/19: at San Diego State
11/26: vs Wyoming
12/3: vs New Mexico

It is no news that Boise State plays in a weak conference. It was true when the Broncos were in the WAC. It is true now that they play in the Mountain West.

Boise State should be expected to win handily over UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico.

TCU, on the other hand, could be the buster in Boise State's BCS hopes.

That matchup was circled before the season began, and it is shaping up to be quite the contest to determine the MWC Champion.

Houston

Schedule

11/5: at UAB
11/10: at Tulane
11/19: vs SMU
11/26: at Tulsa

Houston boasts the FBS' top scoring and passing offense, racking up more than 450 yards through the air towards an average of 52 points per game.

The Cougars arguably are getting more efficient and potent as the season progresses.

In their last three games, the Cougars have scored 56, 63 and 73 points.

With four games left in the C-USA, Houston will face the bottom feeders in both the East and West Divisions in UAB and Tulane in consecutive road games.

The real tests come in the final two games when the Cougars will play the second and third place programs in the West in Tulsa and SMU.

Southern Miss

Schedule

11/5: at East Carolina
11/12: vs Central Florida
11/17: at UAB
11/26: vs Memphis

Although against marginal FBS opponents, Southern Miss has put together an offense that ranks in the Top 25 in rushing and scoring.

The Golden Eagles have a single blemish in their schedule that will have conference championship implications.

Tied at 3-1 in the C-USA with East Carolina, the two will face off this weekend in Greenville.

To finish the season, Southern Miss will get two home games and one away against the East Division's three worst teams in UCF, Memphis and UAB. 

Cincinnati

Schedule

11/5: at Pittsburgh
11/12: vs West Virginia
11/19: at Rutgers
11/26: at Syracuse
12/3: vs Connecticut

Cincinnati, No. 23 in the USA Today Poll, just cracked the rankings this week and are in a position to run the table and claim a Big East Title.

With an undefeated conference record, winning at Pittsburgh and at home against West Virginia would all but solidify the Bearcats' conference crown.

As Cincinnati tries to climb into the BCS picture, it will round out its season at Rutgers, at Syracuse and back at home against UConn, three teams at the bottom of the Big East.