BCS Rankings: Michigan State, Clemson and More Teams That Blew Their BCS Hopes

Teams really only have one shot to be great in college football, and if they blow it, their season is pretty much a wash.

I'm not saying that non-BCS bowl games aren't an accomplishment, but any program that is worth their weight in gold shouldn't be satisfied with anything less.

In fact, the truly elite programs aren't satisfied unless they are in the BCS championship conversation, and in many cases, they aren't satisfied until they win it.

There is no doubting that there is a huge discrepancy between the truly elite college football programs and everybody else. But the truth is, if you want to be great, you have to think great.

With that in mind, here are teams that blew their BCS hopes with huge losses this weekend:

Clemson Tigers

All the Tigers had to do was survive this game against Georgia Tech and they would have had a relatively easy path to a BCS bowl. With LSU and Alabama playing next week, one of those teams is bound to take a loss, and No. 3 Oklahoma State has a very tough schedule ahead of them.

Clemson simply dropped the ball against the Yellow Jackets with a 31-17 loss. They still have a shot at the ACC, but their BCS championship hopes are all but lost.

Michigan State Spartans

With a last-minute win over the Wisconsin Badgers, the Spartans were seemingly ready to take that next step to becoming an elite program in the Big Ten. Their next big challenge was to beat Nebraska on the road, but they just didn't show up.

To lose that game on the road would have been understandable, but to lose it 24-3 was unacceptable, and exposed the Spartans. They aren't contenders, and they may not even be in the running to win the Big Ten.

Wisconsin Badgers

Russell Wilson and the Badgers desperately needed a bounce-back win after their heartbreaking loss to Michigan State.

Losing to Ohio State was not the way to do it, though. The Badgers are tumbling down the BCS standings and have all but taken themselves out of the Big Ten conversation.