BCS Rankings: Stanford Proved Their Worth in 3OT Win at USC

The No. 4 ranked Stanford Cardinal squared off against the No. 20 ranked USC Trojans in an absolute thriller on Saturday night.

The game went into three overtimes as star quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck exchanged blows down the stretch, each fighting for Pac-12 supremacy.

Stanford came out on top 56-48 thanks to a gritty but sloppy performance from Luck and a dominant performance from tailback Stepfan Taylor.

The thrilling win not only validated Stanford's dominance but also kept their BCS Championship hopes alive.

Stanford Is the Real Deal

To be honest, I doubted Stanford.

I doubted them in this game and I doubted them before they played Washington. They couldn't make me a true believer until last night.

No matter how good Andrew Luck is, I couldn't see past a weak schedule and a gut feeling that screamed this team wasn't good enough.

Consider that gone.

No matter my doubts, I consider Stanford a much better team than USC and shouldn't be all that impressed considering how close the game was.

However, it takes grit to shake a pesky underdog off your back in a multi-overtime conference showdown. It takes more than just a good or even great team to do what Stanford did. They responded after every USC blow with a shot of equal power and established themselves, if they weren't already established, as the team to beat in the conference and a legitimate contender for the BCS Championship.

Andrew Luck Is the Real Deal

This is a well known fact.

Andrew Luck is an amazing player who will likely experience great success in the NFL.

However, coming into this game I was wondering how Luck would do in crunch time. Seeing as how every Stanford victory was a blowout up to this point, I wasn't quite sure whether or not Luck could stand and deliver at the game's most crucial point.

He didn't play amazingly on Saturday night and he didn't wow me with throws like he has before.

Instead, he wowed me in other ways. 

Despite his terrible interception late in the fourth quarter, Stanford was able to get the ball back, and he constructed a drive to tie the game with under a minute to go.

When overtime came around, he kept it simple and made the smart plays to give Stanford that little edge they needed.

I was apprehensive to accept Luck's praise given the fact he hasn't had to prove his worth in a clutch situation. After Saturday's game, consider the apprehension gone.

Stanford's Date with Oregon Gives Them a Shot at BCS Title

In two weeks, Stanford will be matched up with a fellow Pac-12 powerhouse, the Oregon Ducks.

In a game that will certainly have BCS title implications, the Cardinal will have to deliver once again in another prime-time matchup.

Oregon will be the first Top 10 team that Stanford has played all season and will challenge them in ways they haven't been challenged yet.

The Cardinal can't afford to lose a game if they hope to get to the BCS Championship, and a win over Oregon will certainly better their chances.

Hopes Hinge on Top 3 Teams

For Stanford to get a National Championship berth however, they need some help from the teams ahead of them.

They will likely leap frog the loser of the LSU-Alabama game, which means, assuming they beat Oregon, their entire season rests in the hands of Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State's battle with cross-state rival Oklahoma is sure to shake up the BCS picture and it will take a win from the Sooners to give Stanford even a remote chance of making the game.

If Andrew Luck and Stanford plan on playing on the biggest stage in college football, they'll need help from the top three teams in the nation, which of course means getting a little bit lucky.

With a little bit of Luck, Stanford might just get there.