BCS Standings: Why Oklahoma State Is a Lock for National Championship Game

The BCS rankings are going to be updated a few short hours from now, but odds are the Oklahoma State Cowboys are going to remain stuck in the No. 3 spot.

Not that this is a bad thing, of course. There are only so many undefeated teams left in the country, and the Pokes are the only one left in the Big 12 now that Kansas State has a loss under its belt. For all intents and purposes, the Pokes have the inside track to the BCS National Championship Game.

In fact, I'll wager that they're pretty much a lock to make it to the title game.

I can't say for sure whether Oklahoma State will ever climb as high as No. 1, but the Pokes could very well be No. 2 as soon as Week 11. You may have heard about Saturday's game between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama, which only one team can win. Whoever loses is going to get a slight bump down in the rankings, thus opening up the No. 2 spot for Oklahoma State.

Then all the Pokes will have to do is beat Kansas State. It's not going to be an easy victory, but it's a game that Oklahoma State should take. All it really has to do is put the Wildcats in an early hole that they have to pass out of, something that is not their forte.

As you may or may not be aware, the Pokes have enough offense to do this. I'll let ESPN's number gurus explain:

If all goes according to plan, don't be surprised if Oklahoma State's win over Kansas State is a carbon copy of Oklahoma's win over Kansas State on Saturday.

After the Pokes take care of the Wildcats, their next two games should result in easy wins. They have to hit the road to take on Texas Tech and Iowa State, and the Pokes are a much better team than both of them. That Oklahoma State has already won some tough road games this year can only help its cause.

And then there will be the Bedlam game against Oklahoma, which is without a doubt the toughest test Oklahoma State will face this year.

Last year's contest was an instant classic, with the Sooners winning a 47-41 shootout in Stillwater. The game is going to be in Stillwater once again this year, and I think you can definitely expect another shootout.

This time, I think the Pokes are going to come out on top. They have more offensive firepower than Oklahoma does, and Oklahoma State's defense has shown a strange ability to buck up when the chips are down. The second half of the Texas A&M game comes to mind.

If the Pokes win, they're headed to the Superdome. That simple.

True, you do have to question whether a one-loss SEC team (i.e. whoever loses Saturday's big game) could get the nod ahead of Oklahoma State, but I don't think that's going to happen. The voters are only going to think more highly of Oklahoma State if it wins its final four games, and the computers already think the Pokes are No. 1.

Ideally, they'll get a chance to prove it on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.

BCS Rankings for Week 9

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9702
2	Alabama	.9627
3	Oklahoma State	.9240
4	Boise State	.8302
5	Clemson	.8240
6	Stanford	.8124
7	Oregon	.6877
8	Kansas State	.6681
9	Oklahoma	.6642
10	Arkansas	.6581
11	Michigan State	.538
12	Virginia Tech	.534
13	South Carolina	.501
14	Nebraska	.439
15	Wisconsin	.433
16	Texas A&M	.428
17	Houston	.368
18	Michigan	.342
19	Penn State	.307
20	Texas Tech	.201
21	Arizona State	.163
22	Georgia	.159
23	Auburn	.131
24	Texas	.119
25	West Virginia	.073