BCS Rankings: Who Gets Screwed out of BCS Bowl If Houston Finishes in Top 12?

With it being almost a guarantee that the Houston Cougars will finish the season undefeated, it is time to speculate what unfortunate team will not get a BCS bowl because of them.  

BCS rules state that if the champion from Conference-USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference finishes in the top 12 or the top 16 and ahead of an automatic qualifying team, then they automatically qualify for a BCS Bowl. 

The way it is looking now, Houston is going to fit into that category if they run the table. 

There are only 10 spots for BCS Bowl berths. Two of them will be taken by SEC teams, LSU and Alabama, one of which will likely play for the national title and the other in the Sugar Bowl. 

Boise St. is nearly a lock to win out and get a third spot. The winner of the Big East (Cincinnati or West Virginia) will get the fourth spot. The ACC winner, which will likely be Clemson, gets an automatic spot, as does the Big 12 winner, which will likely be Oklahoma St.

Stanford or Oregon will get the automatic berth from the Pac-12, and the winner of the Big 10 (Nebraska) will get a nod. 

That is eight spots right there with Houston grabbing the ninth spot. This leaves only one spot remaining, which will almost certainly go to the second place team in the Big 12, either Oklahoma or Oklahoma St.

Those 10 spots leave one team out who certainly deserves a BCS bowl opportunity, the second-place team in the Pac-12.

While a two-loss Oregon team is not exactly deserving of a BCS bowl game, a one-loss Stanford team not getting there would be very disappointing. 

Stanford plays Oregon on Nov. 12, and if they lose that game, they are in danger of not reaching a BCS bowl game.

While the BCS will do everything it can to make sure Andrew Luck plays in a BCS bowl game, if Stanford does not win out and knock off Oregon, they will be on the outside looking in.

The only hope for a one-loss Stanford team would be for Oklahoma to knock off Oklahoma St. and leave it between Stanford and Oklahoma St. for the final selection.

The strength of schedule of Oklahoma St. and the fact that their only loss would come to Oklahoma gives them a slight edge over Stanford.

When the BCS selection show airs, Stanford could be on the outside looking in thanks to the Houston Cougars out of Conference-USA.