BCS Standings 2011: Stanford and National Title Contenders That Got Shafted

The latest BCS standings are out, so let the griping begin!

Just about every team has some reason to be upset, though these three college football powerhouses have the biggest bones to pick with pollsters, computers and whoever else has been tinkering with the ins and outs of the national championship chase.

Stanford

In yet another case of the computers weighing down a team's candidacy, Stanford finds itself once again at No. 4, behind one-loss Alabama. The Cardinal were ranked third in the Harris Poll and second in the USA Today Coaches Poll but were held back by their No. 7 average among the computers.

Then again, Andrew Luck and company will have a golden opportunity to sway their electronic detractors this Saturday, when No. 7 Oregon comes to town. A win over the Ducks would likely vault the Cardinal over the Crimson Tide and into the three-hole in the BCS.

Boise State

At least Stanford, as disrespected a team as it may be, has a chance to state its case for the computers and is already in good position with the voters.

The same cannot be said for No. 5 Boise State. The Broncos got some love from the BCS' chosen machines, with a No. 4 average, but were cast aside at fifth in both of the human polls. Heisman Trophy contender Kellen Moore has done just about everything he can to keep his team undefeated, but will still need help from, well, just about everyone else to have even an outside shot at the national title.

Aside from winning out, which the Broncos figure to do, they'll have to root as hard as they can for Georgia, whom they beat soundly in the season opener, to win the SEC East and upend LSU in the conference championship. Such a scenario would boost Boise State's strength in the computers while opening up a spot closer to the top of the rankings.

Arkansas

In another case of questionable choices by the voters, Arkansas actually dropped in the BCS standings—from No. 7 to No. 8—after topping No. 13 South Carolina at home, 44-28. The computers seem to think more highly of the Razorbacks, giving them the sixth highest average, but the pollsters just couldn't bring themselves to push Bobby Petrino's boys any higher than eighth.

This, despite the fact that Arkansas' only loss of the season came on the road to Alabama.

Wins over Tennessee, Mississippi State and No. 1 LSU to close out the regular season would undoubtedly do plenty to rectify this particular injustice in a hurry.

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9931
2	Oklahoma State	.9447
3	Alabama	.8836
4	Stanford	.8749
5	Boise State	.8473
6	Oklahoma	.7978
7	Oregon	.7708
8	Arkansas	.7452
9	Clemson	.6435
10	Virginia Tech	.5913
11	Houston	.551
12	Penn State	.484
13	South Carolina	.453
14	Kansas State	.381
15	Georgia	.370
16	Texas	.366
17	Michigan State	.337
18	Wisconsin	.305
19	Nebraska	.279
20	Auburn	.210
21	Georgia Tech	.209
22	Southern Mississippi	.204
23	Cincinnati	.187
24	Michigan	.177
25	Baylor	.071