College Football Rankings: 4 Upsets That Could Rock the BCS Rankings

As the season starts to wind down, teams are vying for the best possible bowl games and attempting last-ditch efforts to prove their worth to the much criticized ranking system.

With teams on edge and several high-profile showdowns set to take place this weekend, there will certainly be some faltering from the top teams as lower ranked teams do all they can to pad their resume.

With inter-conference titans set to clash on the gridiron this weekend, here are four upsets that could change the entirety of bowl selections, and in a particular case, have an impact on the National Championship.

No. 19 Nebraska over No. 12 Penn State

Both teams are reeling here—just one more than the other.

Nebraska comes fresh off a loss to a feisty Northwestern team that showed no quit and responded to the Huskers score after score. However, Nebraska's struggles pale in comparison to the recent allegations involving the Nittany Lions.

Penn State's alleged sexual abuse scandal has shocked the nation and put legendary coach Joe Paterno's legacy in jeopardy. 

Some are asking for his head. Not literally, of course, but as more and more information comes out, the chances that Paterno will be fired or asked to leave increase by the second. 

Penn State plays for Paterno, and generally I'd pick them to win this game.

However, with their program in disarray and their legendary face of the program set to have a nasty exit, the Nittany Lions won't be able to evade off-field distractions as the Corn Huskers march to victory.

No. 24 Auburn over No. 14 UGA

UGA has played two ranked opponents this season. They've lost to both of them.

While they may have something to prove as they face the barely ranked Auburn Tigers, the bottom line is that this Georgia team isn't all that scary.

Their losses to Boise State and South Carolina stick out like a sore thumb, evidencing their inability to beat top-tier teams.

Auburn may not be what they were last year, but they are no pushover and their wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State prove just that.

When Auburn strolls into Athens on Saturday, you can bet that the Isaiah Cromwell and the Bull Dogs will be stuffed by a hungry Auburn defense that is out to continue to prove their legitimacy to the nation.

No. 20 Georgia Tech over No. 10 Virginia Tech

Fresh off of claims that the Yellow Jackets were overrated, Tevin Washington led Georgia Tech to a huge 31-17 victory over then No. 6 Clemson Tigers.

Why stop there?

The Jackets are set to face their second top 10 team in a row, and realize that there are still several doubters out there.

Last week's game was not a fluke, and the Yellow Jackets are the real deal.

In a game that will likely decide who will represent the coastal division in the ACC Championship, Tevin Washington will continue to be a dual-threat as he carves the defense up with his arms and his legs.

The Georgia Tech defense that stifled the prolific Clemson offense early will show up again as they put Virginia Tech on the back-burner and jump out to an early lead.

The Virginia Tech offense, coming off a groggy performance against the Duke Blue Devils, won't be able to get things going as the Jackets cruise to victory.

No. 6 Oregon over No. 4 Stanford

This is the game everyone will be talking about.

While it won't be dubbed "The Game of the Century" like the Alabama-LSU showdown of last weekend, it will be a game that could ultimately have close to the amount of importance on the season as a whole.

If Stanford wins this game, they're likely to jump to No. 3 in the standings, and will hope for Oklahoma to take down OSU in the coming weeks, praying for a BCS Championship berth. 

If they lose, however, Oregon will likely claim the Pac-12 crown as Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck sits idly by thinking about what could have been.

I'm sold on Luck and his potential greatness, but I'm not sold on this team. If they thought their battle against USC was tough, they're about to deal with a whole different animal—an offensive factory that pumps out points like a machine.

With LaMichael James back, the Ducks are close to unstoppable. The Cardinal might be on that level, but color me skeptical about Stanford's chances on Saturday.