BCS Rankings: Projecting the Week 12 Standings

When the first BCS standings of the season were released back in Week 8, there was a total of 10 undefeated teams vying for positioning, but now, just four weeks later, there are only three undefeated teams left in college football, after both Stanford and Boise State got picked off on Saturday.

The Cardinal and the Broncos now join the national title "contender pretender" party, which is getting more crowded with each passing week.

Just like last year, Stanford’s defense was yet again exposed by star running back LaMichael James and the rest of Oregon’s high-powered offensive attack, as star QB Andrew Luck saw his dream season turn into a nightmare with a 53-30 loss at home—an eerily similar outcome to the 52-31 defeat he experienced up in Eugene last year.

In Boise State’s case, not even a Mountain West officiating crew that was obviously heavily swayed by the millions the conference stood to earn from a Boise State BCS bowl appearance (Pass interference, really? No, really?) could help the Broncos topple TCU at home.

For the second year in a row, the Broncos shanked their BCS hopes wide right on a last-second field-goal attempt, as the gutsy Horned Frogs ultimately prevailed 36-35 behind the fabulous play of QB Casey Pachall and WR Josh Boyce, who wouldn’t take no for an answer on the blue turf.

We can now send Stanford and Boise State on their merry way, but that doesn’t mean the BCS bowl picture is any closer to being developed yet.

After each cruising to easy wins in Week 11, it looks like No. 1 LSU an No. 2 Oklahoma State are on a crash course to meet in New Orleans for the national championship, but with three weeks left on the schedule, we’ve still got a lot of football left to be played.Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden may have just taken the lead for the Heisman trophy after this weekend. But it remains to be seen if the Cowboys can actually finish off the job against Oklahoma in the Bedlam game on the final weekend of the season, considering the Sooners have dominated the matchup as of late and haven’t lost to their in-state rival since 2002.

Personally, as a lover of all things offense, I’m now rooting for an Oklahoma State-Oregon national championship game pairing, which means I’m going to need a big effort out of Arkansas on Thanksgiving weekend.

But no matter how these final few weeks play out,  the fact is, the national championship race just got a whole lot more interesting, and potentially, a whole lot more cloudy.

If LSU and Oklahoma State hold on and finish undefeated, then there’s no disputing what the national championship matchup will be, but if either team stumbles down the home stretch, things could get awfully interesting in the final BCS standings.

We’ll find out tonight just how Stanford’s and Boise State’s losses will shake up the Top 10, but for now, I'll put on my special speculation hat and try my best to predict how the Top 25 will shake out.

Here are my projections for this week's BCS standings.

1. LSU Tigers (10-0)

Week 11 Result: Beat Western Kentucky 42-9

2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-0)

Week 11 Result: Beat Texas Tech 66-6

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Mississippi State 24-7

4.Oklahoma Sooners (8-1)

Idle in Week 11

5. Oregon Ducks (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Stanford 53-30

6. Arkansas Razorbacks (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Tennessee 49-7

7. Clemson Tigers (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Wake Forest 31-28

8. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Georgia Tech 37-26

9. Stanford Cardinal (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Lost to Oregon 52-30

10. Houston Cougars (10-0)

Week 11 Result: Beat Tulane 73-17

11. Boise State Broncos (8-1)

Week 11 Result: Lost to TCU 36-35

12. Kansas State Wildcats (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Texas A&M 53-50

13. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Florida 17-12

14. Georgia Bulldogs (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Auburn 45-7

15. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Penn State 17-14

16. Michigan State Spartans (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Iowa 37-21

17. Wisconsin Badgers (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Minnesota 42-13

18. TCU Horned Frogs (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Boise State 36-35

19. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-1)

Week 11 Result: Beat Central Florida 30-29

20. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Lost to Nebraska 17-14

21. Michigan Wolverines (8-2)

Week 11 Result: Beat Illinois 31-14

22. Baylor Bears (6-3)

Week 11 Result: Beat Kansas 31-30

23.  West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)

Week 11 Result: Beat Cincinnati 24-21

24. Florida State Seminoles (7-3)

Week 11 Result Beat Miami 23-19

25. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3)

Week 11 Result: Beat Maryland 45-21

On the Cusp: Tulsa, Missouri, Cincinnati, Virginia, Texas, Georgia Tech, Auburn, BYU and Washington