BCS Rankings: Which Conference Powerhouses Are on Shaky Ground

Week 11 of the college football season is in the books, and we will likely still be experiencing aftershocks well into Sunday night.

Two of the nation's top five teams went down on Saturday evening, No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Boise State both lost to conference opponents at home.

Those BCS-rattling results will likely prove fatal to the Heisman hopes of quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore as their two teams slip out of the national championship picture.

But we aren't here to discuss the Heisman Trophy, rather the intriguing BCS standings we are sure to see released for week 12.

There will be a mix up when the dust settles, and here are a few conference powerhouses who will be standing on shaky ground:

No. 5 Boise State Broncos (8-1)

The Broncos made mistake after mistake late in their loss to TCU on Saturday. Even a bogus pass interference call on fourth down to prolong their potential game-winning drive didn't help.

Before those anxious moments and the eventual missed chip shot by kicker Dan Goodale which cost them the win, Boise State fumbled, then allowed a improbable TD pass followed by an even more improbable two-point conversion pass.

The series of errors will now haunt the the boys in blue for the rest of 2011. At 8-1, the Broncos will likely surrender the Mountain West Championship to TCU, and be headed for a disappointing bowl game this December, likely somewhere cold on ESPN2.

Boise State is on the shakiest of ground heading into Week 12.

No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (9-1)

Andrew Luck wasn't enough for the Cardinal to survive and outscore the No. 7 Oregon Ducks on Saturday night, begging the question, is he really all he's cracked up to be?

The stinging loss suffered by Stanford in Week 11 not only crushes their NC hopes but also their Pac-12 title chances. Oregon enjoys an undefeated conference record and is likely en route to host the first ever conference championship game next month.

Like Boise State, Stanford will drop to the bottom of the top 10, which I like to call no man's land. A BCS Bowl is still in the cards for the Cardinal, but they're on shaky ground with just two games left on their schedule in 2011.

No. 12 Penn State (8-2)

For obvious reasons the Nittany Lions' football program is on shaky ground. The horrific child sex abuse scandal leading to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno has the nation focused on Happy Valley.

Penn State's loss to No. 19 Nebraska on Saturday does little to derail their Big Ten title hopes as they still must visit Ohio State and No. 18 Wisconsin before season's end, but it does make their season finale with the Badgers a must-win game.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions are severely overrated and because of that, they will take a huge hit in the standings this week.

It wouldn't be surprising if they finished the year on a three-game losing streak. At 8-4, Penn State would be playing in a worthless bowl game and deservedly so.