BCS Standings: How Stanford and Boise State Losses Shake Up the BCS

In what was a week of some of the bigger games all season in college football, there were some major upsets of Top 5 teams that shocked the nation and completely rearranged the BCS standings.

To the surprise of most, it was the No. 4 Standford Cardinals that would fall to the Oregon Ducks by a final score of 53-30.

It was a game that never seemed in reach for Andrew Luck and his Cardinals, as LaMichael James would roll over the Cardinals defense with 146 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.

Meanwhile, it was the No. 5 Boise State Broncos who would also fall, losing to an unranked TCU team 36-35 with a missed field goal at the end of regulation. It was the first time all season that the Broncos had a game decided by less than 11 points, as this TCU team seemed more than ready for the challenge.

Now the BCS standings are shaken up in every which way possible, with two of the Top 5 teams losing on Saturday.

For one, both No. 8 Arkansas and No. 7 Oregon now make cases of being the two teams that replace both Boise State and Stanford in the Top 5. Both teams have been on a roll as of late and have put together convincing wins against some of the best teams in the country.

Since the Week 1 loss to LSU, Oregon has seemed to dominate each opponent. The Ducks have not won a game this season by any less than 14 points. Beating a team like Stanford by 23, who most thought had a chance at playing in the BCS title game, is quite telling in terms of just how good this team has become over the course of the season.

When the most recent BCS standings are released, both Oregon and Arkansas should find themselves inside the Top 5, with LSU keeping the No. 1 spot, Oklahoma State keeping the No. 2 rank and Alabama just holding on to its No. 3 spot.

Both the Boise State and Stanford losses will still have both teams in the top 12 or 13, but no better than No. 8 or 9. Both teams proved they are quite beatable and are undoubtedly done for when it comes to their BCS title hopes.

After the two losses by the Broncos and Cardinals, there is also no question that there will be just three teams competing for a chance at a BCS title: Oklahoma State, LSU and Alabama. Alabama and Oklahoma State are both more than capable of owning the No. 2 rank, as the final games of the season will decide which of the two will take on the Tigers for a shot at the national title.