BCS Rankings: Penn State vs. Ohio State and the Most Important Games of Week 12

There are just three full weeks left in the college football regular season, which means it's crunch time when it comes to the BCS. Teams who are seeking at-large bids are running out of time to make an impact on the voters, and those trying for an automatic bid can't afford to drop any conference games.

With that in mind, here are the three most important games of Week 12.

No. 21 Penn State at Ohio State

A difficult week at Penn State finished with a loss to Nebraska. Now, the Nittany Lions must bounce back quickly if they want to hold onto their spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. While there are certainly more important things to worry about, a victory would help boost spirits on campus.

Ohio State has endured an up-and-down season that includes wins over Illinois and Wisconsin, but also losses to Miami and, on Saturday, Purdue. The Buckeyes still have an outside chance at winning the Leaders Division if everything falls their way over the final weeks.

Penn State is reeling, and Ohio State has enough talent to take advantage.

Early Outlook: Ohio State 24, Penn State 14

No. 16 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan

Nebraska righted the ship after a stunning loss to Northwestern by going on the road and knocking off Penn State thanks to a strong showing from Rex Burkhead. The Cornhuskers are one game behind Michigan State in the Big Ten Legends Division and own the tiebreaker.

The Wolverines, while still kicking themselves for a road loss to Iowa, went on the road and knocked off Illinois to salvage their BCS dreams for another week. Since they lost to their in-state rivals, winning out and getting help is the only option for Michigan.

Both teams desperately needs this win and have recently suffered bad losses, so to say it's a toss-up might be an understatement. Home teams get the edge in games like that.

Early Outlook: Michigan 31, Nebraska 27

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 22 Baylor

Oklahoma and its fans are already gearing up for the season finale against No. 2 Oklahoma State, but they better not overlook the high-flying Bears on Saturday. It's definitely a trap game, and keeping up with strong offense won't be as easy without Ryan Broyles.

Baylor has defeated TCU and Kansas State this season, so the Bears' placement inside the BCS top 25 is no fluke. Robert Griffin III and Kendall Wright are a formidable duo and will cause fits for a Sooners defense that was exposed vs. Texas Tech.

It will be closer than most prognosticators predict, but Oklahoma will survive an upset bid from Baylor.

Early Outlook: Oklahoma 45, Baylor 35

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9933
2	Oklahoma State	.9642
3	Alabama	.9099
4	Oregon	.8755
5	Oklahoma	.8400
6	Arkansas	.7974
7	Clemson	.6935
8	Virginia Tech	.6755
9	Stanford	.6747
10	Boise State	.5959
11	Houston	.567
12	South Carolina	.528
13	Kansas State	.497
14	Georgia	.453
15	Michigan State	.439
16	Nebraska	.382
17	Wisconsin	.333
18	Michigan	.295
19	TCU	.252
20	Southern Mississippi	.245
21	Penn State	.230
22	Baylor	.136
23	Texas	.120
24	Auburn	.079
25	Florida State	.071