BCS Rankings: Teams the Computers Like Too Much

The BCS rankings for Week 12 are here, and that means we have yet another chapter in the war between man and machine to discuss.

As per usual, there aren't many things that the voters and the BCS computers agree on. There are some instances in which they have a team in the same spot, but not many. This is why, once again as per usual, some things in the BCS standings just don't make sense.

Because I am a human being (last I checked), I tend to give the voters the benefit of the doubt. As for the BCS computers, I trust them about as much as I trust Skynet.

For example, here are five teams that I think the computers like a bit too much.

Auburn (No. 24)

If it was up to the voters, the Auburn Tigers and their war-mongering birds wouldn't even be ranked. If you take a look at ESPN's breakdown, though, you'll notice that the computers think Auburn is the No. 21 team in the country.

In fact, one computation system has the Tigers as high as No. 15.

All this for a team that has traded wins and losses since early October. Moreover, the Tigers are coming off a beating at the hands of Georgia. 

I realize that Auburn has more excusable losses than any team in the country. I just don't think that excuses its grand total of four losses.

Texas (No. 23)

The BCS computers love the Big 12. They love it, I say!

That's cool, but I don't get why the computers love the Longhorns so much. The voters don't think they should be ranked at all, but the computers have them as the No. 16 team in the country.

This is because Texas has dispatched mighty teams like...

Um, never mind. I've got nothing.

Kansas State (No. 13)

We go from one Big 12 school to another, and this one is even more baffling.

It's pretty clear at this point that Kansas State is not one of the elite teams in the country. That's why both human polls have the Wildcats at No. 17.

The computers have them at No. 7. In other words, the Wildcats would be just behind Arkansas if the computers had their druthers.

The Wildcats certainly aren't bad, mind you, but they aren't that good.

South Carolina (No. 12)

Right now, I think you can easily make the case that Georgia is a better team than South Carolina. The Gamecocks won their head-to-head meeting earlier this year, but things were different back then.

In recent weeks, the Gamecocks just haven't looked like an elite team. They've struggled to score points, and have had to fight tooth and nail to get wins. You have to tip your cap to them for winning some games, but they just don't stack up well against the teams ahead of them in the BCS standings.

Yet the computers think South Carolina is No. 10. That, my friends, is a classic case of what happens when you ignore how teams are winning games.

Foolish computers...

Oklahoma (No. 5)

I'm definitely being more than a little mean to the Big 12, but Oklahoma deserves a spot on this humble little countdown.

I have nothing to complain about when it comes to Oklahoma's wins. What does concern me is the Sooners' one and only loss to Texas Tech. It came at home, and was arguably the most embarrassing performance in the program's history.

Despite this, the computers think Oklahoma should be No. 4. It may not seem like much, but I have a problem with it because the computers also have Oregon at No. 4.

Oregon is a better team than Oklahoma. 

Yeah, I said it.

BCS Rankings for Week 12

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