BCS Rankings: Top 25 Heading into Week 13

As the season close for most of these teams, all except No. 1 ranked LSU and No. 8 Houston have one or more losses this year.

All college football fans who aren't LSU fans will be rooting for LSU to lose this weekend against No. 3 Arkansas in order to gain ground in the BCS standings.

Among the showdown in Death Valley, fans will be flipping back and forth given a decent amount of rivalry games going on this weekend. Be sure to find where your favorite team is playing and where they sit in the BCS rankings.

25. Texas Longhorns

Rounding out the rankings are the Texas Longhorns. Head coach Mack Brown has seen another rebuilding year under his watch and the end to this season isn't likely to go well for the Longhorns.

Texas visits rival Texas A&M in what is sure to be a hotly contested game. The Aggies have been up and down all season, but look for them to put the pressure on Texas early with a strong home field crowd behind them.

24. Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers have had their own rebuilding year of sorts after winning the national championship last year.

The offense lost playmaker Cam Newton to the NFL and has struggled mightily in the first post-Newton season.

The defense has played well for most of the year. That's why Auburn is still ranked.

The Tigers almost suffered an embarrassment last week against Samford, but were able to score 14 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a victory.

It's going to take much more than that to dethrone No. 2 Alabama in the Iron Bowl this week.

23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had quite a turbulent month.

They were knocked off by a less than stellar Miami team, bounced back by defeating rival Clemson and then lost in an ACC showdown with Virginia Tech.

The team righted the ship again by defeating Duke, but it wasn't by much.

The Yellow Jackets look to put two straight wins together since Oct. 8 when they take on hated rival, Georgia, in the season finale for both teams.

22. Notre Dame

After some early season struggles, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have turned things around.

The team sits at 8-3 and is poised to skyrocket up the rankings if they can defeat No. 6 Stanford on Saturday.

The defense will have to get to Andrew Luck early and often to set the tone and Tommy Rees will need to have a near perfect game for the Irish to win.

21. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a chance at playing in the Big 10 title game if they had beaten Michigan last week and Iowa this week.

Instead, the Cornhuskers were outgunned by Denard Robinson, who reminded fans why people considered him for the Heisman earlier in the year.

The Cornhuskers can still close out their up-and-down season with a win when Iowa visits Saturday afternoon.

20. TCU Horned Frogs

The TCU Horned Frogs look to end their upset filled season with a win against UNLV next Saturday Dec. 3.

The Horned Frogs have been on the losing end of two upsets this year while shocking then No. 5 ranked Boise State on Nov. 12.

TCU began the year with BCS aspirations, but have since seen their expectations dropped dramatically given their two losses this year.

They will likely move up the rankings on their bye week and could be in line to play for some pretty decent bowls with a win.

19. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State's off-the-field issues are well-documented but the football team still has the chance to play in the Big 10 title game.

Penn State will need to defeat a tough Wisconsin team that will be playing for its own chances at playing in the conference title game.

Ending the season on a positive note would be a nice way to end a turbulent season for the team. 

18. Baylor Bears

Baylor has played spoiler to a pair of national title contenders this year.

They ended TCU's BCS bowl hopes in the first week of the season, and crushed any hope the Oklahoma Sooners had in Friday's contest.

Baylor will look to avoid being upset by Texas Tech who beat Oklahoma as well.

Robert Griffin has been having one of the best statistical seasons in college football history and looks to gain some ground in Heisman voting.

17. Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers suffered an ugly blowout loss to NC State on Saturday.

If the Georgia Tech loss knocked the wind out of the Tigers, the NC State loss was the knockout blow.

All title aspirations went out the window, and now the team is playing for a BCS bowl berth and the ACC title game.

It won't be easy as Clemson travels to rival South Carolina on Saturday.

16. Wisconsin Badgers

If not for some heartbreaking losses to Michigan State and Ohio State, the Wisconsin Badgers would be looking at an undefeated season this year.

Instead, the Badgers will be fighting for a spot in the Big 10 title game against No. 19 Penn State.

Russell Wilson has been a godsend for the Badgers this year. Look for him to continue putting up good numbers in hope of raising his Heisman chances.

15. Michigan Wolverines

Although the Michigan Wolverines have suffered some setbacks this year, the team is still in prime position to beat hated rival Ohio State.

Denard Robinson hasn't had quite the season we thought he would, but he's still passed for more than 1,700 yards and rushed for nearly a 1,000.

With Robinson at the helm, Michigan looks to switch roles with Ohio State and crush their rivals. The Wolverines haven't beaten the Buckeyes since 2003, so Michigan fans will no doubt be extra loud on Saturday.

14. Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans earned one of the most exciting wins this season when they beat Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, the Spartans also have some ugly losses to go with their impressive wins.

MSU will look to avoid another upset loss when they visit the Northwestern Wildcats, which have won four in a row, including a win against Nebraska.

13. Georgia Bulldogs

Like Notre Dame, the Georgia Bulldogs had some early season setbacks, but have turned their season around.

Led by Aaron Murray, the Bulldogs have won nine games in a row and will look to make it 10 straight victories against rival Georgia Tech this weekend.

The defense will have its hands full defending Tech's triple option attack, but if they can stop them, the Bulldogs offense should be able to put enough points on the board to force the Yellow Jackets to put the ball in the air.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina will end its season in a heated rivalry game against Clemson.

The Gamecocks won't be playing in the SEC title game, but they can still play for a top bowl game.

Although the game against Clemson will likely be hotly contested, the Gamecocks have beaten the Tigers the past two years in a row, including a 34-17 drubbing in 2009 when Clemson last visited Williams-Bryce Stadium.

11. Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State has a bye this week, and hopefully that prepares them against a let-down performance against Iowa State in the season finale.

KSU's two losses are nothing to be ashamed of since they came against superior opponents, but the Wildcats have looked vulnerable the past two weeks.

Dual threat quarterback Collin Klein has been a pleasant surprise this year and will attempt to put Kansas State in position for a quality bowl berth.

10. Oregon Ducks

A week after thrashing Stanford, the Oregon Ducks fell victim to the upset bug as Matt Barkley put on a show in Eugene, Ore.

"The Civil War" between Oregon and Oregon State wasn't close last year but the Ducks are reeling and could be poised for another upset against the Beavers.

Of course, Oregon will likely easily handle Oregon State and use the USC game as motivation. But the Beavers are full of confidence after containing the high powered offense from Washington Huskies.

9. Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners might have seen their national title hopes go down the drain against Baylor last week, but Bob Stoops is still saying his team is motivated to win their remaining games.

They're going to need that motivation when they travel to Iowa State where the Hawkeyes just knocked off Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma will need to jump out to an early lead to erase all hope of another upset by Iowa State. The longer the game remains close, the more hope the Cyclones and their fans will get.

8. Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars are sitting pretty. They will look to be this year's Boise State and could be playing for a national title if some crazy scenarios play out over the next few weeks.

The Cougars are lead by Case Keenum who continues to put up video game numbers in hope of winning the Heisman trophy this year.

Houston looks to make it an undefeated season when they take on Tulsa on Friday afternoon.

7. Boise State Broncos

The Boise State Broncos were poised to finally make it to the BCS Championship this year. A missed field goal later against TCU crushed the Broncos' hopes.

The Broncos bounced back nicely last week by defeating San Diego State and will take on Wyoming Saturday afternoon.

Kellen Moore benefited greatly in the Heisman standings with Oklahoma State's loss against Iowa State. He will look to keep putting up solid numbers against a Wyoming team that's been allowing 27 points a game.

6. Stanford Cardinals

A week after being crushed by Oregon, the Stanford Cardinals bounced back by defeating California.

The Cardinals cap the season with a showdown with visiting Notre Dame and the win over a ranked opponent could put Stanford in position to play for a national title.

Andrew Luck has seen his Heisman chances fall a bit the past few weeks, but with Oklahoma State losing, Luck could reassert himself at the top by shredding the Irish defense.

5. Virginia Tech Hokies

Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies are perhaps the quietest top-five team. Perhaps, it's a result of playing in the ACC, but the Hokies are not factoring into anyone's national title conversations.

Other than a loss to Clemson earlier in the year, the Hokies have been perfect and are on their way to yet another ACC title game.

Rival Virginia will attempt to make it two upsets in a row when they host the Hokies on Saturday afternoon.

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys suffered a huge setback when they lost to Iowa State on Saturday night.

Even though the Cowboys lost, they only dropped one spot in the BCS standings and have been the focus of some controversy (controversy and the BCS? NO WAY!) this week.

The Cowboys will attempt to cement their place as a top-five team in the nation when they host Oklahoma in the season finale on Dec. 3.

3. Arkansas Razorbacks

The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks are in prime position to rise to the top of the BCS rankings this week.

The Razorbacks travel to LSU to take on the nation's top team and have the hopes of every team with them.

Their offense has put up points in bunches this year, but they will likely struggle against the LSU defense. Avoiding turnovers will be key for the Razorbacks' offense.

Get ready for a BCS shakeup if the Razorbacks win.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

No. 2 Alabama travels to rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl for their season finale.

With a win, the Crimson Tide will likely cement their place in the national title game. The Auburn offense has struggled at times this year, and Alabama's defense is scary good.

Head coach Nick Saban will have his team ready on Saturday, and I'm sure he will be checking the scoreboard to see the score of the LSU-Arkansas game.

1. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers have been on top for most of the season and they've definitely looked the part of a No. 1 team.

The Tigers have a bruising rushing attack and a top level defense.

LSU isn't built to play catch-up and will likely struggle if Arkansas goes up by a couple scores. It will be up to the LSU defense to contain the high-powered Razorback offense and force some turnovers.