BCS Rankings: 5 Matchups with Biggest BCS Impact in Week 13

There are only a couple weeks remaining in the college football season, meaning there isn't much time to make a big leap in the BCS standings.

Even so, things are far from settled at this point, with tons of important contests—including conference championship games—left to be played.

Week 13 could be a make-or-break venture for many teams, including those fighting for the No. 2 spot behind No. 1 LSU in the BCS rankings.

There are also plenty of squads merely fighting for the chance to play for their conference championship in hopes of making a BCS bowl as an automatic qualifier.

The BCS picture is currently as cloudy as it has ever been, but the picture should become a bit clearer when the dust settles this weekend. There will still be some uncertainty, but this week should go a long way in weeding out some of the BCS pretenders.

Here are the five Week 13 college football games with the biggest BCS impact.

No. 8 Houston vs. Tulsa

At 11-0, the No. 8 Houston Cougars are one of only two remaining undefeated teams in major college football along with No. 1 LSU.

A win this week over Tulsa is highly unlikely to vault the Cougars into National Championship consideration, but if some chips fall around them, then a BCS bowl game is a very real possibility.

Even one loss would crush Houston's hopes and dreams, though, making its game against Tulsa absolutely vital.

The Golden Hurricane haven't gotten much national publicity, but they have had an excellent year with an 8-3 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in Conference USA.

It is quite possible that Tulsa is as good or better than Houston, as the team's only losses came against Top 10 teams in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State.

Houston quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Case Keenum will need to have another monster game to keep Houston in the BCS hunt and get the Cougars into the Conference USA Championship Game.

No. 5 Virginia Tech vs. Virginia

There are several one-loss teams currently in the hunt to take the No. 2 spot behind LSU, and one of those teams is No. 5 Virginia Tech.

With a little help, the Hokies could very much be in the National Championship hunt, but they must first take care of business by beating the Virginia Cavaliers this week and winning the ACC Championship Game as well.

Virginia has certainly performed above expectations this season with a 5-2 record in the ACC, and would actually play for the ACC title with a win over Virginia Tech.

The Hokies certainly realize the importance of this particular game, though, especially if they have any hope of playing for the National Championship or even a BCS bowl in general.

The Hokies have one of the country's best defenses as well as a Heisman Trophy candidate in running back David Wilson.

The same can't exactly be said for the Cavaliers, but they play great team football and are certainly an upset threat at home. This game could throw the BCS picture for a loop to be sure.

No. 19 Penn State vs. No. 16 Wisconsin

Few conferences in the nation are more wide open than the Big Ten at this point.

No. 14 Michigan State has already clinched a spot in the title game thanks to a tiebreaker over No. 15 Michigan, but the Leaders Division is still very much in question.

That will change on Saturday, as the No. 19 Penn State Nittany Lions will travel to take on the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers to determine who will face the Spartans for Big Ten supremacy.

Penn State is currently 6-1 in the conference while Wisconsin is just 5-2, but this is a winner-takes-all affair, as the loser will essentially be ousted from BCS contention.

The Nittany Lions started the post-Joe Paterno era with a loss to Nebraska, but followed it up with a solid road win over Ohio State.

The Badgers came out of the gates hot, but suffered a two-game losing streak. They have since stabilized with three consecutive wins, as quarterback Russell Wilson looks poised to take the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl.

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 24 Auburn

Despite losing to No. 1 LSU just a few weeks ago, the Alabama Crimson Tide are back in the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings and seem to be in the driver's seat momentarily when it comes to facing the Tigers for the National Championship.

For that to happen, though, the Crimson Tide must first take care of business against the No. 24 Auburn Tigers.

Auburn is the defending National Champion, but with quarterback Cam Newton in the NFL, the Tigers certainly aren't the dangerous team that erased a 24-point deficit in a win over Alabama last season.

Still, the Tide can't afford to look past Auburn, as a loss would completely knock them out of the National Championship picture, with an SEC title being an impossibility.

The Tigers have been very up and down on both sides of the ball this season, which won't bode well against Alabama. The Tide, along with LSU, have arguably the best defense in the nation, and will likely be able to force inexperienced quarterback Clint Moseley into some mistakes.

If running back Trent Richardson supplements that with his usual monster game, then the Tide will roll.

No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 1 LSU

As much as the 11-0 LSU Tigers seem to be entrenched as the nation's top team, even one misstep could change everything.

The Tigers have met and conquered every challenge put in front of them this season, but none has been as important as a home date against the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks will be on Friday afternoon.

The Tigers have already beaten No. 2 Alabama, but an Arkansas win would certainly vault the Razorbacks into the top two and could possibly push the Tide past LSU as well.

A loss would be doubly disastrous for LSU as well, because it would give Arkansas the SEC West crown and allow it to play Georgia for the SEC Championship.

Alabama didn't have any trouble with Arkansas earlier in the season, and if the Tigers follow a similar game plan, they should be fine also.

No team has the ability to confuse a quarterback like LSU, so it could be a rough day for Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson. Provided the Tigers play stout defense and roll running backs Spencer Ware and Michael Ford, they should be one step closer to their ultimate goal.