BCS Rankings: Predicting How Conference Championships Will Shake Things Up

The BCS rankings are never set in stone, and things could change any given Saturday. For the most part we have a good idea of where teams are and where they will end up as far as bowl games go. But you never know how the rest of the season will play out.

There may be only a couple of games left but that is a ton of football to be played and the outcome will effect the BCS rankings.

Here are a few conference games that will have an impact on the BCS rankings and the bowl games.

SEC Championship

We still need a few games to be played to decide which school comes out of the SEC West but whichever it is, that team is really going to earn it.

Everything will be simple if LSU wins out, and it would be Alabama and the Tigers in the National Championship. But of course college football is never that simple.

LSU can afford a loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship and still make it to the National Championship Game but that would automatically put the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. That would mean three teams from the SEC in a BCS bowl game. That would also knock out another team like probably Houston, which is having a great season in the C-USA.

Regardless of who plays in the SEC Championship, it's going to play a huge impact on all of the bowl games, including most importantly the National Championship.

ACC Championship

The ACC Championship really won't have much affect on the BCS bowls or BCS rankings. Either Virginia Tech, Virginia or Clemson will end up in the Orange Bowl.

If Virginia Tech loses to either the Cavaliers or the ACC Championship, the Hokies could still get an at-large bid.

If Clemson ends up losing the ACC Championship, the Tigers are done and will have to settle for a non-BCS bowl because of their ranking. The same goes for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 Championship could get interesting because both Stanford and Oregon are pretty much locks to play in a BCS bowl.

But what if UCLA ends up pulling an upset over the Oregon Ducks in this year's Pac-12 title game? That would put the Bruins in the Rose Bowl and end up eliminating either the Cardinal or the Ducks from a BCS bowl.

Ouch.

That would be a shocker and a huge accomplishment for such an inconsistent UCLA team.

Conference-USA

The Houston Cougars look like they'll be going to the Sugar Bowl, but they can't get caught looking ahead because they still have to play Tulsa or Southern Miss in the C-USA Championship.

Neither one of those teams is a cakewalk.

If the Cougars do end up slipping to either one of those teams, that will open the door for another at-large bid, meaning Boise State may be good after all.

Big Ten

Everybody is penciling in Wisconsin to win the Big Ten, but you should not sleep on Penn State or Michigan State. Both of those teams play great defense and have a shot as well.

The only way the Badgers can make a BCS bowl is if they win the Big Ten because of their ranking. Whoever ends up winning the conference will go to the Rose Bowl and take on the winner of the Pac-12.

The Big Ten outcome really isn't going to have much impact on anything else. But the Michigan Wolverines are a sleeper pick for an at-large bid if they're able to take care of Ohio State this weekend.