BCS Rankings: 10 Scenarios in Which Arkansas Razorbacks Play for the Title

Bobby Petrino's Arkansas Razorbacks sit in third place behind Alabama and LSU in both the SEC West standings and the BCS rankings. But there are a handful of scenarios that could propel his team into the National Championship Game via BCS computer rankings.

All of the scenarios start out with them toppling Les Miles' LSU Tigers Friday.

If they do that, LSU still wins the SEC West tiebreaker and goes to the SEC title game against Georgia. So LSU must then lose or win ugly against Georgia in order to give Arkansas and Alabama the top BCS rankings.

The Hogs' Junior quarterback Tyler Wilson has the moxie and the weapons around him to do some damage, and Petrino has had success against LSU in recent years. So it's not unimaginable that Arkansas could play their way into title contention with an upset of the Bayou Bengals.

Here are 10 scenarios in which the Arkansas Razorbacks could play in the BCS title game.

The "Full Boar" Scenario

This scenario is called the "Full Boar" because it's the one that involves Arkansas beating LSU in convincing fashion and then facing them again for the BCS National Championship.

In this scenario, Arkansas demolishes LSU this weekend, while Auburn upsets Alabama in a landslide.

This would keep the Tigers ahead of the Tide in the BCS standings.

After the dust settles from that SEC mess, LSU and Arkansas would be the top two in the BCS rankings, and not necessarily in that order.

A Tiger-Razorback rematch after the New Year would be great theater.

The "Escape the Tide" Scenario

Here's another scenario in which LSU and Arkansas have a rematch in the title game.

This scenario is less likely, but still plausible depending on how badly Arkansas beats LSU this weekend.

Let's say Arkansas wallops the Bayou Bengals 35-14.

That gives them a dominating road win and plenty of brownie points with the BCS rankings.

Then Alabama beats Auburn, but in ugly fashion, such as a low-scoring overtime win or a sloppy 17-14 regulation win.

If it plays out this way, Arkansas could narrowly beat Alabama in the rankings. LSU and Arkansas would then have a chance to collide in the championship.

The "Bulldog Bully" Scenario

The "Bulldog Bully" scenario features an Alabama vs. Arkansas championship, courtesy of the Georgia Bulldogs.

As it is with most of these scenarios, it only begins with Arkansas obliterating LSU Friday.

That sets up the LSU-Georgia SEC Championship game.

Mark Richt's Bulldogs would then soundly defeat LSU—which would be quite the upset.

That would leave LSU with two bad conference losses, so Alabama and Arkansas could conceivably sneak in as the No. 1 and No. 2.

It's highly unlikely that the computers allow Arkansas to sneak into the second slot, but if LSU loses badly enough against Arkansas and Georgia, it could happen.

The "Roll Tide" Scenario

This one is a slight variation of the previous scenario.

The Razorbacks would sneak into the championship in the "Roll Tide" scenario if Alabama crushes Auburn in the Iron Bowl while LSU loses close games to Arkansas and Georgia.

Here's how it plays out:

1. Arkansas nips LSU Friday.
2. Alabama crushes Auburn Saturday.
3. LSU loses to Georgia in a close SEC title game
4. National Rankings: Alabama No. 1, Arkansas barely squeaks by LSU for No. 2.

The "Lucky Luck" Scenario

The Stanford Cardinal and the Arkansas Razorbacks could meet in the BCS National Championship by the following process of elimination:

1. Arkansas shellacks LSU.
2. Auburn shellacks Alabama.
3. Georgia shellacks LSU in the SEC title game.
4. Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech both lose to finish the regular season.

This would leave Arkansas and Stanford as the only one-loss titans in the picture, with LSU and Alabama now both two-loss clubs licking wounds from bad defeats.

The "Ozark Mountain" Scenario

Although it's extremely unlikely, it's not wildly unimaginable that Arkansas could play Oklahoma State for all the marbles.

For starters, Les Miles' LSU Tigers would have to take their two-game tumble, and Alabama would have to lose to Auburn.

Then, all Oklahoma State has to do is win their rivalry game with the Oklahoma Sooners, and they're in.

This scenario, much like a couple of previous scenarios, asks a lot of SEC underdogs Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia.

If the Razorbacks and Bulldogs were able to pull off the upsets and the Cowboys are able to take care of business, it would set up a wildly entertaining title game.

The "Hogs vs. Hokies" Scenario

Again, here's an incredibly improbable yet humanly possible scenario which leads to the Hogs taking on the Hokies in the championship.

LSU and Alabama both go in the tank for the remainder of the season, leaving Arkansas as the only one-loss SEC team.

Then the two other premier one-loss teams would have to lose—Oklahoma State would have to fall to Oklahoma and Stanford would have to lose to Notre Dame.

All Virginia Tech would have to do is take care of business in the ACC. That sets up the Hogs versus Hokies showdown.

The "Scoring Spree" Scenario

A scoring spree against all the top teams except Houston and Arkansas could result in a Cougar-Razorback championship, which would in turn be a scoring spree.

Here is how it could happen:

1. Arkansas and Georgia rain touchdowns on LSU.
2. Auburn rains touchdowns on Alabama.
3. Oklahoma State, Stanford and Virginia Tech all lose by 40-plus to finish the regular season.
4. The BCS computer system punishes all the above teams for losing so badly that they award undefeated Houston, who has a horrible strength of schedule, into the BCS title party.

The "When Pigs Fly" Scenario

The only way for a two-loss team not named LSU or Alabama could sneak into the championship is if LSU and Alabama moved from the SEC West and replaced the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.

If by some miracle that does happen and their seasons are voided, then a team like Oregon could sneak in and face Arkansas by virtue of a tiebreaker with six other teams.

So basically, a two-loss team will play in the title game when pigs fly.

The "Fallen Frog" Scenario

Obviously, the scenarios have gotten increasingly far-fetched as the slideshow goes on, but here's a final scenario that America would embrace—a turn of events that catapults the Boise State Broncos into the title game against the Razorbacks.

Arkansas and Boise State would have to take care of business, and everyone else in the Top 10 would have to get blown out.

Then TCU would have to forfeit its Mountain West title because of some NCAA violation related to its conference shopping, such as accepting money from prospective conferences.

This would give Boise State the Mountain West title and the only other one-loss record besides Arkansas.

I think that pigs flying is more likely.