BCS Rankings: Michigan and More Teams That Will Benefit from Final Standings

The BCS final standings will not reveal a lot of surprises, as LSU and Alabama will finish No. 1 and No. 2. However, further down the standings, a team like Michigan will benefit greatly from the final standings, as they will sneak into a BCS bowl game. 

Heading into the final standings, Michigan is right outside of the Top 14 at No. 16. Michigan has to finish inside of the Top 14 to be considered for a BCS bowl bid as an at-large team. They will sneak into this qualification, as No. 13 Michigan State and No. 14 Georgia have conference championship games this week that they will lose in. 

Michigan State plays Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, where the Spartans are a 9.5-point underdog.

While Michigan State is a big underdog in their conference championship game, Georgia is an even bigger underdog at 13 points. No one is expecting the Bulldogs to pull off the upset in the SEC Championship game against the No. 1 LSU Tigers. With a Bulldogs loss, it will send them below Michigan and allow the Spartans to crack the Top 14. 

With Michigan and their massive and loyal fanbase, they will get into the Sugar Bowl this year to face the Stanford Cardinal, who are benefiting from the final BCS standings.

Stanford will head into this final BCS standings ranked in the Top Five. This will be good enough to lock a spot in a BCS Bowl Game for the Cardinal. Aside from Alabama, this Stanford team is the best at-large one-loss team in the BCS standings. 

Stanford is set up so well for the final BCS standings that even if something happens where Oklahoma, Clemson and Georgia win their conferences on Saturday, they will still be an at-large selection for a BCS Bowl Game. However, if nothing happens and all the favorites win, it will allow Stanford, Michigan and the Houston Cougars to make a BCS Bowl Game as at-large bids.

Now, Houston does not have to rely on Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson losing to get into a BCS Bowl Game. They will automatically qualify for a BCS bowl if they beat Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA Title Game. The Cougars will finish well in the Top 12 of the final standings and will provide a great offensive showing against whomever they play. 

Houston has had a great season this year, and with a 12-0 record, they will be rewarded with a bid to a BCS Bowl Game. Hopefully they will get a chance to play a team like Oklahoma State so we can see the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses in the country.

These three teams will make their fanbases proud when they are selected to a BCS bowl game. All three of these teams will provide us with a great game to watch, either in person or on TV. 

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