BCS Rankings: Stock Report for Every Team in the Final BCS Top 25

The last official BCS standings of the season were released last night, and there turned out to be no major surprises at the top, as No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama took the top two spots, which earned both teams a spot in the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans on Jan. 9.

Yes, even though not everyone is on board with the title game pairing, we’re going to have to find a way to look forward to the “Game of the Century Part 2” whether we all like it or not.

The Tigers and the Tide have certainly looked like two great teams this season, but that doesn’t change the fact that many people, including myself, think that you should have to win your conference to be declared a true national champion.

If a rematch of the 9-6 defensive slugfest doesn’t tickle your fancy, don’t worry, because there are some other very intriguing bowl matchups—Oklahoma State vs. Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and Wisconsin vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl—that’ll have any true college football fan excited.

While there are some bowl matchups that are just truly terrible (who’s pumped for UCLA-Illinois? Anyone?), there are definitely enough good games on this year’s bowl slate to get excited for.

All in all, it should be interesting to see how all the top-ranked teams fare in the postseason this year.

Here’s a look at whose stock is up and whose stock is down as we head into the holiday bowl season.

1. LSU Tigers: Stock Up

LSU may have come out flat in the first half against Georgia in the SEC championship game this past weekend, but when you’re as good as the Tigers are, not even 12 yards of total output in one half can slow you down, and they showed that as they rolled to a 42-10 victory to seal up a perfect 13-0 regular season.

Next up is Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

It may be unfair that the Tigers have to beat a team twice to win the national championship, but don’t expect Les Miles and his players to whine.

They’ll just keep going about their business and continually working towards their goal of bringing the crystal trophy back to Baton Rouge.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide: Stock Even

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys: Stock Up

It broke my heart that Oklahoma State didn't make it into the national championship game.

The Cowboys had a tougher schedule than Alabama and an overall better resume, which made it surprising that not even a complete domination of the team that entered the season ranked No. 1 would be enough to get them a spot in the BCS national championship game.

Still, Oklahoma State fans have to be happy that they've finally beaten their in-state rival and that they're now headed to their first BCS bowl game in school history.

4. Stanford Cardinal: Stock Even

5. Oregon Ducks: Stock Up

6. Arkansas Razorbacks: Stock Even

7. Boise State Broncos: Stock Even

8. Kansas State Wildcats: Stock Up

9. South Carolina Gamecocks: Stock Even

10.  Wisconsin Badgers: Stock Up

Wisconsin got its vengeance on Michigan State in the Big Ten title game, as QB Russell Wilson showed why he’s one of the top playmakers in college football on the Badgers’ final scoring drive by hooking up with his receiver Jeff Duckworth on the game’s most crucial play.

The 42-39 victory earned Wisconsin the chance to head back out to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, where Pac-12 champion Oregon will be waiting.

The Badgers will be looking to right their wrongs and make up for their loss to TCU in last season’s granddaddy of them all.

11. Virginia Tech Hokies: Stock Down

Yes, it’s an absolute disgrace to the sport of college football that Virginia Tech and Michigan both made it into the Sugar Bowl over more deserving teams like Boise State, Kansas State, Baylor and TCU.

The Hokies had one of the softest schedules out of any of the Top 25 teams (they only beat one ranked team all season—Georgia Tech, which isn’t even ranked anymore), and yet they still couldn’t even find a way to win their conference, as they got absolutely throttled by Clemson 38-10 in the ACC championship game last Saturday night.

After that beatdown, no one expected the Hokies to even sniff a BCS bowl game, but Sugar Bowl officials obviously valued their bank accounts over their dignity.

It can’t be said enough: The Sugar Bowl inviting Michigan and Virginia Tech is just an absolute disgrace.

12. Baylor Bears: Stock Up

Baylor QB Robert Griffin III stated his Heisman case on Saturday by torching one of the top-ranked pass defenses in the country.

The Bears put up 48 points on Texas on their way to clinching their ninth victory of the season.

Griffin has been the savior that the Baylor football program has needed for so long, and watching all that he and Kendall Wright have been able to accomplish this season has been remarkable.

13. Michigan Wolverines: Stock Even

14. Oklahoma Sooners: Stock Down

Oh how the supposedly mighty have fallen.

Oklahoma started off the season ranked as the No. 1 team in both major polls and the Sooners were considered one of the top national title contenders this season. But you would have never known that from that brutal performance we saw out of them in their 44-10 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

QB Landry Jones has turned out to be one of the most overrated players in the country, and Big Game Bob’s team has once again proven that they were far too overhyped this season.

15. Clemson Tigers: Stock Up

16. Georgia Bulldogs: Stock Down

17. Michigan State Spartans: Stock Down

18. TCU Horned Frogs: Stock Up

19. Houston Cougars: Stock Down

I got home from work on Saturday just in time for the start of the second half of the Houston-Southern Miss game, so I got the chance to see every moment of the Cougars throwing away their entire season with one effortless no-show performance.

Houston may have racked up a ton of points and yards this year, but it's obvious that this was never a truly elite team.

With QB Case Keenum moving on, and coach Kevin Sumlin likely heading off to greener pastures, it's unlikely that the Cougars will compete for another BCS bowl any time soon.

20. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Stock Even

21. Southern Miss: Stock Up

22. Penn State: Stock Down

23. West Virginia: Stock Up

24. Texas: Stock Down

I've been asking this question all season long, but I'll be especially stern when asking it this week: How the hell is Texas still ranked?

I can only imagine the type of slimy back-door politicking that must be going on in order to keep the Longhorns in the Top 25.

7-5, no wins over a ranked opponent and a fresh, new, embarrassing 24-point loss to Baylor?

Nope, that sure doesn't sound like the resume of a Top 25 team to me.

Texas may still earn a ton of annual revenue, but it's obvious that this team is now nothing more than a second-tier Big 12 has-been.

25. Auburn Tigers: Stock Down