With only six days until their titanic clash in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide remained on top of the latest BCS standings, which were released on Sunday night. Despite not playing this week, they both remained ahead of an Oklahoma State Cowboys squad that destroyed Baylor on Saturday, but none of that matters now as what will arguably be the most hyped college football game in quite some time is really imminent.
Here is the full breakdown of the latest rankings:
1. LSU Tigers (8-0, 5-0 conference) Last Week: 1
The Skinny: The Tigers are still only slightly ahead of the Crimson Tide in the BCS rankings, but they will be the underdogs when they head to Tuscaloosa for this game on Saturday. When betting opened, they are currently underdogs by four points, but the Tigers have shown this season that they can win on the road, including victories over Oregon and West Virginia away from Baton Rouge. All of their wins have come by double digits, and they have won their last three games by 30 points or more. Needless to say, that can’t be the expected result this week.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 conference) Last Week: 2
The Skinny: Not to be outdone by LSU, Alabama’s wins have also come by double digits and have also won their last three games by at least 30 points. They’ve only allowed 27 points at home in five games, and while LSU certainly will score more than that, it does show how much the crowd aids what is one of the best defenses in the country. Factor in the dynamic running of Trent Richardson, and you have a recipe for a club that will almost definitely go undefeated the rest of the way if they can win on Saturday.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-0, 5-0 conference) Last Week: 3
The Skinny: The Cowboys have really been doing Stillwater proud this season, playing some incredible offense and stepping up on defense when needed. Saturday was no exception, as their defense made Baylor’s potent attack look average and their offense lit up the boards again, including an incredible 13 catch performance by Justin Blackmon. They may not get all the press attention that the top two clubs do, but if they can win against Kansas State and Oklahoma, they will make a very compelling argument to be in the national title game in New Orleans.
4. Stanford Cardinal (8-0, 6-0 conference) Last Week: 6
The Skinny: Apparently the BCS computers don’t give a hoot about how teams win their games, because Stanford put many big scares into their fans with how close they allowed the USC Trojans to stay throughout. They ended up winning in triple overtime, and that victory in the Colesium was enough to boost them over the idle Boise State Broncos. The computers still don’t really like the Pac-12, so it will be interesting to see how they will fare in the national title hunt if they remain undefeated and still have a one loss SEC club ahead of them.
5. Boise State Broncos (7-0, 2-0 conference) Last Week: 4
The Skinny: Despite not playing this week, the Broncos did drop a spot and are the subject of an ongoing debate as to whether or not they should be ahead of a one-loss SEC team or an undefeated Stanford squad. They don’t have the world’s toughest schedule down the stretch, but if Georgia continues to play well in the SEC East, it could give the Smurf Turf dwellers a much needed boost.
6. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1, 4-1 conference) Last Week: 9
The Skinny: The week after coming off a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech, the Sooners had a lot to prove when they traveled to Manhattan to battle the undefeated Kansas State Wildcats. They did exactly that, beating the Cats 58-17 and scoring 44 unanswered points in the second half. It was a tremendous show, and it definitely showed that the Sooners should still be considered a viable contender for the national title game should a couple of teams falter ahead of them.
7. Arkansas Razordbacks (7-1, 3-1 conference) Last Week: 10
The Skinny: The last two weeks haven’t been particularly impressive for the Razorbacks, as they have won both games but haven’t looked too impressive in doing so. This week saw them nearly lose to Vanderbilt, but it didn’t matter as they jumped three spots with the losses by Kansas State and Clemson. They have a tough battle of their own on Saturday as they will face South Carolina in Fayetteville. Oh yeah, they also have that date looming in Baton Rouge against the Tigers on November 25th to worry about.
8. Oregon Ducks (7-1, 5-0 conference) Last Week: 7
The Skinny: The Ducks’ position in the rankings took a little dip with their lackluster victory over Washington State on Saturday, but they could make up that ground if they beat Washington on the road this week. Their real chance to make noise in the BCS will come on November 12th when they travel to Palo Alto to take on Stanford the following week.
9. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1, 5-1 conference) Last Week: 13
The Skinny: Steve Spurrier’s bunch has a great shot to represent the conference in the SEC title game, but they have to do battle this week with Arkansas on the road, so that spot is tenuous at best. If they can beat them, they will still have a game at home against Clemson in the last week of the season, but having a victory over Georgia in their pocket definitely helps matters as they try to play in Atlanta in December.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 3-1 conference) Last Week: 14
The Skinny: The Cornhuskers went into Saturday’s tilt in Lincoln looking to get their first statement win in Big Ten play, and they certainly got it with their 24-3 dismantling of Michigan State. The Spartans looked lost against the Huskers’ ferocious defense, and that has to bode well for Nebraska as they try to claim the Legends Division title and the spot in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. They will have to face the Michigan Wolverines on November 19th at the Big House before that can happen, and the week before that they have a date with Penn State in Happy Valley. Yikes.
11. Clemson Tigers (8-1, 5-1 conference) Last Week: 5
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1, 4-1 conference) Last Week: 12
13. Houston Cougars (8-0, 4-0 conference) Last Week: 17
14. Kansas State Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 conference) Last Week: 8
15. Michigan Wolverines (7-1, 3-1 conference) Last Week: 18
16. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-0 conference) Last Week: 19
17. Michigan State Spartans (6-2, 3-1 conference) Last Week: 11
18. Georgia Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 conference) Last Week: 22
19. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-2, 4-1 conference) Last Week: 21
20. Wisconsin Badgers (6-2, 2-2 conference) Last Week: 15
21. Texas Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 conference) Last Week: 24
22. Auburn Tigers (6-3, 4-2 conference) Last Week: 23
23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-2, 4-2 conference) Last Week: Not Ranked
24. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2, 2-1 conference) Last Week: 25
25. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-1, 3-1 conference) Last Week: Not Ranked