While the top 3 teams in the BCS Standings: Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State continue to cruise, which means the Buckeyes will be left out of the national champions game, below them it continues to be mayhem, as Number 4 Baylor (losing to Oklahoma State) and number 6 Oregon (losing to Arizona) probably will find themselves out of the top 10, while Texas A&M, UCLA and Minnesota join them in the long list of ranked teams that lost this week.
What does this mean about the national title game? Not much. Alabama, who beat Chattanooga 49-0 and still have Auburn left to play, remain in control of their destiny. The same goes for the Tigers, who didn’t play but enter the Iron Bowl at 10-1, and with a chance to cause the upset of upsets at Jordan-Hare stadium, meaning they’ll win the SEC West and go to the conference championship game.
Things are much simpler for Florida State. The ACC division title is in the bag, getting an easy 80-14 win over Idaho, not letting the Jameis Winston problems get to them. It sets them up with a game against sad and pathetic Florida, who have now lost six games in a row, including this week to Georgia Southern, which means the first losing season for the Gators since 1979. Whoever plays them for the conference title – Duke or anyone else, it’s hard seeing the Seminoles not making the national championship game.
Ohio State? They have a game against a bad Michigan team left to play, and then Michigan State for the conference title, already set. In order to make the national championship game, it’s going to take some special things to happen, because if Auburn or Missouri do beat Alabama on their remaining schedule, there’s a good chance that they take their place among the top two, leaving the Buckeyes with their relatively weak schedule behind.
More BCS mess? Oregon got a gift last week as Stanford lost to USC, suddenly the hottest team in the Pac-12, a bit too late. However, they dropped the ball, shockingly to Arizona, which means Stanford should once again be in the lead to win the division, unless Oregon really impress when they beat Oregon State. In the South, it’s in Arizona State’s hands, but they need to beat Arizona in order to clinch the division title. A loss means USC can beat UCLA and come out of nowhere to win the division and possibly the conference.
The Big-12 is also in some sort of pickle. Baylor were mentioned as contenders for the national title game, but Oklahoma State swept in and stole their thunder with a 49-17 win in Stillwater. Baylor still have to play both TCU and Texas, but if the Cowboys win against Oklahoma in Bedlam, the Cowboys get the automatic BCS bowl berth. Texas are still in the picture, needing to beat both the Red Raiders and Baylor while hoping that Oklahoma State lose. Oklahoma, no matter what, won’t win the division.