- Few Surprises Expected in BCS Poll This Week - Joy Banerjee | Flickr Creative Commons
With only two games on tap this week where any real doubt exists as to outcome for BCS Top 10 teams - TCU at 5th ranked Utah and Alabama at 10th ranked LSU - expect little change when the new BCS standings are announced Sunday, November 7, on ESPN’s weekly “BCS Countdown” show.
No Change Likely in Top Three BCS Football Rankings
Offensive juggernaut Oregon should easily remain atop the BCS poll by downing Washington (3-5) in the Pacific-10 as second-ranked Auburn takes a breather from SEC play to host an FCS team, the University of Chattanooga.
While Utah should make things more interesting than last year when the Utes fell to TCU 55-28, the Horned Frogs should prevail in the end, ending Utah’s three-week appearance in the BCS football rankings and solidifying the team's grip on the third spot.
No Real Surprises Expected in 5 Through 10 Standings
In the remaining game with real BCS implications this Saturday, conference title game hopes are on the line as LSU hosts SEC-West rival Alabama. This game will demonstrate whether the 7-1 start for LSU is more fact or hype since the suspect Tigers have avoided losses this season in four different games by margins of 2 to 6 points. Look for the resurgent Tide to roll in this one and to take advantage of a Utah loss to continue climbing in the poll.
Boise State, with a convincing victory over Hawaii (7-4) should be able to hang on to the fourth spot in the rankings this week. With the drag of the strength of schedule knock, the Broncos passed by TCU last week, will unlikely hold off Alabama much longer.
In Big-12 action, Nebraska is unlikely to have much difficulty from Iowa State and Oklahoma should win at Texas A&M, barring another on the road, self-destruct performance. With pivotal road games remaining against Baylor and Oklahoma State, if they are to remain in the mix, the Sooners need to prove this week that they can win games playing away from Norman. The teams are expected to move up to the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.
Wisconsin, with a likely victory over Purdue, should also move up a spot from ninth to eighth. After a brief hiatus from the rankings Ohio State should return to the top ten this week thanks to expected losses by Utah and LSU.
The only position that seems iffy in the standings when the dust settles at the conclusion of the tenth week of NCAA college football play is the BCS poll tenth spot. Missouri, ranked twelfth in the current poll, should defeat this week’s opponent Texas Tech but with the national spotlight focused on the Pacific-10 match up between Stanford and Arizona, a Cardinal win will likely propel Stanford ahead of Missouri into the final top ten position.
Projections for the BCS Standings at the End of Week 10
- Oregon
- Auburn
- TCU
- Boise State
- Alabama
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Wisconsin
- Ohio St.
- Stanford
As the NCAA college football season begins to wind down, the BCS bowl picture is starting to come into sharper focus. With pivotal games looming on the horizon, in short order realistic bowl match up projections will become possible.
Larry Darter - Larry Darter is a freelance writer and published author with three books to his credit. He is a graduate of the Univ. of Central ...
