Week eight proved seminal in shaping the college football landscape. It all started with the first BCS rankings of 2011, where the Southeastern Conference (SEC) demonstrated its dominance over the college football landscape.
The SEC boasts two undefeated teams, the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who rank first and second in the conference, respectively, and have established themselves as the premier programs in the nation and BCS Championship favorites.
Beyond the SEC, two major upsets further clarified the BCS picture. The Oklahoma Sooners lost a heartbreaker to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the Wisconsin Badgers lost on a controversial Hail Mary to the Spartans of Michigan State. As week nine approaches, we are left with eight undefeated teams, seven of which have a legitimate shot at January's National Championship game in Crescent City, New Orleans, La.
This year, it appears the only sure ticket to the Big Easy is an undefeated season. The SEC is perennially college football's powerhouse conference, and it has produced five straight NCAA champions. Thus, the team that represents the SEC in the BCS Championship will almost certainly be the winner of the LSU−Alabama showdown on Nov. 5. Off the field, this season has been tumultuous at best for the Tigers. Although scandals and unconfirmed suspensions have impacted coach Les Miles's program, he has still managed to steer his team to victory every week.
With the nation's third−best defense, the Tigers have beaten top−ranked opponents — including Oregon, Florida, Mississippi State and defending champion Auburn — by stifling some of the nation's most potent offenses. Their own offensive production, though, has been unspectacular. LSU boasts a decent running attack, and averages the 29th−most yards in the nation on the ground. However, criminal charges surrounding senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson have undermined the Tigers' passing game and derailed the offense's explosive capabilities. The Tigers average a lackluster 183 passing yards per game, just 99th among Div. I schools.
The Crimson Tide's Nick Saban, on the other hand, has again sculpted his defense into the nation's best unit. On average, Alabama holds opponents to less than a touchdown per game, and it boasts an even more menacing offense. Although the Tide lost quarterback Greg McElroy to the NFL, junior running back Trent Richardson's 17 touchdowns have more than made up for any inexperience on the part of sophomore signal−callerA.J. McCarron. The winner of next weekend's primetime matchup can essentially pack its bags for New Orleans. And though the game figures to be close, Alabama should be able to ride Richardson's runs to a hard−fought victory.
On the same pivotal Nov. 5 weekend, two Big 12 surprises, the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys and the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats, may duke it out in another battle of unbeatens.
Prior to the season, many predicted that the Big 12 would be dominated by the traditional powers: the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 24 Texas Longhorns. Instead, Oklahoma State has produced the second−best passing and scoring records in the country. Meanwhile, although Kansas State's running game has improved markedly, its passing offense has struggled. The Wildcats average 140 yards through the air per game, for a dismal 110th in the nation.
Kansas State may not even make it to the Nov. 5 matchup undefeated. They face off with Oklahoma this week, and the Sooners are hungry to avenge their primetime loss to Texas Tech. Thus, the Cowboys should triumph in the showdown with the Wildcats, with senior quarterback Brandon Weeden keying the high−scoring affair.
Oklahoma State's only other pitfall could come in the final week of the regular season when they, too, take on the rival Sooners. If the Cowboys go undefeated, they will probably be the other team in the Championship game. Their strength of schedule is on par with those played by the SEC teams, and the Cowboys have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys.
If Oklahoma State falters, however, they will open the door for Stanford, Clemson and Boise State to bid for a championship. Some would contend that Houston has a shot, but the Cougars play in the mediocre Conference USA and have not beaten a ranked team, two factors that will prevent them from climbing the BCS rankings.
Stanford must beat Oregon to keep its BCS hopes alive. It will most likely play an inferior USC or Arizona State team in the first Pac−12 championship game and thus end with an undefeated season if it can beat coach Chip Kelly's squad.
Clemson's biggest remaining challenge is its final−week game against South Carolina. The ACC usually does not fare well against the SEC, so the Tigers could very well see their hopes dashed by the Gamecocks, even though South Carolina will be without star sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore, who suffered a season−ending knee injury.
Boise State's only route to the BCS championship entails a perfect finish to the regular season, coupled with losses from the aforementioned big−conference teams. Their odds may seem long, but after watching Wisconsin and Oklahoma go down last week, the Broncos have no reason to give up.
