The BCS rankings 2010 are facing another change today. Tonight, the BCS rankings 2010 will have a new team leading the standings for the second time. Of course, Oklahoma was a shaky choice to lead the standings last week, since they barely avoided getting upset a few times this year. Now that they have finally broken, Oregon, Auburn and Boise State will jockey for the top spot. But when the new BCS rankings come out, who will be No. 1 and No. 2 this time?
It appears that Oregon would be the logical choice as the new No. 1 in the standings. After all, the Ducks were No. 1 in the AP and USA TODAY polls, but strength of schedule vaulted the Sooners over them. Now that Oklahoma is gone, and that Oregon poured 60 points on UCLA Thursday night, this may be the Ducks’ time.
However, the BCS could pass Oregon over again this week – and it may be the best thing for them. Since Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma have all tumbled at No. 1, it may not be the best place for anyone to be right now. In any case, Auburn, and not Oregon, may be the next team to live with the burden.
The Tigers weren’t that far back at No. 4 behind Oregon and Boise State. By beating undefeated LSU yesterday, and in a week where the Broncos were idle, it could elevate Auburn up to No. 2 at the least. The win over LSU could even take Auburn into No. 1, due to an elevated strength of schedule.
The difference between No. 1 and No. 2 isn’t that big in the BCS rankings. As long as a team is at 1 or 2, it doesn’t matter what order it’s in. Although it may be unclear if Oregon or Auburn will lead the standings, they appear likely to be 1-2 in some order, which makes all the difference.
If Boise State was any other team, having Oklahoma lose would likely put them at No. 2 behind Oregon. But thanks to Auburn’s win, the Broncos will probably be stuck at No. 3 in the standings, still waiting for more teams to go down. As for TCU, the Horned Frogs will hope to get to No. 4, but Michigan State, Missouri or Alabama could be likely to overtake them as well.
All of a sudden, a big subplot for tonight’s BCS rankings is where Missouri will end up. The Tigers were No. 11 in the first standings, despite being a few places lower in the AP and USA TODAY. Now that they’ve beaten Oklahoma, Missouri stands to go up even further, as the only unbeaten left in the Big 12.
Whether the projections are right or wrong for this week, it is likely useless down the line. As more top teams fall, the BCS standings remain unstable week-to-week, at least in the top 5. Even if Oregon and Auburn rule the roost now, they might not count on staying there for long.
Sources
Orlando Sentinel- “What the BCS standings could look like in Week 2”
