ESPN has released the Week 12 BCS rankings on its BCS Countdown show, and though the top two teams haven’t changed, there is intrigue just below them.
Once again, Oregon ranks first in all of the college football polls, claiming the top spot in the USA Today coaches poll, the AP Poll, and the BCS standings, and Auburn comes in second in all of those rankings. Oregon and Auburn are still in control of their destinies. Both schools can play for a national title in the BCS National Championship Game by winning out.
Then comes the interesting part: Boise State does not jump TCU, but closes the gap on the Horned Frogs, cutting last week’s difference between third and fourth in half. With a ranked Nevada team and two other games left on the schedule, the Broncos might well jump past TCU and to the Rose Bowl berth that being the top-ranked team from a non-automatically qualifying conference would earn them.
As for Ohio State, they sit at #9 in the rankings, mainly because the computer pools don’t see the Scarlet and Grey in a positive light. Wisconsin is tops in the Big Ten, coming in at #7.
Full standings are as follows:
1. Oregon 2. Auburn 3. TCU 4. Boise State 5. LSU 6. Stanford 7. Wisconsin 8. Nebraska 9. Ohio State 10. Oklahoma State 11. Alabama 12. Michigan State 13. Arkansas 14. Oklahoma 15. Missouri 16. Virginia Tech 17. South Carolina 18. Nevada 19. Texas A&M 20. Iowa 21. Mississippi State 22. Arizona 23. Utah 24. Miami 25. Florida State