Oklahoma Takes #1 Position in BCS Standings

With the first official BCS standings released last night, I figured it would be pertinent to have a weekly reaction post. It’s early, and there’s a 95% chance all of this will look different in five weeks, but for now, here are my thoughts:
I was surprised to see Oklahoma at #1. But they’re not only the top-ranked team, they’re comfortably ahead of Oregon and Boise State. The Ducks are ranked number one in both the Harris Poll and the coaches’ poll, while the Sooners are 4th and 3rd respectively. But the computers love Oklahoma, and have them at #1, while Oregon is 8th in the computer rankings. Boise State is ranked 3rd in the BCS, but their weak upcoming schedule means they’ll need a lot of help to rise in the computer rankings.
LSU and Auburn are lurking at #4 and #6 respectively. The two teams play next week, and both have yet to face Alabama, but if either team can win both those games, they’ve got a great shot at the title. The SEC title game may not provide much of a boost in terms of schedule strength–only one team in the East division has fewer than three losses–but it also means whoever wins the West is at a lower risk of being upset.
The other non-BCS conference team with a shot at crashing the title game, TCU, has to hope for widespread chaos in the SEC, someone to upset Boise, Oklahoma or Oregon and for Utah to continue their undefeated season.
The only other unbeaten team with a realistic shot (right now anyway) is Michigan State. The Spartans are currently ranked 7th, and have a better computer ranking than TCU, Boise and Oregon. They have one ranked team left on the schedule–#15 Iowa–but the absence of Ohio State from the docket really hurts MSU’s chances to climb above other unbeaten teams in the human polls.
Feel free to leave any BCS rantings in the comments, and I’ll gladly respond.
Don’t miss this week’s college football recap.
image via ESPN