Nov 03 2008
Texas Tech Second in BCS Standings
I’ve added a series of widgets to the Data page. You’ll find up-to-date standings, rankings and scores for a variety of sports. The BCS computers liked Texas Tech more than I thought they would. My BCS game projections must change a bit since Texas Tech is ranked second, as follows:
BCS Championship: Alabama vs. Texas Tech
Rose: Penn State vs. USC
Orange: Utah vs. Maryland
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia
Fiesta: Texas vs. Ohio State
#1: Alabama, .9747
The Crimson Tide are number one in the Harris and coaches polls and tied for number one in the computers. Alabama’s three best wins to date are the opener against Clemson, the game at Georgia that got people talking and a 17-14 nailbiter against 6-3 Kentucky. However, games against Tulane, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State didn’t help. The Tide battles LSU (6-2) on the road Saturday.
#2: Texas Tech, .9372
The Red Raiders are third in both polls but tied for first among the computers. We all know about the big win last night against Texas. TTU thumped Kansas last week in Lawrence when the Jayhawks were nationally ranked. However, the Red Raiders’ third-best win is against Nebraska, a squad Oklahoma crushed Saturday, 62-28. The other wins are against Eastern Washington, Nevada, SMU, Massachusetts, Kansas State and Texas A&M. TTU has to do more and will get its chance in the next two games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
#3: Penn State, .9286
The Nittany Lions rose to second in both polls but the computers ranked them fourth. PSU beat Ohio State in Columbus, 13-6, last week. The Lions smashed Oregon State at home in September. Their third-best win is against up-and-down Illinois. PSU does not play Northwestern or Minnesota this year. Both teams are 7-2. The Lions face 8-2 Michigan State to end the year. That’ll help. Nonconference wins against Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and Temple didn’t help.
#4: Texas, .8531
The Longhorns were a near-unanimous number one last week. They dropped to sixth in the Harris poll and seventh in the coaches survey. However, the computers ranked them third. Texas is the highest-rated one-loss team. The Longhorns fell to Texas Tech but defeated Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State. Texas’s nonconference slate of Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Rice and Arkansas impresses no one but an upcoming game with Kansas could boost the Longhorns’ ranking.
#5: Florida, .8268
The Gators crushed Georgia, 49-10, Saturday. Florida is ranked fourth by Harris and fifth by the computers and the coaches. The Gators’ 31-30 home loss to a 5-4 Mississippi squad is damaging their BCS championship prospects. However, big wins against Miami, LSU and Kentucky–combined with the Georgia victory and upcoming games with Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida State–provide hope.
#6: Oklahoma, .8220
The computers hurt the Sooners this week, rating them ninth. Harris placed Oklahoma fourth; the coaches voted the Sooners fifth. Among teams currently in the BCS top 25, Oklahoma is 1-1, having beaten TCU and lost to Texas. Oklahoma also beat Kansas but the Jayhawks are not presently ranked. Oklahoma’s third-best win is probably against 6-2 Cincinnati, which is tied for second in the Big East. Wins against Chattanooga, Washington and Baylor are useless. The Sooners will battle Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to end the regular season.
#7: USC, .7551
Tough luck for the Trojans. USC blanked Washington, 56-0, at home Saturday and still dropped two places this week. The Trojans are seventh in the Harris poll and sixth in the coaches poll. The computers don’t think much of USC, placing it tenth. Losing to a 5-3 Oregon State squad didn’t help. Beating Ohio State in September was good but Virginia (USC’s first win) is 5-4 and no one in the Pac-10 is very strong this year. Notre Dame is improving but dropped a stunner at home to Pittsburgh yesterday. USC needs help.
#8: Utah, .6972
The undefeated Utes are ninth among the humans but seventh with the computers. Winning the season opener at Michigan seemed like a big deal but the Wolverines are now 2-7. Utah State and Weber State were weak nonconference foes but defeating Oregon State is a feather in the cap. Air Force is 7-2 and is Utah’s second-best win. The Utes face #12 TCU Thursday night and rival Brigham Young to end the year so Utah has two more chances to improve its profile.
#9: Oklahoma State, .6660
The Cowboys are in eighth in the human voting but 11th in the computer average. I wasn’t sure why until I looked at OSU’s schedule. We all know the Cowboys lost a 28-24 heartbreaker to Texas. OSU also beat 7-2 Missouri, 28-23. Both games were on the road. However, OSU’s other games were against Washington State, Houston, Missouri State, Troy, Texas A&M, Baylor and Iowa State. Now I know why. The Cowboys travel to Texas Tech this week. We’ll know a lot more about them after that contest.
#10: Boise State, .6529
Good news for the Broncos: They’ll probably finish the regular season undefeated. Bad news for them: It’s hard to imagine them rising much higher than tenth. BSU beat 6-3 Oregon in September. The Ducks have toggled in and out of the national rankings all season. BSU beat 4-5 Bowling Green, which beat Pittsburgh. The Broncos won at Southern Mississippi, but the Golden Eagles are having an odd down season at 3-6. Even the Western Athletic Conference isn’t helping. Hawaii is struggling without its star quarterback and coach. Fresno State started the year in the top 20 but is now 5-3. Playing at Nevada later this month won’t impress the computers, which currently have BSU eighth. The Broncos are tenth in both human polls.
#11: Ohio State, .5553
The Buckeyes were off yesterday. Ohio State is 11th in the Harris and 12th on the coaches’ and computers’ lists. The best two teams the Buckeyes played–USC and Penn State–beat them. OSU defeated 8-2 Michigan State and 7-2 Minnesota. The Buckeyes travel to 7-2 Northwestern this week. Finishing games against Illinois and Michigan won’t likely boost OSU’s stock.
#12: Texas Christian, .5442
The 9-1 Horned Frogs are 11th in the coaches ranking, 12th in the Harris poll and 13th in the computer average. TCU’s last two games–against #8 Utah and 7-2 Air Force–will raise its position. The Horned Frogs defeated 8-1 Brigham Young, 32-7, last month. TCU lost to Oklahoma, 35-10. TCU’s second-best win is against 5-4 Stanford.
