Funny how one week’s marquee victory can mean far less given the next weekend’s results. Stanford, a one-loss team that seemingly had it all — an early loss, a big win over a conference rival and top-10 team, and a high BCS ranking above undefeated teams — was unable to hold off USC at the Coliseum, and sees its already slim BCS title hopes falter.
| Projected BCS Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
| 1 |
Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 2 |
Florida State Seminoles |
| 3 |
Baylor Bears |
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 5 |
Oregon Ducks |
| Scroll down for more |
Though the Stanford loss is intriguing, especially given the way the Pac-12 could resolve itself this season, the real drama will come at the No. 3 spot.
Baylor will finally see its odd stalling behind a one-loss teams come to an end and will move up. But how far? Can the Bears take the No. 3 spot?
The debate is now front and center. Is Baylor or Ohio State the best replacement pick for a national title game should Alabama or Florida State lose?
The fascinating thing is this — with Stanford’s loss, a lot of computer support becomes readily available for Baylor. As does human poll support. Some team is going to have to pick up those pieces and Ohio State chose the wrong weekend to win ugly against Illinois.
Much of that voter confidence will go Baylor’s way, especially after the Bears posted more than 60 points against formerly hot Texas Tech. And, Baylor already had some computer ground left to make up. This might be the weekend the Bears do it.
So can Baylor take No. 3? We’ll say yes.
Also, added bonus — four top teams, all undefeated? Sounds like a ringing endorsement for the College Football Playoff, right?
The one-loss squads with something to prove, including Oregon and Auburn, will come next. Don’t be surprised to see Auburn make a run at the No. 5 spot, which we’re projecting will be filled by Oregon. Though the Tigers might come up a bit short, a win over high competition like Georgia is likely to net Auburn some ground. Plus, with the ranks of the truly elite teams dwindling, now is the time to take a look at the broader picture
Clemson and Missouri, along with Stanford, will likely make up the rest of the top nine, as last week’s No. 10 South Carolina trailed significantly in its hope to breaking into the top 10.
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Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day @BCSKnowHow and here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.
Here’s what the BCS standings will likely look like when they are released tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN:
Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Five (November 17th)
| Rank |
Team |
| 1 |
Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 2 |
Florida State Seminoles |
| 3 |
Baylor Bears |
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 5 |
Oregon Ducks |
| 6 |
Auburn Tigers |
| 7 |
Clemson Tigers |
| 8 |
Missouri Tigers |
| 9 |
Stanford Cardinal |
| 10 |
South Carolina Gamecocks |
| 11 |
Texas A&M Aggies |
| 12 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys |
BCS Know How 