Auburn Captures SEC Crown, Is BCS Title Game Berth Next?

With a high-powered win over Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, Auburn claimed its second SEC title in four years and automatically qualifies for a BCS bowl bid.

But sitting at No. 3 in the next to the last BCS standings from last Sunday, could the Tigers be on their way to the BCS title game instead of just representing the SEC in the Sugar Bowl? That will be left, at least partly, up to the way that Ohio State and Florida State answer the call on Saturday night in their respective conference championship games.

The Tigers will wait with bated breath to see if they can jump the Buckeyes in tomorrow’s BCS standings if the top teams are all victorious on Saturday night. Such a leap — a one-loss team jumping an undefeated team for a BCS title game bid — would be a fascinating turn of events. But we’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, Auburn can celebrate its SEC title and at the very least can expect a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

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Alabama Wins SEC Crown, Will Get Shot At A Repeat BCS National Title

Alabama will get its shot at BCS history. For the first time since Ohio State made back-to-back trips to the BCS National Championship Game in 2007 and 2008, we have a return contender for the BCS title in the Crimson Tide.

But unlike the Buckeyes, who lost both attempts to lift the crystal football, the Crimson Tide have a shot to make history — and win a second straight BCS national title, something that has not been accomplished in the BCS era.

With a thrilling 32-28 victory over Georgia in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide locked up the SEC’s automatic bid to a BCS bowl. But more importantly, the BCS No. 2 Crimson Tide assured themselves of a spot in the national championship game against Notre Dame. The achievement will become official when the bowl pairings are announced tomorrow.

In last season’s BCS title game, the Crimson Tide bested LSU in a rematch of a regular season game between the two teams that the Tigers won. Alabama made the championship game without competing for the SEC title, riling up many fans around the country. This year the Crimson Tide completed a 12-1 record with an SEC crown to boot.

Championship Week 14 to Answer All BCS Questions

Each week we like to say something to effect that the BCS picture is clearing up and we’re getting a better understanding of the BCS picture.

It’s a lie.

In reality, with the unpredictable nature of the BCS and college football as a whole, the only time when we’ll ever have a clear picture is after the final game is played.

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you view it) we will finally get the clarity that we’ve been working towards all season this weekend, as the 2010 regular season comes to an end with Championship Weekend.

Championship games in the Big 12, SEC and ACC along with conference-deciding games in the Big East will make this final weekend an exciting one beginning to end, and nearly every game has an effect on postseason positioning — especially of the BCS variety.

Among the guarantees of this weekend — which are few and far between — are that the winners of the three automatic qualifying conference championship games will be headed to BCS Bowls. And in all likelihood, the winner of the ACC game (Virginia Tech or Florida State) will be going to the Orange Bowl and the winner of the Big 12 game (Nebraska or Oklahoma) will be on their way to the Fiesta Bowl.

But past that, it gets a little more complicated. A win in the SEC Championship Game would obviously give the Auburn Tigers a berth in the BCS National Championship Game, but what if they lose to South Carolina? Where would Auburn end up and how would that shuffle the picture?

Where will TCU end up? The Horned Frogs are done with their season and would be headed to the Rose Bowl if they don’t get to the BCS title game and Oregon does, but what would it take to send the Horned Frogs to Glendale?

Oregon and Auburn stand in their way, and although the Ducks have already clinched a spot in the BCS, they will need to beat instate rival Oregon State on Saturday to secure their spot in the title game. A loss, and who knows, we could actually have the non-AQ team in the title game everyone has been talking about.

The Big East will also be supplying a team to the BCS, however it could easily be any of the three remaining teams in contention for the crown — who will all be in action on Saturday. Connecticut, West Virginia Pittsburgh, remain alive, with the Huskies controlling their fate despite having four losses to their name.

The final weekend of college football always features a bevy of possibilities to be pondered, but this year’s edition raises an exceptionally large number of questions and possibilities.

BCS Know How will be here on Saturday guiding you through the action and then on Sunday as bowl selections and BCS rankings are released.

To get up-to-the-second updates from BCS Know How follow us on Twitter @BCSKnowHow.

We’ll also be setting up a live chat for any questions and selection weekend hub page to help you gather all the information you’ll need in order to fully understand the selection process and BCS system when the time comes for the final announcements.

It’s going to be a great weekend, enjoy.

Auburn and South Carolina Clinch Spots in the 2010 SEC Championship Game

After their victories on Saturday, the Auburn Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks have both clinched a spot in the 2010 SEC Championship Game to be played on December 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Tigers defeated Georgia 49-31 in Jordan-Hare Stadium to stretch their record to 11-0 and 7-0 in conference, which was good enough to secure the SEC West Division Crown.

A victory over Alabama in Thanksgiving weekend’s Iron Bowl against Alabama would give the Tigers an undefeated season, but even a loss there coupled with LSU winning the rest of their games would only be enough to give LSU a tie for the SEC West lead — and Auburn holds the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks played what amounted to a SEC Semifinal on Saturday night, as the winner in the matchup would be awarded the SEC East crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Both teams were two losses clear of the rest of the division after Georgia lost to Auburn, and neither team will play another conference game this season.

The Gamecocks proved too much for the Gators, beating Florida 36-14 on their way to clinching a berth in the SEC Championship Game and their first SEC East title. The Gamecocks stretched their record to 7-3 and 5-3 in conference with the victory.

The Tigers and Gamecocks have already played this season, with Auburn topping South Carolina 35-27 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This game will be a neutral site game, and although Auburn is geographically closer to Atlanta than South Carolina is, the Gamecocks will be the “home team,” as designated by the SEC.

A victory in the SEC Championship Game assures the winner a BCS bowl bid, although Auburn will be looking for a bid to the BCS National Championship Game when the final weekend of the season rolls around.

Road to Glendale 2011: Conference Championship Games Star in Week 14

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 college football season preview, we will be breaking down each week’s most important games that could have BCS and postseason implications in the “Road to Glendale 2011”.

Let’s move on to Week 14 where the three BCS conference championship games will play a huge role in which teams make BCS bowls in 2011.

Big 12 Championship Game: Saturday Dec. 4, TBA

In what will be the conference’s final championship game, a matchup of two top-ten teams is more than likely in a very deep 2010 Big 12.

Among the favorites in the North are the defending division winners Nebraska, a revitalized Missouri team and even possibly an unexpected team, like a Colorado or Kansas.

The Big 12 South is sure to once again provide some of the best conference action in the country in the upcoming season, and when the time comes for the South to fill its bid, it could go to a team that has been battered by a tough schedule.

Oklahoma and Texas — as in years past — are the favorites, but don’t overlook teams like Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the division.

Projected Matchup: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

ACC Championship Game: Saturday Dec. 4, TBA

Some might wonder if the ACC Championship Game has lost some of its luster in the past few years when the game failed to provide truly compelling matchups.

However, in 2010, you can expect two high-quality opponents to make their appearance in Charlotte for this years’ edition, as the ACC looks to have a bevy of talent and good teams all around the conference.

Among the favorites are Virginia Tech, Florida State and defending ACC champ Georgia Tech.

No matter what the matchup is, you can expect the ACC Champion to be a nationally vaunted team, and who knows, even a contender for a BCS National Championship.

Projected Matchup: Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Florida State Seminoles

SEC Championship Game: Saturday Dec. 4, TBA

The last four years of the BCS have been ruled with an iron fist by the teams from the SEC. And for each of those four teams, the SEC Championship Game was their penultimate proving ground before making their way to a national title.

Could 2010 be more of the same?

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas and even more give the SEC the depth we’re used to expecting from the conference, meaning that we could be headed for a national semifinal of a SEC Championship Game, as it has been in the past few seasons.

The defending champion Crimson Tide must be the preseason favorites, but any of the aforementioned teams can make a legitimate run at the title. The SEC continues to be the best conference in the country, and there’s no reason to think the dominance will end anytime soon.

We should be treated to yet another high-quality and top ranked matchup when the final week of the regular season comes around.

Projected Matchup: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Oregon at Oregon State: Saturday Dec. 4, TBA

Last year, this “Civil War” decided more than just the statewide bragging rights for the Ducks and Beavers.

Oregon’s victory in this game allowed the Ducks to return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995 and their first Pac-10 title since 2001.

This year’s matchup will feature some of the stars that featured heavily in the decisive game last season, including Oregon running back LaMicahel James and Oregon State back Jacquizz Rodgers.

However, both teams will be relying on new quarterbacks this season and their respective play could end up not only deciding which team is victorious in the Civil War, but whether that team is successful throughout the 2010 year.

Other Games of Note: C-USA Championship Game, MAC Championship Game, Pittsburgh at Cincinnati.

Final BCS Standings: Alabama and Texas Finish the Season On Top

An entire season passed us by we waited for an upset, some kind of drama.

Finally we got a dramatic weekend, and an upset of the No. 1 team in the nation in the final weekend of the season, and the BCS bowls were finally announced after weeks of prognostication.

After upsetting the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game, the Alabama Crimson Tide secured a berth in the BCS National Title game, where they will meet the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns needed a last-second field goal to clinch the Big 12 title and spot in the National Title game.

The two teams finish a convincing 1-2 in the final BCS rankings, with Cincinnati finishing third, but outside of striking distance.

The rest of the BCS bowl bids were filled rather predictably, in fact the ten teams that received BCS bowl bids were the teams that finished 1-10 in the final BCS rankings.

Falling to No. 5 after their loss in the SEC Championship Game, the Florida Gators were rewarded for an undefeated regular season with a Sugar Bowl bid where they will meet those Bearcats.

No. 4 TCU and No. 6 Boise State will meet in the Fiesta Bowl, a first for the non-BCS conferences – not only to play each other in a BCS bowl game – but also the first time ever that more than one non-BCS school was invited to the BCS party.

No. 7 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State have known their fates for quite some time, and when the BCS rankings were released, it mattered little where they finished – the Rose Bowl will likely provide one of the best matchups of the bowl season.

No. 9 Georgia Tech will find themselves rewarded for their ACC Championship with a matchup with Big 10 resurgent Iowa, who finish tenth in the final BCS standings.

So the regular season is done, and now we enter what ESPN calls the most wonderful time of the year. Stay tuned to BCS Know How as we will provide previews and analysis in the coming days for all the bowl games.

Final BCS Rankings – December 6th

Rank	Team	BCS Score
1	Alabama	.9978
2	Texas	.9433
3	Cincinnati	.8878
4	TCU	.8836
5	Florida	.8637
6	Boise State	.8106
7	Oregon	.7568
8	Ohio State	.6568
9	Georgia Tech	.6471
10	Iowa	.6180
11	Virginia Tech	.5675
12	LSU	.5375

Final Projected BCS Rankings: Alabama and Texas Meet For National Title

Oh what could have been.

We waiting weeks for this weekend to come, hoping that it would deliver the drama and intrigue that the rest of the season was missing, and it did not dissapoint.

Texas, playing in what was supposed to be a cakewalk of a Big 12 Championship Game instead needed instant replay on the clock and a 46-yard field goal that just sneaked in the uprights to clinch victory and a likely shot at the national title game.

Alabama and Florida were supposed to play in the season’s most intriguing game. Instead what we got was an Alabama romp, blowing out the Gators and likely clinching their shot at the national title.

So it’s likely that we’ll get that SEC Champ vs. Texas game when the last BCS standings are released tomorrow.

But it could have been much different.

If Texas had lost, we would have entered one of the messiest final BCS rankings in the system’s history, but we avoided that by the slimmest of margins.

So here’s our reality for tomorrow, and what we know so far:

• We know that Oregon and Ohio State will make the Rose Bowl game and continue the Big Ten vs. Pac-10 rivalry.
• We know that Cincinnati will receive a BCS bowl bid, we just don’t know from where.
• We know that Georgia Tech is going to get a bid to the Orange Bowl with their victory over Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, as the bowl and the conference have ties that allow for the conference champion to receive an automatic bid there.
• We are almost 100% sure that Alabama and Texas will meet for the national title game after winning every game they needed to in order to get to the biggest game of the season.
• We can also be pretty sure that Florida will receive a Sugar Bowl bid despite losing the SEC Championship Game, as the Sugar Bowl will likely want an SEC team despite the SEC Champ going to the National Title Game.
• Another thing that’s guaranteed: TCU will get a BCS bowl bid due to the BCS’s automatic bid qualifying policy for non-BCS schools.

So the six BCS conference bid are set, and two at-large bids are also nearly set in stone.

That leaves two openings. Iowa, Penn State, Boise State, Virginia Tech, LSU and BYU will all likely be eligible tomorrow.

It seems like the Big Ten teams that trail behind Ohio State; Iowa and Penn State, will be one of the at-large selections. The other selection cannot be a Big Ten team, but could be any of the other teams mentioned.

If logic holds up, Boise State would receive that bid, and we at BCS Know How project that they will in fact get that final bid.

Here’s a look at what the BCS standings might look like when they are released tomorrow:

Projected BCS Standings December 6th

Rank	Team
1	Alabama
2	Texas
3	Cincinnati
4	TCU
5	Florida
6	Boise State
7	Oregon
8	Ohio State

Alabama Clinches Spot in BCS National Title Game

With their 32-12 victory in the SEC Championship Game over the Florida Gators, the Alabama Crimson Tide clinched the SEC crown, an undefeated regular season and a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.

Behind Mark Ingram’s three rushing touchdowns and nearly 200 yards of total offense, the Tide never trailed, and ended a 22-game Gator winning streak.

Alabama will also likely be No. 1 in the final BCS rankings.

The Gators are likely to receive a bid to the Sugar Bowl.

Expect full previews of all of the BCS games on Sunday after they are announced.

Week 14 Preview: The Championship Weekend We’ve Been Waiting For

We’ve been waiting all year for this weekend, and finally after thirteen compelling weeks of college football action, its finally here.

Four games will decide conference champions, and many others will be important in bowl positioning for a variety of teams.

Obviously most important is the matchup that’s been anticipated basically since day one of the college football season, Alabama vs. Florida for the SEC Championship.

The winner of this game not only gets an automatic bid to the BCS as the SEC Champion, will also get a bid to the national title game. The loser won’t fare all that bad, as they will likely receive one of the at-large BCS bids to the Sugar Bowl.

Three other games will decide conference champions.

The ACC Championship Game will feature Georgia Tech and Clemson. Depending on who might or might not lose in the rest of the country on Saturday, this is likely the decider for the only BCS bid the ACC will receive.

The Big 12 Championship Game will feature Nebraska and Texas. Texas has spent the entire season with the knowledge that a perfect season would mean a berth in the national title game, and they are one win from that. A Cornhusker victory would open up a huge can of worms, but the Longhorns would likely receive an at-large bid if Nebraska shocks them.

A de facto Big East Championship will take place on Saturday between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Its also likely that a loss for either team would relegate them to non-BCS land, but a Bearcat victory combined with a Longhorn loss would make things a little interesting.

Cincinnati has crept very close to No. 4 TCU in weeks past, and if Texas loses, there is a possibility that a team that finishes its BCS conference schedule undefeated could jump the idle Horned Frogs.

Even less likely, but still possible, is the idea that the BCS National Title Game could be an SEC Championship Game rematch. This would require Pittsburgh and Nebraska to win, and the human polls to show absolutely no confidence in the Horned Frogs, keeping the Tide/Gators ahead of TCU in the polls and the BCS.

Undefeated No. 6 Boise State is likely to feel disappointed after this weekend if they can complete a perfect schedule with a victory over New Mexico State. Even a huge victory over the Lobos (3-9) would not equal a national title berth for the Broncos, but they need to win to hold hope for a BCS bowl bid, for which TCU virtually locked in for.

With Oregon and Ohio State already sitting pretty with BCS bowl bids clinched, this weekend will be all about matching the Ducks and Buckeyes, and is sure to be exciting throughout.

The BCS rankings and bowl matchups will be released Sunday at 8 PM eastern and will make everything official. Until that time stay tuned to BCS Know How for all the latest BCS news.

New BCS Rankings Week Seven: An Epic Final Weekend is Set

We’ve been waiting the entire length of the college football season for a huge upset, but haven’t gotten one.

For all the boredom that that brings to the college football scene, the week seven BCS standings finally point to a final weekend of the season that could be supremely exciting.

Florida, Alabama and Texas occupy the top three spots as they have all season, and are set to play in season deciding games.

Florida and Alabama have known for quite some time that winning out during the regular season would allow for a national semifinal in the SEC Championship Game, and that’s exactly what we’re going to get, as a loss by either team would knock it out of the national title spots. A victory would send either team to the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.

Texas only needs to beat No. 22 Nebraska in order to punch their ticket to Pasadena for the title game, but after the Longhorns had some trouble with Texas A&M anything is still possible.

After that, things get a little more interesting.

Say, for instance, that Texas is shocked in the Big 12 Championship Game. Who would fill their spot?

No. 4 TCU and No. 5 Cincinnati have sat in the two spots directly behind the Longhorns for a few weeks now, but the Bearcats have slowly but surely crept closer and closer to the Horned Frogs during these weeks.

TCU has basically locked up a BCS bowl spot, but could they take the spot of the Longhorns should they falter? Or, should they beat Pitt on Saturday, will the BCS be untrusting of a non-BCS team in the national title game and jump the Bearcats over TCU and leave the state of Texas completely out of the national title game?

At No. 6 Boise State must feel left out in all of this, even as an undefeated team. There is no chance for them to make the national title game, and it still seems like a 50-50 proposition for a BCS bowl bid.

No year has come where two non-BCS schools have participated in the BCS, but this could be that year.

After Oklahoma State lost on Saturday, which certainly helped the Broncos cause, but there remains the strong possibility of another BCS conference team being taken ahead of the Broncos with an at-large selection

No. 7 Oregon will face No. 16 Oregon State for the Pac-10’s Rose Bowl bid and conference championship, playing for the rights to face No. 8 Ohio State.

No. 9 Iowa and No. 11 Penn State will likely also be battling it out in the press for a BCS at-large selection, as both are attractive candidates for the bowls with large national followings.

No. 10 Georgia Tech lost on Saturday to instate rival Georiga, but still can make a BCS bowl if they can beat Clemson in the ACC Championship Game next Saturday.

Until that time it’s sure to be a hectic projection-filled week as we approach the final weekend of the college football season.

You’ll want to stay tuned.

BCS Rankings – November 29th

Rank	Team	BCS Score
1	Florida	.9868
2	Alabama	.9513
3	Texas	.9282
4	TCU	.8689
5	Cincinnati	.8547
6	Boise State	.8096
7	Oregon	.7343
8	Ohio State	.6882
9	Iowa	.6028
10	Georgia Tech	.5803
11	Penn State	.5499
12	Virginia Tech	.5376