John Raoux / AP
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The BCS Standings is like a portrait that is just beginning to form as many teams are making their move towards the top of the rankings.
There are seemingly hundreds of different questions out there in terms of which non-SEC team will become the sexy team that everybody enjoys talking about.
Right now, the Kansas State Wildcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are just that right now. However, the upcoming slates are abysmal for both.
Notre Dame enters as 11.5 point underdogs (at the moment) as they’re going to go into Norman and shock the country. The Sooners are nearly unbeatable at home although they now last two home games in the last two seasons. Before last season, Bob Stoops had only lost two home games total during his current tenure.
Brian Kelly and his squad also have to travel to USC, where the Trojans could be ranked in the top 5 if they manage to knock off the Oregon Ducks next weekend.
Notre Dame controls its own destiny to a certain degree, but an undefeated Ducks squad would jump then if they both remain flawless. Facing USC twice that includes an extra game for the Pac-12 title is everybody as good as defeating Oklahoma and USC on the road.
Plus, this is the sport in which it is very fluid. Anything can happen and that means the Irish would be tough for the voters to pass on, but at the end of the day we are all about putting the two best teams in the title game.
Oregon has passed the eye test with flying colors whereas Notre Dame still has several questions to answer. A win in Norman would be a fine start as potentially the Domers could have faced the Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12 champions.
Of course that means USC would have to dethrone Oregon in the Pac-12 title regardless of who wins the first meeting.
Also, even if ND wins out they may also have to out duel the Kansas State Wildcats if they were to remain undefeated. Lady luck may be on the side of the Irish (if they run table) since the Big 12 is a much tougher schedule than arguably any team ranked in the top 10 (non-SEC teams).
Texas Tech may stun them this weekend in Manhattan, and let us not forget that Kansas State still has to face the Longhorns, Horned Frogs, Cowboys and Bears. TCU and Baylor are two consecutive road tilts that should challenge the depth of a Kansas State team in November, but Heisman frontrunner Collin Klein is the one guy that will refuse to take a tumble.
The secondary has been superb, shutting down the West Virginia passing offense, but surprisingly the Red Raiders defense has given them an edge on most teams.
After Notre Dame and Kansas State, the one-loss teams jump out at you like a sore thumb due to their overall talent.
Many believe the Oklahoma Sooners will jump (myself mainly included) into the top 5 of the BCS this weekend if they thump the Domers by double digits.
Oklahoma may run the table despite still having to play in Morgantown and Fort Worth, but on paper they certainly possess the same amount of talent as arguably any team out there right now (after Bama, Oregon).
Then we have the likes of LSU, USC, Georgia and Florida State. Obviously the Bayou Bengals and the ‘Dawgs have an upper edge since they play in the gauntlet of the SEC.
Georgia would have to defeat Florida (this weekend) to get a crack at the SEC title against either Alabama or that LSU team, who is also disgusting on defense.
The roads ahead for both SEC squads are nearly impossible to come out unscathed, which gives a slight lean towards either USC or FSU.
The reason Florida State is an intriguing discussion is because they potentially they could be hosting a top-ranked Gators team in Tallahassee to end the regular season. Plus, FSU will be heavy favorites to win the ACC which could give them a legit 12-1 record.
Matt Barkley and the Trojans have to defeat the most explosive and electric team on the planet, twice!
If USC loses in the regular to them and ends up defeating them in the Pac-12 title on the road, while they would be in the mix it would be tough to justify a November loss over the likes of Oklahoma/Kansas State and Florida State.
Lastly, the Trojans also would have to sneak by a team that the BCS computers have absolutely fallen in love with (not excluding the Ducks, who may be the only team to run the table save Bama).
Oregon State is No. 7 overall in the BCS, but they are fifth in the computers thanks to walloping every team that has been thrown in their path. A road trip to Washington before ultimately taking on both USC (maybe twice) and Oregon is not exactly a cake walk either.
While most are drinking the black and orange Kool-Aid in Corvallis, I still foresee at least two losses on their slate. Regardless of how you slice up this BCS picture, the pieces like always will be shuffled around until the very last second.
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