There has been a couple of changes in the top 5, let's check out the updated BCS standings.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (.9937)
2. Oregon Ducks (.9517)
3. Florida State Seminoles (.9211)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (.8840)
5. Stanford Cardinal (.7918)
Dropped out of the top 5
Missouri Tigers (dropped to 9th)
So, what can we make of this? Here's my 5 observations from this weeks standings.
1. SEC close to missing BCS national championship - After Missouri lost in a stunning fashion to South Carolina (still pains me to say that), that leaves Alabama as the last contender left in the SEC. It's still entirely possible that Missouri or even Auburn for that matter could still get into the NC game, but they would need outside factors to play a role. Alabama doesn't have an easy road, either. They still have to play LSU at home and finish the season at a vastly improved Auburn team in the Iron Bowl. For now, it's up to Alabama to keep the SEC's hopes alive for an eighth straight national championship.
2. November 7th could have the game of the year - I don't want to get ahead of myself, but a special Thursday night showcase between Oregon and Stanford could end up deciding who goes to the national championship game. I believe Stanford would still need losses from two of either Ohio State, Florida State, or Alabama to actually be able to go, but they could impress a lot of voters and computer polls by defeating Oregon. If Oregon wins, you may very well just pencil them in for the championship game.
3. Florida State Drops, but not to my surprise - Many people were freaking out about how Florida State was ahead of Oregon in the inaugural BCS standings, only for me to say it was a fluke, and they would be jumped if Oregon took care of UCLA. Here we are one week later, and I nailed it right on the head. The only reason Florida State led Oregon was because of the computers, which gave Oregon a huge boost after their win over UCLA. If both teams win out, Oregon will remain the ahead of Florida State, meaning Florida State is going to have to hope for a Oregon loss to compete for the championship.
4. Ohio State remains in need of help - I think this really does go without saying, but Ohio State's conference is going to cost them in the end. If Ohio State wants to be considered for the national championship, they will need to win in style, much like their 63-14 destruction of Penn State. Unfortunately, the Big Ten is extremely weak once again, although Ohio State's win against Wisconsin looks better with Wisconsin finally breaking into the BCS standings ranking 24th.
5. Missouri shoots themselves in the foot - Last week, I said that Missouri just needed to win out and they would make the championship game. But oh, Missouri. You blew a 17-point 4th quarter lead to lose in double-overtime when a 24-yard FG hit the right upright no good! I still can't get that ping noise of the upright out of my head, and neither can anybody else here at Mizzou. The season isn't lost however! Missouri still ranks in the top 10, and although a lot of outside help would be needed, Missouri could still win out and squeak into the championship game. A BCS bowl is still very possible if they win the east.