PHSports BCS Rankings & Bowl Projections

…Clement filling in for the remainder of the season…

As Pay has taught us previously, college football still makes no sense. Just when the #2 ranking seemed safe for another week, BC was bit - alongside Matt Ryan’s Heisman chances - by the Noles. The docket also included a win by the Hokies without their jerseys, the Huskers seeing 76 on the scoreboard from the Jayhawks (and this wasn’t a college basketball rout) and Oregon QB Dennis Dixon perhaps moved into spot #1a for the Heisman. Oh yeah, South Florida lost again.

Our view on pre-season rankings
Everything you saw back in August and September were simply suggestions by individuals who are supposed to be more knowledgeable than you or me. These “suggestions” serve as a reference point that allow for pundits without this season’s game tape to go off of.

How this ranking works?
This ranking will not be like a poll, which often drops a school’s ranking by a minimum of four spots for any loss regardless of circumstance. We will do our best to look at the full body of work. If you consistently win in unimpressive fashion, then I’ll note it. If you demolish teams and then produce a 60-minute brain fart on the gridiron, then I might forgive it to a degree.

Why only rank the top eight teams?
In a fantasy world, these top eight teams would participate in a playoff system, which would be played at seven current Bowl sites. If only the university presidents bought into this just and highly lucrative manner in which to crown a national champion.

RANKING FOR NOVEMBER 6th, 2007
1. Ohio State: 10-0 and all that remains is hosting Illinois and traveling to Ann Arbor. While the Big Ten isn’t having a banner year, the Buckeyes earned the top spot with an unblemished record.
2. Oregon: No LSU? Despite the early loss at home to Cal, the Quack Attack appears to be the nation’s best 1-loss team (Editor’s Note: Don’t say that to LSU fans). Wins over USC, Arizona State, and @ Michigan might not be enough to leapfrog LSU in the BCS Standings, but they do in mine.
3. LSU: The top-ranked 1-loss team in every poll imaginable, they took out former coach Nick Saban in shootout fashion 41-34. With only Darren McFadden left lingering on their lightened schedule, their SEC Title game opponent could be Georgia, Florida, or even Tennessee.
4. Oklahoma: Neck and neck with Oregon and LSU, Oklahoma will need a banner win over an undefeated Jayhawks squad, not to mention 2 or 3 other losses, to grab a BCS spot. Oh yeah, they better go undefeated as well.
5. Kansas: Is it fair that they are undefeated and not in the #2 slot? Go undefeated, especially in a weak Big XII North, and maybe I’ll start talking.
6. West Virginia: A showdown against UCONN in two weekends, the Big East title and a BCS Bowl berth should be on the line. Who’d have thunk [sic] that scenario back in August?
7. Missouri: Perhaps more under the radar than any other 1-loss/Top 10 team, the Tigers aren’t out of the BCS picture just yet. More importantly, they may see an 11-0 Kansas team in 2 weeks that is on the brink of history.
8. Michigan: Wait a second! The same team that lost to Appalachian State AND Oregon in the Big House? Yep. They came back from 10 down in the final minutes against the Spartans and pose the biggest threat to the Buckeyes returning to the BCS Title game. I don’t think they’ll lose again this season.

Here’s how the BCS Bowl games stack up as of today, according to PHSports' latest projections…

BCS Title Game
Ohio State vs. LSU

Orange Bowl
Boston College vs. Georgia

Sugar Bowl
Kansas vs. UCONN

Rose Bowl
Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl
Arizona State vs. West Virginia

Until next time…