Big 12 will determine who gets title shot

**Lzen** · 11-15-2007, 11:30 AM

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7435488
Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com, Updated 2 days ago

One falls, and everyone takes a step up.

From LSU down to West Virginia, the teams ranked second through sixth last week all moved up one spot with Ohio State freefalling from the unquestioned number one to an also-ran seventh. Not only did the Buckeyes topple, but they fell so far that any dream of being in the discussion along with the other one-loss teams for a spot in the BCS championship game is now gone.

Things will get more and more interesting over the next few weeks, with the Big 12 playing a bigger role in the debate. LSU isn't just number one, it's number one with a 25-mile wide gap before getting to Oregon. The Ducks are on a relative island, a solid 0.0289 ahead of Kansas, but if the Jayhawks win out that'll mean they'll have beaten No. 5 Missouri to get to No. 4 Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship to go 13-0. As the lone unbeaten among the BCS conferences, the pollsters would all but assure Mark Mangino's club of a spot in the title game, meaning Oregon will be out in the cold.

What happens if Oklahoma wins out? That'll mean it'll have beaten either No. 3 Kansas, or what will be No. 3 or 4 Missouri if the Tigers beat the Jayhawks. Will that be enough to leapfrog the Sooners over the Ducks? The same question applies to Missouri, who will have beaten No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Oklahoma if it wins the Big 12 championship. Assuming Chase Daniel and the boys get by Kansas State this week, will that be enough to get by Oregon?

For the Ducks, it's all about style points now. Playing at Arizona, at UCLA and then getting Oregon State at home in the Civil War, there aren't any chances left to make an impact on a national scale. That's why it'll be vital to be razor sharp. Even a close win might mean the national championship dream is gone.

Of course, things quickly change again if LSU gets upset by Arkansas in the regular season finale or in the SEC championship game. In other words, there's plenty of football yet to be played, and plenty of arguments and debates out there to keep the message boards and talk shows buzzing.

Also remember how the WAC fits into the mix. If a non-BCS team finishes in the top 12 it's automatically in, or if it finishes in the top 16, and ahead of a champion of BCS conference, it's in. Hawaii stayed at 16 this week, but Boise State moved up from 20 to 18 and within range to potentially move up much higher as other teams start to lose. If the Broncos and Warriors don't lose again until they play each other on November 23rd, the winner will almost be assured of an at-large spot.

Don't forget that the BCS takes the entire season into account, so there will be wild changes from the computers as the year goes on, but the two human polls will be the biggest factors.

The Big Winners: The three top Big 12 teams (Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri), USC (17th to 11th), Clemson (21st to 15th) The Big Losers: Ohio State (1st to 7th), Boston College (8th to 17th), Michigan (12th to 21st)

1. LSU, Score: 0.9802

Last Week: 2

The Tigers have moved up to the number one spot with enough of a cushion over everyone else to be assured of a spot in the national championship if they win out. With Arkansas and the SEC Championship still to play, getting respect from the rest of the schedule isn't an issue. The computers certainly think this is the most deserving team with four of the six putting it in the top spot. It's not just about maintaining focus and winning out. Style points probably don't matter at this point.
Predicted wins: at Ole Miss, Arkansas, SEC Championship
Predicted losses: None
Predicted record: 12-1
Predicted bowl: BCS Championship
Toughest test: Arkansas (if not the SEC Championship)

2. Oregon, Score: 0.9383

Last Week: 3

If the computers don't buy into Oregon now, which they don't when it comes to a spot in the top two, they never will. Of course it all comes down to the human polls, and they'll be debating the idea of the Ducks vs. the Big 12 champion for the next few weeks. It won't just be enough to win right now, the wins have to be dominating. As crazy as this might sound, the play of QB Dennis Dixon in his Heisman hunt will play a big role. If he rolls over the final three weeks and wins the big prize, the pollsters might like the idea of seeing what he can do against LSU, assuming the Tigers make it in.
Predicted wins: at UCLA, Oregon State
Predicted losses: at Arizona
Predicted record: 10-2
Predicted bowl: Fiesta
Toughest test: at Arizona

3. Kansas, Score: 0.9094

Last Week: 4

The general sense is that if Kansas wins out, it's in the national title game. It'll be the only unbeaten team from a BCS conference, and it'll have beaten Oklahoma and Missouri to get to 13-0. Two of the six computers already have the Jayhawks number one, and more will follow suit over the coming weeks if the wins keep on coming. However, things could quickly change with a loss to Missouri ... namely going from the brink of the Big 12 title, and within range of the national championship, to out of the BCS entirely with the Big 12 title combatants likely to get the two spots. Remember, no conference can get more than two teams in.
Predicted wins: Iowa State
Predicted losses: Missouri
Predicted record: 11-1
Predicted bowl: Cotton Bowl
Toughest test: Missouri

4. Oklahoma, Score: 0.8540
Last Week: 5

Still well out of range of a top two spot, OU needs to make a big splash over the final few weeks, and that includes a dominant performance in the Big 12 title game. At worst, if the Sooners win out they'll go to their second straight Fiesta Bowl, and even if they lose the Big 12 title game, if they win their final two regular season games they'll likely do no worse than get an at-large BCS bid.
Predicted wins: Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, Big 12 Championship
Predicted losses: None
Predicted record: 12-1
Predicted bowl: BCS Championship
Toughest test: Big 12 Championship

5. Missouri, Score: 0.8096
Last Week: 6

There's still a wait-and-see attitude with the Tigers. Likely too far out of range to be in the national title discussion, even if they beat Kansas and Oklahoma, they'll need to be impressive down the stretch. However, there will be a groundswell of support for them if they avenge the loss to the Sooners, which came at OU, and if they beat Kansas with ease. The computers aren't impressed yet, even with a win over Illinois being taken into account. That'll all change with a Big 12 title. Predicted wins: at Kansas State, Kansas
Predicted losses: Big 12 Championship
Predicted record: 11-2
Predicted bowl: Fiesta Bowl
Toughest test: Kansas (if not Big 12 Championship)

11-15-2007, 11:30 AM	Topic Starter
Lzen Supporter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Jan Quadrant Vincent 16 Casino cash: $2240692	Big 12 will determine who gets title shot http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7435488 Pete Fiutak CollegeFootballNews.com, Updated 2 days ago One falls, and everyone takes a step up. From LSU down to West Virginia, the teams ranked second through sixth last week all moved up one spot with Ohio State freefalling from the unquestioned number one to an also-ran seventh. Not only did the Buckeyes topple, but they fell so far that any dream of being in the discussion along with the other one-loss teams for a spot in the BCS championship game is now gone. Things will get more and more interesting over the next few weeks, with the Big 12 playing a bigger role in the debate. LSU isn't just number one, it's number one with a 25-mile wide gap before getting to Oregon. The Ducks are on a relative island, a solid 0.0289 ahead of Kansas, but if the Jayhawks win out that'll mean they'll have beaten No. 5 Missouri to get to No. 4 Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship to go 13-0. As the lone unbeaten among the BCS conferences, the pollsters would all but assure Mark Mangino's club of a spot in the title game, meaning Oregon will be out in the cold. What happens if Oklahoma wins out? That'll mean it'll have beaten either No. 3 Kansas, or what will be No. 3 or 4 Missouri if the Tigers beat the Jayhawks. Will that be enough to leapfrog the Sooners over the Ducks? The same question applies to Missouri, who will have beaten No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Oklahoma if it wins the Big 12 championship. Assuming Chase Daniel and the boys get by Kansas State this week, will that be enough to get by Oregon? For the Ducks, it's all about style points now. Playing at Arizona, at UCLA and then getting Oregon State at home in the Civil War, there aren't any chances left to make an impact on a national scale. That's why it'll be vital to be razor sharp. Even a close win might mean the national championship dream is gone. Of course, things quickly change again if LSU gets upset by Arkansas in the regular season finale or in the SEC championship game. In other words, there's plenty of football yet to be played, and plenty of arguments and debates out there to keep the message boards and talk shows buzzing. Also remember how the WAC fits into the mix. If a non-BCS team finishes in the top 12 it's automatically in, or if it finishes in the top 16, and ahead of a champion of BCS conference, it's in. Hawaii stayed at 16 this week, but Boise State moved up from 20 to 18 and within range to potentially move up much higher as other teams start to lose. If the Broncos and Warriors don't lose again until they play each other on November 23rd, the winner will almost be assured of an at-large spot. Don't forget that the BCS takes the entire season into account, so there will be wild changes from the computers as the year goes on, but the two human polls will be the biggest factors. The Big Winners: The three top Big 12 teams (Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri), USC (17th to 11th), Clemson (21st to 15th) The Big Losers: Ohio State (1st to 7th), Boston College (8th to 17th), Michigan (12th to 21st) 1. LSU, Score: 0.9802 Last Week: 2 The Tigers have moved up to the number one spot with enough of a cushion over everyone else to be assured of a spot in the national championship if they win out. With Arkansas and the SEC Championship still to play, getting respect from the rest of the schedule isn't an issue. The computers certainly think this is the most deserving team with four of the six putting it in the top spot. It's not just about maintaining focus and winning out. Style points probably don't matter at this point. Predicted wins: at Ole Miss, Arkansas, SEC Championship Predicted losses: None Predicted record: 12-1 Predicted bowl: BCS Championship Toughest test: Arkansas (if not the SEC Championship) 2. Oregon, Score: 0.9383 Last Week: 3 If the computers don't buy into Oregon now, which they don't when it comes to a spot in the top two, they never will. Of course it all comes down to the human polls, and they'll be debating the idea of the Ducks vs. the Big 12 champion for the next few weeks. It won't just be enough to win right now, the wins have to be dominating. As crazy as this might sound, the play of QB Dennis Dixon in his Heisman hunt will play a big role. If he rolls over the final three weeks and wins the big prize, the pollsters might like the idea of seeing what he can do against LSU, assuming the Tigers make it in. Predicted wins: at UCLA, Oregon State Predicted losses: at Arizona Predicted record: 10-2 Predicted bowl: Fiesta Toughest test: at Arizona 3. Kansas, Score: 0.9094 Last Week: 4 The general sense is that if Kansas wins out, it's in the national title game. It'll be the only unbeaten team from a BCS conference, and it'll have beaten Oklahoma and Missouri to get to 13-0. Two of the six computers already have the Jayhawks number one, and more will follow suit over the coming weeks if the wins keep on coming. However, things could quickly change with a loss to Missouri ... namely going from the brink of the Big 12 title, and within range of the national championship, to out of the BCS entirely with the Big 12 title combatants likely to get the two spots. Remember, no conference can get more than two teams in. Predicted wins: Iowa State Predicted losses: Missouri Predicted record: 11-1 Predicted bowl: Cotton Bowl Toughest test: Missouri 4. Oklahoma, Score: 0.8540 Last Week: 5 Still well out of range of a top two spot, OU needs to make a big splash over the final few weeks, and that includes a dominant performance in the Big 12 title game. At worst, if the Sooners win out they'll go to their second straight Fiesta Bowl, and even if they lose the Big 12 title game, if they win their final two regular season games they'll likely do no worse than get an at-large BCS bid. Predicted wins: Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, Big 12 Championship Predicted losses: None Predicted record: 12-1 Predicted bowl: BCS Championship Toughest test: Big 12 Championship 5. Missouri, Score: 0.8096 Last Week: 6 There's still a wait-and-see attitude with the Tigers. Likely too far out of range to be in the national title discussion, even if they beat Kansas and Oklahoma, they'll need to be impressive down the stretch. However, there will be a groundswell of support for them if they avenge the loss to the Sooners, which came at OU, and if they beat Kansas with ease. The computers aren't impressed yet, even with a win over Illinois being taken into account. That'll all change with a Big 12 title. Predicted wins: at Kansas State, Kansas Predicted losses: Big 12 Championship Predicted record: 11-2 Predicted bowl: Fiesta Bowl Toughest test: Kansas (if not Big 12 Championship)
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