Next team up: Grading contenders for a BCS berth
- Even if they win out in the regular season, Alabama or Florida is guaranteed to have a loss
- Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame have a lot to gain if they keep their records unblemished
- Notre Dame has greatest strength of schedule; Kansas State's remaining opponents have best record
It's a matter of when, not if. This week's BCS standings have two SEC teams sitting pretty, with Alabama at No. 1 and Florida at No. 2.
It won't last: Even if both teams run the table during the regular season, one will beat the other in the SEC championship game – Alabama coming from the West division, Florida from the East.
In a sense, No. 3 is the new No. 2. If Alabama and Florida enter the SEC championship game atop the BCS standings, the team then sitting at No. 3 is assured a berth in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7.
So who's No. 3? Fittingly, there are three clear challengers for the third spot as teams prepare for the final Saturday in October: Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame. With five games left in the regular season, which team has made the best case for being No. 3? Let's compare the three teams by weighing what each has achieved thus far and what lies ahead in October and November.
Kansas State
BCS: No. 3
Sagarin: No. 5
SOS: No. 45
Remaining schedule (BCS ranking):
Oct. 27 vs. No. 14 Texas Tech
Nov. 3 vs. Oklahoma State
Nov. 10 at TCU
Nov. 17 at Baylor
Dec. 1 vs. No. 23 Texas
Remaining W/L: 23-10
Best resume builder: 24-19 at Oklahoma (Sept. 22)
Worst resume builder: 51-9 vs. Missouri State (Sept. 1)
The case to be made: There's something to be said of a team that can survive this year's Big 12 unscathed. If push comes to shove, if Kansas State and Oregon are battling for No. 2, could the fact that the Big 12 is unquestionably deeper than the Pac-12 give Kansas State an edge over the Ducks? Kansas State can find another asset along its own sideline: Bill Snyder. While Notre Dame has tradition and Oregon the recent history of success, Kansas State has a pedigreed, 73-year-old head coach angling for a shot at his first national championship. And what if Kansas State heads into December with Collin Klein as the clear leader for the Heisman? What voter wouldn't to see Snyder and the Heisman winner go against Alabama?
Oregon
BCS: No. 4
Sagarin: No. 4
SOS: No. 58
Remaining schedule:
Oct. 27 vs. Colorado
Nov. 3 at No. 9 USC
Nov. 10 at California
Nov. 17 vs. No. 17 Stanford
Nov. 24 at No. 7 Oregon State
Nov. 30 Pac-12 championship game (if applicable)
Remaining W/L: 21-14
Best resume builder: 43-21 at Arizona State (Oct. 18)
Worst resume builder: 63-14 vs. Tennessee Tech (Sept. 15)
The case to be made: Not so long ago, Oregon meant fashion-forward uniforms and up-tempo offense. Now, the Ducks appear to be on the leading edge of significant change. Uniforms? Everyone's doing it. Offense? Everyone mimics Chip Kelly's pace. Meanwhile, Oregon keeps doing both better, becoming a fixture at the elite level with three consecutive conference championships, a near miss two years ago in the BCS championship against Auburn and a Rose Bowl victory last year over Wisconsin. Especially if the opponent is Alabama – and Nick Saban, who publicly decried the proliferation of those fast-paced offenses – who wouldn't want to see that matchup? The voters might.
Notre Dame
BCS: No. 5
Sagarin: No. 6
SOS: No. 20
Remaining schedule:
Oct. 27 at No. 8 Oklahoma
Nov. 3 vs. Pittsburgh
Nov. 10 at Boston College
Nov. 17 vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 24 at No. 9 USC
Remaining W/L: 19-15
Best resume builder: 20-13 vs. Stanford (Oct. 13)
Worst resume builder: 50-10 vs. Navy (Sept. 1)
The case to be made: Love the Fighting Irish or hate them – and there seems to be no middle ground – there's no denying their continuing relevance. Notre Dame last won a national title in 1988 and has spent most of the time since muddling in mediocrity. And yet, anytime it wins three in a row, the theme recurs: "Notre Dame is back." If Notre Dame goes 12-0 against a schedule that includes perennial powers Michigan, Oklahoma and USC (throw in Stanford, too) – and does not include an opponent from the FCS level – the echoes will awaken and begin thundering from the sky – or from the media hype machine, which is essentially the same thing.