Weird quirks in the BCS Standings

2011 NCAA College Football Polls and Rankings for Week 8

It's a damned good thing the season isn't over, because if it ended today Oklahoma would not be in the title game, despite being ranked first in the coaches' poll!'

I don't think it will finish that way. LSU and Alabama play each other in a couple of weeks, and the loser of that game could drop as low as eighth, behind the undefeated teams. Similarly, #3 Oklahoma and #4 Oklahoma State can't both finish undefeated because they play each other in the season's final game. But the winners of those two games will more than likely be playing for the national title, which is too bad if you root for Wisconsin or Boise State.

Wisconsin has established a strong case for a ranking as high as #1. Their closest game was 31 points. But the computer systems aren't impressed. The Kenneth Massey system, for example, ranks them 17th, which is more than a little ridiculous because that system ranks Wisconsin below Nebraska! (Those two teams played and Wisconsin won 48-17.)

Boise is a trickier question. In week one they handled #19 Georgia, then piled up on five unranked teams and will play six more unranked teams. It's never clear what their record means. Pretty much any one of the top fifteen teams go 12-0 against their schedule. So are they as good as the 15th best? The fifth best? The best? Who knows. If they really want to be a national power, they need top get into a serious conference.

Here's the shocker, or at least it shocked me: the computer systems pick Oklahoma State as #1. I didn't type "State" by mistake. They have State #1 and OU number four. In contrast, the coaches have OU at #1, with State way down in 6th!

Another computer anomaly: the computer systems rank Kansas State #7, ahead of Wisconsin!!! That's not likely to last long. They play four top 25 teams in the next five weeks. They'll play Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on consecutive weekends!