BCS Rankings: Will Close Calls For Oregon, Auburn, TCU Shake Up Standings?

A trio of undefeated teams on top of the BCS rankings looked poised to cruise through this weekend and maintain their places in the standings. But after a Saturday more about survival than style, will Oregon, Auburn, and TCU stay in that order in next week’s BCS standings?

Oregon had the closest call of the three teams. Only a missed field goal saved the Ducks from an upset at Cal, and the 15-13 win that voters will see won’t do Oregon any favors in the USA Today and AP polls tomorrow.

Auburn didn’t have any problems scoring — despite a week of distractions related to Cam Newton’s eligibility, the Tigers put up points aplenty in a 49-31 win over Georgia — but the Tigers’ porous defense might be held against them. And if voters already had doubts about Newton’s eligibility that might lead to docking them points, it’s worth wondering whether the ugly end to the game, which featured multiple ejections of Auburn players for throwing punches, might get the Tigers dinged as well.

Of the top three teams, TCU looked the best, racing out to a 37-14 lead against San Diego State after falling behind 14-0. But the Horned Frogs also allowed the Aztecs to close to a final margin of 40-35, which is a terrible showing for the vaunted TCU defense and provides little evidence for TCU defenders who would keep them third in this week’s polls.

The big winners from this Survival Saturday? The Boise State Broncos, who looked the best of the four remaining undefeated teams this week with a 52-14 battering of Idaho on Friday night.