TCU and Boise State, ranked No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, are jostling for position in the top five teams of the 2010 BCS standings. Behind them is one-loss LSU, who poses no real threat of leapfrogging either the Horned Frogs or the Broncos in the rankings. Ahead of them, however, are two teams with a stranglehold on their slots: The Oregon Ducks and Auburn Tigers.
The points race between the two top mid-major teams is going to be uncomfortably tight heading into December, but if one team is to have any hope of making the national title game, they're going to need some help. Both Big Six teams still have very real chances at frittering away an undefeated season. Here's who mid-major proponents need to cheer for the rest of the way:Arizona. The Wildcats flirted with much higher rankings earlier this season before coming unglued early against Oregon State, and late against Stanford and USC. They've got injury problems at quarterback, but with Oregon State at a bewildering 5-5, they've got the best (albeit slender) hopes of knocking off the Ducks.
Alabama. Difficult though it may be to feel sympathy for such a storied program, at 9-2 the Crimson Tide are no bother to anybody's BCS bid, and have actually opened as a four-point favorite in this week's Iron Bowl. Nick Saban's boys had their sights set on a second consecutive national title, and would love nothing better than to stamp out their most hated rival's aspirations of Glendale.
The NCAA. It's highly unlikely that Cam Newton would be ruled ineligible before the season's out, but the way Auburn fans around these parts have been dismissing Boise State lately, it wouldn't be surprising to find Bronco fans, at least, harboring similarly acrimonious wishes.
BCS Standings: Which AQ Teams Need Mid-Major Fans In Their Corners?
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