The two teams on top of the BCS rankings get hated rivals in Week 8. But what would Auburn and Tennessee tripping up LSU and Alabama mean? Can Oklahoma and Oklahoma State stay in the lead in the Big 12? And will Wisconsin and Stanford keep their sights set on a potential Rose Bowl clash?
College Football Rankings Ramifications, Week 8: Wisconsin, Stanford Can Improve Resumes
Most of the top 10 should walk, and there aren’t many ranked-on-ranked battles this week, but three matchups could have major impact on the top 25.
Here’s what’s at stake in Week 8. All times Eastern, all rankings from the Week 8 BCS rankings.
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 20 Auburn, 3:30 p.m.
If LSU wins: The Tigers will be undefeated heading into their massive Week 10 clash against Alabama, and will have at least a BCS at-large bid all but sewn up. Even with a loss to Alabama, LSU would only need to beat Western Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas to finish as a mighty one-loss SEC team.
If Auburn wins: The SEC might yet be limited to one BCS team. If LSU’s truly weak enough to fall to Auburn, expect Alabama to be favored and wallop the Tigers in two weeks ... and, given the Les Miles magic, expect a two-loss LSU team to somehow look better than Alabama by the end of the year, despite getting BCSnubbed. (That one’s free, New Orleans-area headline writers.)
No. 2 Alabama vs. Tennessee, 7:15 p.m.
If Alabama wins: The undefeated Crimson Tide will welcome LSU to Tuscaloosa in two weeks. Get excited.
If Tennessee wins: Nick Saban will rupture more than one blood vessel, and Lane Kiffin will take credit. (Not happening.)
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech, 8:00 p.m.
If Oklahoma wins: Ho-hum. The Sooners get no extra credit for knocking off the defenseless Red Raiders at home.
If Texas Tech wins: The Tommy Tuberville interview is going to be excruciatingly boring. Oh, and Oklahoma’s probably out of the national title race.
No. 4 Oklahoma State at Missouri, noon
If Oklahoma State wins: The Cowboys knock off the last major road test of their season. Trips to Texas Tech and Iowa State follow, but neither team scares anyone.
If Missouri wins: It is entirely possible that Oklahoma State will have played better in a game that kicked off after midnight than it did in a game that kicked off at 11:00 a.m. local time.
No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State, 8:00 p.m.
If Wisconsin wins: The Badgers will be in great shape for the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, the conference’s automatic BCS bid, and a possible berth in the BCS National Championship game. The toughest road game left for Wisky would be at Illinois; the only other ranked team the Badgers would play is punchless Penn State.
If Michigan State wins: The Spartans improve their chances of making the Big Ten Championship Game considerably, and might well run a gauntlet of Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska over five weeks without dropping a game.
No. 8 Stanford vs. No. 25 Washington, 8:00 p.m.
If Stanford wins: Andrew Luck's Cardinal will still have their season come down to the November 12 showdown with Oregon, but they'll at least have one win over a ranked team under their belts.
If Washington wins: It’s still plausible that the Huskies could win the Pac-12 North and the conference. A road trip to USC — old home week for Washington coach Steve Sarkisian against former colleague Kiffin and his former employer — precedes U-Dub welcoming Oregon’s quack attack to Seattle.
See More:
