BCS rankings shake up, What are the top stats to know among all the changes to come from this week's edition of the BCS standings?
Seminoles jump to No. 1
Florida State moved to No. 1 in the BCS standings.
This is the eighth time that Florida State has been No. 1 in the BCS. That is the sixth-most all time. This is the second season that Florida State is ranked No. 1. It also happened in 1999, when the Seminoles went 12-0 and won the national championship.
Aside from Florida State’s dominance over Duke (18-0 in series all time), the Seminoles have another streak on the line against the Blue Devils in the ACC championship game (Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC): FSU is 4-0 all time as the No. 1 BCS team. The only team with more wins and no losses as the No. 1 team is Tennessee (5-0).
However, Duke is 2-0 versus BCS-ranked teams this year (beat No. 23 Miami and No. 13 Virginia Tech). Before this year, Duke was 0-13 versus BCS-ranked teams.
The Buckeyes move to No. 2
Ohio State is ranked second or higher for the first time since it was No. 1 in the final standings of 2007. The Buckeyes are ranked in the top two for the 23rd time, passing USC for third-most all time.
The past four schools that needed to win a game on championship weekend to stay in the BCS top two won. That snapped a streak from 2006 to 2009 in which five of the seven teams in the BCS top two to play on championship weekend lost.
Stunning win nets Auburn one-spot bump
Auburn is ranked No. 3, its highest BCS ranking since it was No. 1 in the final standings of 2010.
Could Auburn still make the BCS National Championship Game?
Of the 30 previous teams to play for the BCS championship, eight entered the final weekend of the regular season outside the BCS top two, and four of those schools moved up after winning the SEC championship game.
However, Auburn jumping over an undefeated Ohio State team (assuming both win their conference championship games) would be unprecedented: No one-loss team has finished ahead of an undefeated BCS-AQ (automatic-qualifying) conference team.
Auburn and its SEC title game opponent, Missouri, are a combined 3-0 in previous BCS-top-five matchups. (Auburn defeated No. 1 Alabama on Saturday and Oregon in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game; Missouri defeated No. 2 Kansas in 2007).
It will be the fourth SEC championship game with both teams ranked in the top five of the BCS, but the first without Alabama.
Alabama falls to No. 4
Alabama is the second team to drop out of the BCS top two after at least six weeks at No. 1.
The only other school to do that was Florida, which was No. 1 in the first seven weeks of the standings in 2009 before losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Gators fell to No. 5 in the final standings.
Northern Illinois hanging in
With Fresno State's loss over the weekend, Northern Illinois is now the only school from a non-AQ conference ranked in the top 16.
It also remains ahead of a projected champion from a BCS-AQ conference (Central Florida) and is thus in position to gain an automatic BCS bowl berth if it is either in the top 16 and ahead of a BCS conference champ or is ranked in the top 12 of the final standings.
If the Huskies reach a BCS bowl game this year, it would be a rare feat. They would be one of just four teams from non-AQ conferences to reach multiple BCS bowls and the second to do it in back-to-back years, joining TCU (2009 and 2010).
Northern Illinois is undefeated but has not risen above No. 14 this season. No team that was undefeated and ranked at the time of the final standings finished worse than 12th in the rankings. (Marshall was 12-0 and No. 12 in 1999.)
Seminoles jump to No. 1
Florida State moved to No. 1 in the BCS standings.
This is the eighth time that Florida State has been No. 1 in the BCS. That is the sixth-most all time. This is the second season that Florida State is ranked No. 1. It also happened in 1999, when the Seminoles went 12-0 and won the national championship.
Aside from Florida State’s dominance over Duke (18-0 in series all time), the Seminoles have another streak on the line against the Blue Devils in the ACC championship game (Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC): FSU is 4-0 all time as the No. 1 BCS team. The only team with more wins and no losses as the No. 1 team is Tennessee (5-0).
However, Duke is 2-0 versus BCS-ranked teams this year (beat No. 23 Miami and No. 13 Virginia Tech). Before this year, Duke was 0-13 versus BCS-ranked teams.
The Buckeyes move to No. 2
Ohio State is ranked second or higher for the first time since it was No. 1 in the final standings of 2007. The Buckeyes are ranked in the top two for the 23rd time, passing USC for third-most all time.
The past four schools that needed to win a game on championship weekend to stay in the BCS top two won. That snapped a streak from 2006 to 2009 in which five of the seven teams in the BCS top two to play on championship weekend lost.
Stunning win nets Auburn one-spot bump
Auburn is ranked No. 3, its highest BCS ranking since it was No. 1 in the final standings of 2010.
Could Auburn still make the BCS National Championship Game?
Of the 30 previous teams to play for the BCS championship, eight entered the final weekend of the regular season outside the BCS top two, and four of those schools moved up after winning the SEC championship game.
However, Auburn jumping over an undefeated Ohio State team (assuming both win their conference championship games) would be unprecedented: No one-loss team has finished ahead of an undefeated BCS-AQ (automatic-qualifying) conference team.
Auburn and its SEC title game opponent, Missouri, are a combined 3-0 in previous BCS-top-five matchups. (Auburn defeated No. 1 Alabama on Saturday and Oregon in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game; Missouri defeated No. 2 Kansas in 2007).
It will be the fourth SEC championship game with both teams ranked in the top five of the BCS, but the first without Alabama.
Alabama falls to No. 4
Alabama is the second team to drop out of the BCS top two after at least six weeks at No. 1.
The only other school to do that was Florida, which was No. 1 in the first seven weeks of the standings in 2009 before losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Gators fell to No. 5 in the final standings.
Northern Illinois hanging in
With Fresno State's loss over the weekend, Northern Illinois is now the only school from a non-AQ conference ranked in the top 16.
It also remains ahead of a projected champion from a BCS-AQ conference (Central Florida) and is thus in position to gain an automatic BCS bowl berth if it is either in the top 16 and ahead of a BCS conference champ or is ranked in the top 12 of the final standings.
If the Huskies reach a BCS bowl game this year, it would be a rare feat. They would be one of just four teams from non-AQ conferences to reach multiple BCS bowls and the second to do it in back-to-back years, joining TCU (2009 and 2010).
Northern Illinois is undefeated but has not risen above No. 14 this season. No team that was undefeated and ranked at the time of the final standings finished worse than 12th in the rankings. (Marshall was 12-0 and No. 12 in 1999.)
