Beyond Baker Stadium, the world of college football is coming to a close as the end of the season is fast approaching. As of week 14, the teams standing in the number one and number two positions are at conflict.
According to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, Auburn has eclipsed the highly favored Oregon Ducks by a margin of .0002. However, the Ducks are still No. 1 in the Harris Polls as well as the Coaches Poll. In five of six computer polls, Oregon ranks No. 2. Auburn, therefore is No. 1 on the computers.
However, for all you Duck fans, this does not matter a whit. If the Ducks beat Oregon State during the Civil War this Saturday, they will play for the national title, no question about it.
With a record of 11-0, the Oregon Ducks are first in the PAC-10. Their most recent game on Nov. 26 against Arizona ended in a 48-29 win. It is still projected that Oregon will play in the National Title game, but the opponent continues to change.
Auburn is the favorite for the opponent. With an 11-0 record, the Tigers are in first place in the SEC – West. There is only one game standing in the way of the Tigers playing for the title. Auburn will play to maintain their spot on Saturday, Nov. 26 against South Carolina during the SEC championship game. If, by a slim chance, the Tigers were to lose to South Carolina, Texas Christian University (TCU) would move to the No. 2 spot and battle the Ducks for the title.
TCU is ranked No. 3 in the BCS as well as in the AP poll. With a 12-0 record, TCU is in first place in the Midwest Conference. In order to become the first non automatic qualifiers team to make it to the title game, Auburn or Oregon would have to lose their respective games this Saturday. However, there is question as to whether or not a one-loss Auburn or a one-loss Oregon would remain ahead of an undefeated TCU. This is a possibility because of the perceived disparity in the caliber of opponents that the Ducks and Tigers have faced in comparison to TCU.
If TCU is unable to make it to the National Championship game, they would still land in the Rose Bowl thanks to a provision that the game takes the No. 1 non-Automatic Qualifying team if it should lose to a Big Ten or PAC-10 champion.
Wisconsin is favored for the Big Ten representative. In the BCS standings they are ranked slightly higher than Ohio State and Michigan State, their closest competitors in the Big Ten.
This weekend will determine who plays in the National Championship game, so it should be an exciting weekend for football fans.