After recovering from the seemingly boring slate of games that plagued college football in week 10, week 11 is on the way to tantalize you with multiple top 10 matchups and a possible scenario that would spill chaos across the Bowl Championship Series, like Mt. Vesuvius raining fire down on the unsuspecting villagers of Pompeii.
On Thursday, No. 10 Oklahoma takes on No. 6 Baylor in Waco, Texas. Just two hours later, No. 5 Stanford kicks off against No. 3 Oregon. This would be an appropriate time for Kanye West to ask, “What you doing in the club on a Thursday?” Because there’s top-10 college football on!
On Saturday, No. 13 LSU plays No. 1 Alabama under the lights in Tuscaloosa for their annual showdown.
This is the doomsday scenario: Alabama, Oregon and Baylor all lose.
How likely is this?
Baylor has a video game offense and has won all but one of their games via decisive blowouts.
However, Oklahoma is definitely the toughest competition they’ve faced this year. The Sooners are coming off a strong showing against No. 25 Texas Tech and are gaining momentum after their disgusting loss to Texas.
Oregon has looked good all year but so has Stanford. Keep in mind that Stanford upset Oregon’s perfect season last year in overtime.
Also this game will be played in Stanford and despite an ugly slip up against Utah the Cardinal has been playing very well. Both of these teams looked excellent while dismissing a quality opponent in UCLA.
Oregon is known for their prolific offense while Stanford is know for the their skull crushing defense. As the old cliche reads, this is certainly a case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Finally LSU has lost twice this season by a combined margin of just six points. No one doubts that Alabama is the better team but if one team could pull the upset, why couldn’t it be LSU and head coach Les Miles during a night game?
The last time these two teams played in Tuscaloosa, LSU won in overtime. Expect the unexpected in this contest.
What happens after?
So say all three teams lose, then chaos and pandemonium pour over the college football rankings thanks to this newfound, never before seen carnage. Presumably, Florida State will claim the number one ranking but then what?
How high does a one-loss Stanford team rise? How far does a one-loss Bama team fall? And what the hell happens to No. 4 Ohio State?
Ask yourself this, right now, on a neutral field, Alabama vs. Ohio State, who wins that game? Nine times out of 10 it’s probably the Crimson Tide. Because of this, should a one-loss Bama team be ranked ahead of an undefeated Ohio State? Of course.
Alabama is the better team. It does not matter that Ohio State is undefeated if the Crimson Tide are the better football team.
The BCS standings are designed to pick the best two teams in the country and have the play for the nation title. Not two undefeated teams but the two best teams. A one-loss Alabama team should be ahead of the Buckeyes. If Stanford beats Oregon, a one-loss Stanford team should also be ahead of the Buckeyes.
Upsets and shake-ups are the best part of college football. Call it my beautiful, dark twisted fantasy, but here’s to hoping that the BCS turns into the proverbial tire fire we all know and love/hate.
Will this weekend be full of upsets? Before the BCS is replaced with a four-team playoff next season, will this season have the most chaotic last few weeks yet? Let Grey know what you think by emailing him at gsatterfield@wisc.edu.
