BCS Rankings : Michigan State and the Teams That Should Be in the BCS Top 8

We may as well face facts. The BCS is here to stay, and it is never going to be perfect.

Come to think of it, those of us who haven't faced these facts should probably get on that. These are things we've known for quite a while now.

At any rate, the newest version of the BCS rankings is certainly far from perfect. For example, many people will tell you that Clemson should be ahead of Boise State, and some might still be insisting that Alabama deserves to be ahead of LSU.

Personally, I think the Top 8 as a whole is slightly imperfect. Specifically, there are three teams outside the Top 8 that I think have a very strong case to be in the Top 8.

 

Michigan State (No. 11)

A team as good as Michigan State had no business losing to a team as wildly mediocre as Notre Dame. The Spartans are going to be paying for that loss all season. The fact that the BCS computers hate the Big Ten will further sabotage Michigan State's cause.

Thankfully, us humans seem to realize that the Spartans deserve better. In consecutive weeks, they've dispatched two of the best offensive teams in the country in Michigan and Wisconsin. Even if the Spartans do play in a lousy conference, this is an accomplishment that should not be underrated.

The obvious counterpoint is that Michigan State needs to beat a ranked team on the road. The counterpoint to this counterpoint is that No. 8 Kansas State also has to beat a ranked team on the road.

 

Arkansas (No. 10)

It's actually kind of easy to argue that Arkansas should be in the Top 8. Both the USA Today poll and the BCS computers agree, as they have the Hogs at No. 8. The Harris Poll, on the other hand, has the Hogs at No. 9.

Somehow, that equates to a No. 10 ranking (hint: I'm not a math geek). That almost seems like an insult for an SEC team that has wins over two teams in Texas A&M and Auburn that the BCS computers really like.

Additionally, Arkansas' only loss came on the road at Alabama, currently No. 2 in the BCS rankings. Given the circumstances, I'd say that the Hogs are not only a Top 8 team, but a better one-loss team than both Oklahoma and Oregon.

Oklahoma (No. 9)

The weird part is that the Harris Poll and the BCS computers think Oklahoma is a Top 8 team. The only problem is that the USA Today poll thinks the Sooners are No. 9 and the BCS computers think Kansas State is No. 5. This results in Kansas State barely edging Oklahoma for the No. 8 spot.

Common sense tells me that Florida State's collapse is to blame for this, as the Sooners' win in Tallahassee just doesn't look all that impressive anymore. You also don't have to be a college football mega-junkie to realize that Oklahoma didn't look very impressive in losing to Texas Tech.

Nevertheless, the Sooners are another team that I'll wager is more battle tested than Kansas State. Now, if only there was a way for them to prove it...

Oh, wait. The Sooners can prove themselves when they take on Kansas State on the road this coming Saturday.

Week 9 BCS Rankings

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	.9702
2	Alabama	.9627
3	Oklahoma State	.9240
4	Boise State	.8302
5	Clemson	.8240
6	Stanford	.8124
7	Oregon	.6877
8	Kansas State	.6681
9	Oklahoma	.6642
10	Arkansas	.6581
11	Michigan State	.538
12	Virginia Tech	.534
13	South Carolina	.501
14	Nebraska	.439
15	Wisconsin	.433
16	Texas A&M	.428
17	Houston	.368
18	Michigan	.342
19	Penn State	.307
20	Texas Tech	.201
21	Arizona State	.163
22	Georgia	.159
23	Auburn	.131
24	Texas	.119
25	West Virginia	.073

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/907831-bcs-rankings-michigan-state-and-the-teams-that-should-be-in-the-bcs-top-8

Mike Fontenot Brett Pill Pat Burrell Jhan Marinez Anibal Sanchez John Baker