The Stanford Cardinal saw their dream season trip and fall Saturday evening as they were whipped by the Oregon Ducks 53-30. The loss knocked Stanford out of consideration for the BCS National Championship Game and the Rose Bowl. That immediately had folks considering the Alamo Bowl or Holiday Bowl as the next destination for Stanford.
However, they are not entirely out of the picture for BCS consideration as an at-large team. Boise State's loss to TCU was a big help for that as it likely dropped them out of BCS consideration entirely. They still have a shot at an at-large spot but it's a fairly limited one.
To qualify as an at-large team, Stanford would need to finish in the Top 14 of the BCS and get nine wins. The Cardinal have nine wins and now await Sunday's BCS standings. Although nothing is guaranteed, given Oregon's status, it would be somewhat surprising to see Stanford fall out of the top ten. If they remain inside the top 14, their remaining games against California and Notre Dame should not drop them further (so long as they win).
Of course, bowls select at-large teams in part based on how well they travel. Stanford does not always travel as well as some teams, so that could work against them. It will be interesting to see what happens if they finish in the top ten of the BCS.
Head over to SB Nation to view the entire 2011 College Football Bowl Schedule.