A day after getting blown out by the Oregon Ducks, the Stanford Cardinal await their BCS fate as they will drop in the rankings. The question is how far will they drop. We are starting to get a bit of an idea as the Week 12 USA Today/Coaches Poll was released and has Stanford dropping from No. 2 to No. 9. Formerly No. 5 Boise State dropped to No. 11 in the latest rankings.
Stanford was looking to maintain pace with the LSU Tigers and Oklahoma State Cowboys in the BCS rankings, but it was not to be. Stanford is out of the BCS title game and Rose Bowl hunt, but they still have a shot at a BCS at-large berth. If the Cardinal remain in the top 14 of the BCS they will be eligible for one of the at-large bids. There are questions of how well they travel, which could cost them, but they will at least remain in contention.
The biggest beneficiary of the Stanford and Boise State losses might be the Houston Cougars. They were a longshot for a BCS berth before, but with Boise State out of the picture, they will likely become the top non-AQ school in the BCS. They are not guaranteed a spot, but given their highly entertaining brand of football, they could entice one of the BCS bowls.
Here is the top ten from the Week 12 USA Today/Coaches Poll.
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma
6. Arkansas
7. Virginia Tech
8. Clemson
9. Stanford
10. Houston