In an odd little twist, the Stanford Cardinal dropped less in the Week 12 AP Poll than they did in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. This is particularly odd because Stanford was higher in the Coaches Poll coming into Saturday's game with Oregon. The coaches dropped Stanford from No. 2 to No. 9, while the AP dropped Stanford from No. 3 to No. 8. I can't really explain why that was the case, but it is what it is.
Stanford is at a point where they are simply looking to not lose too much ground in the BCS rankings. If they remain in the top 14 of the BCS, they would remain eligible for one of the at-large bids often handed out by the BCS. A Top-14 ranking doesn't guarantee a selection, but it keeps them in the picture.
The AP Poll has no bearing on the BCS rankings, but it gives us an idea of where the Harris Poll (the second human poll in the BCS) might square up.
Here's the top ten for the week 12 AP poll:
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma
6. Arkansas
7. Clemson
8. Stanford
9. Virginia Tech
10. Boise State