The Stanford Cardinal wrapped up their 2011 regular season with a 28-14 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to improve to 11-1. Stanford lost to Oregon two weeks ago, which cost them a shot at the Pac-12 North title. Oregon will face UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 title game with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
Stanford still has a shot at a BCS bowl berth, and potentially received some help from the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas was beaten by LSU and with the game not coming down to the wire, there is a very good chance the Razorbacks will drop behind Stanford when the Week 14 BCS rankings are released Sunday afternoon. Their strength of schedule improved with the game, but the loss hurts.
Stanford did not get any additional help on Saturday as several teams likely locked up important BCS opportunities. Alabama defeated Auburn and likely secured their spot in the national title game. Crazy things could happen if Oklahoma State pounds Oklahoma, but Alabama is likely secure. Oregon locked up the Pac-12 North with their win over Oregon State. Virginia Tech locked up the ACC Coastal division and will likely remain ahead of Stanford in the BCS rankings.
With week 13 in the books, here is my projection of the top ten in the BCS:
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Virginia Tech
5. Stanford
6. Arkansas
7. Boise State
8. Houston
9. Oklahoma
10. Oregon