The Stanford Cardinal handled their business Saturday afternoon against the Oregon State Beavers, but as expected they took a modest overall hit in the six computer ratings that comprise the week 11 BCS Rankings. The Cardinal dropped from sixth to seventh in their average computer rankings and saw their computer rating drop from .800 to .770. It is not a huge drop and in reality not that big a deal with Oregon on the horizon, but it is still worth noting.
Stanford and Oregon square off this Saturday in the biggest game of the weekend. A win will not propel Stanford into second position in the BCS race, but it could be enough to jump them over No. 3 Alabama. The Crimson Tide are .0087 ahead of Stanford, and a Cardinal victory over No. 7 Oregon could do the trick. Of course, that will entail Stanford handling Oregon's athleticism, which will bring a monstrous challenge in Palo Alto.
The BCS formula combines human and computer rankings to devise the standings. The USA Today/Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll are voted on by humans each Sunday. The computer ratings include the Sagarin Ratings, Anderson & Hester, Billingsley Report, Colley Matrix, Massey Ratings, and Wolfe Ratings. Stanford rates as follows according to the computers:
A&H: 5
Billingsley: 3
Colley: 6
Massey: 10
Sagarin: 8
Wolfe: 8
The top rating of three and the bottom rating of 10 are removed. Stanford climbed one spot in the Billingsley rating following Alabama's loss. Alabama remains in the thick of the national title picture in part because they still have a game with No. 20 Auburn. Stanford has games with Oregon, Notre Dame and the Pac-12 championship game, so if the Cardinal finish undefeated, that logically should be enough to get them past the Tide. Of course, the BCS rarely follows logic, so we'll just have to wait and see.
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