One week after the first release of the BCS standings, the college football picture is starting to come into focus.  While this week's BCS rankings are pretty much old news, I've taken the opportunity to run the rankings through the playoff criteria and the outcome may be my favorite thus far.  The match ups won't stay like this forever, but this could be very similiar to what the post season bracket will like.  Here's the break down of where the teams stand....

#1 Florida and #2 Texas

Both teams remain in the top two seeds and will likely remain there until Championship Weekend in December.  Oklahoma State could be the biggest stepping stone left for the Longhorns, but an upset by the Cowboys is about as likely as someone actually reading the 1,990 page Health Care bill.  Florida may have the easiest schedule remaining among BCS teams, but lack luster play has some analyst expecting a trip up before the SEC championship.  I don't see it, and I think we're looking at the #1 and #2 seeds going into the last weekend.

Now lets take a look at the rest of the match ups....

Feel free to leave your comments here or email them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

#4 Oregon vs #5 Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson is back in complete control of the Yellow Jackets' destiny in the ACC, and a trip to the conference championship looks to be a lock with only Wake Forest and Duke left on the schedule.  I love this match up because I love it when teams still value strong run games. Paul Johnson's offense has an opportunity to redeem itself after last year's bowl embarassment when LSU laid it on pretty heavy.  Oregon's defense is your typical west coast "prevent" defense which allows opposing teams to score plenty of points.  If you're still a believer in the idea of the triple option only being a short yardage offense, you haven't been watching the Georgia Tech.  I think this game would be an impressive display of ground attacks, with the difference likely being turnovers.

#3 Iowa vs #6 Pittsburgh

Here's a game that I just can't really get excited about, mainly because I don't think either team is going to make the playoff at the end of the season.  Iowa is going to loss in conference.  The Hawkeyes have had to many strokes of luck go their way this season, and with a trip to Ohio State still left on the schedule, I expect the Hawkeyes to finish the season with a loss.  Pittsburgh has again squeaked past Cincinnati for the playoff spot due to having played more conference games.  Pitt will have to play through West Virginia and Cincinnati to win the conference and that will also be a tall order.

#7 Alabama vs #10 Boise State

Alright.  I have one question for the critics of the Broncos.  Would a win over Alabama prove that Boise State is a contender for the National Championship?  I'd have to answer yes, and I suspect most others would as well.  So far, the play-in games have been looking like solid match ups and excellent "prove it" games for the non-BCS contenders.  In this game, it would come down to the Boise State offense and the Alabama defense.  Alabama's offense would score at will as most of Boise State's opponents have this season, so the game will come down to 'Bama's ability to shut down the Broncos.  99 times out of 100, Alabama would win this game, but Boise State already won one bowl game with odds like this.  If nothing else, this would be a great game to watch.

#8 USC vs #9 TCU

I would consider this game, the most interesting of the bracket and almost have to call this an audition for the PAC-10.  While a move to the west coast's conference would never happen for a team from Texas, the Horned Frogs have the talent level and ability to compete in that group.  I would have to give TCU a recruiting advantage if they were to make a move for the PAC-10, as they would be able to out recruit everyone else in the conference in their own backyard.  The outcome of this game would rest squarely on the USC quarterback.  The defense looks good and has shown the ability to stop anyone, but offensively the Trojans have been a bit lack luster.  In a game against TCU you have to be able to score points, and I'm not sure if USC is capable of keeping pace.