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The newest BCS rankings have been released and there aren’t many surprises at the top. A pair of Big Ten rivals are neck-and-neck in the race for No. 1 while the rest of the Top 6 consists of undefeated teams. It’s almost identical to the top group we saw last week.
What’s most interesting about this week’s poll is what comes after those top six teams.
It’s difficult to get through the regular season unscathed. We know at least one of the remaining undefeated Power Five teams will suffer a loss before year’s end when Michigan and Ohio State square off.
To no one’s surprise, the Wolverines and Buckeyes are No. 1 and No. 2 after Week 8, separated by just 0.0051 points according to the computers.
A near dead heat at the top highlights this week’s simulated #BCS rankings as a win over Penn State nearly catapults Ohio State over Michigan for BCS No. 1. Georgia and Florida State round out the key top four spots with some additional mixing further down the ranker. See more: pic.twitter.com/DOpYC3sBZj
— BCSKnowHow.com (@BCSKnowHow) October 23, 2023
Michigan has looked dominant thus far, outscoring opponents an average of 41-6. That number is actually more impressive in conference play, moving to 46-6 against Big Ten foes.
The road only gets tougher for UM moving forward, though. Not only is the team now surrounded by a sign stealing scandal that broke last week, but Penn State and Ohio State remain on the schedule.
As for those Buckeyes, they’ve already taken down the Nittany Lions, as well as a Top 10 Notre Dame team. That resume ranks as one of the most impressive in college football to this point.
Rounding out the Top 5 are two-time defending champion Georgia, Florida State, and Oklahoma while undefeated Washington is ranked sixth.
Then, we start getting into the one-loss contenders.
BCS rankings still love Alabama, Texas.
Alabama and Texas have already squared off this season with the Longhorns coming out on top. UT then lost a nail-biter to Oklahoma giving both the Horns and the Tide one-loss records.
Interestingly enough, Bama actually ranks ahead of Texas in the simulated poll despite that head-to-head loss, though the difference isn’t much. It’s also worth noting that the Crimson Tide have played one more game.
Penn State and Oregon round out the Top 10 though Ole Miss, Utah, and Oregon State are still lurking.
The Ducks play the Utes this weekend, which will effectively eliminate one hopeful contender from contention. Oregon will finish the season with Oregon State which could be interesting if the two sides are still at one loss come November.
Ole Miss will have a hard time jumping Alabama due to a head-to-head loss, putting them essentially two games back in the SEC championship race. The same goes for Penn State, though a win over Michigan would shake up the B1G standings.
Things should continue to sort themselves out over the next few weeks. This list is sure to change after Saturday.