NCAA Football: BCS Rankings, Lattimore Update, Upcoming Games
Week 9 of NCAA football included some interesting upsets while other teams kept their perfect records. This led to changes in the BCS rankings and AP Polls.
On a different note, South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore has a season-ending injury and will undergo surgery.
Looking ahead to Week 10, Alabama will take on conference foe, LSU and the Big 12 has some good matchups.
BCS Rankings
Kansas State QB Collin Klein
After its 55-24 win over Texas Tech, Kansas State moved into the second spot behind No. 1 Alabama in a race now spread around to four teams with zero losses.
The move also comes after former No. 2 Florida’s loss to Georgia on Saturday.
Notre Dame moved up to No. 3 while Oregon stayed at No. 4.
For the Ducks, they are actually No. 2 in the BCS and AP but sit as No. 5 in the computer (comprising 1/3 of the standings) which has them landing in its current spot.
Looking at its remaining games, Oregon’s schedule could help its computer rankings. In its final four games, the team plays three schools from the BCS top 25 (USC, Stanford and Oregon State). On Saturday, the Ducks will travel to Los Angeles to play USC.
A visit to the Pac-12 title game could also improve Oregon’s rankings.
LSU is at No. 5 and will have its toughest game of the season hosting Alabama on Saturday.
Rounding out the top 10 is No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 9 Florida State and No. 10 Louisville.
From its upset of USC, Arizona slipped back into the AP poll at No. 24 and has a BCS ranking of No. 22.
Nebraska represents the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 20. Ohio State sits at No. 6 in the AP Poll with its 9-0 record but isn’t eligible for a BCS ranking.
Here’s the AP Top 25 and BCS rankings.
Will Oregon made a leap in the final stretch for the BCS National Championship game? Bettors give them +400 to win it all.
Lattimore Update
South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore
On Saturday, South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore suffered a brutal knee injury in the Tennessee game. It came in the second quarter after a hit by a Tennessee player; Lattimore’s right leg flipped over and slammed the field.
Right away you could tell it was a bad injury. He was placed on a cart and left the stadium in an ambulance.
On Sunday, Steve Spurrier confirmed that Lattimore had a dislocated knee cap. He will undergo a few surgeries due to the “hyperextension of the knee resulted in injury to several ligaments,†according to a team statement.
The ligaments have not been identified and there were no additional fractures or injuries.
Lattimore left the hospital on Sunday.
The player is a redshirt junior and hopes to return to football. The possibility of a 2013 return isn’t etched in stone with a 2014 date not out of the question. But will he return to NCAA football or go right to the pros?
For South Carolina, this isn’t the first time they have played without Lattimore. In 2011, the player tore left knee ligaments and sat out for the second half of the season. Without him, the Gamecocks went 5-1. Can they repeat this?
Lucky for South Carolina, they have a bye week and will return on Nov. 10 to play Arkansas.
Week 10 Games
With upsets coming every week, the Bowl season isn’t set yet and many teams still have hope to change things for the better. Taking a look at this week’s games, LSU will look to beat Alabama. The Big 12 has a host of challenging games while Oregon will try to go on a win streak to boost its BCS rankings.
No. 1 Alabama (-10) at No. 5 LSU
No. 16Â Texas A&MÂ (-7) at No. 15Â Mississippi State
No. 23 Texas at No. 18 Texas Tech (-7)
No. 4Â Oregon (-7.5)Â at No. 17Â USC
