BCS Chaos: Making Sense of Weekend Upsets

Tim Heltman-US PRESSWIRE

This past weekend, we witnessed one of the biggest college football shake ups of the year and it’s time to make sense of it.

The top two teams in the nation — No. 2 Oregon and No. 1 Kansas State –  were unseated from BCS title contention after losing this past weekend and its turned the college football scene upside down.

Oregon faced a worthy opponent in PAC-12 rival Stanford on Saturday night and they became victims at the hands of an elite defense.  The Cardinals managed to contain the top offense in college football, holding them to 198 yards on the ground — more than 120 yards below their season average –  in the team’s 17-14 road win.

The game revealed a weakness in the Oregon’s offense that Stanford exploited.  They first stood tall in a pivotal red-zone stop in the first quarter to set the tone for the game and then managed to prevent the Ducks offense on converting two fourth down plays.  The turnovers on downs gave Stanford a change in the field position, two crucial elements to the game ina contest decided by defense.

Still, the Ducks have a reasonable shot at the BCS title game.  They’ll face No. 15 Oregon State and a win over a top-25 could prove to BCS voters that their loss to Stanford was merely just a blemish on their resume.  And a team like Oregon hasn’t lost many back-to-back games in the Chip Kelly era.

Meanwhile, Kansas State’s 52-24 collapse against Baylor was a sign of a big conference team proving to be overhyped.  Heisman hopeful Collin Klein played his worst game of the season, throwing three interceptions and only rushing for 39 yards against a Baylor defense that ranks 119th in the nation.

Now, Kansas State (10-1) ranks sixth in the nation and will play against Texas on Dec. 1, a somewhat luke warm team that ranks near the top in their division.  But this is Kansas State’s last hhope of salvaging a terrific season.  The win will also prove their worth as Big 12 conference champions, something they are still the frontrunners for.  If they do win, they could compete in the Fiesta Bowl and maintain their credibility as a BCS powerhouse for years to come.