The Wiz of Odds

Three Harris Voters Put Oklahoma State No. 6

Oklahoma State's 44-10 faceplanting of rival Oklahoma impressed a lot of people, but three voters in the Harris Interactive Poll didn't think much of it.

Former Notre Dame player Derrick Mayes (top left), former Hawaii coach Bob Wagner (center) and former Iowa sports information director George Wine (right) ranked the Cowboys No. 6 on their ballots. All ballots of the 115 voters in the poll were made public Monday, one day after it was determined that Louisiana State and Alabama would play in the Bowl Championship Series title game on Jan. 9 in New Orleans.

Mayes and Wagner had the same top six — LSU, Alabama, Stanford, Boise State, Oregon and Oklahoma State. Wine's ballot was even more of a head-scratcher. He had the same top four — LSU, Alabama, Stanford and Boise State — but put Houston at No. 5, one spot ahead of the Cowboys.

"I think the BCS is just a mess," Wine said. "I think college football is crying for a playoff system. This voting is highly subjective. I realize that voting is subjective and often arbitrary. I probably don't do as much research ... but who the hell knows whether Oregon is better than Wisconsin?"

BCS Guru Projects LSU-Oklahoma State Title Game

This is why the BCS Guru makes the big bucks.

The Guru projects that Louisiana State will play Oklahoma State in the Jan. 9 Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans. The Cowboys, according to the Guru, will finish behind Alabama in the Coaches and Harris polls, but will slip into the No. 2 spot on the strength of computer rankings. The two polls the compilation of six computer rankings each make up a third of the BCS formula.

If the Guru's projection is correct, Oklahoma State can credit its 44-10 rout of rival Oklahoma on Saturday night for pushing it over the top.

Is this the right choice, or should LSU and Alabama play again? Vote in the poll below.

From Gundy to Gandhi

How soon they forget.

In 2006, it looked like Ohio State and Michigan would meet a for second time in the Bowl Championship Series title game. The Wolverines had lost only one game, by three points, to the top-ranked and undefeated Buckeyes at Columbus.

So who made the biggest stink? That's right, the Southeastern Conference, led by Florida president Bernie Machen, whose team was No. 3 in the BCS standings and had just defeated Arkansas in the SEC title game.

"If they don't vote for us after tonight, we need a new system," he said.

The lobbying worked, as Florida got support from enough voters to inch past Michigan for a shot against the Buckeyes.

How soon SEC fans forget. But as one wise person put it last week, no league shapes arguments and sways opinions like the SEC. How else can one explain a fraudulent Arkansas rising to No. 3 in the BCS?

BCS Guru: LSU-Alabama Rematch All but a Done Deal

Louisiana State and Alabama likely are headed to the Jan. 9 Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans, a rematch of that Nov. 5 overtime snoozer in Tuscaloosa, won by the Tigers, 9-6.

The Southeastern Conference West Division teams will be 1-2 in the official BCS standings that will be released Sunday night, according to the BCS Guru.

Oklahoma State will be No. 3, followed by Virginia Tech, Stanford, Boise State, Houston, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oregon.

The Guru also has Michigan at No. 16 and Texas Christian at No. 18. An at-large BCS team must finish in the top 14 of the BCS standings, meaning neither team currently meets the criteria for a BCS game.

In addition, TCU also would need a loss by Houston in the Conference USA title game. Why? The BCS grants an automatic berth to a non-BCS conference champion if it finishes in the top 16 and ahead of the champion of an automatic qualifying conference, which likely will happen because the Big East has no team close to either the Cougars or Horned Frogs. TCU has a game remaining against Nevada Las Vegas, and a victory will give the Mountain West title outright to the Horned Frogs.

However, one week is left in the season.

The remaining games for the projected top 10 teams:

Louisiana State — vs. Georgia in SEC title game (Saturday in Atlanta).

Alabama — regular season over.

Oklahoma State — Oklahoma (Saturday).

Virginia Tech — vs. Clemson in Atlantic Coast title game (Saturday in Charlotte).

Stanford — regular season over.

Boise State — New Mexico (Saturday).

Houston — Southern Mississippi in Conference USA title game (Saturday in Houston).

Arkansas — regular season over.

Oklahoma — at Oklahoma State (Saturday).

Oregon — vs. UCLA in Pacific 12 title game (Friday in Eugene).

Occupy BCS: SEC Teams to Hold Down Top 3 Spots

Southeastern Conference teams are expected to occupy the top three spots in the Bowl Championship Series when the official standings are released Sunday night, according to the BCS Guru.

Louisiana State will maintain its grip on the No. 1 spot, with Alabama moving up to No. 2. Arkansas makes the biggest jump, from last week's No. 6 slot all the way to No. 3. Two weeks ago, the Razorbacks were No. 8.

Arkansas will benefited from losses by Oklahoma State, Oregon and Oklahoma, teams that were ahead of the Razorbacks in last week's standings. In addition, Clemson had its slim title hopes dashed with a crunching loss at North Carolina State.

The standings set up a huge game Friday at Baton Rouge between Arkansas and LSU.

Here are the remaining regular-season games for the projected top seven teams. The list does not include league title games:

Louisiana State: Arkansas (Friday).

Alabama: at Auburn (Saturday).

Arkansas: at Louisiana State (Friday).

Oklahoma State: Oklahoma (Dec. 3).

Stanford: Notre Dame (Saturday).

Virginia Tech: at Virginia (Saturday).

Oklahoma: Iowa State (Saturday); at Oklahoma State (Dec. 3).

BCS Guru: It's All About LSU, Oklahoma State, Alabama

The focus has come down to three teams.

Louisiana State, Oklahoma State and Alabama will be at the top of the heap when the official Bowl Championship Series standings are released Sunday night, according to the BCS Guru.

The three teams are pulling away from the pack after Stanford and Boise State fell from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Oregon, which crushed the Cardinal at Palo Alto, is expected to occupy the No. 4 spot, followed by Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Louisiana State, Alabama and Arkansas remain alive for a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game, Dec. 3 in Atlanta. Oregon will likely play in the Pacific 12 title game on the same date.

Here are the remaining regular-season games for the projected top six teams:

Louisiana State: at Mississippi (Saturday); Arkansas (Nov. 25).

Oklahoma State: at Iowa State (Friday); Oklahoma (Dec. 3).

Alabama: Georgia Southern (Saturday); at Auburn (Nov. 26).

Oregon: USC (Saturday); Oregon State (Nov. 26).

Oklahoma: at Baylor (Saturday); Iowa State (Nov. 26); at Oklahoma State (Dec. 3).

Arkansas: Mississippi State (Saturday); at Louisiana State (Nov. 25).