Texas Tech BCS No. 2
NEW YORK – No scoreboard watching necessary for Texas Tech.
Less than 24 hours after the Red Raiders gave the national championship race a makeover by defeating then-No. 1 Texas, they received more good news when the BCS standings were released Sunday.
Texas Tech was in second place, behind Alabama and just ahead of third-place Penn State.
If the undefeated Red Raiders of the Big 12 and undefeated Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference win out, they will likely meet in the BCS national championship game in Miami on Jan. 8.
The unbeaten Nittany Lions still need help in the form of an Alabama or Texas Tech loss to reach the title game.
The computer rankings made the difference for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech was a close No. 3 behind the Nittany Lions in the USA Today coaches’ poll and the Harris Poll. Alabama was a solid No. 1 in each poll.
However, the Red Raiders were tied with Alabama for first in the computer ratings, while Penn State was rated fourth in the compilation of six computer ratings the Bowl Championship Series uses.
With Texas Tech facing ninth-place Oklahoma State and sixth-place Oklahoma in its next two games, plus a possible Big 12 title game down the road, the Red Raiders should be in position to expand their lead over Penn State if they can keep winning.
Though one of the teams ahead of the Nittany Lions has changed (Texas Tech instead of Texas), their problem remains the same: a so-so schedule.
Penn State from the Big Ten plays at Iowa (5-4) next week, then finishes the season at home against Indiana (3-6) and Michigan State, 18th in the BCS standings. The only team the Nittany Lions have beaten that is currently ranked is Ohio State.
Eighth-place Utah is in position to earn a bid to the Bowl Championship Series from the Mountain West Conference for the second time since 2004 if the Utes can get through the toughest part of their conference slate.
Utah hosts TCU, which is 12th in the BCS standings, on Thursday and also plays rival BYU to finish the regular season.
Alabama tops in AP
Alabama became the fifth team this season to sit atop the AP Top 25, moving up a spot after previously top-ranked Texas was toppled by Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders jumped four spots and past No. 3 Penn State to No. 2.
No. 4 Florida moved up one place and Texas dropped four spots to No. 5.
The top spot in the poll hasn’t been held by this many teams since 1990, when Miami, Notre Dame, Colorado, Michigan and Virginia all had a turn at No 1.