TCU still third in BCS

TCU’s best chance to catch Oregon and Auburn in the BCS standings came and went, and the Horned Frogs are still chasing the top two.

TCU closed the gap on the first-place Ducks and second-place Tigers, and widened its advantage on fourth-place Boise State on Sunday, a day after a resounding 47-7 victory at previously unbeaten Utah.

“The bottom line is that they put themselves on a different plateau,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said of his team after the win over Utah.

“Everybody else in the country, when they go into someone else’s house in a big game, they usually end up getting beat.”

The Horned Frogs’ BCS average is .9259 after coming in third in both the Harris and coaches’ polls and second in the computer ratings. Oregon (.9638) is first in both polls and third in the computers. Auburn (.9611) is second in the polls and first in the computers.

LSU moved up to fifth in the BCS after beating Alabama 24-21.

Looking ahead, TCU (10-0) appears to have virtually no chance of moving up unless at least one of the top two teams loses.

If the top two hold their ground, TCU and Boise State would be vying for the one automatic bid that goes to the highest-ranking team from the conferences without an automatic berth to the five big-money games – provided that team finishes in the top 12 of the BCS.

With Oregon and Auburn in the championship game, that so-called BCS buster invite would be to the Rose Bowl.