It's the calm before the BCS storm
CHRIS DUFRESNE ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Saturday's results produced no changes at the top of the Bowl Championship Series standings. But just wait till next week, and beyond.
What you missed if you took a nap Friday and woke up Sunday:
Not much.
The big-ticket event turned out to be Test Pattern University versus Cal Poly Status Quo.
No. 1 Alabama coaxed two touchdowns out of its offense, like a kitten from a tree, in a win over 3-7 Mississippi State, Florida embarrassed another so-called quality opponent, Washington remained winless in Seattle and USC picked up another win while moving no closer to national title contention.
Associated Press voters, asked Sunday morning to submit ballots, phoned in "same as last week" and rolled over for two more hours' sleep.
Computer operators involved in the Bowl Championship Series standings put their menacing machines on autopilot and went shopping for new pocket protectors.
There was more continental drift this weekend than movement in the BCS standings.
The "big" news was Ohio State's using a win over Illinois to nudge Georgia out of the No. 10 BCS spot.
Everything above 10 stayed the same.
The BCS top five remained Alabama, Texas Tech, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma and positions six through nine remained USC, Utah, Penn State and Boise State.
Exciting stuff, huh?
The top 15 in this week's AP poll was the same as it was last week, which is hard to do even if you're not trying.
The weekend was mostly about payback for last year: USC vs. Stanford, Oregon vs. Arizona, Ohio State vs. Illinois, Alabama vs. Mississippi State and Boston College vs. Florida State.
Same as it was, though, is about to change.
The eye of the hurricane -- Miami, by the way, cracked the BCS at No. 23 this week -- is about to give way to a storm's back end.
As we approach the season's bell lap, there's a chance all bell can still break lose.
The tipping point could come Saturday in Norman, where Oklahoma looks to hand Texas Tech its first loss.
An Oklahoma victory could ultimately leave three schools in the Big 12 South -- Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Texas -- at 11-1.
That leaves open the possibility of the second- and third-place teams from the Big 12 South playing for the national title.
(For a complete-scenario explanation, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to my P.O. BCS box.)
Just so you know, Texas Tech has never defeated Texas and Oklahoma in the same season, but there's a first time for everything, even in Lubbock.
