Alabama claimed the BCS national title, but was not a unanimous choice among the components of BCS system and the AP poll.

To see just how the bevy of season’s end rankings played out, we’ve set out to simulate a set of BCS rankings, using the AP poll in place of the Harris poll. What we get is a good aggregate of all of the final rankings, and the equivalent of a year-end, final BCS rankings.

We also used the six BCS computers, not all of which declared Alabama as the top team in the nation. In fact, both Oklahoma State and LSU claimed the top spot in one computer ranking.

Mostly, this is just for fun, a good look at what the BCS standings would look like if they were released after the end of the season. The formula is exactly the same as the BCS utilizes during the regular season, except the AP poll is subbed in for the Harris Interactive Poll, which does not release a post-season edition.

Unsurprisingly, Alabama leads the way, despite its non-unanimous support. LSU and Oklahoma State finish in their expected No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

Arkansas and Oregon see the completion of strong regular seasons and impressive bowl victories to both finish in the top five.

A little further down, we get a surprising sixth-place finish from South Carolina, who are chased closely by Boise State, where the Broncos finish just .0003 behind the Gamecocks. For fun, we placed USC in the mix, as they are named in all six computers and in the AP. We just replicated the portion the No. 9 Trojans got in the AP for the Coaches’ and used the computers as per usual.

Other surprises include No. 10 Baylor, who completes a fantastic season led by Heisman-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III and the non-AQ No. 16 Houston and No. 17 TCU, both of which had shots at BCS bowl bids but were shut out on the last weekend — a Houston loss and TCU finishing outside of the top-16.

Here’s BCS Know How’s simulated post-season BCS rankings:

Simulated Post-Season BCS Rankings

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No team was able to survive 2011 without losing; except for LSU. Come 2012, however, the story was different, as Alabama made the most of their rematch opportunity with LSU — who handed the Crimson Tide their lone loss of the season — and beat the Tigers 21-0 on Monday night in New Orleans in the BCS title game.

Trent Richardson’s fourth-quarter touchdown scamper proved the only touchdown score after five field goals gave the Tide a 15-0 lead that their defense protected time and again. Richardson finished the game with 96 yards rushing and the one score, but it was quarterback A.J. McCarron who shined brightest throughout the game for the Crimson Tide, finishing 23-of-34 for 234 yards to help the Tide move up and down the field.

LSU’s defense was able to curtail the Tide’s offensive outbursts, holding them to just field goal attempts most of the game, but the Tiger offense never was able to take off and score points of its own.

Alabama coach Nick Saban now claims three national titles, and the state of Alabama has claimed the last three BCS titles, as part of six straight titles for the Southeastern conference.

Oklahoma State rises to No. 3, but its not enough to leap Alabama here or in the BCS standings.

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Harris Interactive College Football Poll – December 4

The rematch is on.

With the release of the final BCS standings, the Bowl Championship Series has spoken, and we’re headed for the first-ever rematch of a regular season game in the BCS title game.

LSU and Alabama did enough in the eyes of the voters and the computers to do just that, and come Jan. 9, the entire country will be tuned in to see whether LSU’s defense can once again stifle Alabama or if the Crimson Tide can turn the tide on the Tigers.

Oklahoma State lands on the outside looking in, instead headed off to the Fiesta Bowl to take on a very game Stanford team, who finishes in the No. 3 slot.

No. 5 Oregon, boosted on the power of huge leaps in human poll support, is on its way to the Rose Bowl to take on No. 10 Wisconsin, whose Big Ten title game victory over Michigan State brought the Badgers back into the top 10 and ensured one of the best looking matchups among the BCS bowls, at least on paper.

The four teams that follow Oregon were all left out of the BCS picture, as Arkansas, Boise State, Kansas State and South Carolina will have to settle for non-BCS bowls after commendable seasons in three tough conferences.

A surprise berth for No. 11 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl certainly ruffled some feathers, but the Hokies had an impressive season, and will face off against No. 13 Michigan in New Orleans on Jan. 2.

All in all, the BCS standings once again brought about debate, consternation and excitement until the end. Whether you agree with the decisions the system made, it’s what we’ve got, and we’re not headed for a slate of 35 bowl games — some duds and some spectacular matchups — that will certainly provide for entertainment value throughout December and January. Enjoy.

Here’s the final BCS rankings of 2011:

BCS Standings Week Eight — December 4

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Some thoughts:

• BCS Know How’s Projected BCSvs. Actual BCS Rankings
  • Well, I think you know.

The 2012 BCS bowl matchups have been announced, with the rematch of the century, Alabama-LSU highlighting the slate in the BCS national championship game.

The BCS will begin with the Rose Bowl, this year held on Jan. 2, followed by the Sugar Bowl that night.

The Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl will played on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 respectively, with the title game not coming our way until Jan. 9.

Represented are the champions of all six BCS conferences, teams that missed the Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten conference championship games, and the ACC’s runner up.

2012 BCS Schedule

	Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. January 2, 2012 5 p.m. EST
	Wisconsin Badgers
vs.
	Oregon Ducks
	Comment: The champions of the Big Ten and Pac-12, coming off victories in each conference’s first-ever conference championship game, will face off in the single BCS bowl with the most history. And the Oregon-Wisconsin meeting might just have the most intrigue and interest among the five BCS bowls, too. Offense runs both teams’ attacks with weapons like Oregon stable of athletes (Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas among many others) and the Badgers’ two-headed monster in Monte Ball and Russell Wilson.
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	Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. January 3, 2012 8:30 p.m. EST
	Michigan Wolverines
vs.
	Virginia Tech Hokies
	Comment: Somewhat surprise bids for both Michigan and Virginia Tech will give this Sugar Bowl a distinctively un-Sugar Bowl like feel, as no SEC team was available for the bowl to take to replace a lost team to the title game as they have in years past. Of course, the player in this game that everyone knows is Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, but Virginia Tech comes ready with a strong offensive attack and of course a Frank Beamer coached defense and special teams. Should be a good one in the bayou as they ready for the title game a week later.
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	Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. January 4, 2012 8:30 p.m. EST
	Clemson Tigers
vs.
	West Virginia Mountaineers
	Comment: The champions of the Big East and ACC meet in the Orange Bowl yet again, this time pitting West Virginia against a revitalized Clemson squad. West Virginia was the beneficiary of a three-way tiebreaker in the Big East. The Mountaineers shared the regular season crown with Louisville and Cincinnati, but by finishing highest in the final BCS standings, the Mountaineers were assured of the conference’s automatic BCS bid. Clemson topped Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, somewhat of a surprise, and got an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl in the process.
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	Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona January 5, 2012 8:30 p.m. EST
	Oklahoma State Cowboys
vs.
	Stanford Cardinal
	Comment: Just missing out on the BCS title game leaves Oklahoma State to take the Big 12′s rightful place in the Fiesta Bowl, where the Cowboys will be faced with Stanford and Heisman candidate Andrew Luck in the desert. The Cowboys have a strong duo at the top of their offensive attack as well, as quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon are among the best in the nation at their positions. Expect nothing less than a shootout.
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	BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans, La. January 9, 2012 8:30 p.m. EST
	LSU Tigers
vs.
	Alabama Crimson Tide
	Comment: The matchup everyone wanted to see has turned into the rematch that most of the country clamored for. A 9-6 victory for LSU over Alabama earlier this season was obviously not enough for many of the voters, and we’ll get another chance to see the best two teams in the country go at it again. Both have world-class defenses and feature some great offensive weapons, such as Alabama running back Trent Richardson and LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Could we be in for another low scoring affair? Or will the offenses break out this time?

Welcome to the oddest day in college football. Selection Sunday, where 70 teams are placed in 35 bowls, but all everyone cares about is one ultimate matchup, the BCS National Championship Game.

A season of debate and consternation has led us here, to a final day racked with tension as we await the release of the BCS standings and ponder one question: Who will be No. 2?

With Sagarin’s ratings released and the Coaches’ Poll available, we can start to work some real numbers into the equation. Let’s start by laying it all on the line.

Last weekend, Alabama and Oklahoma State were No. 2 and No. 3 in the BCS, receiving the following scores from the BCS components:

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Oklahoma State was well behind Alabama in every category, including the elusive computer ranking systems.

Now, a victory over Oklahoma was worth quite a bit to Oklahoma State, and will allow the Cowboys to claim the lead in that component come tonight. But how big will their lead be? The two scenarios play out as such:

I. Oklahoma State could receive a .950 score from the computers if they receive two No. 3 votes from the computers. Alabama would then likely receive a .930. Using the released Coaches’ Poll statistics, the breakdown would be as such:

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For Oklahoma State to be No. 2, the following would need to occur:

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The equivalent of five votes — a total vote share of .0015 — would need to separate Oklahoma State from Alabama in the Harris Poll to give Oklahoma State to No. 2 spot. Anything less and Alabama is on its way to the title lgame.

II. Oklahoma State could receive a .960 score from the computers if they receive just one No. 3 vote from the computers. Alabama would then likely receive a .920. Using the released Coaches’ Poll statistics, the breakdown would be as such:

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For Oklahoma State to be No. 2, the following would need to occur:

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The equivalent of 53 points — a total vote share of .0183 — could still be between Alabama and Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys could be No. 2. Anything more and Alabama is on its way to the title game.

Oklahoma State receives the third spot. Is it enough?

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USA Today Coaches’ Poll – December 4

College football’s regular season is, amazingly, complete for 2011. But now comes the fun part. Today marks “Selection Sunday” the day when we find out just where 70 teams will land in the 35 bowls that will span more than three weeks over December and January.

Some slots are already assured, but others are still to be determined.

We’ll be here all day to answer any questions and will provide updates throughout the day here and at @BCSKnowHow. Chat live with us, answer some general questions about the BCS bowl system, the BCS formula and other important information to get you through the day:

Chat live with us starting at noon eastern HERE:

Fourteen weeks, and there seems no quelling of the debate and uproar about who deserves what in the college football landscape. That being said, however, the 2011 regular season is complete, and now our attention must turn to the BCS standings and bowls to be announced tomorrow.

The thing that is causing the most debate, of course, is the possible rematch awaiting the country in the BCS title game. And for those who are against it, do be prepared to weather the storm of the rematch, but a swaying of opinion has occurred, and for what it’s worth, Oklahoma State should be on its way to the BCS title game.

Alabama will just miss out on its chance at a rematch, finishing at No. 3, with Stanford just behind the Cowboys at No. 4.

So. Why? It comes down to persuasion. Virginia Tech needs to be replaced on ballots. Oklahoma State whipped Oklahoma up and down the field. Houston is no longer a factor. Boise State can be forgotten. Oklahoma State stands as the team most of the country (save the Alabama faithful) wants to see get a chance.

The pollsters can make up the difference. And I believe they will. There’s no need for Oklahoma State to leap Alabama. They just need to be very close. And they will be. Oklahoma State can make up some distance in the computers.

Of course, this is a simple projection, and nothing about it is absolute. There are, however, other components which are more absolute when the BCS pairings are announced tomorrow.

• Oregon, as champion of the Pac-12, is headed to the Rose Bowl to face Wisconsin, the Big Ten’s conference champion.
• Clemson is on its way to the Orange Bowl as the ACC champion, as the ACC is bound to the bowl unless the ACC champ is playing in the national title game.
• West Virginia will likely be the recipient of the Big East’s BCS bowl bid. After sharing the regular season crown in the conference with Cincinnati and Louisville, the Mountaineers will assuredly win the tiebreaker for the conference’s bid by finishing highest among the three teams in the final BCS rankings.
• TCU, if it can finish ahead of the highest ranking Big East team and ahead of Southern Miss, which is likely, and vault into the top 16 will receive a BCS bowl bid as the highest-ranking non-AQ conference champion that ranks ahead of a AQ conference champion in the top 16.

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Oklahoma State will be assured of a BCS bid. But will it be in the title game? If these projections hold up, it will be. Stanford at No. 4, will not be afforded an automatic bid to the BCS as it was last season at No. 4, but will likely be a very eligible team for any BCS bowl to select.

Boise State, Kansas State, Michigan, Houston and Oklahoma will all also likely be eligible come tomorrow. Who will take those remaining slots? Michigan is likely to cross the top 14 threshold to get into the BCS, but TCU is likely to miss out. Check out our BCS Bowl projections here.

That’s the bowl picture — it’s messy at best — but the BCS standings shouldn’t be so difficult to digest when they’re released tomorrow.

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Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Eight (December 4th)