BCS Standings Week 9: Houston Lags Behind Other Unbeatens

After a wild weekend in college football, the latest BCS standings have been released, with Houston still on the outside looking in despite their 7-0 record. The Cougars are ranked No. 17 with a weighted average of .3676, by far the lowest of the eight undefeated teams in the FBS.

Their biggest hurdle is their schedule, as Conference USA has no other ranked teams to boost Houston with either the computers or the pollsters. And with UCLA in the midst of a collapse likely to cost Rick Neuheisel his job, the Cougars' lone win over a team in a BCS conference has lost its luster.

The BCS is contractually obligated to take the highest ranked team from a non-AQ (automatic qualifier) conference if they are ranked in the top 12 at the end of the season. And even with their depleted schedule, Case Keenum and the Cougars will likely crack that barrier if they finish the season at 12-0.

Standing in Houston's way is Boise State, a perennial BCS buster out of the Mountain West, who are currently sitting at No. 4 in the latest rankings. There will not be two non-AQ teams in the BCS and no BCS bowl will pick Houston over Boise. The Broncos don't have another ranked opponent on their schedule either; their biggest hurdle left is a date against TCU on Nov. 12.

BCS Standings Week 9: Oklahoma State, Kansas State Move Up

Oklahoma State and Kansas State both moved up in the BCS standings for Week 9. Oklahoma State finds itself in the top 3 just behind LSU and Alabama. The Cowboys are in position to earn a spot in the BCS title game if they are able to run the table. However, with games left to play against Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma, the road to the title game won't be an easy one. Boise State and Clemson round out the top 5 of the BCS. 

Kansas State moves up to No. 8 and will also have the opportunity to improve its standing on the field with games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the next two weeks. The Wildcats are just ahead of Oklahoma who falls to No. 9 after its upset loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. 

Here is a look at the complete top 15 of the BCS standings:

1. LSU

2. Alabama

3. Oklahoma State

4. Boise State

5. Clemson

6. Stanford

7. Oregon

8. Kansas State

9. Oklahoma

10. Arkansas

11. Michigan State

12. Virginia Tech

13. South Carolina

14. Nebraska

15. Wisconsin

BCS Projections: Oklahoma State, Kansas State Both Projected In Top 10

The BCS rankings will be released on Sunday night but early projections show Oklahoma State moving into the top 3 and Kansas State moving into the top 10 of the rankings.