Undefeated After Week 12

My beloved Hoosiers have now put themselves in a position in which they must shock the world in order to go to a bowl.  The mission is simple:  go to Ohio Stadium and beat the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday in front of a national audience.  Tune in to ABC or ESPN2 (depending on your locale) at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday to watch national title dreams get demolished.

This past weekend, all of the undefeated teams that played won.  Alabama didn't look overly impressive in its 20-7 win over Mississippi State.  Florida State murdered Syracuse, 59-3.  Ohio State pulled away late to a 60-35 victory over lowly Illinois.  Baylor throttled a decent Texas Tech team 63-34 and, as a result, inched closer to Ohio State in the BCS standings.  Northern Illinois beat a feisty Ball State team earlier in the week on the back of Jordan Lynch, quite literally.  Fresno State had a bye week.

This week, Northern Illinois again plays Wednesday night (8 p.m. EST ESPN2), going to 7-3 Toledo, who shouldn't be overlooked, as the Rockets' only three losses have been at Florida, Missouri, and Ball State.  Alabama, Florida State, and Fresno State all have laughers, against Chattanooga, Idaho, and New Mexico, respectively.  Baylor has their biggest remaining challenge, playing #10 Oklahoma State in Stillwater.  And, as discussed above, Ohio State is playing in the ultimate trap game at home against Indiana, who will most certainly score 45 points on the Buckeyes en route to a 45-0 victory.

With Fresno State and Northern Illinois at #15 and #16, respectively, in the BCS standings at the moment, here's a refresher on the rules for non-AQ schools (i.e., schools not from the Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, ACC, Pac-12, or AAC) as far as getting a BCS bowl berth:

-The highest-ranked non-AQ conference champion will receive an automatic BCS bowl berth if it is: (1) ranked in the top 12 of the BCS standings; or (2) ranked in the top 16 of the BCS standings and ranked higher than at least one AQ conference champion.

-Only one non-AQ team can earn an automatic bid.

-A second non-AQ team can earn an at-large bid.  To be eligible for an at-large bid, a team must have at least 9 wins and must be in the top 14 of the BCS standings.

Here is a breakdown of the undefeated teams and each team's remaining games (rankings are BCS rankings):

#1 Alabama (10-0)

11/23 – Chattanooga (FCS) (8-3)

11/30 – at #6 Auburn (10-1)

12/7 - SEC championship game (Atlanta) - TBD

Remaining opponents' combined record:  18-4 (.818)

#2 Florida State (10-0)

11/23 – Idaho (1-9)

11/30 – at Florida (4-6)

12/7 - ACC championship game (Charlotte) - TBD

Remaining opponents' combined record:  5-15 (.250)

#3 Ohio State (10-0)

11/23 – Indiana (4-6)

11/30 – at Michigan (7-3)

12/7 – Big Ten championship game (Indianapolis) - TBD

Remaining opponents' combined record:  11-9 (.550)

#4 Baylor (9-0)

11/23 – at #10 Oklahoma State (9-1)

11/30 – at TCU (4-7)

12/7 – Texas (7-3)

Remaining opponents' combined record:  20-11 (.645)

#15 Fresno State (9-0)

11/23 – New Mexico (3-7)

11/29 – at San Jose State (5-5)

12/7 - MWC championship game (at higher-ranked team's stadium) - TBD

Remaining opponents' combined record:  8-12 (.400)

#16 Northern Illinois (10-0)

11/20 – at Toledo (7-3)

11/26 – Western Michigan (1-10)

12/6 - MAC championship game (Detroit) - TBD

Remaining opponents' combined record:  8-13 (.381)