Anyone somewhat familiar with college football surely is well aware of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The BCS ranks the top college programs based on a rankings, college polls, and computer selection methods. The top 2 BCS ranked teams at the end of the college season qualify for the right to play in the National Championship. Over the years it has had its fair share of hits (USC vs Texas a couple of years ago) to downright misses (see Miami vs Nebraska) but has always provided the sports world with controversy and something to talk about. Now imagine the BCS being used in the NFL? One can only dream of the madness it could create. The NFL will always have playoffs, the league would die without it, but here is a look at what the NFL BCS rankings could look like following week 8.
1- Tennessee Titans (7-0) The team seemed to have a statement game on Monday night polishing off the Colts 31-21 and ending Indy's dominance in the AFC South. Kerry Collins is this year's great story and rookie rb Chris Johnson has given the Titans some serious speed at the running back position.
2- New York Giants (6-1) This may ruffle the feathers of some other NFC contenders, but the Giants are still the champs until they are defeated in the playoffs. They had a very physical 21-14 win over the Steelers and everyone has nearly forgotten about the egg they laid a couple of weeks ago on Monday night. Plaxico Burress didn't start the game and his role with the team continues to be questioned. Still, they play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and have just one loss.
3- Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) They just loss to the Giants and are so injury depleted they could go on myspace to find another starter once one of their own goes down. Regardless of the injuries the Steelers are still legitimate contenders in the AFC. Mewelde Moore has done an outstanding job while Willie Parker has been hurt and the defense is top 3 without question.The team has the toughest schedule in the NFL but is still standing, for now.
4- Carolina Panthers (6-2) Forget about that 24 point loss to Tampa, whenever that was. The Panthers are rolling and should eclipse last season's total number of wins (8) by 2 or 3 games. The return of Jake Delhomme from his elbow injury has made the Panthers a different team and rookie Jonathan Stewart's impact has been felt all season. Steve Smith is not dominating the league like he has in years past but the Panthers are still winning games. John Fox's job is without a doubt safe and so should be Carolina's playoff push.
5- Washington Redskins (6-2) Their two losses came from a total of 11 points, and the first loss came way back in week 1. Jim Zorn was easily the off-season's best coaching hire despite the huge criticism the team took. Clinton Portis is closing in on 1000 yards in less than 9 games and Jason Campbell has transformed into an NFL star. Their wins of quality include Dallas, Philly, and New Orleans (all of which occurred in 3 consecutive weeks). They tripped up against the Rams but did not make the same mistake on Sunday against the Lions. If the team continues its excellent play then week 13 vs the Giants will be the biggest game of the season.
6- New England Patriots (5-2) 18-1 is long forgotten and so is the fact that Tom Brady won't play again this year. The team has moved on. They put the Rams away 23-16 and look forward to yet another match-up with Peyton Manning and the Colts this Sunday. Sure without Brady the game isn't much of a rivalry, but it's still huge. The Patriots need to prove the Bills aren't AFC east championship material and the Colts could be in serious danger of not making the playoffs if they lose this game. Matt Cassell goes from almost being benched one week to playing solid the next, sure he is inconsistent but if the team wins another division title they will let that go.
7- Buffalo Bills (5-2) Perhaps they shouldn't even be ranked in the top ten, but the Bills have to much potential to not make the playoffs. Trent Edwards is a fabulous quarterback and Dick Jauron, while not always the most successful, has to me been one of the most underrated coaches in the league. The team lost it's chance to jump ahead of the Pats in the standings after falling to Miami 25-16, but the team's remaining games still gives them a great chance of going 9-7 and making the playoffs.
8- Chicago Bears (4-3) Preseason expectations for the Bears were laughable, but now only the Bears are the ones still smiling. They find themselves in a tie for the NFC north but have seen tremendous play from qb Kyle Orton (finally perhaps a long term solution Bears fans have been waiting for) and rookie Matt Forte could have been the steal of the draft. A crazy 48-41 win in week 7 over the Vikings along with a week 4 win over Philadelphia keep the Bears in the top ten. While the playoffs aren't a guarantee, the Bears will make it interesting.
9- Arizona Cardinals (4-3) Sure the team lost another close game and can't really seem to find success on the road, but give them the benefit of the doubt. They are still in sole possession of the NFC West. That may not sound like much considering the other 3 teams have a combined 6 wins, but for the Cardinals it means everything. Warner has played like his old self this year, even at his age it doesn't seem like the end is coming for him as an NFL starter. Anquan Boldin returned from injury and put in a solid day (9 catches for 91 yards). Their next 3 games are against NFC west opponents, win those 3 and Arizona could be in the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
10- New Orleans Saints (4-4) The Green Bay Packers or Tampa Bay could argue for this spot, but still, even with their 4 losses the Saints have plenty left to show. They won a wild one in London beating the Chargers 37-32 and Drew Brees had yet another orgasmic performance at quarterback. Brees has allready thrown for over 2500 yards this year and could break Dan Marino's record that was set in 1984. Even with lingering questions on defense, the Saints offense is just to good to overlook.
