BCS rankings: How Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama stack up under old college football system
If the BCS formula determined the College Football Playoff rankings instead of the selection committee, here's how things would stand after Week 10
• 5 min read
Enjoy it while it lasts, college football fans.
We're entering the final stretch of the 12-team playoff era, with further expansion set to begin next season, which puts less deliberation in the hands of the selection committee and more opportunities for teams to play their way into the postseason.
This marks the fourth time in the past two decades that college football's way of determining its national champions has changed, beginning with the Bowl Championship Series (1998-2013), leading into the four-team playoff (2014-2023), and culminating in the current 12-team system.
During the BCS era, three equally weighted components were used to determine each team's BCS "score" and produce a ranking: the Harris Interactive Poll, the Coaches Poll and the computers. The "computers" were a combination of separate rankings (Billingsley, Colley, Massey, Sagarin, Wolfe) into a single value system.
The AP poll replaced the Harris Interactive Poll as part of the formula in 2004. Prior to the three-tiered component system in 2004, schedule strength, quality wins and other factors were included, making the process more subjective than the widely-accepted scoring system.
Via BCSKnowHow, here's how the current top 25 would look in simulated BCS standings ahead of Tuesday night's second CFP rankings reveal.
College Football Power Rankings: Notre Dame climbs to No. 2 amid shakeup after wild Week 10
Brandon Marcello
1. Georgia
BCS score: 0.9694
Who angered the Bulldogs? Georgia played angry Saturday night at Ole Miss, jumping out to a 35-0 lead during a pummeling of the Rebels. Rightfully assuming the top spot in Sunday's updated AP poll, we're projecting Georgia to be No. 1 in the selection committee's second rankings, too. Only Missouri and South Carolina remain on the SEC slate for a team that looks the part en route to Atlanta and another CFP appearance.
2. Utah
BCS score: 0.9326
A five-spot leap in this week's BCS formula, the Utes' victory over BYU impressed the computers. The Utes have the inside track to a Big 12 Championship Game berth and a top-4 seed in the CFP if they can keep this up. Dark-horse Heisman candidate Devon Dampier should see a surge in notoriety if the Utes enter conference title weekend unblemished at 12-0.
3. Notre Dame
BCS score: 0.8868
Marcus Freeman's request to "leave no doubt" came to fruition as the Fighting Irish notched a marquee win over previously top-ranked Miami in Week 10. That all but assures Notre Dame of its first trip to the CFP bracket since 2024, as long as this team handles its business over the next three weeks. Notre Dame moved up in the BCS rankings and should now be inside the top 5 on Tuesday night.
4. UCLA
BCS score: 0.8524
The second of two unbeatens left in the field, the Bruins continue to prove doubters wrong under first-year coach Bob Chesney. Saturday's win at Minnesota was a trendy upset pick during the week leading up to kickoff given the cross-country travel and early game time, but it didn't matter to UCLA. The program's ninth-straight win puts the Bruins in the Big Ten driver's seat in the final weeks.
5. Miami
BCS score: 0.8257
Ranked No. 1 per the BCS formula entering last week's first CFP reveal, the Hurricanes drop four spots to No. 4 after losing to Notre Dame on Saturday night, 31-24, without their top offensive playmaker Malachi Toney. Unlike the human vote, the computers don't account for impact player absences. Objectively, it's all about the result on the field. This is right around where we expect the selection committee to put the Hurricanes in their second rankings, too.
6. Alabama
BCS score: 0.7878
Alabama's viewed more favorably by the selection committee than the computers suggest, and that's only going to be enhanced Tuesday night following the Crimson Tide's statement victory at LSU. This team is hitting its stride down the stretch after losing two games last month in SEC play and only has to deal with Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn before an appearance in the SEC Championship -- the last of its kind with the CFP moving to 24 teams in 2027.
7. Indiana
BCS score: 0.7785
With the Hoosiers idle in Week 10, Curt Cignetti's team dropped a couple of spots after all eight squads Indiana has beaten this season lost over the weekend. That hurts the overall resume for the defending Big Ten champions, who host USC this weekend in what amounts to a huge game for both programs in the CFP discussion and Big Ten title race.
8. Texas
BCS score: 0.7404
That's now four ranked wins this season for the Longhorns, the most in college football after Saturday's runaway from Missouri late. The ceiling of this team is among the nation's highest, and Steve Sarkisian has done a great job this fall of getting Texas to play its best against marquee opponents. At 7-2 overall, we believe the Longhorns could lose Saturday at LSU and still make the CFP bracket as an at-large selection with nine wins. This BCS ranking seems to align with the view that Texas is the second-best two-loss SEC team.
9. Tennessee
BCS score: 0.6373
Speaking of two-loss SEC teams, the Vols seized momentum after thrashing Kentucky by 28 points at home. The Wildcats dropped to No. 13 with the setback and must win out to reach the CFP bracket given their resume. Tennessee, on the other hand, may have margin for error. It depends on where the selection committee vaults the Vols on Tuesday night with relation to Alabama. It should be much closer than last week's eight-spot difference.
10. Texas Tech
BCS score: 0.5753
The second of three Big 12 teams inside the BCS formula's top 12, the Red Raiders held off West Virginia despite a horrific defensive performance. They're getting it done on the ground since substituting Thomas Castellanos in as the starting quarterback, and they remain in control of their own destiny in the CFP and Big 12 conversation by winning out.
| Rank | Team | BCS score |
|---|---|---|
11. | 0.5415 | |
12. | BYU | 0.5291 |
13. | Kentucky | 0.5083 |
14. | USC | 0.4024 |
15. | 0.3907 | |
16. | 0.3803 | |
17. | Ole Miss | 0.3330 |
18. | 0.3278 | |
19. | 0.2845 | |
20. | 0.2805 | |
21. | LSU | 0.2506 |
22. | South Carolina | 0.1968 |
23. | 0.1759 | |
24. | 0.1109 | |
25. | Missouri | 0.0844 |
Ohio State's season has tanked over the last two weeks following consecutive losses to USC and Oregon. From unbeaten and slotted No. 2 in the BCS rankings to now barely cracking the top-20, chances are slim the Buckeyes can play their way back into the CFP discussion with three games left against unranked competition.
Ole Miss is the highest-ranked of four three-loss teams in the top-25 at No. 17, but this isn't the BCS era. The selection committee will likely push the Rebels to beyond that number after a 35-point home loss to Georgia. That's the second ugly mark this fall for a team that lost by 24 points earlier at Florida.
Three-loss LSU and South Carolina are hanging around at the back end of the BCS rankings. We expect the Gamecocks to be ranked higher than the Tigers this week following their fourth straight win and LSU's blowout home loss to Alabama. South Carolina hosts top-ranked Georgia in two weeks, but must beat Arkansas this weekend for that one to matter.
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