As of now, there are three teams out in front of the race to the BCS Championship. Texas is currently ranked #1, and deservedly so after beating Oklahoma on Saturday, with Alabama #2, and Penn State #3. It is pretty safe to say that if these teams run the table, they will be in the Championship game, and another safe bet is that at least one of these teams will lose before the end of the year.

Texas
In their remaining 6 games, their opponents have a combined record of 27-9. If there should be any ties with three teams at the top, Texas will win all ties with the strength of their schedule. The next few weeks include Missouri, Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, and two weeks after the Red Raiders, at Kansas. This doesn’t even include the Big 12 Championship game. If Texas can somehow run the table, they WILL be in the championship game, but I think out of these 3 teams, their chances of doing that are the slimmest.

Alabama
The Crimson Tide have 6 remaining games in which their opponents combined record is 19-17. We are finding out that teams like Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU are not as good as we thought. Also, their early season victory against Clemson does not hold the luster it once did. I think out of these 3 teams, Alabama still has something to prove even with that victory over Georgia. I know I will tick off a lot of SEC fans, but overall the SEC does not have the strength it had in previous years which might help Alabama run the table. But we also know that anything can happened, and to be undefeated the Tide will have to beat either Florida, Georgia, or Vanderbilt in the SEC Title game.

Penn State
The Nittany Lions are a bit of a surprise this year because it was thought that the Buckeyes were to be the class of the Big Ten, with everyone else fighting for second. Their remaining schedule has games at home against Michigan, at Ohio State (where they haven’t won in Columbus since the 1970s), at Iowa, and home against Michigan State. Those teams (plus Indiana) combine for a record of 20-13. The Lions have the luxury of knowing that if they run the regular season table, they don’t have a Big Ten title game to worry about, but that could also hurt them if there are more than 2 teams with an undefeated record. I know every Nittany Lion fan points towards the Ohio State game, but don’t look past Michigan State who beat them last year.

The probably of even 1 of these teams finishing undefeated is less than 50%, but as of now these three teams are leading the pack. As I said, I think Texas has the toughest task ahead, and I’d place Alabama second with Penn State having the easiest road. Mainly because they are already 7-0, a game more than the Longhorns and Tide, and don’t have to worry about a Conference Championship game.