The BCS standings have just been released, and in a pleasant surprise Alabama did not fall as far as many originally expected. Surprisingly enough, 'Bama not only has a solid lead over Boise State, but for the time being remains ahead of Stanford as well. Per ESPN:
Temporarily staying ahead of Stanford is nice, but pay that no mind. The Cardinal have games left with Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame, not to mention (assuming they win those first two games), the Pac-12 Championship Game, and with a win in all four of those games they will jump 'Bama with ease and will do so by a very large margin. Don't let anything from the above table fool you, we still must have Stanford lose somewhere between now and the first week of December, and in no way do we control of our own destiny relative to the Andrew Luck and the Cardinal.
More importantly, though, we've got a significant lead over Boise, which is helped by a solid lead over the Broncos in the computer pulls. The human element could strike in the very end to avoid a rematch, but unless the pollsters just decide to blow up the whole system to avoid another 'Bama v. LSU game in New Orleans we should be able to stay ahead of Boise by a reasonably comfortable margin if we win our remaining three games against Mississippi State, Georgia Southern, and Auburn. While that may seem elementary, that is of the utmost importance considering that Boise is all but certain to run the table from here on out, with games left against only TCU, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico State. If we had fallen behind Boise in the BCS we would have been all but eliminated from contention, but as long as we remain ahead of Boise we have a chance in the final four weeks.
Oklahoma could be a threat, assuming they can get the job done against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, and for better or for worse they will make a serious run at us if they go undefeated in the final three weeks. Ideally we would have them lose Baylor or Iowa State in the next two weeks before upsetting the Cowboys in Bedlam, but the odds of that seem low. We currently have a sizable lead over the Sooners thanks to solid margins across the board, though clearly they would generate a strong surge with an upset over a #2 Oklahoma State team, and we'd probably be nose-for-nose at the finish line if that were to happen.
Obviously we do not control our own destiny given the mattress defecation last night in Tuscaloosa, and clearly we are still clinging to life in the form of Texas Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame, and either UCLA or Arizona State, but for the time being we are still clinging to minor strands of hope. We still need losses by Stanford and Oklahoma State to crack the door open, but given the manner in which we threw it all away last night in Tuscaloosa little more can reasonably be expected for the time being.