MSU Unable To Pass Wisconsin, Ohio State, Will Settle For Capital One Bowl

Michigan State appears headed to Orlando instead of Pasadena.

The Spartans were unable to pass either Wisconsin or Ohio State in the latest BCS standings, meaning MSU will technically finish third in the trifecta of 11-1 teams atop the Big Ten.

Boise State’s choke at Nevada Friday night allowed Stanford and Wisconsin to move into the top five, with Ohio State not far behind in sixth. MSU was eighth.

Wisconsin will likely be offered the conference’s traditional spot in the Rose Bowl as the highest ranked team of the three. Ohio State is a virtual lock for an at-large bid.

With only two teams allowed to a BCS bowl per conference, MSU will have to settle for the Capital One bowl, which usually selects the second or third place team from the Big Ten. An 11-1 season is something to be proud of for sure, but that blowout at the hands of Iowa looks like a costly one for MSU.

When it came down to it, MSU wasn't even close. Ohio State's BCS average was .7632; MSU came in at .6980. Wisconsin had a comfortable margin of .8185.

Here’s the entire BCS standings for Week 14. Some interesting notes:

• Auburn passes Oregon for the top spot after their dramatic win over Alabama.
• Boise State dropped all the way out of the top ten to 11th. Nevada, which beat Boise, only moved up to 17th from 19th.
• The BCS also broke a three-way tie in the Big 12 South. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M all finished 6-2, but the BCS went the Sooners way. They'll face Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.
• South Carolina actually dropped from 18th to 19th after defeating Clemson soundly. The Gamecocks will have a chance at redemption in the SEC title game against Auburn.
• LSU dropped to 10th (from fifth) after losing to Arkansas, but Boise dropped from fourth to 11th after losing in overtime. Don't tell me there's not a power conference bias.
• Northern Illinois strikes one for the MAC, coming in at No. 25. The Huskies and West Virgina were the only teams not ranked last week to break into the standings.

1. Auburn
2. Oregon
3. TCU
4. Stanford
5. Wisconsin
6. Ohio State
7. Arkansas
8. MICHIGAN STATE
9. Oklahoma
10. LSU
11. Boise State
12. Missouri
13. Nebraska
14. Oklahoma State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Alabama
17. Nevada
18. Texas A&M
19. South Carolina
20. Utah
21. Florida State
22. Mississippi State
23. Arizona
24. West Virginia
25. Northern Illinois