While it looks like the Oregon Ducks are in the driver's seat for a BCS Championship Game, it will be tough for the Pac-10 conference to get a second team into a BCS game. The Stanford Cardinal made a nice jump in the polls last night with a 42-17 win over the Arizona Wildcats. Stanford is now ranked seventh in the AP poll, and ninth in the USA Today coaches poll.
In the latest BCS projections on SB Nation, Stanford projects to seventh place. In theory, that would put them in a prime position to secure an at-large bid to a BCS game. However, there are a scant few spots up for grabs, and the Pac-10 again may find itself on the outside looking in. The projected BCS top 10:
- Oregon
- Auburn
- TCU
- Boise State
- LSU
- Nebraska
- Stanford
- Wisconsin
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
With six automatic-qualifying conferences and 10 berths in five BCS games, there are four open spots. TCU and Boise State seem like locks to take two of those spots, as they are currently ranked third and fourth, respectively. That leaves two spots left up for grabs. If Wisconsin wins the Big Ten, Ohio State seems likely to gain an at-large berth, which would mean Stanford needs to root for LSU to lose a game. Even then, that might not be enough.
In the 12-year history of the BCS, the Pac-10 has only had two at-large berths: Oregon State in the 2000 season made the Fiesta Bowl, and USC in the 2002 season made the Orange Bowl. Here is a look at the six conferences with automatic qualifying bids and their BCS games:
| Conference | At-Large Bids |
| Big Ten | 9 |
| SEC | 7 |
| Big XII | 5 |
| Pac-10 | 2 |
| ACC | 0 |
| Big East | 0 |
| Source: Wikipedia | |