The first set of BCS rankings were released for the 2011 season, and our Penn State Nittany Lions came in at number 21. Not too bad for a team that's sputtered offensively for much of the season.
Wisconsin is the top B1G team at number six, followed by Nebraska (13), Michigan State (16), Michigan (18), Penn State (21) and Illinois (23).
Many of the projections had Oklahoma coming in at number one, so it's a bit refreshing to see LSU get the number one spot. If you look at the top teams' resumes, the Tigers possess by far the best one. Alabama is only .0003 points behind LSU, but those two teams will get to decide it on the field in a few weeks in Tuscaloosa.
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | LSU |
| 2 | Alabama |
| 3 | Oklahoma |
| 4 | Oklahoma State |
| 5 | Boise State |
| 6 | Wisconsin |
| 7 | Clemson |
| 8 | Stanford |
| 9 | Arkansas |
| 10 | Oregon |
| 11 | Kansas State |
| 12 | Virginia Tech |
| 13 | Nebraska |
| 14 | South Carolina |
| 15 | West Virginia |
| 16 | Michigan State |
| 17 | Texas A&M |
| 18 | Michigan |
| 19 | Houston |
| 20 | Auburn |
| 21 | Penn State |
| 22 | Georgia Tech |
| 23 | Illinois |
| 24 | Texas |
| 25 | Washington |