Stanford Moves Up to No. 4 in BCS Standings

With its 28-14 win over Notre Dame, Stanford jumped to No. 4 in the latest BCS standings. The Cardinal jumped Arkansas, which lost at LSU, and Virginia Tech, which won at Virginia.

If the Hokies defeat Clemson in next week's ACC Championship Game, there's a chance they could jump back ahead of Stanford, but it might not be enough. The Cardinal can finish in the top 4 and be guaranteed an at-large berth to a BCS bowl if Virginia Tech loses to Clemson, or Oklahoma State, which is currently ranked No. 3, loses to Oklahoma. Even if Stanford finishes outside of the top 4, SB Nation BCS guru Samuel Chi says there is "no scenario where Stanford could be squeezed out of a BCS bid." 

Andrew Luck's Heisman hopes are less certain. Heisman Pundit projects that Luck would edge out Robert Griffin III and Trent Richardson if the voting were held today. Despite his monster game against Auburn, Richardson's yardage total is historically low by Heisman standards, while RGIII missed a chance to add to his already incredible numbers when he was knocked out of Baylor's 66-42 win over Texas Tech at halftime. (The Bears managed 35 second-half points without him. They play a lot of defense in the Big 12, huh?) Assuming he's cleared to play against Texas, RGIII is the only one of the three leading candidates who can make a final statement next week. 

We'll have much more on Stanford's BCS scenarios and Luck's Heisman hopes throughout the week.