Next teams up in BCS picture

Last week there were five teams with a legitimate shot at making the BCS title game. Three of those teams -- Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Oregon -- lost this weekend.

This week there are again five teams with realistic chances of playing for the national championship, including two teams that are new to the mix. Here are my latest BCS bowl projections, and the next teams in line for each of the 10 bids.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game

When: Jan. 9, 2012, 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN

Current prediction: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Next up for BCS No. 1 and No. 2 spots: Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech

Barring a repeat of this weekend's chaos, the five teams listed above are the only ones that are on the radar.

If both LSU and Alabama win this coming weekend, against Arkansas and Auburn, respectively, then a Tigers-Crimson Tide rematch in the title game will begin to look very likely. That's because even if LSU loses the SEC title game to Georgia, it might not fall out of the top two in the BCS standings. And Alabama will be able to sit at home during conference championship weekend with little to no risk of dropping in the polls.

If the Razorbacks win this Friday, however, that is a different story.

To read more from BCS expert Brad Edwards on the projected participants and next teams up for each BCS bowl bid, sign up for ESPN Insider.

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Brad Edwards

ESPN Insider

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• Analyzes college football and the BCS as part of ESPN's Stats & Information Group
• Analyst for both College GameDay on ESPN Radio and the ESPN College Football app