Texas fell one spot behind Alabama in this week's Bowl Championship Series standings, and the Big 12 dropped a notch in this week's conference rankings, too.
There's really no way to sugarcoat it: The Big 12 isn't that deep (or good) this season, outside of the Longhorns and possibly Oklahoma State.
Injuries have derailed Oklahoma's season, and Kansas and Missouri have been two of the country's biggest flops. At least the Tigers were in a rebuilding mode in 2009.
1. SEC
The SEC remains the country's toughest conference, but its gap over the Pac-10 is closing quickly.
Florida and Alabama are the top two teams in the BCS standings, respectively, and LSU is No. 8. But every SEC East team except Florida has at least four losses, and every SEC West team except Alabama and LSU has at least three losses.
Georgia and Ole Miss have struggled mightily, and South Carolina's annual late-season collapse has become as predictable as Steve Spurrier throwing his visor.
The Gators face a potential road trap at struggling South Carolina on Saturday, and Alabama plays a more-difficult-than-you-believe road game at Mississippi State.
Auburn travels to Georgia in a game that could have huge ramifications on the SEC's bowl pecking order.
2. Pac-10
Stanford's 51-42 upset of Oregon means a Pac-10 team won't be playing for the BCS National Championship. The surging Cardinal can knock USC out of the Pac-10 race and BCS picture by beating the Trojans in the Coliseum on Saturday.
Four Pac-10 teams are in the BCS Top 25: No. 9 USC, No. 13 Oregon, No. 17 Arizona and No. 23 Oregon State. Stanford could join those ranks by upsetting the Trojans, who struggled in a 14-9 win over Arizona State last week.
The Beavers are coming on strong, too, after beating California 31-14 last week. Oregon State hosts Washington on Saturday. Arizona tries to stay in the Pac-10 race when it plays at Cal on Saturday night.
3. Big Ten
Northwestern spoiled Iowa's BCS National Championship hopes by upsetting the Hawkeyes 17-10 in Iowa City last week. The Hawkeyes won't have quarterback Ricky Stanzi when they play at Ohio State on Saturday. That game will decide which team wins the Big Ten championship and plays in the Rose Bowl.
Even if Iowa loses at Ohio State, it could still earn a BCS at-large bid if it beats Minnesota at home Nov. 21 and finishes 10-2. Penn State, which lost to Ohio State 24-7 last week, is still in the BCS picture, too. The Nittany Lions close the regular season with a home game against Indiana and a road game at Michigan State.
The Big Ten currently has five bowl-eligible teams, but Minnesota and Michigan State will join the group if they beat FCS foe South Dakota State and Purdue, respectively, on Saturday. Michigan, with a 5-5 record, has to beat either Wisconsin on the road on Saturday or Ohio State at home on Nov. 21 to avoid missing the postseason for the second season in a row.
4. Big East
The Big East might not be as deep as the SEC or Pac-10, but its top four teams are probably as good as any of the aforementioned leagues.
Cincinnati is No. 5 in the BCS standings, but still faces two very difficult Big East games: home against West Virginia on Friday night and at No. 12 Pittsburgh on Dec. 5. The Mountaineers and Panthers might still be in contention for a Big East crown when they play in the Backyard Brawl on Nov. 27.
The Panthers can do a lot for the Big East's reputation by beating Notre Dame at home on Saturday night.
5. Big 12
The Big 12 has to be considered the most disappointing conference in college football this season. Texas is No. 3 in the BCS standings and will play for the national championship, as long as it wins its next four games: at Baylor on Saturday, home against Kansas on Nov. 21, at Texas A&M on Nov. 26 and against the Big 12 North champion in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 5.
But outside of No. 19 Oklahoma State, which has been slowed by injuries and star receiver Dez Bryant's NCAA suspension, the league just simply isn't very good.
Defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma has been derailed by injuries and has a 5-4 record. Missouri has lost four of five games and is 1-4 against Big 12 foes. Kansas has lost four games in a row and is 1-4 against league opponents.
6. ACC
You'd have a tough time finding a hotter offense than No. 7 Georgia Tech's triple-option spread attack. The Yellow Jackets are running over opponents and can win the Coastal Division title if they win at Duke on Saturday.
Clemson took control of the Atlantic Division race by beating Florida State 40-24 last week. The Tigers play two more ACC games: at NC State on Saturday and home against Virginia on Nov. 21.
With a 4-5 record, FSU's remarkable string of 27 consecutive postseason bowl games is in serious jeopardy. The Seminoles will have to win two of their remaining three games -- at Wake Forest on Saturday, home against Maryland on Nov. 21 and at No. 1 Florida on Nov. 28. FSU will have to do it without star quarterback Christian Ponder, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
7. Mountain West
The Mountain West takes center stage Saturday when No. 4 TCU hosts No. 16 Utah in Fort Worth, Texas. The undefeated Horned Frogs nearly knocked the Utes out of the BCS picture last season, before losing 13-10 in Salt Lake City.
With games left at struggling Wyoming and home against winless New Mexico, TCU would go a long way in securing an undefeated season and BCS bowl bid by beating the Utes.
BYU and Air Force are the only other MWC teams that are currently bowl eligible, but the winner of Saturday's game between 4-5 San Diego State and 4-5 Wyoming would be in decent shape for postseason play.
8. WAC
Boise State is No. 6 in the BCS standings and is getting a lot of deserved attention nationally, but Nevada might be the WAC's hottest team.
The Wolf Pack sit atop the WAC standings with a 5-0 record against conference foes. After losing its first three games, Nevada has won six games in a row. They ran for 517 yards in last week's 62-7 rout at San Jose State, the second time they ran for more than 500 yards in a game this season.
Nevada and Boise State close the regular season at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 27.
Fresno State and upstart Idaho are also bowl eligible, giving the WAC a quartet of solid teams at the top.
9. Conference USA
No. 15 Houston keeps finding ways to win games, scoring nine points in the final 21 seconds of a 46-45 victory at Tulsa last week.
The Cougars remain tied with surprising SMU at the top of the West Division standings.
Houston plays at Central Florida on Saturday, and the Mustangs host struggling UTEP.
The East Division remains a three-team race between East Carolina, Marshall and Southern Miss. The Thundering Herd host the Golden Eagles on Saturday, and the loser will be all but eliminated from the division race. The Pirates, who have a one-game lead in the East, play at Tulsa on Saturday.
10. Mid-American
Central Michigan remained on top in the West Division by beating Toledo 56-28 on Wednesday night. Northern Illinois, which is one game back in the West standings, hosts woebegone Ball State on Thursday.
Ohio remained in contention in the East Division by beating Buffalo 27-24 on the road on Tuesday night. The Bulls, the defending MAC champions, were eliminated from postseason play with their seventh loss.
Surprising Temple is in first place in the East Division with a 5-0 record against MAC foes. The Owls play at Akron on Saturday.
11. Sun Belt
Defending Sun Belt champion Troy steps out of conference play Saturday, when it plays at Arkansas, where the Trojans will try to beat an SEC foe for only the second time in school history.
Troy has won seven straight games and is 6-0 against Sun Belt foes. They return to conference play Nov. 21, when they host struggling Florida Atlantic, before closing the regular season at Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 28.
Middle Tennessee State and Louisiana-Monroe are tied for second in the Sun Belt standings with 4-1 records against league foes. MTSU hosts Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, and Louisiana-Monroe hosts winless Western Kentucky.
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com.