BCS Standings: Breaking Down The Undefeated Team's Paths To The BCS Championship Game

We are a country divided.

There are college football playoff proponents, and there are ardent BCS defenders.

On Sunday evening, the first BCS standings of the season were released, and they revealed a potential scenario that would provide plenty of ammunition for both sides in this ongoing conflict.

Currently, SEC rivals Alabama and LSU are ranked in the top two in the BCS standings. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, both members of the Big 12, are ranked third and fourth respectively. As most know, each pair has a highly anticipated intra-conference game remaining on the college football schedule. Defenders of the current BCS system will argue that these are de facto playoff games that will decide who plays in the national championship game. From this perspective, the BCS title game is more or less the "plus one" game that people are clamoring for.

On the flip side, if all the other teams that are currently undefeated, and ranked in the top 10, win the rest of their games, it is possible that four teams, including three from BCS conferences could be shut out of the national championship game. This scenario would certainly amp up the drum beat for an overhaul to the current format. Interestingly, two of the most vocal opponents of a playoff system could be the ones hurt most in this scenario. Both Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney have consistently argued against a playoff, but their conferences could have undefeated teams left out of the title game if the rankings hold.

Who will win the national championship? We don't know. But we did break down the paths that every undefeated team ranked in the top ten of the initial BCS standings must likely take in order to reserve a spot in the BCS national championship game. Browse through and tell us what match up you feel is the most likely to occur in the comments section.