BCS Rankings Week 12: LSU and OSU Take Top Spots, Big East Unranked

The lasted BCS rankings have been released and the Big East Conference continues to be overlooked. The big news this week is that the Penn State Nittany Lions dropped to 21 following one of the worst weeks in school history. The LSU Tigers remain the top school with OSU and Alabama rounding out the top three. Oregon moves to the fourth spot while Boise St. drops to 10.

Rutgers received 15 points in the USA Today Coaches Poll, but no support in the BCS Rankings. 

College Football Rankings Week 12: Rutgers On The Outside Of The AP Poll

The AP poll does not have the same level of confidence as do the coaches polls because the Rutgers Scarlet Knights did not receive a single vote in the AP poll, yet Georgia Southern from the FCS has one vote. The AP poll also has zero Big East teams in the rankings, but they do have the West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats in the others receiving votes category. Both are right on the edge with West Virginia at No. 27 and Cincinnati at No. 29.

Here is the complete AP poll:

College Football Rankings Week 12: Rutgers Is Receiving Votes In Coaches Poll

West Virginia is the only Big East team in the coaches poll, but both Rutgers and Cincinnati are both receiving votes.

Bowl Projections 2011: Rutgers Remains On Course For Pinstripe Bowl

SB Nation's Bill Connelly has released his latest bowl projections, and for the New York local teams, not much has changed. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights beat Army at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and are again penciled in for a return visit at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, where Connelly predicts they will take on Texas Tech.

Syracuse fell to South Florida on Friday, and Connelly doesn't think the Orange will get the win they need to become eligible in its final two games of the season against Cincinnati or Pittsburgh.

Connelly projects Cincinnati to ultimately claim the Big East crown and meet Clemson in the Discover Orange Bowl. He also sees Louisville, South Florida and Pittsburgh making it to the postseason. Louisville is forecasted to play N.C. State in the BBVA Compass Bowl, South Florida to go to the Independence Bowl to take on Wyoming and Pittsburgh to meet East Carolina in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

Connelly's BCS picks are as follows:

BCS National Championship Game (1/9/2012): LSU vs. Oklahoma State

Rose Bowl (1/2/2012): Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (1/2/2012): Oklahoma vs. Houston

Allstate Sugar Bowl (1/3/2012): Alabama vs. Stanford

Discover Orange Bowl (1/4/2012): Clemson vs. Cincinnati