NIU might get into the top 16 of the BCS standings, but because Boise won today (tho not impressively) Boise could get there as well, and a spot or two ahead of them.  Boise beat Nevada 27-21 to become co-champs of the MWC.  Boise is 20th in the standings and NIU is 21st.  Boise needs to move up four spots to get in the top 16 a be eligible for an auto BCS bid, and NIU needs to move up five.  So far this weekend, UCLA (#16) and Kent (#17) have gone down, and Nebraska (#12) is getting thoroughly embarrassed by unranked Wisc.  If Texas (#18) loses and voters jump Boise and NIU over idle Mich (#19) on the theory that this week's wins change how they compare to Mich, both could be in the top 16.  But unless voters also put NIU ahead of Boise, Boise would get the auto bid.  NIU would have a case for jumping over Boise, since Boise beat an unranked team and NIU beat a team ranked ahead of it.  But having a case doesn't always make it happen.

ESPN expert says with the blow out of Nebraska by Wisconsin, Nebraska could drop far enough to make NIU a BCS-buster!  Didn't mention Boise though?

All the NON-AQ coaches, vote NIU #1. Do it for the $$

I know it doesn't factor in BCS but often DOES reflects Harris and USA Today which do, the new AP Poll has:

Northern at 16 
Boise at 20
Kent State at 25

If that holds, Northern and the MAC are BCS-bowl bound.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankingsAP Poll has Northern

AND for CBS:

UPDATE (12:45 ET): The coaches poll is out and it's bad news for NIU. Kind of. The current BCS projection has them 17th, but only .005 behind No. 15 UCLA. Yes, you read that right. No. 15. Nebraska has fallen to 16th, wedged in that tight space between the two.

The Huskies only had a 95 point lead over UCLA. That means to catch UCLA, based on my current computer ranking projections, they would need to have a 291 point lead over the Bruins in the Harris poll to pass them. That's an average of a 2.5 spot difference per voter.

Passing Nebraska might now be easier. Again, based on my current computer projections, NIU would need a 394 point margin over the Huskers to pass them in the BCS.

And if the computers projections are closer for NIU, then they need less juice in the polls. One spot in a computer that matters, going either direction, is the equivalent of 29 Harris poll points.

I hope Harris and computative voters are more kind to NIU and the MAC and rank them higher than Boise who lost twice, including their only marquee game and only shared the title.   Should be higher than Nebraska and UCLA as well.

Going to be razor close.  CBS/Jerry Palm breaks projections down as to how close:

UPDATE (12:45 ET): The coaches poll is out and it's bad news for NIU. Kind of. The current BCS projection has them 17th, but only .005 behind No. 15 UCLA. Yes, you read that right. No. 15. Nebraska has fallen to 16th, wedged in that tight space between the two.

The Huskies only had a 95 point lead over UCLA. That means to catch UCLA, based on my current computer ranking projections, they would need to have a 291 point lead over the Bruins in the Harris poll to pass them. That's an average of a 2.5 spot difference per voter.

Passing Nebraska might now be easier. Again, based on my current computer projections, NIU would need a 394 point margin over the Huskers to pass them in the BCS.

And if the computers projections are closer for NIU, then they need less juice in the polls. One spot in a computer that matters, going either direction, is the equivalent of 29 Harris poll points.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/jerry-palm/21224824/projected-bcs-niu-lands-bcs-bowl-spot-for-now

 

Brad Edwards ‏@JBradEdwards