Who's Number 2?

Dan Shanoff writes a weekly college football column for Deadspin. Email him to let him know what you think. Fans can sincerely disagree whether Ohio State is truly better than either LSU or Oregon — more worthy of being ranked No. 1.

But the fact is: The BCS polls have OSU in the top spot, and like it or not, that's where the Buckeyes will stay, provided they win their final two games, sweeping them right into one slot of the national title-game pairing.

And so it begs the far more controversial question: Who's Number 2? Which team has the strongest claim to that second BCS slot? Given the flimsy way Ohio State has constructed their unbeaten record, being No. 2 at season's end seems as good as winning the BCS title itself.

Is it LSU? No. 2 in the latest BCS poll, the Tigers overcame their own multiple screw-ups to beat Alabama, arguably the second-best team in the SEC, in Tuscaloosa. But was the win decisive enough? Will voters get tired of Les Miles' close calls — and can the Tigers ride the wire through the season-making (or -breaking) SEC title game?

Is it Oregon? The Ducks beat previously undefeated Arizona State. But it was at Oregon. (Do the Ducks win that game at Arizona State?) That said: They have the fewest obstacles to finishing the season at No. 2. (If OSU, LSU and Oregon all win out, and Oregon is shut out, they will have a hell of a legit gripe.)

Is is Kansas? One of two remaining BCS-conference unbeaten teams hung 76 on Nebraska, but have zero respect nationally. Here's my question: How could you NOT be rooting for Kansas to complete this dream season? (On the other hand, KU's schedule strength makes Ohio State's previous schedule look perilous, if you can believe that.)

Is it Oklahoma? Not until they win the Big 12 Championship, which will involve either winning a rematch with Missouri on a neutral field... or beating the Cinderella Jayhawks. And the Sooners would still need LSU or Oregon BOTH to stumble ahead of them.

Is it West Virginia? Not until they beat UConn. Ponder the improbability of that statement 10 years ago. And even if the Mountaineers do that, they need improbable help ahead of them.

Is it anyone else? Missouri would need to beat Kansas, then beat Oklahoma (and STILL need help)... I love a 1-loss UConn, but no one else seems to...Of the 2-loss teams, Michigan beating Ohio State would cap an incredible comeback, but that 0-2 start returns to haunt them....

The bottom line: We are down to a handful of legit contenders, and all have the potential (even likelihood) of stumbling before the finish line. Because who wouldn't want to see a Kansas-UConn national-title game?

This Week's Bandwagon: We Are All Navy Fans! In this most contentious of seasons, we have argued more than we have agreed: About Ohio State's real strength. About who's number 2. About "biggest upsets ever." About fictitious playoff systems.

But for one moment on Saturday night, we could all agree on one thing: Go Navy.

In an otherwise meaningless game, Navy ended a 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame (in South Bend, no less), the longest losing streak ever by any college football team to another.

The schadenfreude party game of the season has been reveling in figuring out at what point Notre Dame's season has sucked worst: Was it the nonexistent offense in the beginning? The 38-0 pummeling by then-0-2 Michigan? The 0-5 start? It HAD to be the 38-0 loss to USC, right?

Wrong: Rock bottom continues to be a moving target for the Irish, and losing to a service academy they haven't lost to in 43 years qualifies as a new low in a season of them. The 1-8 record is almost incidental. (Almost.)

It has to be asked: How does Charlie Weis still have a job? Any other self-respecting so-called "national" program would have jettisoned a coach who had performed so epically poorly in his third season. Face up to it: Weis is a feeble college coach.

This Week's BlogPoll Ballot: 1. LSU "4th Down" = Game-winner 2. Oregon What about Dixon's knee? 3. Ohio State Talk to me after Michigan. 4. Kansas Scoring 76 is no joke. 5. UConn My "Put Down The Pipe" Pick o' the Week. 6. West Virginia "Bye week" means "Forgotten" 7. Oklahoma How did they lose at Colorado? 8. Missouri Lurking behind TWO Big 12 rivals 9. Michigan For UM, wins are wins. 10. Georgia Wow: Was that really Troy? Click here for the complete ballot.

Bowl Clusterf*** Series Update: How can I rank LSU *and* Oregon ahead of Ohio State? In addition to passing the "believe what your eyes tell you" test, LSU has at least FIVE "quality" wins better than Ohio State's BEST win, and Oregon has at least three "quality" wins better than OSU's best win.

OSU beating Wisconsin in Columbus did nothing to help that situation, nor will beating Illinois in Columbus next week. Can we all agree that Ohio State would most certainly not be unbeaten if they played in the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12 or Big East?

(Stop griping about disrespect, OSU fans: The BCS' mouth-breathing pollsters can't see past the "and-oh" in OSU's record; keep winning, and you'll have a spot in the BCS title game, don't you worry. But you better hope LSU and Oregon stumble along the way, because you know in places you don't talk about at tailgate parties, either team would wax the Buckeyes.)

Heisman Watch: I promised Will I wouldn't write about the Heisman race, but since he's taking the day off today, I'll enjoy an exemption. I was all set to declare Oregon QB Dennis Dixon the new front-runner (as the most valuable offensive skill-position player of a title contender, the usual Heisman criteria)...

...But preseason Heisman pick Darren McFadden forced his way back to the top of the list after running for an SEC-record 323 yards. I don't care that his team has 3 losses; last season's Heisman runner-up reminded everyone that he's the best player in college football.

Looking Ahead to Next Week's Schedule

Louisville at West Virginia (Thursday): Before the season started, this was a de facto national semifinal playoff game. Sigh. Pick: WVU

Illinois at Ohio State: Is it too much to ask for Leitch's Illini to ruin the Buckeyes season? Probably. Pick: OSU

Kansas at Oklahoma State: I am waiting for Mark Mangino's version of Mike Gundy's rant: "I'm a man! I'm 400 pounds!" Pick: Kansas

Auburn at Georgia: If, like me, you think the SEC is the best conference in the country, knowing who its second-best team is matters. Pick: Auburn

Michigan at Wisconsin: Remember when this was supposed to be the only stumbling block en route to a huge season for Michigan? Pick: Michigan

Connecticut at Cincinnati: If UConn is the new South Florida, then they better understand that Cincy just beat the old South Florida. Pick: Cincinnati

Florida at South Carolina: If Spurrier versus his old team is half as good as Saban versus his old team, it'll be a barn-burner. Pick: Florida

As usual, direct any questions or comments to danshanoff-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.