The shakedown of last Saturday leaves us with a fairly clear-cut picture atop the BCS Standings. Oklahoma is in total control and will easily finish at No. 1 if it wins out. And despite what this week's BCS numbers might say about the closeness of the race between Miami and Ohio State, the strength of remaining opponents make it the Hurricanes' spot to lose.

Miami vs. Ohio State
Miami will start to separate from the Buckeyes because of games against Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. OSU, meanwhile, has only one game remaining against a team with a winning record (Michigan).

Even if Miami falls to No. 2 in the coaches poll, Ohio State would still not be able to make up that one-point deficit unless Miami's non-conference opponents lose a lot more down the stretch. That would open the door for the Buckeyes to be higher-ranked in the computers and possibly be able to jump the 'Canes if a huge bonus is tacked on from having beaten Washington State.

The One-Loss Teams
Not only has the pecking order been established atop the BCS Standings, but the contenders among the once-beaten teams are also starting to distinguish themselves. To reach the national championship game, however, this bunch needs at least two of the three undefeateds to lose -- ideally, Miami and Ohio State. Oklahoma is such a strong BCS team that one loss by the Sooners would not necessarily drop them past any of the current once-beaten crew.

Texas
All of a sudden, Texas is a solid No.4 in the BCS Standings and is potentially just a couple of upsets away from playing in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. As long as the 'Horns don't get jumped in the polls, they should maintain inside position on Washington State and the rest of the one-loss pack.

Washington State
WSU should start lobbying the pollsters immediately, since the Cougars' best chance at New Year's in Arizona is to climb past Texas in both polls. The argument would be "conference champion vs. division runner-up," and Exhibit A would be last year's Fiesta Bowl, in which Pac-10 champion Oregon dismantled Big 12 champion Colorado. WSU also stands to get a decent bonus from its win over USC, but that probably won't matter if poll position remains the same.

Virginia Tech
After plummeting in both the polls and computers after Saturday's loss, Virginia Tech looks like a longshot to get back in the national title race. But don't underestimate the potential of beating Miami at the Orange Bowl. Tech needs to jump both Texas and Washington State in the polls, and a win over an undefeated Hurricanes squad might be just the statement needed to get that accomplished. That victory would also provide a significant boost in the quality wins column.

Georgia
Unfortunately for Georgia, even the SEC Championship Game will likely not be enough of a statement win to vault the 'Dogs over other once-beaten teams in the polls and computers. Their best chance is to defeat a 9-3 LSU in the title game and pick up a bonus from the October win over Alabama -- that and have several teams ahead of them lose.

Iowa
Any title hopes for the Hawkeyes probably died with the loss to Iowa State back in September. Without the opportunity to play Ohio State, there isn't much to further elevate the Hawkeyes' standing other than losses by higher-ranked teams. They could potentially get a small bonus if Michigan wins out, but that won't be enough to get them any further than the Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame
Just one week ago, Notre Dame was on the verge of moving up to No. 2 in the BCS Standings, but a loss to Boston College leaves the Irish needing a miracle to climb that high again. Because its remaining opponents are a combined 8-17, ND won't have the juice to jump any of its fellow once-beaten teams. Instead, it will need almost all of them to lose, along with Miami and Ohio State.

NC State
North Carolina State had very little chance to reach the national championship game as an undefeated team, so the Wolfpack can stop dreaming altogether now that they have one loss. Running the table, however, would earn them a spot in a BCS game as the ACC Champion, and that's not a bad consolation prize.

The Once-Beaten Teams
One thing to remember is strength of schedule and bonus points are the biggest factors in teams climbing the rankings.

			Remaining Opp.		Bonus Potential
Texas			14-14			Kansas State 
Washington St.		17-10			USC
Virginia Tech		23-12			Miami
Georgia			17-10			Alabama
Notre Dame		8-17			Michigan
Iowa			10-9			Michigan 
NC State		19-8			none

Brad Edwards is a college football researcher for ESPN and breaks down the BCS weekly in his Sunday Inside the BCS column.