Northwestern Football rankings: Wildcats No. 22 in Week 14 BCS Standings

Add another monkey to Northwestern's back: the Wildcats will also try to snap a losing streak as a ranked team when they play in a bowl game, as they're No. 22 in the BCS standings for Week 14.

That puts NU ahead of Oklahoma State, the only other major conference school ranked between 20 and 25. We're one below NIU, so I guess we're not DeKalb's Ranked Big Ten Team. (That also means that two of the three FBS programs in the state of Illinois are ranked. Guess the third!) NU was helped out by ten - count em - teams in the top 25 losing, including No. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 25, which is pretty ridiculous.

After losing to Michigan a few weeks ago when ranked No. 24, Northwestern is now 0-8 - yup, that's eight games, eight losses - as a ranked team in the BCS, which, is, uh, well, umm, bad. They're also No. 22 in the AP Poll - they were also No. 24 before playing Penn State, and have last their last five games as a ranked team in there - and No. 20 in the Coaches poll

If Northwestern plays a ranked opponent in the bowl game, it will be the first time an NU game has featured two ranked teams since the 2008 Alamo Bowl, which, of course, NU losses.

Northwestern football rankings: NU No. 24 in Week 11 BCS Standings

So the Week 11 BCS standings are out, and Northwestern is No. 24, putting them in the BCS for the first time since 2008.

NU didn't play, but several teams ahead of them lost, putting them in the standings. The Cats made the cut thanks to the human polls, as NU is No. 21 in the coaches' poll and No. 24 in the Harris poll, but had an average ranking of 27 in the various computer algorithms and only placed in the top 25 of two. All that puts us at No. 24, right behind Rutgers and right ahead of Toledo.

As noted, it's the first time NU is ranked in the BCS standings since 2008. The Wildcats are 0-7 - 0-7! - as a team in the BCS standings, so let's break that streak maybe? Of course, because being ranked is super-important, Northwestern will be underdogs by nearly two touchdowns when playing Michigan this weekend. College football is a stupid sport and nothing about it makes sense.

Northwestern football rankings: Wildcats No. 21 in Coaches Poll

Northwestern is No. 21 in the Coaches' poll after Week 10 and will probably be ranked in the BCS Standings that come out Sunday night.