Math: Updated

Update: Andy Staples tweeted that he received the Wolfe computer rankings and OSU was #3 (in addition to their #3 Sagarin rating) and this entire post is based on this assumption. There’s a rumor going around that that’s not absolutely the case, but I’m going with it for the math in this post.

The USA Today/Coaches poll is out along with four of the six computers used in the BCS formula and OSU is closing hard.

Quick reminder: the BCS formula is one part USA Today/Coaches poll, one part Harris poll (old coaches, media members, and players), and one part computers (of which the BCS doesn’t even know the formulas for).

The Coaches poll is out and OSU closed a gap that last week was 166 points wide to 32 points. They also overtook Alabama on the computers to the tune of a 4-2 edge for that coveted #2 spot. The highest and lowest computer rankings are thrown out which, for formulaic purposes, means OSU is #2 in three computers and #3 in the other one.

While we await the Harris poll (that could be released in an hour), here’s where the math stands…

Bama: 1,399 Coaches poll points | #2 in one computer and #3 in the other three = .6328 BCS points
OSU: 1,367 Coaches poll points | #2 in three computers and #3 in the other one = .6189 BCS points

There are 115 Harris poll voters so, by my calculation, OSU needs 60 of those to have them at #2 and the rest to have them at #3 and they’re in. They’d be in by .00001 points, but they’re in. If only 59 put OSU at #2 they’re out of the title game by .002 points.

Ladies and gentlemen, college football 2011: where every decimal point counts (even if the games don’t)!