Head coach Jim Harbaugh and his troops are two victories away from completing a four-game sweep that most pundits probably would’ve predicted the school to go 0-4 at the beginning of the season. Upsetting Oregon 51-42 at home on Nov. 7 was sort of surprising but last week’s 55-21 whitewashing on the road against Southern California will be talked about for a while. The smarties at Stanford are playing with a bit of swagger and they’ve finally be recognized by the oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Last week, the Cardinal sat in the 25th position after the win over the Ducks but in the latest LVSC rankings, Harbaugh and company jumped 12 spots up to No. 13. Earlier road losses in conference play to Oregon State (28-38) and Arizona (38-43) could keep the school from winning the Pac 10 but they do have a shot with some help and a win over Cal this week.

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Even without the conference crown, some experts believe that Harbaugh and the Cardinal could get an at-large BCS berth if it finished the season 9-3, but that might be asking a lot. After this week, the team closes at home versus Notre Dame (36), who’s been falling week after week in the rankings.

While Stanford rose, the oddsmakers at LVSC finally knocked Southern California (16) from its perch and realized that Pete Carroll’s team just isn’t as good as previous squads that played in Los Angeles.

Along with Cardinal and Trojans, the Pac 10 has five schools listed in this week’s rankings. Oregon (5) controls its own destiny for the conference crown, yet it faces two tough tests to close the season. The Ducks face Arizona (28) on the road this Saturday before a home finale against rival Oregon State (25) the following Thursday.

While this race should be interesting in the final three weeks, the more intriguing situation is who will nab the final four at-large BCS berths.

Assuming the six conference champions are as follows:

Big 10 – Ohio State (locked)
Big 12 – Texas (with a win in title game)
Pac 10 – Oregon (in with two wins)
Big East – Cincinnati (in with win over Pitt)
SEC – Florida/Alabama (title game set)
ACC – Georgia Tech-Clemson (Tigers in title game with win over UVA)

The loser of the SEC title game between Florida (1) and Alabama (3) would most likely be assured an at-large BCS berth unless the Gators or Crimson Tide slip up their final rivalry games against Florida State and Auburn respectively.

According to the BCS rules, either TCU (4) or Boise State (8) is guaranteed a spot, but only one automatic bid for them. If the Horned Frogs and Broncos both run the table, will they both be deserving of a spot? The answer is an emphatic “Yes” but what happens if upsets occur?

Suppose Texas (2) loses in the Big 12 Championship or Cincinnati (9) falls to Pittsburgh (22) on the same day, perhaps Clemson (13) knocks off Georgia Tech (10) in the ACC Championship? Do the Longhorns, Bearcats and Yellow Jackets deserve the at-large over unbeaten teams?

Again, a much more intriguing situation or what some would call a dilemma.

Below is a complete breakdown of this week's LVSC Rankings.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants - Week 12 Rankings

Rank Team Rating Last Week BCS Rank 1 Florida 121.1 1 1 2 Texas 120.5 2 3 3 Alabama 117.3 3 2 4 Texas Christian 114.6 4 4 5 Oregon 113.9 5 11 6 Oklahoma 113.4 8 NR 7 Ohio State 112.5 7 10 8 Boise State 112.1 9 6 9 Cincinnati 110.2 10 5 10 Georgia Tech 110.0 13 7 11 Penn State 109.8 11 14 11 LSU 109.8 11 8 13 Clemson 109.5 14 23 13 Stanford 109.5 25 17 15 Mississippi 109.3 17 NR 16 Southern Cal 109.1 6 18 17 Nebraska 108.9 17 NR 18 Virginia Tech 108.7 23 15 19 Oklahoma State 108.6 16 12 20 Texas Tech 108.1 14 NR 20 Iowa 108.1 19 13 22 Pittsburgh 108.0 21 9 23 Miami 107.5 19 20 23 Arkansas 107.5 26 NR 25 Oregon State 106.8 28 19 26 Brigham Young 106.5 27 22 26 Tennessee 106.5 22 NR 28 Arizona 106.4 24 NR 29 Georgia 106.2 27 NR 30 Boston College 105.8 30 NR Dropped out of Top 30: None Next 10: Wisconsin (16 BCS), California (25 BCS), Michigan State, Connecticut, Florida State, Notre Dame, Missouri, West Virginia, Utah (21 BCS), South Carolina.

Chris David can be reached at cdavid@vegasinsider.com