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It looks like the path for Boise State’s road to the BCS National Championship Game got a lot easier after Saturday’s games. The Texas Longhorns defense stifled the no.5 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers attack, earning a 20-13 victory in Lincoln, Neb. The bigger shock happened in Madison, WI later in the day. The 17th ranked Wisconsin Badgers downed the no. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 31-18. The lopsided loss to the Badgers means Ohio State’s chance at a championship is all but over. Texas lost two games so far this season, which means the Cornhuskers chances of a national championship went with the loss to Texas.

There is a ton of uncertainty and the chance for a spot in the BCS National Championship game is wide open. The Oregon Ducks had a bye week this weekend. They will be ranked number one in the AP and coach’s poll after this weekend. It will be the first time in school history. Boise State will be the ranked number one in the BCS poll done by many experts. They deserve to be there, it’s just going to take a lot of the team to make it to the end and the championship game. It’s not impossible, but with all the teams from major conferences losing, it makes the Broncos road a lot easier.

Boise State, TCU, Oklahoma, Auburn, LSU, Michigan State, Utah, Oklahoma State and Missouri are the remaining undefeated teams. The Sooners play at Missouri and the Tigers travel to Auburn in two contests between undefeated teams. It’s going to make the picture a lot clearer. The Broncos defeated some quality opponents, including Virginia Tech in non-conference play. They deserve an opportunity against the other top teams in the country. It got a lot easier this past weekend. The Broncos better make the most of their opportunity, they might not get another chance for some time.

Update: Clinton Portis (wrist) practiced in full on Friday, according to the Washington Post.
Fantasy Update: Portis is listed as questionable for this week against the Eagles but is most likely going to start. Portis always seems to put up decent numbers against Philadelphia and nothing should be different this time around, well except for the QB giving him the ball.

Update: The Sacramento Bee is reporting that 49ers strong safety Michael Lewis has lost trust in the 49ers’ organization and has asked for his release. Lewis will not travel with the team to Atlanta this weekend. Beyond saying that Lewis was absent for personal reasons, head coach Mike Singletary refused to elaborate as to the details of Lewis’ predicament.

Fantasy Impact: As far as San Francisco’s defense this Sunday, I think Matt Ryan and the Falcons are going to shred the 49ers in the Georgia Dome, regardless of whether Michael Lewis, Taylor Mays, or somebody else starts at strong safety. Going forward, they will lose something from a knowledge and experience standpoint if the organization does release or trade Lewis, but down the road, the benefits of starting Mays are greater, given his greater physical gifts than what Lewis has. As for the next team that Lewis plays for, there are plenty of teams with secondary issues that would love a strong safety with Lewis’ brains, experience, and play-making ability to be the glue that holds a defensive backfield together. I could see the Giants, given that Michael Johnson is out for the season, and there are questions as to how durable Kenny Phillips can be, plus Antrel Rolle has not curried much favor from Tom Coughlin with his recent words and actions. I could see the Lions, with a good young free safety in Louis Delmas and decent young corners, going for a player like Lewis. I could also see the Patriots, given the secondary problems they’ve had this season, caused largely by the lack of experience in New England’s secondary. Lewis is a Belichick-type player; smart, experienced, tough, and pays a lot of attention to detail.