BCS Standings: It’s Notre Dame and The SEC
By Kyle Kensing
Nov. 17, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te
The upset bug bit BCS Nos. 1 and 2 Kansas State and Oregon, leaving the sole eligible unbeaten Notre Dame atop the new standings.
The Fighting Irish blasted Wake Forest, 38-0, to move to 11-0. Notre Dame has 11 national championships, but none since 1988. The program also hasn’t been any closer to one since 1993 than it is now. That season, the Irish needed only to win its final regular season game but went on the road to face a longtime rival.
Boston College shocked Notre Dame, 41-39, to deny the Fighting Irish a shot at the championship. The players who wear the golden helmets today were toddlers when that game was played 19 years ago, so the memories aren’t exactly fresh. However, when they tread onto the Coliseum turf to face longtime rival USC this Saturday, they carry the hopes of the millions who remember those final seconds at Boston College like it was yesterday.
While Notre Dame tries to exorcise past demons and reclaim past glory, the SEC seems guaranteed to extend present day glory. Alabama ascended to No. 2, with conference mates Georgia and Florida right behind at Nos. 2 and 3. With LSU at 7 and Texas A&M at 9, the SEC occupies half of the BCS top 10.
Georgia is locked into the SEC championship game, giving it control over its BCS destiny. The Bulldogs would surge to No. 2 with a win over the SEC West, almost assuredly Alabama. The Crimson Tide needs only to defeat Auburn in the Iron Bowl to return to the SEC championship game for the first time since 2009.
A bizarre possibility exists that yet another title game could pit two members of the SEC against one another. Should Notre Dame lose to USC, and Oregon fall in the Civil War to Oregon State, the Pac-12 champion is assured two losses. At No. 4 and with a match-up against No. 10 Florida State ahead, Florida has the inside track on reaching No. 2 over Kansas State should the top shake out as described.
| BCS | Harris Poll | USA Today | Computer Rankings | ||||||||||||||
| RK | TEAM | AVG | PVS | RK | PTS | % | RK | PTS | % | AVG | A&H | RB | CM | KM | JS | PW | % |
| 1 | Notre Dame | .9973 | 3 | 1 | 2863 | .9958 | 1 | 1469 | .9959 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 |
2Alabama.9333422732.950321386.93973524333.9103Georgia.8763532573.895031348.91396457764.8204Florida.8434652242.779861166.79052262222.9605Oregon.8318242483.863741227.83197746658.8006Kansas State.7692172161.751781056.715943331077.8407LSU.7308782077.722471062.720081078486.7508Stanford.707713111897.659811934.63325685545.8309Texas A&M .65268101909.664010994.6739101511108129.62010Florida State.63631062231.776051199.81291718161502216.32011Clemson.60561191953.679391029.697615131311202314.44012South Carolina.58719121647.572912853.57831114101211910.61013Oklahoma.567712131530.532213798.54109991491112.63014Nebraska.479014141275.443514654.44341211159121511.55015Oregon State.449916151202.418117563.38171281413131013.55016Texas.423515171088.378415593.402014121216141317.49017UCLA.382617161144.397916590.400016161817161818.35018Rutgers.24322219756.263019408.27662120201825020.19019Michigan.22532120575.200020289.195919192220172015.28020Louisville.21651918898.312318453.30712623021000.03021Oklahoma State.20422422425.147821258.17491817172219160.29022Boise State.1043NR21426.148222243.164730000000.00023Kent State.0955NR25196.06822586.0583222419190019.16024Arizona.0836NRNR21.0073NR5.003420212323151421.24025Washington.064325NR53.0184NR36.02442325240181722.150