BCS Standings: Florida State & Ohio State Take Top 2 Spots, Alabama Drops To 4th In New Rankings

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Florida State and Ohio State are in position to play for the BCS national championship, though Auburn and Missouri are close enough behind in the BCS standings to put pressure on the Buckeyes.

The Seminoles grabbed the top spot in the BCS standings released Sunday after Alabama relinquished it for the first time this season.

The Crimson Tide's wild 34-28 loss at Auburn dropped Alabama to fourth. Ohio State is second and Auburn is third. Missouri is fifth. Auburn and Missouri play in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday in Atlanta. The winner should get a boost in the standings, but it might not be enough to catch the unbeaten Buckeyes.

Ohio State (12-0) faces Michigan State, 10th in the latest standings, in the Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis.

Florida State is first in both the USA Today coaches' poll and Harris poll, and rated No. 1 in the compilation of six computer rankings used in the BCS standings.

The Seminoles' .9948 BCS average makes them a lock to get to the title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 6 if they can beat Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday.

The Buckeyes (.9503) are second in the polls and second in the computers. Auburn (.9233) is third in each. Missouri (.8428) is fifth in each. But each of those SEC Tigers is 11-1. Ohio State is riding a 24-game winning streak.

An unbeaten team from a BCS automatic-qualifying conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Big East, now American Athletic Conference) has never been shut out of national championship game in favor of a team with a loss.

The SEC, which has won the last seven BCS championships, would like that to change.

"Any one-loss team in the SEC (should be considered) just because of the strength of schedule," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "Hopefully that will be taken into consideration."

Jerry Palm, who analyzes the BCS for CBS.com, said there is no reason to expect the unprecedented to happen.

"I think the voters would have to abandon Ohio State, and that's never happened in the history of the BCS," he said Sunday.

Alabama (.8539) is fourth but the Tide would need both Florida State and Ohio State to lose to get back in the title conversation.

The BCS is in its last season. It will be replaced by a four-team playoff next year, which will use a selection committee to pick the teams.

Farther down the latest standings, the competition to become the last BCS buster is now a one-team race after Fresno State lost to San Jose State. It's all about Northern Illinois now.

The undefeated Huskies from the Mid-American Conference remained 14th in the standings this week. NIU, looking for its second straight BCS bid, plays Bowling Green in the MAC title game on Friday night.

The Huskies can earn an automatic BCS bid two ways:

— Finish in the top 12 of the final BCS standings.

— Finish in the top 16 of the final standings, ahead of an automatic qualifying conference champion.

The Huskies used the latter route to get to the BCS last season with one loss.

It could happen again this season. Central Florida, in line to win the American and earn its first automatic BCS bid, is ranked 16th in the latest standings and plays SMU on Saturday. It doesn't seem likely that the Knights (10-1) will pass the Huskies, so the only thing standing in the way of Northern Illinois and the BCS is Bowling Green. NIU would most likely play in the Fiesta Bowl.

No team will enter the final weekend of the regular season with a BCS bid locked up. Here are the possibilities:

— Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas are all alive to earn the Big 12 title and the conference's automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma State gets the bid by beating Oklahoma. If the Cowboys lose, the winner of the Baylor-Texas game gets the bid.

— The winner of the SEC championship gets an automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl.

— If Duke wins the ACC championship it will play in the Orange Bowl.

— The winner of the Pac-12 title game between Stanford and Arizona State gets a Rose Bowl bid.

— Michigan State will earn a Rose Bowl bid by beating Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, but also stands a good chance to end up in the Rose Bowl with a loss. If Ohio State plays for the national championship, the Spartans (11-1) are likely to be picked by the Rose Bowl to replace the Buckeyes.

— If UCF loses, it could create a three-way tie for the AAC title with Cincinnati and Louisville that would be settled by the BCS standings. Louisville is 19th in the standings this week, while Cincinnati is unranked.

— Alabama is a virtual lock to get an at-large bid, most likely to the Orange Bowl.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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BCS Standings, Title Race Shaken Up By Auburn Victory Over Alabama

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Auburn fans react at the end of a win over Alabama during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013.

Auburn's latest miracle victory, and Ohio State's thrilling win against Michigan, has opened the door to the BCS title game to the Buckeyes.

Or has it?

The debate has already begun, though there is still so much left to be decided. And as Saturday proved, nothing can be assumed in college football.

No. 4 Auburn used a field goal return TD on the last play of regulation to beat No. 1 Alabama 34-28 and clinch a spot in the SEC title game next week against either South Carolina or Missouri.

No. 3 Ohio State's 42-41 victory over Michigan sent the Buckeyes to the Big Ten title game against No. 11 Michigan State with an unbeaten record.

No. 2 Florida State will take over the top spot in the BCS standings and polls on Sunday, and the Buckeyes will likely be second. The Seminoles play Duke in the ACC title game next Saturday.

But the question is already being asked: If Auburn can win the SEC title with one loss, should it go to the BCS championship over an undefeated team, like Ohio State, because it played a tougher schedule?

No. 4 AUBURN 34, No. 1 ALABAMA 28

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Chris Davis returned a missed field-goal attempt more than 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play to lift No. 4 Auburn over No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, upending the two-time defending national champions' BCS hopes and preserving the Tigers' own.

Davis caught the ball about 9 yards deep in the end zone after freshman Adam Griffith's 57-yard attempt fell short. He then sprinted down the left sideline and cut back with nothing but teammates around him in a second straight hard-to-fathom finish for the Tigers (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference).

Auburn clinched a spot in the SEC championship game with the stunning victory over the powerhouse from across the state. The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) seemed at several times poised to continue its run toward the first three-peat in modern college football.

AJ McCarron completed 17 of 29 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns for Alabama.

Auburn's Nick Marshall was 11-of-16 passing for 97 yards but also rushed 17 times for 99 yards.

Tre Mason ran 29 times for 164 yards and a touchdown for Auburn.

No. 2 FLORIDA STATE 37, FLORIDA 7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin, and Florida State moved a step closer to playing for the national championship.

The Seminoles improved to 12-0 for the first time since 1999 and likely will earn a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game by beating Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game next Saturday.

Florida, meanwhile, ended its worst season since 1979.

The Gators (4-8) lost their final seven games and missed a bowl for the first time since 1990. Florida's bowl streak had been the second-longest in the country, behind Florida State.

The Seminoles were four-touchdown favorites in this lopsided matchup — that lived up to advance billing.

No. 3 OHIO STATE 42, MICHIGAN 41

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner's pass as Michigan went for a go-ahead 2-point conversion with 32 seconds left and Ohio State held on in one the most thrilling games in the history of the storied Big Ten rivalry.

Devin Gardner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess to make it 42-41, but instead of kicking for the tie, Wolverines coach Brady Hoke went for the lead with his offense.

Gardner tried to zip a pass into traffic near the goal line, but Powell came up with it. Buckeyes cornerback Roby Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal Ohio State's 24th consecutive victory and keep its national championship hopes alive.

Braxton Miller accounted for five touchdowns for Ohio State (12-0, 8-0) and Carlos Hyde ran for a 1-yard score with 2:20 left to make it 42-35.

Gardner threw four touchdown passes for Michigan (7-5, 3-5).

No. 9 BAYLOR 41, TCU 38

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Bryce Petty threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Baylor returned two interceptions for scores.

The Bears (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) scored 21 straight points on either side of halftime with just 1 yard from their high-powered offense and bounced back from a blowout loss at Oklahoma State to maintain their hopes for a share of the conference title.

Baylor could win the league outright and qualify for a BCS bid, likely the Fiesta Bowl, if it beats Texas and the Cowboys lose to Oklahoma next Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (4-8, 2-7) were in position to tie in the final seconds, but Casey Pachall threw his third interception on a pass tipped by receiver Brandon Carter and grabbed by Baylor's Terrell Burt in the end zone with 11 seconds left.

No. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 14, MINNESOTA 3

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jeremy Langford ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, and Michigan State wrapped up an unbeaten regular season in Big Ten play.

The Spartans (11-1, 8-0) finished a perfect Big Ten regular season for only the third time. They also did it in 1965 and 1966, when they only had to play seven conference games.

Michigan State will face Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game next weekend. The Spartans had already wrapped up the Legends Division title, but there was no letdown against Minnesota (8-4, 4-4).

The Spartans' top-ranked defense forced three turnovers and kept the Golden Gophers out of the end zone, repeating a formula that has brought Michigan State within a win of the Rose Bowl.

PENN STATE 31, No. 14 WISCONSIN 24

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Christian Hackenberg threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and Penn State pounced on a slew of blunders before holding off a late rally to upset Wisconsin.

Hackenberg, a freshman, showed the poise of a veteran in dissecting a tough defense. Eugene Lewis caught two touchdowns, including a 59-yarder for a 17-point lead with 13 minutes to go.

The Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) secured a statement win against a team that had been dominant all year at home. Joel Stave threw for three touchdowns for Wisconsin (9-3, 6-2), though Penn State capitalized on second-half interceptions, turning one into Lewis' long TD.

The Badgers got within a touchdown late, but were picked off in the end zone with 1 second left.

No. 24 DUKE 27, NORTH CAROLINA 25

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Ross Martin kicked a 27-yard field goal with 2:22 left and Duke completed an improbable run to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Anthony Boone threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns to Jamison Crowder as the Blue Devils (10-2, 6-2 ACC) clinched the Coastal Division championship with their eighth straight victory. DeVon Edwards' interception with 13 seconds left clinched the long-suffering program's first 10-win season.

Duke will face No. 2 Florida State next weekend in Charlotte, where the heavy underdog Blue Devils will go for their first ACC crown since 1989.

Duke led 24-15 in the third quarter but needed to rally to beat the rival Tar Heels (6-6, 4-4).

Marquise Williams ran for two scores and threw for another for UNC, which had won five straight.

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