In Waco, Texas, Kansas State went down 28-7 late in the second quarter to Baylor, and never recovered, losing by four touchdowns on the road, 52-24. In Eugene, Oregon, the Ducks gave up a game-tying touchdown to Stanford with 95 seconds left to play, and went on to lose 17-14 in front a deflated crowd in overtime.
All the commotion at the top means that the Fighting Irish, who blasted Wake Forest 38-0 this weekend, and the Crimson Tide, who did the same to Western Carolina, winning 49-0, are the two teams that will play for the title if they can win out.
But Notre Dame and Alabama aren't the only ones celebrating Week 12's chaos. SEC powerhouses Georgia and Florida are now in the top four, and can still make the jump into the championship picture.
The Bulldogs, who cruised past Georgia Southern 45-14 in Week 12, control their own destiny. If they beat Georgia Tech and then Alabama in the SEC Championship Game then the Bulldogs will play for the crown. Florida, who took down Jacksonville State 23-0 in the Swamp on Saturday, needs to beat Florida State and have Notre Dame lose to USC in Week 13 in order to have a shot.
As for Kansas State, Oregon and everyone else, they will need much help in Week 13 in order to redeem their national title dreams.
What's Next
The top-ranked Fighting Irish will be at USC on Saturday night in a game that will determine whether Brian Kelly's squad will play for the championship in Miami this January. Meanwhile, the defending national champion Crimson Tide will host Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
Georgia will be home to in-state rival Georgia Tech at noon, Florida will be in Tallahassee to take on Florida State, and Oregon will try to knock off Oregon State on the road in the Civil War.
Kansas State is idle in Week 13 and will host Texas in its regular season finale in Week 14.
As for the two-loss teams, LSU will play at Arkansas on Friday afternoon, Texas A&M will host Missouri on Saturday night, South Carolina will be on the road at Clemson, and both Oklahoma and Stanford will have their hands full taking on Oklahoma State and UCLA, respectively.
Here are the BCS standings after 12 weeks of college football.
BCS standings
| 1. Notre Dame |
| 2. Alabama |
| 3. Georgia |
| 4. Florida |
| 5. Oregon |
| 6. Kansas State |
| 7. LSU |
| 8. Stanford |
| 9. Texas A&M |
| 10. Florida State |
| 11. Clemson |
| 12. South Carolina |
| 13. Oklahoma |
| 14. Nebraska |
| 15. Oregon State |
| 16. Texas |
| 17. UCLA |
| 18. Rutgers |
| 19. Michigan |
| 20. Louisville |
| 21. Oklahoma State |
| 22. Boise State |
| 23. Kent State |
| 24. Arizona |
| 25. Washington |
