One down, one to go for Oregon.
The Ducks moved up a spot and passed Notre Dame in the BCS standings on Sunday, moving into third place behind Alabama and Kansas State.
Oregon is coming off its biggest victory of the season, winning 62-51 at Southern California on Saturday night.
That result, combined with Notre Dame’s overtime victory against a middling Pittsburgh team, helped nudge the Ducks by the Irish this week.
Alabama (.9957) is a rock solid No. 1 in both the polls and the BCS computer ratings this week. The Tide needs only to win out to reach the BCS title game for the third time in four seasons.
Kansas State (.9318) is third in the polls and in the computers but second overall in the BCS.
The Ducks (.9166) are a solid No. 2 in both polls, but still fifth in the computers.
But the Ducks have a stronger schedule than Kansas State from this point forward, making Oregon a strong bet to pass the Wildcats if it keeps winning and earn a spot in the BCS title game in Miami on Jan. 7.
STARTING TIMES
The Pacific-12 Conference set starts times Sunday for this week’s games.
The Washington Huskies will face Utah at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CenturyLink Field. The game will be shown on Pac-12 Networks.
The UCLA-Washington State game in Pullman is also set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
KLEIN WATCH
Third-ranked Kansas State, per team policy, had no comment about the injury to star quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Collin Klein, who left Saturday’s win over Oklahoma State in the third quarter.
Unconfirmed reports said Klein was pulled from the game because of a possible concussion.
“I think he’s going to be able to play, we just don’t know,” wide receiver Tyler Lockett said.
Klein is married to former Kansas State basketball player Shalin Spani, who is the granddaughter of former Pacific Lutheran coach Frosty Westering and the daughter of former Wildcats and Kansas City Chiefs star linebacker Gary Spani.
LUCK OF IRISH
Undefeated Notre Dame dodged a bullet in its 29-26 triple overtime win over Pitt on Saturday as Panthers kicker Kevin Harper missed a winning 33-yard field goal attempt in the second overtime.
The Irish were even luckier on the play as officials didn’t notice Notre Dame had a pair of No. 2s on the field at the same time (receiver Chris Brown, cornerback Bennett Jackson), which should have been a penalty and given Pitt another kick.
“I’ve never had a team that won because it was lucky,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a lucky football team. I think I’ve had a team that’s gotten some breaks along the way.”
EXTRA POINTS
Kentucky fired coach Joker Phillips, effective at the end of the season. Phillips is 12-23 in three seasons. ... Cal quarterback Zach Maynard has no ligament damage in his left knee suffered against Washington on Friday and his status for this week’s game against Oregon remains in doubt. ... Georgia senior receiver Marlon Brown, who is tied for the team lead in catches, will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. ... Arkansas senior starting linebacker Terrell Williams was been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated early Sunday morning and was suspended indefinitely from the team.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.