Poll watch: Notre Dame earns No. 1 spot in BCS

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Notre Dame players focused on staying undefeated

The Notre Dame players aren't getting ahead of themselves with National Championship talk, and are just focused on winning the next game - 11/18

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Kelly: Our guys know what's at stake now

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly addressed the media Saturday after his team's win over Wake Forest and discussed the importance of the final game against USC next week - 11/17

JJ STANKEVITZ


Brian Kelly was alone in voting Notre Dame No. 1 a week ago. He has plenty of company this week.

For the first time since 1993, Notre Dame occupies the top spot in the AP and coaches polls released Sunday morning, with the 11-0 Irish needing a win over USC -- which fell out of the top 25 in both polls -- to advance to the BCS Championship. Notre Dame received 56 of 59 first-place votes in the coaches poll, with Alabama garnering two and Georgia one. The AP poll saw Notre Dame garner all 60 first-place votes.

More importantly, Notre Dame sits atop the BCS standings released Sunday night, the first time the Irish have been No. 1 in the BCS' 15-year history. If Notre Dame beats USC, they'll face an SEC team in the BCS Championship, as Alabama and Georgia are Nos. 2 and 3 in the poll. Those two teams will meet in the SEC title game Dec. 1 in Atlanta to decide who moves on to Miami.

At No. 1, if the Irish beat USC they won't be jumped by a one-loss SEC team. That would've been more a concern had either, not both, Oregon or Kansas State lost on Saturday. But with the nation's Nos. 1 and 2 teams falling on the same day for the first time since 2007, Notre Dame's shot at the BCS title is as secure as it gets -- so long as the Irish beat USC.

This may not be the best time to talk contingency plans, but Stanford's win over Oregon did push Notre Dame back into the Fiesta Bowl discussion if they can't beat USC on Saturday. Barring something unforseen, if Notre Dame loses to USC the BCS Championship will be an all-SEC final, with No. 4 Florida -- ugly offense and all -- facing the winner of Alabama/Georgia. Given Palm's projected BCS standings, Oregon won't jump Florida -- although the Ducks do sit at No. 4, two spots ahead of Florida, in the coaches poll.

That scenario, though, plays out if everybody but Notre Dame (and the loser of the SEC championship) win out. But Florida plays at Florida State on Nov. 24, and if the Gators lose Oregon would jump back in to the BCS Championship picture, even if they beat Oregon State and don't go to the Pac 12 championship.

What that means for Notre Dame is the Rose Bowl is still an option, albeit one that needs a more than a few things to happen. If Oregon doesn't go to the championship, the Irish would probably wind up in the Fiesta Bowl, where Kansas State will land if the Wildcats rebound with a win over Texas on Saturday. But if K-State loses and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and TCU to win the Big 12, the Fiesta Bowl may balk at a Notre Dame-OU rematch.

From there, the Sugar Bowl would be the most likely option given it won't have an SEC team to fill a spot. If chaos reigns and Florida State squeaks in to the BCS Championship picture -- not a totally far-fetched idea -- the Orange Bowl could open up as an option, too.

But that's all a contingency plan, and one Notre Dame fans, players, etc. don't want to think about. If Notre Dame beats USC, the destination is clear.