Kansas State rises to No. 3 slot in BCS behind SEC pair

• Convincing win at West Virginia and strong standing in computers propel Wildcats past Oregon
• Alabama and Florida remain clear top two
• Notre Dame holds at No. 5 going into game Saturday at No. 8 Oklahoma

Kansas State's convincing victory at West Virginia has reshaped the Bowl Championship Series standings — for this week, at least. Here comes the squabbling, and next comes the scrambling.

After whipping the Mountaineers 55-14, the Wildcats vaulted Oregon into the key No. 3 slot in the BCS rankings, just behind two Southeastern Conference powers. Alabama remains a solid No. 1 with its nearly unanimous reign atop the USA TODAY Sports Coaches and Harris polls, while No. 2 Florida was impressive in a 44-11 victory against South Carolina. But if the Crimson Tide and Gators remain unbeaten, they're on a collision course Dec. 1 in the SEC Championship Game.

The final BCS standings will be released the next day. The loser would probably be eliminated from contention for the BCS title, which makes No. 3 the crucial position.

Kansas State is No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll, which make up two-thirds of the BCS formula, but is No. 2 in the computer portion. Oregon, which blew out Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday, is No. 2 in each poll, but ranks only sixth in the computers. The disparity was enough for Kansas State, No. 4 in the BCS last week, to edge Oregon by 0.0145.

Another perennial power lurks just behind. Notre Dame (7-0), which is No. 5 for a second consecutive week, has an opportunity to make a statement Saturday, when it plays No. 8 Oklahoma (5-1) on the road.

"I've been down this road before," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly during a teleconference conducted before the standings were released. "You've just got to win your games, and if you win all your games — you have no control over (the BCS formula) other than just take care of what you can take care of."

Kelly's advice is sound. If we've learned anything during the BCS era, it's not to count on anything. All of the top five teams have impressive victories, but each still has several hurdles left. If any falters — or if several falter — No. 7 Oregon State (6-0) could move up and into position, as could one-loss teams LSU (No. 6) and Oklahoma.

Even if the top contenders keep winning, there could be more shakeups in the standings in the next few weeks. Kansas State's resume so far is more impressive than Oregon's. But the Ducks' remaining schedule, with games against BCS No. 9 USC, No. 17 Stanford and No. 8 Oregon State – and perhaps a rematch with USC in the Pac-12 title game – appears stronger than Kansas State's remaining slate.

An undefeated Notre Dame, which also has USC remaining on its schedule (Nov. 24 in Los Angeles), would also have a strong case to present to the voters and the computers. As always, there's potential for plenty of controversy.

"If it ends up that there's three teams undefeated, only two are going to play," Kelly said. "I think everybody knows the rules of the game going in, and that's why they're going to be changed moving forward. That's why we'll just control what we can control."

South Carolina, No. 7 in the initial BCS standings released last week, dropped to No. 13 after its second consecutive loss. USC and Georgia round out the Top 10. The SEC just missed a fifth school in the Top 10; Mississippi State, which plays at Alabama on Saturday, is No. 11.