Entering the college football weekend, there was a chance the BCS could spin out of control.
All of the top five teams in the nation faced off against tough opponents, including No. 1 ranked Alabama, who took on SEC-rival LSU on the road in Baton Rouge. If the Crimson Tide lost on Saturday, Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame would be chomping at the bit for that top spot in the nation.
Unfortunately for those teams and anyone looking for complete chaos, Alabama pulled through yet again, defeating LSU in a hard-fought game 21-17 on Saturday night. Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame also stayed undefeated to follow Alabama in the rankings.
LSU posed the biggest threat to Alabama's national title hopes this season, rallying from a 14-3 deficit to take a late 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger was stellar throughout the game, passing for nearly 300 yards against a Crimson Tide defense that looked ordinary for the first time this year.
But it wasn't enough to take down the defending champs. Senior quarterback A.J. McCarron had a rough game, but saved his best for the end.
After completing only one pass in the second half, McCarron took control on Alabama's final drive, hitting three straight passes to move the team down the field before hitting running back T.J. Yeldon with a screen pass that went for a 28-yard touchdown.
"It was like clockwork," McCarron said to the Associated Press. "The whole offense just looked at each other and you could just tell in everybody's eyes it was like, 'We do this every Thursday, so what's the difference here?' "
The team is allowing just nine points per game, good for first in the nation. LSU's 17 points was the most allowed by the Crimson Tide this season and is the first time a team has scored 14 or more points since September.
"There's just so many emotions running through me," McCarron said. "Sometimes it can be a lot of pressure playing here at this university, especially with all the tradition of winning and everything. Just coming back and winning a game like that, and like coach (Nick) Saban said, it might be known as 'The Drive' for the history of Alabama. And just to be a part of it with my teammates was just truly a blessing."
By defeating such a tough opponent, Alabama extended their lead in the BCS over Kansas State to .996, an improvement of .0359 to .0639. The win gives Alabama a clear road to the SEC title game as long as they don't slip up to No. 15 Texas A&M next weekend.
"I told the players they would have to overcome a lot of adversity to win a game here," Saban said. "Things went bad. The momentum changed. But they kept their poise, kept playing, kept competing. I've never been prouder of as bunch of guys."
Kansas State continued its magical season, defeating Oregon State 44-30 to stay undefeated. Quarterback Collin Klein was hurt during the third quarter, but it wasn't enough to knock off the Wildcats. The Heisman front-runner left the game after throwing for 245 yards and rushing for 64 on the ground.
"Without Collin at quarterback, we had to do some adjustments," said Tyler Lockett, who had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. "Collin was still a leader. He was on the sideline getting us going, especially when things weren't going our way. That's what I like about him."
The Oregon Ducks looked extremely impressive in their win against USC, allowing them to jump to third place in the rankings over Notre Dame.
The Ducks won a shootout with the Trojans 62-51 on the road in Los Angeles, allowing them to close the gap on No. 2 Kansas State. The win brought their average to .917, decreasing the deficit from .0264 to .0152.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley had nearly 500 yards passing and five touchdowns, but it wasn't enough for the high-powered Ducks. Running back Kenjon Barner had 321 yards rushing for Oregon and had five touchdowns on the day.
"Well, I'm from L.A., so it means a lot," Barner said. "We know we have an exceptional offense, but this was a great test for us to have to play four quarters and fight to the end. We're going to benefit from this in the long run. As a competitor, you want to be in a great game if you can."
Notre Dame won again on Saturday, continuing its best season since 2002. The team improved to 9-0 after taking down Pittsburgh 29-26 in a game that went to triple overtime.
The Irish rallied from a two-touchdown deficit and stayed undefeated for another week after an impressive game.
"We overcame a lot tonight. We overcame some uncharacteristic mistakes," coach Brian Kelly said. "Last year that would have been a loss. But our team kept fighting, kept playing."
LSU dropped to seventh after losing to Alabama, while South Carolina came in at eighth. Louisville continued to rise in the rankings to No. 9 and are the only other eligible undefeated team in college football.
