BCS rankings 2012, Week 13: Notre Dame takes No. 1

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one win away from making it to the BCS national title game now that they are the new No. 1 in the BCS standings. This is the first time the school has been atop the rankings. At 11-0, the Irish are the only undefeated team left in the nation after Kansas State and Oregon both lost on Saturday night.

After Notre Dame, the next three spots are an SEC affair with Alabama, Georgia and Florida slotting in there. Oregon, which lost to Stanford in overtime, 17-14, closed out the top five. As it stands now, the SEC is basically assured of having a team appear in the championship game. As long as Alabama beats Auburn to close out the regular season, the SEC title game will be between Georgia and the Crimson Tide. The winner will play for the BCS title.

Notre Dame, of course, needs to beat USC on Saturday at the Coliseum to play in the title game. If a shoulder injury prevents Matt Barkley from playing in the game, USC could be in for a world of trouble -- if it isn't already in one following its 38-28 loss to UCLA on Saturday.

Oregon and Kansas State fell to Nos. 5 and 6.

Boise State is at the back end of the BCS top 25 at No. 22. The Broncos are ranked No. 21 in the Harris Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll, while the computer rankings don't have them in the top 25.

Here are the current standings: