At least one spot in the BCS national championship game is reserved for the Southeastern Conference champion.
A Big 12 South team is probably first in line for the other spot — but which one?
No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida cruised into their league title showdown next week with resounding victories against fierce rivals Saturday.
No. 3 Oklahoma forged a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South with fellow national title contenders Texas and Texas Tech by beating Oklahoma State 61-41 Saturday night.
Coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide snapped a six-game losing streak against Auburn with a 36-0 victory in the Iron Bowl.
“We don’t have to hear about it anymore. We beat them good. We left no doubt. It’s a good way to finish them off,” Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson said.
Alabama (12-0) heads to the Georgia Dome for its first appearance in the SEC championship game since 1999.
Tim Tebow and the Gators extended their winning streak against Florida State to five games with a 45-15 victory in Tallahassee.
“That’s a really good football team in that locker room,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said. “I’ve done this for quite a while, and that’s as proud as I’ve ever been.”
The Gators and Tide will play the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in a conference title game and the winner is virtually assured of advancing to the BCS national title game on Jan. 8 in Miami.
The opponent? That’ll also be determined next week, but heading into Sunday it was unclear which teams would be playing for a shot and which teams would be watching with a shot.
No. 7 Texas Tech rallied behind Graham Harrell from a 14-point deficit to beat Baylor 35-28 and keep the Red Raiders in the hunt for a Big 12 South title.
More importantly, though, the Red Raiders kept No. 4 Texas from clinching the South and a berth in the conference title game against Missouri next week.
When Oklahoma capped the day by pulling away from its in-state rival, the decision of which team wins the South was handed over to the BCS poll voters and computer ratings.
The team with the highest ranking when the BCS standings come out Sunday plays in the Big 12 title game. Texas was ahead in the standings last week, but Oklahoma was close and could pass the Longhorns after a winning in Stillwater, Okla.
“Everything we did tonight kind of says why we should be there. It’s out of our hands now,” Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford said. “We’ll see how it ends up.”
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, whose team was way behind the Sooners and Longhorns in the last BCS standings, had a unique idea for breaking a three-way tie.
“I think they should break that three-way tie based on a graduation rate,” Leach said.
A NCAA report last month had Texas Tech with the best graduation rate in the Big 12.
Southern California kept its national title hopes alive by humiliating Notre Dame 38-3. USC also saw its hopes for an outright Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl bid improve when No. 19 Oregon beat Oregon State 65-38.
The Beavers were a victory away from wrapping up their first Rose Bowl bid since 1965. Now they’ll have to hope for UCLA to upset USC next week to get to the BCS.
The Atlantic Coast Conference set its championship game Saturday, after a crazy race in both divisions.
Virginia Tech (8-4) and Boston College (9-3), in a rematch of last season’s ACC championship game, will play for a spot in the Orange Bowl next Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
Cincinnati (10-2) had its BCS spot wrapped up before it took the field against Syracuse because West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh on Friday. The Big East champions continued the celebration with a 30-10 victory in Greg Robinson’s last game as Orange coach.
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AP Sports Writers Mark Long in Tallahassee, Fla., and John Zenor in Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and AP Writer Betsey Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, contributed.
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