Due to this, Notre Dame jumped up from #3 to #1 and Alabama got back into the National Championship talks.

The Fighting Irish control their own destiny (just like KSU and Oregon did this week) and will most certainly be in the National Championship game if they can win their season finale.

Nov. 17, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; A Notre Dame flag waves in the first quarter of the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

That game will come this weekend as ND will face off against USC. Now, this game was originally going to be a close game to decide a winner, but the Fighting Irish might be the favorite after the news coming out of USC. The news is that the Trojans’ starting quarterback will be Max Wittek and not Matt Barkley.

Barkley suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder in the loss to UCLA. The injury occurred when he was sacked with two-plus minutes remaining in the game.

This could mean that Barkley is done for the season because USC does not disclose or discuss injuries unless the players are confirmed to be out for the season.

Because of this, Notre Dame could easily be playing for the National title in 2012, but who will they play? That is a harder question with many scenarios.

This is mainly because of the SEC title game that will most likely feature #2 Alabama and #3 Georgia. It looks like the winner of that game will play Notre Dame for the title if ND beats USC, but it’s not a lock.

If Alabama loses to Auburn in their season finale and beats Georgia, then Oregon or even Kansas State could sneak back into the title talks.

However, it should be an interesting end of the season before the BCS National Championship.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Follow the Through the Phog on Twitter @ThroughthePhog and like us on Facebook at Through the Phog.

Check out my other writings on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo.

Just one week after “escaping” defeat against LSU, the Crimson Tide came home to play the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies did what LSU could not and defeated Alabama 29-24.

Due to the Alabama loss, there is now a brand new #1 and #2 in the BCS. The two teams that are now #1 and #2 are Kansas State and Oregon. So, does this mean that everything is all set for a KSU-Oregon National Championship?

November 10, 2012; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Texas A

Yes and no. This is because of the remaining schedule for both the Wildcats and the Ducks. Everyone can certainly agree that both of these teams control their own destiny.

Both Kansas State and Oregon have two regular season games left to play this season. KSU still needs to play Baylor and #15 Texas while Oregon needs to play #13 Stanford and #16 Oregon State. The Wildcats will have no problems with Baylor and should get past Texas, but that question is not so easy for Oregon.

Now, many people would say that #2 Oregon will not have problems against Stanford or Oregon State, but they are two games with a lot of emotions. This is because the game against Stanford is for the Pac-12 North title. It is for sure that the winner of the Oregon-Stanford game will play in the Pac-12 Championship.

Also, the game against Oregon State is a “Civil War.” The last time Oregon played Oregon State on the road was in 2010 (last time they went to the National Championship). In that 2010 meeting, Oregon State might have lost, but they scored first and only lost by 17. Biggest difference this year it that this Oregon State team is ranked and much better than they were in 2010.

We will all see what happens, but we are looking at a Kansas State-Oregon National Championship at this point. Nobody knows how things will turn out, but it seems like all systems are a go for KSU and Oregon.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Follow the Through the Phog on Twitter @ThroughthePhog and like us on Facebook at Through the Phog.

Check out my other writings on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo.

November 10, 2012; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron (10) points out the Texas A

The Alabama Crimson Tide lost their first game of the season against the Texas A&M Aggies this past weekend.

The Aggies led the Crimson Tide the entire game and Alabama officially lost the game on a neutral zone infraction on a punt return attempt in the fourth quarter. Johnny Manziel helped the Aggies beat the Crimson Tide as he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns.

The former #1 Alabama Crimson Tide fell to #4 in the current BCS Rankings.

Kansas State is the new #1, Oregon is #2, and Notre Dame is #3. The Crimson Tide sit only one spot ahead SEC foe, Georgia.

Should Alabama still be in the BCS Top Five after losing to Texas A&M?

George: Yes, Bama deserves to be in the top five. Even with the loss, they are still easily one of the top five teams in the country. They still may move back into national title contention with losses to the top three teams in the country. Each have difficult games coming up.

Ricky: Yes, but I do not think Alabama should be #4 in the current BCS rankings. I feel that the only reason they are #4 after losing is because their name is “Alabama.” Honestly, after the LSU game, I thought this year’s team was not as good as last year. I never thought they would lose to Texas A&M. I thought they would lose to Oregon. Nonetheless, I feel Bama should be #5 and Georgia should be #4.

Each week, the staff at Through the Phog will react on the previous day’s games in Big 12 football and other news that happens in the conference. We are always welcoming of comments that you might have on the topics covered each week. Our current staff includes lead editor George Pike, along with staff writer, Ricky Widmer.