Despite the movement of Oregon jumping up to #3 in the rankings, the biggest story still has to be how Alabama stayed at the #1 spot.

The Crimson Tide did so by “escaping” defeat in the final minutes against LSU in Death Valley. They turned the ball over twice and were 1-of-9 on 3rd down in the game.

Alabama entered their final drive trailing the Tigers 17-14. Before that drive, their quarterback A.J. McCarron had only completed one total pass in the half. He then went 4-of-5 on that drive which ended with a touchdown pass to T.J. Yeldon to give Bama the 21-17 win over LSU.

November 3, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban talks with his team during a timeout against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-US PRESSWIRE

Alabama might have got the win against LSU, but does that mean they have nothing to worry about? Not at all. They might have stayed at #1 in the BCS, but the Crimson Tide have much to worry about.

What do they need to worry about? The answer to that question is Oregon. The Ducks were able to move in the correct direction in the rankings after their 62-51 victory over #17 USC.

Why does Alabama need to worry about Oregon? The answer is speed. Oregon’s offense is hands down the fastest offense in the entire FBS. An excellent example of this has to be their first drive of the game against the Trojans. It took the Ducks just over two minutes of ACTUAL time (not game clock time) to march down the field and score a touchdown.

Plus, it does not hurt to have a running back like Kenjon Barner on your team.

Yes, Oregon is only at #3 in the BCS, but Alabama should be worried that Oregon will climb in the rankings. The Ducks still have two ranked opponents on their schedule (Stanford and Oregon State) and Kansas State could be without Collin Klein for their next game.

An Alabama/Oregon BCS National Championship game would show the nation how overrated the Crimson Tide really are. It would also show the nation how good Oregon’s offense really is.

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1. Kansas defense is improved, though turnovers from the offense hurt the group. Punt, interception, fumble, interception, punt, and another fumble keyed 28 Kansas State third quarter points, pushing their lead at halftime from 21-14 to 49-16 after the smoke cleared. The Kansas rushing defense fell apart in the quarter after a strong first half. For the game, Kansas State gained 346 yards on the ground, just 129 through the air.

2. Rushing game looked good. The Kansas running backs again did well overall as junior back James Sims totaled 115 yards on 28 carries, and Taylor Cox added 43 yards. The backs day paled to Kansas State’s rushing attack as Collin Klein and John Hubert both topped 100 yards. If Kansas didn’t turn the ball over as much, then the running game could of been exploited more as it was working.

3. Dayne Crist experiment isn’t working for Kansas. The quarterback threw three interceptions in the game on Saturday in key moments for the Jayhawks. He added a fumble midway in the third quarter. Kansas head coach Charlie Weis pulled Crist late in the game giving some snaps to backup Michael Cummings. The freshman completed two out of four passes.

Kansas now looks to recoup next week as they host Oklahoma State.

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Oct 6, 2012; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Dayne Crist (10) makes a pass against Kansas State Wildcats defensive tackle Vai Lutui (92) during first-half action at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas kicked off the scoring with a Tony Pierson run from 19-yards out with 7:24 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats quickly answered as John Hubert broke free scoring the first of four touchdowns on the game.The Jayhawks again moved the ball, the next time they had it, ending in a one-yard touchdown run from James Sims. Kansas State quickly changed the game around with two quick touchdowns giving them a touchdown advantage heading into the locker room.

The scoring barrage continued as the Wildcats scored four touchdowns in the third quarter. Kansas managed a safety as Hubert got brought down in the endzone by Tunde Bakare. Hubert scored two of the four touchdowns in the third quarter including a 32-yard touchdown. Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein finished the quarter off with a 28-yard run for another touchdown. The scoring concluded in the fourth with another Hubert touchdown.

For the game, Kansas committed five turnovers including three interceptions by quarterback Dayne Crist. The Wildcats committed zero turnovers as they amassed 475 total yards to 378 for Kansas. The last three Sunflower Showdowns have gone Kansas State way with a combined score of 174-43.

Kansas looks to rebound next week vs Oklahoma State, while the Wildcats travel to Iowa State who knocked off 15th-ranked TCU this afternoon.

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