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BCS standings 2012: Notre Dame deserving of top spot, but who should be next?

Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game if it can get past USC this weekend. The question is: who really deserves the opportunity to face them?

By Bryan Kilpatrick
Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are No. 1 in this week's BCS standings, and there's little disputing that. However, there is a boatload of controversy about who should face the Irish in the BCS Championship Game, assuming Notre Dame takes care of business against the USC Trojans on Saturday.

With Alabama is currently sitting at No. 2, SBNation.com's Samuel Chi makes a case for several other one-loss teams, and also gives a plausible national title scenario for college football's forgotten undefeated team:

Georgia ... will get its shot at Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and will be guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game if it can take care of business there after getting by Georgia Tech this week.
Oregon is essentially out of it after an overtime loss to Stanford, a sin deemed far more egregious than Alabama's loss to Texas A&M by the voters. Never mind that Stanford is ranked one spot ahead of the Aggies in the current BCS standings, as both teams have two losses. The Ducks are so far back in the polls that they'll need a virtual miracle to get back into the BCS title game.
The (Florida) Gators' only loss was at the Cocktail Party to Georgia, but they have also defeated Texas A&M in College Station and LSU and South Carolina at home. Should they defeat Florida State next week, the Gators would have beaten four teams currently ranked in the BCS top 10 - and be shut out of the BCS title game.
...what if (Max) Wittek leads USC to an upset at the Coliseum? Will that be enough to catapult Ohio State to No. 1 in the AP poll next week? If that's the case, the Buckeyes can size for their national title rings even before November is out. How about that - all the BCS chaos for only half of the national championship?

After watching last week's events unfold, one thing is certain: nothing is a given in college football, and the whole thing could get turned on its head before you know it. As Chi mentions, we're only a Notre Dame loss away from the probability of another all-SEC championship game, and even more chaos if Ohio State takes care of Michigan in convincing fashion.

After all of that, Chi doesn't see another weekend full of armageddon, picking Notre Dame and Alabama to square off in the BCS title game.