BCS standings: Florida State moves to No. 2 ahead of Oregon

There’s another big change in the Bowl Championship Series standings but, once again, it might not be a big deal.

Florida State used its big victory over Miami on Saturday to move past Oregon into the No. 2 spot Sunday in the third release of the BCS standings.

Alabama remains on top with an average of .980, followed by Florida State at .953 and Oregon at .944.

It’s unlikely, though, that Florida State can hold the No. 2 spot if all three schools go undefeated.

Oregon has a much tougher closing schedule, which starts Thursday against No. 5 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. The combined record of the Ducks’ final four Pac-12 Conference opponents is 23-10.

Florida State’s final four opponents are a combined 13-20.

It’s unlikely Florida State can hold its computer lead over Oregon and unlikely Oregon will drop in the polls if it wins out against better competition.

Ohio State is also undefeated but stuck at No. 4 in the standings with an average of .872.

Stanford remains the highest one-loss team at No. 5, ahead of undefeated Baylor at No. 6. Rounding out the top 10 are Clemson, Missouri, Auburn and Oklahoma.

This is a huge week for the BCS contenders as six top-10 schools play in crucial conference matchups.

Florida State will be closely watching the Oregon-Stanford game, rooting for the Cardinal to hand the Ducks their first loss.

Last year, Stanford dealt Oregon its only loss with a 17-14 overtime victory in Eugene, Ore.

Also Thursday, undefeated Baylor plays host to one-loss Oklahoma in Waco, Texas.

On Saturday, two-loss Louisiana State plays at No.1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Two years ago, Alabama defeated Louisiana State in an all-SEC national championship game in New Orleans.

Last year, Alabama escaped Baton Rouge, La., with a 21-17 victory on a last-minute scoring pass from AJ McCarron to T.J. Yeldon.

The top two teams in the final BCS standings Dec. 8 will play for the national title Jan. 6 in the Rose Bowl.

Next season, the BCS will be replaced by a 13-member selection committee that will choose the teams to play in a four-team playoff.