Vols vault to No. 2 in BCS poll

Nebraska is perhaps on the verge of its greatest comeback ever thanks to the Bowl Championship Series standings.

The Cornhuskers, all but out of the national title chase after a 62-36 loss to Colorado on Nov. 23, would play No. 1 Miami in the BCS championship game if LSU beats Tennessee on Saturday.

The BCS standings confirmed as much Monday, ranking Miami first, Tennessee second and Nebraska third -- ahead of fourth-place Colorado, the team it lost to by 26 points -- and fifth-place Oregon.

Expect Huskers fans everywhere to learn the words to "Tiger Rag" and tune in when LSU (8-3) plays Tennessee (10-1) for the Southeastern Conference title on the final night of the regular season.

The Vols, favored by seven points, can prevent what is certain to create a huge controversy by winning and moving on to play the Hurricanes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Miami (11-0) has 2.50 points in the BCS rankings, Tennessee (10-1) 4.79 points, Nebraska (11-1) 8.39 points, Colorado (10-2) 9.88 points, and Pac-10 champions Oregon (10-1) has 10.44 points.

Avoiding controversy

BCS officials must be hoping for a Vols' victory to avoid trying to explain how a team can play for a national title even though it couldn't even win its own division of the Big 12 Conference.

Jerry Palm, who runs a Web site that closely monitors the BCS standings, says Oregon will have the biggest beef.

"The reaction if Nebraska gets in will be bad," Palm said. "It's hard to understand how a team that doesn't qualify for a conference title gets to play for a national title. Oregon has a stronger argument since Colorado has two losses and that's tough to overcome. But that's kind of the way it goes in the BCS."

An LSU win also creates the possibility of split national champions. If Oregon wins its BCS game and Nebraska beats Miami in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks could be voted No. 1 in the final AP poll.

The AP voters cast their final Top 25 ballots following the Rose Bowl, and all I-A teams are eligible to finish No. 1. Not so in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, which automatically crowns the Rose Bowl winner its national champion.