The Oregon Ducks used a very familiar formula on Friday night, staying in the game during the first half until exploding in the second half, to beat Arizona at home 48-29 and capture a second straight Pac-10 title.

Although the victory assures Oregon of a BCS and Rose Bowl bid, the Ducks will certainly be looking for a bit more — namely a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. The Ducks remain undefeated and improve their record to 11-0, just one of four teams remaining in the FBS to be undefeated.

The Ducks used a well-balanced attack that featured a variety of key contributions from an array of players to take control in the second half.

The Ducks’ Heisman hopeful, running back LaMichael James, did his job — rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns — to help the Ducks claim a victory in their final home game.

The Ducks’ final test will come next weekend against Oregon State in the “Civil War.” A victory against their traditional in-state rival would likely be enough to get the Ducks to the BCS title game, however a loss would send shock waves throughout the college football landscape.

With the season entering its final two weeks, conference races in all six conferences are coming down to the wire.

And although some are clear cut and easy to understand, others are a little bit more messy and may even require some tiebreakers.

Each of the six BCS conferences are listed here, with the teams still vying for a spot, and how each team will need the next two weekends to play out in order to either make their conference title game or win their conference crown.

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

Coastal Division

Virginia Tech has clinched the Coastal Division and will play in the ACC Championship Game.

Atlantic Division

Florida State has clinched the Atlantic Division and will play in the ACC Championship Game.

Big 12

North Division

Nebraska has clinched the North Division and will play in the Big 12 Championship Game.

South Division

Oklahoma has clinched the South Division by the nature of the three-way tiebreaking BCS standings, and will play in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Big East

Connecticut (4-2) will win the conference if they beat South Florida.

West Virginia (5-2) IF Connecticut loses to South Florida.

Big Ten

Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State all finish 7-1 in conference, and the Big Ten’s automatic BCS bid will go to the team ranked highest in the final BCS standings.

Pac-10 Conference

Oregon has clinched the Pac-10 conference championship and will receive a BCS bowl bid.

Southeastern Conference (SEC)

East Division

South Carolina has clinched the East Division and will play in the SEC Championship Game.

West Division

Auburn has clinched the West Division and will play in the SEC Championship Game.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (8-3, 6-2; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (9-2, 7-0; Clinched Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (8-3, 5-2; Atlantic Division)

Game of Last Week: North Carolina State 29 vs. North Carolina 25. Down nine points late, NC State used a couple of exciting plays to stay alive in the Atlantic Division race until its final weekend.

Game of Next Week: NC State vs. Maryland. A victory for the Wolfpack would give them the Atlantic Division crown, while a Maryland victory would hand the title to Florida State.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (10-0, 7-0)

Lurking: Stanford (10-1, 7-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon State 36 vs. USC 7. USC continued its historic struggles in the state of Oregon, falling to Oregon State yet again, this time barely putting up a fight while Matt Barkley had to leave the game after injuring his ankle.

Game of Next Week: Oregon vs. Arizona. What will likely be Oregon’s final matchup against a ranked team until bowl season may be the final time Oregon could be in danger of falling victim to an upset.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (8-3, 5-3; East Division) and Auburn (11-0, 7-0; West Division) have clinched their respective conference titles and will play in the SEC Championship Game on December 4th.

Game of Last Week: Arkansas 38 vs. Mississippi State 31. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks went back and forth on Saturday, neither team ever taking control until Arkansas finally was able to contain the Bulldog offense in the second overtime.

Game of Next Week: Auburn vs. Alabama. The Iron Bowl. Two top-12 teams. A chance for the No. 2 team in the country to fall victim to its instate rival looking for a season-defining win. What could be better?

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (7-3, 5-2; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (8-2, 6-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: Maryland (7-3, 4-2; Atlantic Division) and Miami (7-3, 5-2; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: Florida State 16 vs. Clemson 13. Kicker Dustin Hopkins blasted a 55-yard game-winning kick to give the Seminoles a win after two crushing losses in previous weeks.

Game of Next Week: Virginia Tech vs. Miami. A victory here will give Virginia Tech the Coastal Division crown, while a Miami victory leaves the conference race up for grabs on the final weekend.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (10-0, 7-0)

Lurking: Stanford (9-1, 6-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon 15 vs. California 13. The Bears were able to do what many had tried and failed to do — stop Oregon’s explosive offense. But even a valiant effort on defense just wasn’t enough as a missed field goal doomed the Bears and allowed Oregon to remain undefeated and at No. 1 in the BCS.

Game of Next Week: Stanford vs. California. Just a week after giving Oregon all kinds of trouble, the Bears will welcome Stanford to Berkeley for the revival of the rivalry game, hoping to knock the Cardinal out of the BCS at-large race.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (7-3, 5-3; East Division) and Auburn (11-0, 7-0; West Division) have clinched their respective conference titles and will play in the SEC Championship Game on December 4th.

Game of Last Week: Auburn 49 vs. Georgia 31. A recently revitalized Georgia team gave the Tigers all they could handle for about three quarters until Cam Newton and Auburn pulled away and clinched the SEC West crown.

Game of Next Week: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State. A very important game in terms of bowl positioning and for Arkansas, a slim chance of keeping a BCS at-large bid hope alive.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (6-3, 4-2; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (7-2, 5-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (6-2, 3-2; Atlantic Division) and Miami (6-3, 4-2; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: North Carolina 37 vs. Florida State 35. With a chance to extend their lead on the Atlantic Division, the Seminoles botched two opportunities to put the game away and kept the race open for another week.

Game of Next Week: Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina. The Hokies are undefeated in ACC conference play, but will be tested on the road in against the Tar Heels.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (8-0, 5-0)

Lurking: Stanford (8-1, 5-1)

Game of Last Week: USC 34 vs. Arizona State 33. For the first time this season, the Trojans were not the victims of a last-second field goal attempt and hung on for this thrilling victory.

Game of Next Week: Oregon vs. California. The chances for an upset of the Ducks are certainly dwindling, but the Bears could prove to be a tough road test for the Ducks this late in the season.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (6-3, 4-3; East Division) and Auburn (10-0, 6-0; West Division)

Lurking: Florida (6-3, 4-3; East Division) and LSU (8-1, 5-1; West Division)

Game of Last Week: LSU 24 vs. Alabama 21. The Crimson Tide still had a sliver of hope to take the 2010 season all the way to a repeat national title, but those hopes came crashing down on Saturday as LSU beat the Tide with fourth-down gambles and gritty play.

Game of Next Week: South Carolina vs. Florida. This one is for the East Division crown and a berth in the SEC title game.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (6-2, 4-1; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (6-2, 4-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (6-2, 3-1; Atlantic Division) and Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: NC State 28 vs. Florida State 24. A last-minute fumble on the goal line during the snap allowed the Wolfpack to grab a slight upset victory over the Seminoles.

Game of Next Week: Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech. Almost every ACC game next weekend has conference race implications, although this matchup could all but clinch the Atlantic Division for the Hokies.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (8-0, 5-0)

Lurking: Arizona (7-1, 4-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon 53 vs. USC 32. Oregon needed a strong showing in Los Angeles against the Trojans to prove their worth after cruising through their early season schedule. They did more than that, dominating the Trojans on both sides, and giving them enough to get the top spot in this week’s BCS standings.

Game of Next Week: Arizona vs. Stanford. The two teams most directly chasing the Ducks will face off in Palo Alto in this primetime showdown.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (6-2, 4-2; East Division) and Auburn (9-0, 6-0; West Division)

Lurking: Florida (5-3, 3-3; East Division) and Alabama (7-1, 4-1; West Division)

Game of Last Week: Florida 34 vs. Georgia 31. Despite the unranked nature of the matchup — a first in many years for the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” — the game may go down as one of the rivalry’s greatest as the Gators pulled out the OT victory.

Game of Next Week: Alabama vs. LSU. Two teams who still hope to have a shot at BCS bowls and maybe even at the BCS title game face off in Baton Rouge in a matchup between two top-ten teams.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (6-1, 4-0; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1; Atlantic Division) and Miami (FL) (5-2, 3-1; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: Maryland 24 vs. Boston College 21. Surprise ACC contender Maryland continued its good run on the road, holding off an injury-riddled Golden Eagle team.

Game of Next Week: North Carolina State vs. Florida State. This Thursday night matchup of the top two teams in the Atlantic Division could spell either an almost assured Seminole division win or a wide open race down the stretch.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (7-0, 4-0)

Lurking: Arizona (6-1, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon 60 vs. UCLA 13. A Thursday night proved to be the perfect showcase for the nation’s most explosive offense as the Ducks spent four quarters showing off their best against the Bruins.

Game of Next Week: Oregon vs. USC. The top team in all of the human polls takes to the Coliseum looking to avoid falling victim to the recent run of No. 1s being upset away from home.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (5-2, 3-2; East Division) and Auburn (8-0, 5-0; West Division)

Lurking: Georgia (4-4, 4-3; East Division) and Alabama (7-1, 4-1; West Division)

Game of Last Week: Auburn 24 vs. LSU 17. A matchup of two top-ten teams turned into the Cam Newton show as the Auburn quarterback led his Tigers past LSU and to the top spot in the BCS standings.

Game of Next Week: Florida vs. Georgia. The “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” may have a little less shine this season as both teams have three SEC losses, however both are still alive in the SEC East race, and need wins to keep pace.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (6-1, 4-0; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1; Atlantic Division) and Georgia Tech (5-2, 3-1; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: Florida State 24 vs. Boston College 19. The Seminoles struggled at times against BC, but were able to overcome mistakes and some pretty poor play to continue their undefeated run through their ACC schedule.

Game of Next Week: North Carolina vs. Miami. Each team has a loss in conference play, and will need a victory here to stay in the thick of things in the ACC race towards an ACC Championship Game berth.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (6-0, 3-0)

Lurking: Arizona (5-1, 2-1)

Game of Last Week: Washington 35 vs. Oregon State 34. Oregon State failed a two-point conversion in the second overtime on the road to lose their first Pac-10 game of 2010 on the road to the Huskies.

Game of Next Week: Arizona vs. Washington. Both teams have one loss in a very crowded section of the Pac-10 standings. Arizona’s lone loss came at the hands of Oregon State, who Washington just beat in double overtime.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (4-2, 2-2; East Division) and LSU (7-0, 4-0; West Division)

Lurking: Florida (4-3, 2-3; East Division) and Auburn (7-0, 4-0; West Division)

Game of Last Week: Auburn 65 vs. Arkansas 43. With Ryan Mallett sidelined by an apparent concussion, Cam Newton and Auburn put up huge offensive numbers and stayed perfect with a big victory over Arkansas.

Game of Next Week: LSU vs. Auburn. No question, this game will decide the early-season favorite for the SEC title, and will leave the SEC with just one undefeated team.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (5-1, 3-0; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (4-2, 2-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: Maryland (4-1, 1-0; Atlantic Division) and Georgia Tech (4-2, 3-1; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: Florida State 45 vs. Miami 17. In what was supposed to be an entertaining and close game, only one team seemed to show up, as the Seminoles proved themselves to be the early ACC favorites in blowout fashion.

Game of Next Week: Florida State vs. Boston College. After taking Miami down in convincing fashion, the Seminoles would be smart not to overlook the Eagles when they visit Tallahassee on Saturday afternoon.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (6-0, 3-0)

Lurking: Oregon State (3-2, 2-0)

Game of Last Week: Oregon State 29 vs. Arizona 27. Looking to prove their Pac-10 legitimacy, the Wildcats instead floundered at home, letting the Beavers continue to thrive in the later college football months.

Game of Next Week: California vs. USC. Two teams looking to move back into the Pac-10 race will face off in Los Angeles.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (4-1, 2-0; East Division) and LSU (6-0, 4-0; West Division)

Lurking: Florida (4-2, 2-2; East Division) and Auburn (6-0, 3-0; West Division)

Game of Last Week: South Carolina 35 vs. Alabama 21. Not surprisingly, the biggest upset in almost two years in college football was the game of last week in the SEC. And it wasn’t even that close as the Gamecocks and Stephen Garcia looked quite a bit better than the Crimson Tide.

Game of Next Week: Arkansas vs. Auburn. Two legitimate SEC title contenders will face off in a matchup of two top-15 squads in the SEC West. Quarterbacks Cam Newton (Auburn) and Ryan Mallett (Arkansas) are sure to prove instrumental to both teams’ hopes for success.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers.

A new provision of the BCS bowl selection process will be enacted during the 2010-11 season, providing the annual Rose Bowl, held in Pasadena, California, an opportunity to break from tradition and host a non-BCS conference member for the New Years Day bowl.

Starting with the 2011 Rose Bowl and extending until the 2014 edition of the granddaddy of them all, the first time the Rose Bowl loses one of its traditional hosts (Big Ten or Pac-10 Champion) to the BCS National Championship Game, and a non-BCS team automatically qualifies for the BCS, that non-BCS team will be selected by the Rose Bowl.

As a reminder, these are the ways in which a non-BCS conference member can automatically receive a BCS bowl bid:

• Be a member of the five non-BCS conferences, win at least nine games and either:
  • Be ranked in the top-12 in the final BCS standings.
  • Be ranked in the top-16 in the final BCS standings, and rank ahead of at least one of the six BCS conference champions.

As in past years, only one non-BCS conference school can automatically qualify for a BCS bid. If more than one team does meet the criteria, it will be considered for an at-large bid by the BCS bowls.

If neither the Big Ten nor Pac-10 champions are selected for the BCS National Championship Game, the Rose Bowl will continue to honor its contract with the two conferences and host the two teams for its traditional pairing.

In the case that a non-AQ school is selected to play in the BCS National Championship Game, the Rose Bowl will not be held to fulfilling this provision as that school would be the “automatically qualifying non-AQ school.” However, the Rose Bowl could still decide to take a non-AQ team, which would clear the bowl of its responsibility for the four year period.

The provision is only temporary for 2011 to 2014, and will only apply once. Once the provision is met the first time, it will no longer apply.