Florida State moved up to No. 1 in the BCS standings released Sunday, but the more significant news is that unbeaten Ohio State holds a slim lead over Auburn for the No. 2 spot.

The Seminoles advanced to the top spot for the first time this season after Alabama, which had held the No. 1 spot all season long, was upset by Auburn 34-28 on Saturday.

That victory moved the Tigers (11-1) up to No. 3 in all three components of the BCS formula - the USA Today coaches poll, the Harris poll and the BCS computers.

But it was not enough to push Auburn above No. 2 Ohio State, whose BCS average of .9503 gives it a slight edge over Auburn, whose BCS average is .9233.

The top two teams in the final BCS standings, which will be released next Sunday, will play in the Jan. 6 BCS national championship game in Pasadena.

Three key games next weekend will play a role in determining which two teams end up on top.

Ohio State faces No. 10 Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. Auburn plays in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Missouri, which is 11-1 and No. 5 in this week's BCS rankings. And Florida State faces No. 20 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.

The results of those games, and how impressive the teams look in those games, will influence how the final BCS standings look. It may be possible for the SEC title-game winner to move past Ohio State into the No. 2 spot even if the Buckeyes win and stay unbeaten.

Alabama is No. 4 in the BCS this week, so the Tide still has an outside shot of reaching the national title game if this fall in their favor. Oklahoma State, which is No. 6 and plays Oklahoma this weekend, is also hoping for some odd occurrences this weekend to put the Cowboys in the mix.

Also of significance is the fact that Northern Illinois is No. 14 in this week's BCS standings and still ahead of Central Florida. As a member of the Mid-American Conference, whose champion does not receive an automatic berth to a BCS game, Northern Illinois must finish in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or be among the top 16 while a champion of an automatic-qualifying conference is ranked below it.

Central Florida, which leads the American Athletic Conference, is No. 16 this week, so if the standings remain the same next week, Northern Illinois would earn a BCS game berth. The path was cleared for Northern Illinois when Fresno State lost to San Jose State.

The Huskies play Bowling Green in the MAC title game this weekend, while Central Florida faces SMU in its final regular-season game.