NEW YORK – Surprise! Surprise!

Two straight weekends of seismic upsets not only sent tremors throughout college football from the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest, they have all but cleared the way for two marquee teams and best-known brands to play for the national title.

Notre Dame was No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll released Sunday and Alabama was No. 2 after a pair of stunning Saturday night upsets rearranged the rankings. When the BCS standings came out later Sunday, they lined up the same way.