Saturday is the reason they play the regular season all the way to the end.
Just when you think you know everything, you know nothing.
Kansas State was No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings but now it's not.
Oregon was No. 2 but now it's not.
Notre Dame was No. 3 in the BCS but will now be . . . No. 1.
And the Southeastern Conference, stunned by top-ranked Alabama's loss last week to Texas A&M, is now back in BCS business.
The take-away question after Saturday's frenzied flurry of action is, "OK, now what?"
Well, here's what: Out of nowhere, and by nowhere we mean Waco, Texas, the Baylor Bears shocked Kansas State, 52-24.
Stanford went to Oregon and stymied the nation's No. 1 offense, pulling out a 17-14 overtime victory.
Sometimes this is how a national title dream dies. Oregon kicker Alejandro Maldonado's field-goal attempt in overtime clanked off the left upright. Stanford took possession but fumbled, the ball jumping away from two Oregon players into the arms of one from Stanford.
Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson, who has been living with last year's Fiesta Bowl miss for almost a year, stepped up and kicked the game-winning 37-yard field goal.
The only people cheering harder than those in Palo Alto were fans in the SEC, who got the two-loss combination they needed to start bragging again.
For the short, incredible term, Notre Dame is 11-0 and the only undefeated team left that can still play for this year's title.
If USC defeats Notre Dame next week, though, this year's BCS race will be a cage-match battle of one-loss teams.
It's possible now that two SEC teams could play again for a title, a year after two SEC teams played last year.
It's also possible players crying on Saturday could be back in contention before you know it.
You just never know, right?
Kansas State entered the weekend 10-0 and No. 1 in the BCS standings for the first time in school history.
The Wildcats stood two wins from advancing to their first national title game.
You might have expected a tough game next week against Texas, but Saturday night in Waco against Baylor?
