The race to the BCS National Championship officially began with the release of the season’s first Bowl Championship Series standings, and the Texas Longhorns have claimed the early advantage. Fans following the weekly updates can refer to the official BCS standings structure to understand how each position is determined throughout the season.
Following a dominant start to their season and a decisive 56–31 victory over Missouri, Texas sits firmly at No. 1, ahead of Alabama and Penn State, who round out the top three. For now, the Longhorns control their own destiny — win out, and they’ll likely play for the national title on January 8 in Miami.
🏈 Texas Sets the Standard
Texas debuted as a clear No. 1 across every major metric:
- USA Today Coaches’ Poll: 1st
- Harris Interactive Poll: 1st
- All six computer rankings: 1st
This clean sweep earned the Longhorns an astonishing .998 BCS score (out of 1.000) — one of the most dominant openings in BCS history. The formula behind that composite number is explained in detail in our breakdown of how the BCS ranking formula works.
“I’m really proud of how they’ve handled the No. 1 ranking and the added attention,”
said head coach Mack Brown.
“But we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of room to improve.”
With upcoming matchups against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Kansas, followed by a potential Big 12 Championship Game, the Longhorns face one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Even a close loss might not be enough to knock them out of contention.
🐘 Alabama Close Behind
Alabama sits comfortably at No. 2 with a .949 average, ranking second in both polls and computer models. The Crimson Tide remain perfectly positioned to challenge for a title spot if they continue their unbeaten run through the rugged Southeastern Conference (SEC) schedule.
Their recent 24–20 victory over Ole Miss showed resilience — but also hinted that surviving the SEC grind will be no easy task.
🦁 Penn State Holding On
Penn State, led by veteran coach Joe Paterno, sits third with a .867 average. The unbeaten Nittany Lions face a critical road test against Ohio State in Columbus — a matchup that could decide the Big Ten title and determine whether Penn State can remain in the championship picture.
After that, their remaining schedule looks relatively light, which may limit their ability to gain ground unless one of the top two falters.
🔥 The Rest of the Top 10
The first standings highlight how tightly packed the contenders are:
- Texas (.998)
- Alabama (.949)
- Penn State (.867)
- Oklahoma (.832)
- USC (.775)
- Oklahoma State (.773)
- Georgia (.720)
- Texas Tech (.713)
- Ohio State (.703)
- Florida (.701)
🚨 BCS Busters on the Horizon
Outside the power conferences, Utah and Boise State continue to chase history.
- Utah (11th, .634) from the Mountain West and Boise State (12th, .587) from the WAC are both undefeated and on pace for a potential BCS at-large berth.
- However, under BCS rules, only one team from non-automatic qualifying conferences could earn a spot, meaning both programs are not just battling their schedules — they’re battling each other.
📊 Complete Top 25
- Texas
- Alabama
- Penn State
- Oklahoma
- USC
- Oklahoma State
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Ohio State
- Florida
- Utah
- Boise State
- LSU
- TCU
- Missouri
- South Florida
- Pittsburgh
- Georgia Tech
- Tulsa
- Ball State
- BYU
- Northwestern
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Florida State
⚡ Looking Ahead
The path to Miami remains treacherous. With high-profile clashes still to come — including Texas vs. Oklahoma State, Alabama vs. LSU, and Penn State vs. Ohio State — the BCS picture could shift dramatically in the coming weeks.But for now, the Longhorns are in control — and the road to the national championship clearly runs through Austin.
