BCS Standings Released: SEC Dominates First Rankings, Alabama and Florida Top Teams In Nation

Oct 15, 2012 01:09 PM EDT
Florida Gators running back Mike Gillislee
Florida Gators running back Mike Gillislee (C) runs to score a second half touchdown as LSU Tigers cornerback Jalen Mills pursues during their NCAA football game in Gainesville, Florida, October 6."

The first BCS standings of the season were released after this week's college football games and in no surprise to anyone, two SEC teams sit at the top.

The past six national championships have been won by SEC teams and in the first standings of the season, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators are ranked in the top two spots.

Alabama has been number one in the Associated Press Top 25 all season, while Florida has moved up each week with each impressive win. Alabama scored a .9761 and has a large advantage over the Gators, who at .9092 have an excellent chance of staying in that spot if they can keep winning.

Although Florida was ranked fourth in the USA Today poll and third in the Harris poll, the Gators were able to jump over Oregon for the second spot. Alabama and Florida are not scheduled to matchup this season, but could end up playing in the SEC championship game.

Both Alabama and Florida are 6-0 this season. Alabama easily beat Missouri 42-10 this past weekend, while the Gators topped Vanderbilt to improve to 5-0 in the SEC.

Quarterback Jeff Driskel had an excellent game running the ball, carrying it 11 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

"We kept running really the same play, and they didn't really make adjustments," Driskel said to the Associated Press. "So we kept going to it. If something's working, keep going to it."

The team played well on both sides of the ball, allowing just 126 yards rushing. The performance allowed the Gators to come in ranked at No. 2 in the BCS.

"We're a little bit of a M.A.S.H unit on the offensive line," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "So I was really proud of those guys, as many looks as Vanderbilt gave us, in being able to rush for 300 and something yards. ... It says a lot about our guys stepping up and manning up."

The Oregon Ducks debuted at the No. 3 spot with .8993 after having a bye week and will have to climb over the Gators to get back into the title game.

The BCS top five rounds out with No. 4 Kansas State (.8963) and No. 5 Notre Dame (.8774).

Kansas State had a tough game on Saturday against Iowa State, but were able to come out on top 27-21 on the road.

Quarterback Collin Klein was impressive throwing and running the ball, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

"It's an honor. It's a team game, though. It's about all 11 of us out there, it's about all 11 of us out there to execute, be calm in a high-pressure situation," Klein said. "We were able to get some big, big first downs."

The win put the Wildcats in position for a BCS bowl and improved the team, to 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Big 12.

Notre Dame is off to its best start in years and has been impressive in beating numerous ranked teams this season, including No. 17 Stanford on Saturday night.

The game ended on a controversial play, with Stanford running back Stefan Taylor getting stopped at the goal line trying to tie the game as time expired. Taylor pushed through a pile of bodies and crossed the goal line without his knee touching the ground, but the whistle had already blown, ending the play.

Even replays made it hard to tell what happened, but the referees ruled Taylor down before the goal line, allowing the Irish to earn the win.

"Physically, we controlled the line of scrimmage," Irish coach Brian Kelly said of the last play. "Classic. Classic goal-line stand."

According to ESPN.com, Notre Dame is off to its best start since 2002 when the team finished 10-3.

"We're halfway through the season, and six weeks left with this group," Kelly said, "I think they leave here knowing they can win if they stick with the plan."

LSU came into the BCS standings at No. 6 after a couple disappointing weeks in the AP Poll. The Tigers upset No. 3 ranked South Carolina at home on Saturday, winning a tight contest 23-21.

Running back Jeremy Hill led the way for the Tigers, rushing for 124 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. LSU was excellent on defense, shutting down Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore, allowing him to rush for only 35 yards on 13 carries.

"We didn't play like we were capable of playing last week against Florida. The entire offense knew that they had to step up and we made that a priority," Hill said. "At the end, it was a great release and we wanted to celebrate with the students who have supported us throughout the season."

The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by No. 7 South Carolina, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 USC. The SEC is well represented in the top 25, including No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Mississippi State and No. 18 Texas A&M.

West Virginia took a big hit this weekend, losing 49-14 to Texas Tech, but still came in at No. 13. Quarterback Geno Smith still has yet to throw an interception this season, but Texas Tech were able to keep him in check, allowing him to pass for only 275 yards and one touchdown a week after he threw four touchdowns against Texas.

"Those guys did a great job of just attacking us," Smith said. "They attacked us the entire game."

Other Big 12 teams in the standings include No. 17 Texas Tech, No. 23 TCU, No. 24 Iowa State, and No. 25 Texas. Cincinnati came in at No. 21, while Rutgers and Louisville were ranked at 15 and 16.

The first BCS standings aren't always a great barometer on how the season will finish, but based on the top, it looks as if the SEC will get a chance to make it seven straight national titles this year.

HERE are the complete Top 10 BCS Standings:

  BCS Harris Poll USA Today Computer Rankings
RK TEAM AVG PVS RK PTS % RK PTS % AVG A&H RB CM KM JS PW %
1 Alabama .9761 NR 1 2870 .9983 1 1475 1.0000 3 5 1 3 4 1 3 .930
2 Florida .9092 NR 3 2554 .8883 4 1297 .8793 1 1 5 2 2 2 2 .960
3 Oregon .8993 NR 2 2758 .9593 2 1414 .9586 6 6 3 6 8 6 10 .780
4 Kansas State .8963 NR 4 2538 .8828 3 1307 .8861 4 2 4 5 3 3 1 .920
5 Notre Dame .8774 NR 5 2427 .8442 5 1251 .8481 2 3 2 1 1 4 4 .940
6 LSU .7522 NR 6 2263 .7871 6 1179 .7993 9 17 6 12 11 5 8 .670
7 South Carolina .6930 NR 7 1992 .6929 8 1012 .6861 7 8 7 8 10 9 9 .700
8 Oregon State .6808 NR 10 1850 .6435 11 839 .5688 5 4 9 4 5 7 5 .830
9 Oklahoma .6664 NR 9 1860 .6470 7 1021 .6922 10 15 10 14 6 8 6 .660
10 USC .5959 NR 11 1820 .6330 9 995 .6746 15 12 8 17 17 10 20 .480

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