First BCS Rankings Released

After another wild weekend in college football, highlighted by an LSU loss to Kentucky and a Cal loss to Oregon State, Ohio State and South Florida rose up in the Associated Press poll to first and second, respectively. Both teams are also on top of the pack in the first BCS rankings of the year, with a relatively tight competition for first place. A look at the Top 5 in the BCS Rankings:

1: Ohio State, 7-0, BCS Score of .942
Ohio State may have had some opponents that were viewed at easy wins, but as Kirk Herbstreit said on ESPN, Ohio State has been playing consistent football. Ohio State has played the easier portion of their schedule and now will be facing teams such as Penn State in a night matchup later this month and Wisconsin as they're season builds to their annual Michigan game, which this year will be in Ann Arbor. If the Buckeyes can run the board and win their last five games, they deserve to go to New Orleans for the BCS National Championship. With Brandon Saine healthy, this gives the Ohio State offense another weapon in both the backfield with Maurice Wells and Chris Wells, as well as an additional slot receiver.

This past week: Won 48-3 against Kent State.
Next week: Michigan State comes to Columbus for Ohio State's Homecoming game

2: South Florida, 6-0, BCS Score of .920
The Bulls of South Florida have been another consistent team. While not one of the most talked about teams at the beginning of the year, the Bulls have gone out on the field and shown just why they deserve to be mentioned in National Championship talks. South Florida, like many other teams, is entering conference play after their win over Central Florida, which should be to their advantage. With only one ranked opponent remaining in their schedule, it appears that South Florida could potentially go through what appears to be a relatively weak set of Big East opponents. However, South Florida needs to make sure they make their dominance well known to ensure they land a top-2 spot in the final BCS polls in the event of several undefeated teams.

This past week: The Bulls won 64-12 over in-state rivals, Central Florida.
Next week: South Florida goes out of town to face Rutgers.

3: Boston College, 7-0, BCS Score of .891
The Boston College Eagles took the third position in the initial BCS standings after a win over a struggling Notre Dame team. Boston College will be tested in the coming weeks, facing Virginia, Florida State and Miami. The toughest game they should have will be the Virginia Tech game at Virginia Tech at night. The Eagles have some ground to gain to catch the Buckeyes, who currently hold the top position in the polls and winning out will be essential for any chance at a shot at a National Championship. While Boston College is 7-0, they have been tested very few times, having faced teams such as Bowling Green, Army, Notre Dame and Massachusetts. The Eagles will have to prove this week that they are an all-around dominant team this week in the game against the Hokies before it can be established whether or not they are worthy of their ranking. Until then, the Eagles retain the third position in the BCS.

This past week: Beat Notre Dame 27-14
Next week: Boston College travels to Virginia Tech.

4: LSU, 6-1, BCS Score of .840
LSU fell this past weekend in a loss to Kentucky. Luckily, it was a relatively close game and the Tigers still were able to place fourth in the initial BCS rankings for the 2007 season. Facing a tough remaining schedule, consisting of Auburn and Alabama, the Tigers are going to have to win simply to remain from falling further in the polls. Tiger fans should hope that this loss was just a fluke and that the Tigers don't choke in future games, as their schedule only gets tougher from here. One thing LSU, amongst other teams, have taught college football fans this year is that just because you are in first one week, doesn't meant that's the case the next week. With Ohio State facing a tough Big Ten schedule in the next few weeks, one Buckeyes loss could help propel the Tigers into striking distance of a shot to the BCS National Championship.

This past week: Lost to Kentucky in overtime, 43-37
Next week: LSU hosts Auburn for what should be an excellent matchup of SEC powerhouses

5: Oklahoma, 6-1, BCS Score of .762
The Sooners are really on the outside looking in right now, with a BCS score that is significantly set apart from the top four teams. Missouri was one of their tougher games this year and a good place to make up computer points, but don't count the Sooners out yet. They will be facing Big 12 teams such as Texas Tech and Texas A&M, both of which are having decent seasons this year. Having a loss may not be too much of a problem once the end of the season comes, but a second loss for the Sooners would be lethal to any BCS National Championship hopes.

This past week: 41-31 win over Missouri
Next week: Oklahoma goes on the road to visit a struggling Iowa State team that is 1-5 on the season

Week 8 Game to Watch: Auburn at LSU, Saturday October 20^th at 9pm on ESPN
This is the game that all televisions should be tuned to when it comes on. It historically has been a great matchup, and this year should be no different. With the 17^th ranked BCS team coming to face the 4^th ranked LSU Tigers, this game is a must-see game. Both teams are tied at 3-1 in the SEC and both teams have big time playmakers, most notably, Brandon Cox with almost 1100 passing yards for Auburn and Craig Steltz with 4 of LSU's 13 interceptions, returning those four interceptions for 111 yards. A shot at the national championship for LSU remains intact only with a win in this game.
Statistics used are from www.bcsfootball.org