First BCS Rankings Will Be Put to Test

Nebraska’s No. 1 and Oklahoma’s No. 2--for a week, anyway--in the first Bowl Championship Series standings.

Virginia Tech, No. 2 in the Associated Press media poll and USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, finds itself in third place in the rankings, which will determine what teams play in its national championship game.

The standings, released Monday night, are based on a formula that incorporates the AP poll plus the coaches’ poll, eight computer rankings, strength-of-schedule and number of losses.

The teams that finish 1-2 in the final BCS standing released Dec. 3 will play for the title in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.

Nebraska is No. 1 and Oklahoma No. 3 in both the AP and coaches’ polls this week.

The Cornhuskers (7-0) play the Sooners (6-0) on Saturday at Norman, Okla., and the result of that game probably will shake up next week’s BCS rankings.

In two weeks, there will be even more shuffling when Virginia Tech (7-0) plays at Miami (5-1) and Clemson (8-0) plays at Florida State (7-1). On Nov. 18, Florida (6-1) is at Florida State.

Miami is fourth in the BCS standings, Florida State fifth, Florida sixth and Clemson seventh.

Nebraska had 3.61 points in the BCS standings--one point for poll average, 1.57 for computer rank average, 1.04 for strength-of-schedule and zero for losses. The Cornhuskers defeated Baylor, 59-0, on Saturday, a week after a 56-3 victory over Texas Tech.

Oklahoma had 5.43 points--three for poll average; 1.71 for computer rank average; 0.72 for strength-of-schedule and zero for losses. The Sooners were idle Saturday after defeating Kansas State, 41-31, on Oct. 14.

Virginia Tech, which also started out third in the BCS standings last year, had 6.66 points--two for poll average, 4.14 for computer rank average, 0.52 for strength-of-schedule and zero losses.

Oklahoma was first in four of the eight computer rankings, Nebraska was first in three and Florida State was first in the other.

In the computer ratings, the lowest ranking is discarded and seven highest are used to come up with an average. For example, Nebraska came away with the best computer average based on three firsts and four seconds. A fourth-place finish in one computer rating was tossed.

The BCS, chaired this season by Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford, was created two years ago to come up with a national title game without instituting a playoff. After the top two teams are decided, the remaining BCS games--the Rose, Sugar and Fiesta bowls--select from the remaining pool of qualified teams.

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* BCS RANKINGS, D10