The University of Texas claimed the top spot in the first Bowl Championship Series college football rankings of the season after defeating Missouri last night behind a four-touchdown effort by quarterback Colt McCoy.
The Longhorns (7-0) beat the Tigers 56-31 at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin as McCoy threw a pair touchdowns passes and ran for two scores. Alabama, which held off Mississippi for a 24-20 victory, is ranked No. 2 and followed by Penn State. The Nittany Lions snapped a nine-game losing streak to Michigan with a 46-17 win.
The two teams that finish the regular season atop the BCS standings will play for the national championship on Jan. 8 in Miami. The BCS is determined using the USA Today coaches' poll, the Harris Interactive poll and six computer rankings. The final standings will be announced Dec. 7.
Texas has a BCS rating of .997, with a possible score of 1.000, Alabama (7-0) is second at .948 and Penn State (8-0) third at .866. Oklahoma (6-1), which lost last weekend to Big 12 Conference rival Texas, is No. 4 in the standings after the Sooners defeated Kansas 45-31. University of Southern California (5-1) is fifth after the Trojans defeated Washington State 69-0, USC's largest shutout victory since 1931.
Seven of the top 10 teams are from the Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference.
Rest of Top 10
Oklahoma State (7-0), Georgia (6-1), Texas Tech (7-0), Ohio State (7-1) and Florida (5-1) round out the top 10. Oklahoma State defeated Baylor 34-6, a week after handing Missouri its first loss of the season. Georgia downed Vanderbilt 24-14 as Knowshon Moreno rushed for a season-high 172 yards and a score.
Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 43-25 as quarterback Graham Harrell threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for two scores. Ohio State defeated Michigan State 45-7 as freshman quarterback Terrell Pryor ran for a touchdown and passed for another. Florida was idle this weekend.
Texas scored 35 unanswered points in the first half against Missouri, including two touchdown passes from McCoy and a rushing score in the first quarter. The Heisman Trophy hopeful passed Vince Young on the school's all-time list for touchdowns with 82. The Longhorns rolled up 591 yards of offense and held the Tigers to 348 yards.
Alabama's 24 points in the first half was enough as the Crimson Tide defense withstood a late charge by Mississippi. The Rebels had 359 yards to Alabama's 326. Quarterback John Parker Wilson threw for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the 7-0 Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Penn State Undefeated
At State College, Pennsylvania, Penn State (8-0) rallied after being down 17-7 to Michigan (2-5) early in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions then ran off 39 unanswered points, including a pair of rushing touchdowns by quarterback Daryll Clark. Running back Evan Royster rushed for 174 yards and a score.
Utah is No. 11 in the BCS standings, followed by Boise State, Louisiana State University, Texas Christian and Missouri. South Florida is 16th, while Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Tulsa, Ball State, Brigham Young, Northwestern, Kansas, Minnesota and Florida State round out the top 25.
