Longhorns stake out the top BCS spot

The first Bowl Championship Series standings of the season were released yesterday and to the surprise of no one, Texas is No. 1. The Longhorns took care of business with a 56-31 rout of Missouri Saturday.

At No. 2 is Alabama, which squeezed past Mississippi, 24-20.

Penn State, which rolled over Michigan, 46-17, is No. 3, with Oklahoma and Southern California rounding out the Top 5. While it would seem being No. 1 and No. 2 doesn't mean a whole lot in October, a little historical perspective is helpful. Since the BCS standings began in 1999, at least one of the teams ranked first and second in the poll's first week has played in the title game.

However, the odds of Texas and Alabama both reaching the game are diminished, since each will likely have to get through a conference championship game.

Powerful statement
Southern Cal might not be the best team in college football, but coach Pete Carroll's Trojans certainly are focused on getting back to BCS title game consideration after their loss to Oregon State in Game 3. The Trojans have won their last three games by a combined 141-10, including a 69-0 pasting of Washington State Saturday.

"Our intention wasn't to beat these guys by 80 points," said USC linebacker Ray Maualuga. "Our intention was to come out and play a great football game."

So one-sided was the affair that USC was inside the Washington State 5 in the final seconds of the first half and let the clock run out.

Considering the Trojans had a 41-0 lead at the time, it was the humane thing to do to a Cougar team that has given up 60 or more points to four of its opponents.

Slow starters
Alabama had to struggle to get past a stubborn Mississippi team. But what caught the fans' attention in Tuscaloosa was when Ole Miss took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. It was the first time this season the unbeaten Tide trailed in a game . . . With Texas Christian's 32-7 victory over previously unbeaten Brigham Young Thursday night, the pool of non-BCS conference teams hoping to crash the big dance is shrinking. It's now down to Utah and Boise State, which are both unbeaten.

The real McCoy
How good is Texas quarterback Colt McCoy? All he did in the destruction of Mizzou was complete 29 of 32 passes for 337 yards and 2 TDs. In seven games, McCoy has completed 81.2 percent of his passes. The NCAA record, held by former Central Florida star Daunte Culpepper, is 73.6 percent in 1999. Can you say Heisman Trophy? . . . Texas is halfway through one of the most brutal stretches in its long and storied history. The Longhorns have knocked off Oklahoma and Missouri in the last two weeks and now must face unbeaten Oklahoma State and unbeaten Texas Tech. That's four ranked opponents in a row. Oklahoma was unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country entering last weekend, and Missouri went into Saturday night's game with one loss . . . Conversely, Missouri's 15 minutes of fame appear to be over. The Mizzou defense has allowed 126 points against Illinois, Oklahoma State, and Texas, and lost two of the games.

Bit of Nit picking
What got into Penn State in the late going against Michigan? The Nittany Lions trailed the Wolverines, 17-7, midway through the second quarter. Coach Joe Paterno's team then went on a 39-0 scoring burst. "They hit us in the mouth early," said Penn State QB Darryl Clark. "But we were able to roll with the punches." Said Paterno, who again coached from the press box as he deals with a sore leg and hip, "You've got to have some adversity. You can't go out there and have everything go your way all the time. Everything we have done has been so easy." Next week's game figures to be even tougher: a showdown against Ohio State in Columbus . . . How good is college football in the state of Oklahoma these days? Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are a combined 20-1 thus far. Tulsa (7-0) is coming off a 77-35 rout of UTEP. The Golden Hurricane are first in the country in total offense (624.7 yards per game) and points per game (56.8).

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.