Utah Utes are top non-BCS team in initial standings

The University of Texas claimed the top spot in the first Bowl Championship Series college football rankings of the season after defeating Missouri and the University of Utah checks in at 11, the top among not BCS conferences.

The Longhorns (7-0) beat the Tigers 56-31 at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin as McCoy threw a pair of 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.

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. Rounding out the top five is University of Southern California (5-1). 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.

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.

A team from outside the conferences that get automatic bids (the Big East, ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10) would secure a bid to a BCS bowl game if it is ranked inside the top 12. But only one team is guaranteed a BCS bid under those rules. If the season ended today, that bid would go to Utah because it is ranked higher than Boise State.

Boise State and TCU would be eligible for but not guaranteed an at-large selection because they are ranked inside the top 16.

The full BCS rankings:

1. Texas

2. Alabama

3. Penn State

4. Oklahoma

5. USC

6. Oklahoma State

7. Georgia

8. Texas Tech

9. Ohio State

10. Florida

11. Utah

12. Boise State

13. LSU

14. TCU

15. Missouri

16. South Florida

17. Pittsburgh

18. Georgia Tech

19. Tulsa

20. Ball State

21. BYU

22. Northwestern

23. Kansas

24. Minnesota

25. Florida State