BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Oklahoma is in a familiar place -- first in the rankings

It marked the third straight year Oklahoma has led the season's first standings.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma is in a familiar place -- first in the initial Bowl Championship Series standings. The Sooners' task this year is to stay there.
Oklahoma was No. 1 in the first BCS standings for the third straight year, matching the spot it has held in the two major polls all season.
"It's a positive indicator that we've played awfully well for seven games," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Monday. "We've earned that position and have played well through this part of the season. Now, it's our job to continue it, finish it and keep it."
Miami and Virginia Tech, the other two undefeated teams from major conferences, are second and third.
The title game is Jan. 4
The teams that finish 1-2 in the final BCS standings on Dec. 7 will play for the title at the Sugar Bowl Jan. 4.
The Sooners (7-0) have a 1.0 for poll average, 1.33 for computer-rank average, 0.44 for strength of schedule and zero for losses for a 2.77 total. Oklahoma is ranked first in four of computers with Miami the top team in the other three.
The Hurricanes (7-0) have 4.10 points and Virginia Tech (6-0) has 10.23.
"We can't get caught up in anything other than winning our games," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "If we do that, everything will work out as it should."
Georgia (12.99), Florida State (13.14), Ohio State (13.20), Southern California (13.83) and Purdue (21.50) round out the top eight. The top four teams in the BCS are the same as in the AP poll.
Northern Illinois 10th
The two other undefeated teams in Division I-A are not at the top of the standings. Northern Illinois (7-0) of the Mid-American conference is 10th, while TCU (7-0) of Conference USA is 14th. Both teams have poor strength of schedule rankings, with the Huskies 100th and the Horned Frogs 96th out of 117 Division I-A teams.
Northern Illinois and TCU will need to be in the top 12 to be eligible for one of the lucrative bowl games. There has been pressure from schools outside the big six conferences to improve access to the BCS bowls -- Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose.
"We've got so much football to play that we don't even really waste time thinking of that right now," Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak said.
In the first five years of the BCS, the teams that were in the top two spots in the first standings never stayed there for the final standings. However, the 10 teams that have played in the championship game were all in the top 6 in the first BCS standings.
Fell back last two years
After fast starts the past two seasons, Oklahoma lost twice in the second half to fall short of the national title game. Three years ago, Oklahoma was second in the first standings and went on to win the national championship in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.
"There seems to be a special quality about these guys, a genuine humility to them and a hunger to them in wanting to play well," Stoops said. "I just felt in the last few years we were a little bit short in some areas."