COLLEGE FOOTBALL It looks like USC, Texas will top first BCS ratings

The season's first Bowl Championship Series standings are due today.
By RALPH D. RUSSO
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Let the complaining begin.
The season's first Bowl Championship Series standings come out today, and it looks like Southern California and Texas will be on top.
And here's the really bad news for fans of Virginia Tech, Georgia and Alabama: Unless the Trojans or Longhorns stumble on their way to the Rose Bowl, everybody else is probably fighting for third.
Maybe Frank Beamer, Mark Richt and Mike Shula should give Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville a call to find out how to handle being the BCS's odd team out.
With seven weeks remaining in the regular season, there's more than enough time for these things to sort themselves out. Or become impossibly muddled. If a wild Saturday of college football taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected.
BCS formula the same
For those who need a reminder, the BCS's formula is the same as last season, but with a new component. Teams are graded on how they fare in the USA Today coaches' poll, the new Harris Interactive poll -- which replaces the AP Top 25 -- and a compilation of six computer rankings. Each component counts for one-third of a team's grade.
To project what the BCS numbers crunchers will churn out, first we have to sort through a memorable weekend of games that started with nine perfect teams and ended with seven.
Penn State and Florida State both fell for the first time, with the Nittany Lions losing 27-25 on the last play of the game at Michigan on Chad Henne's touchdown pass.
The Seminoles were upset 26-21 at Virginia, 10 years after the Cavaliers handed Florida State its first Atlantic Coast Conference loss.
That leaves USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, Texas Tech and UCLA undefeated.
USC shows courage
The Trojans' 34-31 victory at Notre Dame put USC's guts and moxie on display. Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart went for the win and got it by sneaking into the end zone with seconds to spare.
Texas' easy 42-17 victory over Colorado probably had some poll voters rethinking their first-place votes this week, but BCS analyst Jerry Palm expects USC to be in first and Texas to be a solid second in the BCS standings.
"Texas played an opponent that is now 4-2," Palm said. "So that's going to help what has been a pretty weak strength of schedule so far."
Virginia Tech, idle on Saturday, is looking at third place at best in the BCS standings, Palm projected.
Georgia should benefit from the losses by Florida State and Penn State and Alabama's 13-10 squeaker at Mississippi.
Coming off a convincing 34-17 win at Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs might be closer to Virginia Tech than the Hokies are to the Longhorns, Palm said.
Alabama stays perfect
Alabama kept its perfect season alive with a field goal as time expired. The Crimson Tide will have to compete with Miami (5-1) and maybe even LSU (5-1) for the fifth spot in the BCS rankings.
UCLA and Texas Tech are on the rise and have the opportunity to make the big leap into the thick of the national title race. The Red Raiders (6-0) get their shot Saturday against Texas in Austin. The Bruins (6-0) play USC on Dec. 3.
However it shakes out, you can bet somebody's going to be unhappy -- it's just the BCS way.