Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, October 20, 2013

The first BCS standings were released on Sunday night. Alabama is No. 1, which was no shock. It was a shock that Florida State is No. 2 over Oregon, which is No. 3. Ohio State came in at No. 4, which was not a surprise. Missouri is No. 5. The only other Big Ten teams in the standings: Michigan No. 22; Nebraska No. 24.

The big question for the Buckeyes: Can they get to No. 1 or No. 2 in the standings by the end of the season to secure a spot in the BCS title game? Even if Ohio State goes unbeaten, it may not be enough if Alabama, Florida State and/or Oregon go unbeaten. Two of those three teams will have to lose at some point, which is possible. But there is even some thought that a one-loss SEC champ could finish ahead of the Buckeyes.

No one knows for sure. Just sit tight, Ohio State fans. There is a lot of football to play.

BCS Standings
Rankings as of 10/20/2013
Rank School Total Prev Rank
1 Alabama (7-0) .9841 NR
2 Florida State (6-0) .9348 NR
3 Oregon (7-0) .9320 NR
4 Ohio State (7-0) .8553 NR
5 Missouri (7-0) .8219 NR
6 Stanford (6-1) .7414 NR
7 Miami (FL) (6-0) .7200 NR
8 Baylor (6-0) .7120 NR
9 Clemson (6-1) .6249 NR
10 Texas Tech (7-0) .6220 NR
11 Auburn (6-1) .5058 NR
12 UCLA (5-1) .4807 NR
13 LSU (6-2) .4552 NR
14 Virginia Tech (6-1) .4408 NR
15 Oklahoma (6-1) .4204 NR
16 Texas A&M (5-2) .3666 NR
17 Fresno State (6-0) .3379 NR
18 Northern Illinois (7-0) .3032 NR
19 Oklahoma State (5-1) .2687 NR
20 Louisville (6-1) .2556 NR
21 South Carolina (5-2) .2161 NR
22 Michigan (6-1) .1637 NR
23 UCF (5-1) .1394 NR
24 Nebraska (5-1) .1354 NR
25 Oregon State (6-1) .1042 NR
About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.