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Mark May talks about the likelihood that the top three teams in the next set of BCS standings will be from the SEC.

TCU remained ahead of Boise State in the latest BCS standings released Sunday night, though the margin has tightened up between the top two non-AQ teams.

The Horned Frogs now lead Boise State by a 0.0332 margin. Last week, the margin was 0.0597. TCU saw its computer average drop one spot, from 2 to 3. The Horned Frogs also dropped from 3 to 4 in the coaches' and Harris polls. Boise State also saw its computer average drop from 5 to 6, but moved to No. 3 in the human polls.

TCU's computer average figures to drop even more, considering its lone remaining opponent is New Mexico (1-9). If Utah and Baylor continue to lose, that is not going to help, either. Both teams play Oregon State, so the Beavers' struggles affect them both.

As for Boise State, the Broncos still have Fresno State (6-3) and Nevada (9-1) remaining, along with Utah State (4-6). Now that Boise State is ahead in the human polls, it is going to need to stay there in order to be able to move up ahead of TCU in the remaining weeks because their computer average is projected to be so close.

TCU dropped in the human polls because it had its closest win of the season, 40-35 over San Diego State. If Boise State has a close win, the Broncos could be in danger of being dropped as well. There is no way to definitively say right now who will be the top non-AQ team at the end of the season.

Among the other non-AQ teams, Nevada moved up three spots to the highest spot in school history at No. 18 after a close win over Fresno State, and Utah dropped from No. 14 to No. 23 after losing to Notre Dame.

TCU coach Gary Patterson had an interesting line today on the Mountain West football coaches conference call. We all know the issue of style points is a big one in college football.

But what about this spin on style points?

"Do you have to score 59 or can you hold teams to zero and 3?"Patterson asked. "What exactly is winning and how you go about it?"

TCU has given up one field goal in its last three games. Boise State has two shutouts this season and now leads the nation in total defense, with the Horned Frogs right behind at No. 2. No question Boise State could have won its last several games more impressively, but the starters barely saw time in the second half against New Mexico State, Toledo and San Jose State.

But when we think about style points, the natural inclination is to think about offense. Oregon embodies that. The Ducks have climbed from No. 11 in the preseason poll to No. 1 in the human polls for having a prolific offense. But take a deeper look at the schedules of Oregon, Boise State and TCU.

The Ducks have played FBS teams that are a combined 11-20. Boise State has played FBS teams that are a combined 16-24. TCU has played FBS teams that are a combined 18-23.

Look at the road ahead: Oregon has teams that are a combined 22-15 left on its schedule. Boise State: 23-16. TCU: 16-16.

As much as folks want to knock the non-AQ schools for a poor strength of schedule, it appears the combined records for the opponents of all three teams are in the same neighborhood.

Oklahoma is No. 1 in the BCS standings based on its superior computer average, and that has to do with its strength of schedule. As ESPN BCS guru Brad Edwards told me today in an e-mail, "My gut is that it will be really hard for Boise to finish in the BCS top two without being ranked No. 1 in at least one of the polls ... and it will take a lot of help for that to happen."

Oregon is ranked No. 1 in those human polls, but as you have just seen, its schedule is no more impressive than the one Boise State or TCU plays.

We have history in the BCS standings with three non-AQ teams ranked in the Top 10 -- No. 3 Boise State, No. 5 TCU and No. 9 Utah.

Nobody knows if anybody will break into the Top 2, but what happens if the Broncos or TCU or Utah do that? What if somebody becomes the first non-AQ team to play for a national championship?

Does the foundation of college football change forever?

I am inclined to believe that nothing is going to change. There is going to be no push for a playoff. There is going to be no paving the way for others who come after them. There is going to be grudging respect, but I can just hear the critics now:

“Well, it was a down year in college football, so …”

It always feels as if the non-AQs are slapped down with comments similar to that one. When Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, it was because of a trick play, and not because the better team won. When Utah beat Alabama, it was because the Tide lost in the SEC championship game, and not because the better team won.

This year, we are seeing all the pieces fall into place for the non-AQ teams, with Ohio State, Nebraska and Alabama losing early. Many more pieces have to fall into place for one of these teams to make it into the national title game. There is no question the chances are slim, but there are chances for it to happen, which is more than we could have said 10 years ago.

There is no doubt that these teams have gained respect from voters and from many fans, and have taken significant steps toward breaking the stigma of their conference affiliations. The human polls are a testament to that with Boise State at No. 2 in the coaches and Harris polls.

The computer polls are a different matter. Imagine if Boise State and TCU/Utah finish ranked 1-2 in the human polls but the computers cost them both a spot in the national championship game? Don’t laugh, but that could happen. Boise State is No. 2 in both polls but No. 7 in computer average, so that means it would miss out on the championship game if the season ended today.

That is the whole point of the BCS, though. Nobody liked the old system, where polls determined the champion. So this one was devised. But there are flaws here, too. There are many eager to see Boise State or TCU or Utah bust the BCS system, but none of them are going to break the system.

The rules will always be stacked against them, no matter the accomplishments.

“The use of computers to determine strength of schedule or opponent’s strengths disadvantages teams that come from the non-AQ conferences,” WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Monday. “If a Boise State is penalized for playing a conference game, that just further disadvantages the teams that historically aren’t in the top 20 or whatever.”

None of that is going to change if the Broncos play for a national championship. Believe me, getting there would be a day we will always remember, a day that would be incredibly good for everybody in college football.

Groundbreaking moments like these live in history. But you want your trailblazers to do exactly that … blaze a trail to create better opportunities for those who follow. The system as it is currently configured is simply not set up to allow for that.

Join ESPN.com college football writer Mark Schlabach and ESPN.com senior writer Ivan Maisel as they discuss the initial BCS standings.

Contribute your thoughts and questions, starting at 1 p.m. See you there.

» BCS standings reaction: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

A few thoughts and observations on the first Bowl Championship Series standings, which were released on Sunday night:

1. Boise State must have really been hurt by Nevada and Oregon State both losing on Saturday night. The Broncos were expected to be the No. 1 team in the initial BCS standings, but they actually came in at No. 3, behind No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Oregon. The Beavers lost 35-34 at Washington on Saturday night; the Wolf Pack fell 27-21 at Hawaii in a game that didn't end until early Sunday morning.

The Broncos had an average ranking of No. 7 in the six computer rankings -- they were as high as No. 2 and no lower than No. 7. That's a sign that Boise State is really going to be hurt by its lack of schedule strength down the stretch.

2. Oklahoma is No. 4 in the Harris Interactive Poll and No. 3 in the USA Today coaches' Top 25 poll, but the Sooners are No. 1 in four of the six computer rankings used in the BCS formula. I'm surprised the Sooners are rated that high by the computers, especially since they've beaten only two ranked teams -- No. 17 Florida State 47-17 on Sept. 11 and No. 19 Texas 28-20 on Oct. 20.

Oklahoma plays two more games against teams currently rated in the BCS Top 25 -- at No. 11 Missouri on Saturday and at No. 14 Oklahoma State on Nov. 27.

3. Auburn fans don't have to worry that it's going to be 2004 all over again. The undefeated Tigers are No. 4 in the BCS standings, ahead of No. 5 TCU, which is ranked ahead of them in both the Harris Interactive Poll and USA Today coaches' poll.

As long as the Tigers keep winning, they're in really good position with two big games left on the schedule: Saturday's home game against No. 6 LSU and a Nov. 26 road game at No. 8 Alabama. Auburn went 12-0 in 2004 but was left out of the BCS National Championship Game.

4. Defending BCS national champion Alabama isn't out of the BCS race after losing at South Carolina 35-21 two weeks ago. The Crimson Tide are No. 8 in the BCS standings, but still play games against two teams ranked ahead of them, No. 4 Auburn and No. 6 LSU.

The Tide have an average ranking of No. 12 in the six computer rankings; they're ranked as high as No. 4 and as low as No. 20.

5. How can No. 11 Missouri be ranked in the top 10 of five of the six computer rankings, but then be left out of Richard Billingsley's computer rankings altogether?

6. Oregon is No. 1 in the Harris poll and coaches' poll, but is ranked No. 7 or worse in five of the six computer rankings. Jeff Sagarin has the Ducks rated as the No. 2 team in his computer rankings, but Dr. Peter Wolfe has them at No. 11.

7. No. 6 LSU, which keeps finding ways to win close games, is No. 1 in two of the six computer rankings -- Anderson & Hester and Richard Billingsley.

8. Undefeated Missouri and Oklahoma State still aren't getting much respect. The No. 11 Tigers are ranked behind two one-loss teams (No. 8 Alabama and No. 10 Ohio State) and the No. 14 Pokes are ranked behind four one-loss teams (Bama, Ohio State, No. 12 Stanford and No. 13 Wisconsin).

Posted by ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel

1. In last week’s BCS standings, Alabama stood at No. 3, LSU at No. 9. After the Crimson Tide won, 24-15, in Tuscaloosa, they rose to No. 2, while the Tigers moved to... No. 8. That’s right: LSU lost and moved up in the standings. You know what? That doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, it should happen more often. A loss shouldn’t be the automatic demerit that voters make it out to be. More teams that play well in defeat, as did LSU, should be rewarded.

2. Texas A&M 31, Colorado 28, with about 4 minutes to play. Aggie had 4th-and-goal at the Buffs 3 and kicked a field goal. Good, prudent call. Make the Buffs score a touchdown. They did. But in the first quarter, after failing on 3rd-and-goal from the 1, Aggies coach Mike Sherman tried for the touchdown again. No go. No points. They don’t call it conventional wisdom because it’s dumb. You take the three points on the road. A&M needed them at the end of that 35-34 loss.

3. Over one weekend, Ohio State went from Big Ten wannabe to the favorite to win its fifth consecutive conference championship and sixth in coach Jim Tressel’s nine seasons. He has taken the Buckeyes to three BCS Championship Games and three other Fiesta Bowls. But Tressel has never been a head coach in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State hasn’t been to Pasadena in 12 years. That may be the weirdest BCS byproduct of all.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

A week after falling from No. 5 to No. 8 in the BCS standings, Cincinnati got back to the fifth spot in this week's standings.

The Bearcats benefited from USC's loss at Oregon, and they also jumped back ahead of potential BCS busters Boise State and TCU. Cincinnati's schedule strength the rest of the way should help keep it ahead of those two. The Bearcats remain one spot behind Iowa.

Pittsburgh moved up to No. 13 after its bye week. The Panthers would officially be eligible for a BCS at-large berth by finishing in the Top 14, though the odds of them actually receiving such an invite are somewhere between slim and none -- and much closer to none.

South Florida also returned to the BCS standings at No. 25 despite not cracking the Top 25 of either poll that comprises the formula.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

ESPN just released its Mock BCS Standings, and Virginia Tech is No. 3.

I just spent over 20 minutes on the phone with Brad Edwards, our BCS guru, who is the right man to help me explain this to you. Here are the main points of our conversation:

• First of all, it's important to remember that this mock ranking is based on the here and now -- what it would look like this week -- NOT what the real BCS Standings might look like on Sunday. Right now, most of the computers have Texas ranked in the double digits. Virginia Tech has the edge over Texas because of their strength of schedule (SOS). Even though the Hokies have a loss, it's a high quality loss. Virginia Tech's two wins over Nebraska and Miami are bigger of any of Texas' wins.
• The problem for the Hokies is that there's nowhere for them to climb. Edwards told me that even if the Hokies beat Georgia Tech on Saturday, they'll most likely stay where they are in the computers. Meanwhile, though, a win over Oklahoma would boost Texas above them. So don't expect Virginia Tech to still be sitting at No. 3 on Sunday if the Longhorns win.
• If Iowa wins out, they would probably jump Virginia Tech. The same isn't necessarily true for Cincinnati. The fact is the Big Ten would get more credit than the Big East. USC also has a chance to jump Virginia Tech, as does LSU.
• What Virginia Tech really needs is for Alabama to lose twice. If Bama has one loss, many voters would probably have a hard time putting the Hokies ahead of them because of the head-to-head Bama win. Also, there's a human element, and some pollsters might not want to see a rematch of a game that was already played this year. In the end, this could be the second time in three seasons that Virginia Tech misses the national championship because it was bold enough to schedule an SEC team. While playing Bama helped the Hokies' SOS, the loss could come back to haunt them just like it did against LSU in 2007.
• The most important thing for the Hokies to do right now is win and look good doing it. They can hold off the teams behind them, but they can't control Alabama. Virginia Tech has to be the first in line of one-loss teams.
• This Georgia Tech game is the biggest one remaining on the Hokies' schedule. USC, however, still has Notre Dame and Oregon. This week's game in Atlanta can offset USC's matchup against the Irish. And the fact that the Hokies are already ahead of USC in the polls will help. But Virginia Tech cannot afford to play close games against what would be regarded as inferior competition. If they beat Georgia Tech and win out handily, they should be able to hold off USC.

For those of you wondering about Miami, Edwards had the Canes at No. 12 in the mock ranking. He said the two computers we can see right now have the Canes as the 13th best team. Why? Because FSU has gone downhill and Oklahoma's two losses in five games isn't impressive.

Hopefully that answers a lot of your questions. We'll revisit this when the real BCS Standings when they are released on Sunday.

Kirk Herbstreit breaks down the latest BCS standings.

Ivan Maisel and the ESPN.com bloggers break down the week in college football.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The latest BCS standings are out, and quite frankly, Penn State deserves better. 

The Nittany Lions remained at No. 8 despite crushing Michigan State by 31 points. I don't see a whole lot of blemishes on Penn State's record -- the Lions notched 10 of their 11 wins by 14 points or more -- but evidently voters see a team that doesn't belong in the first tier.

Utah shouldn't be ahead of Penn State. Neither should Texas Tech, which looked pathetic Saturday night in Norman. Penn State is a last-minute field goal away from an undefeated season, and the Nittany Lions get no credit for annihilating an Oregon State team that beat USC. 

The Big Ten is viewed as a mediocre-to-bad league right now, and a very good Penn State team is paying the price. It doesn't really matter, since Penn State is Rose Bowl bound no matter what.

Ohio State remained at No. 10 in the BCS standings despite three dominant November victories. It's a bit surprising Boise State remained ahead of the Buckeyes. Michigan State dropped three spots to No. 18 and Northwestern re-entered the standings at No. 24. 

If the Big Ten is going to change its national perception, it will need an extremely strong performance in the postseason.

Ivan Maisel and the ESPN.com bloggers preview the week to come in college football and how it could impact the BCS.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The newest BCS standings are out, and Penn State paid a price for its loss to unranked Iowa. The Nittany Lions slipped from No. 3 to No. 8 after suffering their first setback of the season. Their computer numbers are struggling (tied for 10th), and the voters have slotted them outside the elite group of national championship contenders.

None of this is a surprise. Penn State players and coaches all but acknowledged their hopes for a national championship disappeared at Kinnick Stadium. 

Ohio State remained at No. 11 in the standings despite a 35-point road win at previously ranked Northwestern. Michigan State moved up three spots to No. 15 after improving to 9-2. And that's it for the Big Ten. 

Assuming that Penn State wins its final two games and the Big Ten's BCS tiebreaker that goes with it, Ohio State's position will be interesting to watch if the Buckeyes win out. The final BCS at-large spot could come down to Ohio State and a second non-BCS team (Utah or Boise State). The powers-that-be from the big bowls would have a hard time not choosing the Buckeyes, who boast a sizable fan base and a roster filled with future NFL players. 

So despite Penn State's loss, the Big Ten remains in good shape to get two teams into BCS bowls.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The rest of the country doesn't think much of the Big Ten, but the BCS computers seem to like the league.

Four Big Ten teams appear in this week's BCS standings, led by Penn State at No. 3. Ohio State dropped three spots to No. 12 after Saturday's loss to Penn State, but the Buckeyes are tied for 10th in computer average. Still, Ohio State can officially be cropped from the national title picture.

The surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers rose to No. 17 this week, boosted by a computer ranking that ties for 15th with Ball State. And Michigan State is back in the BCS standings at No. 21. With a computer average that ranks 19th, the Spartans should continue to rise if they beat Wisconsin this week.

Because of the computer averages, Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan State all rank higher in the BCS standings than in the human polls.