The time is finally here.

Sports fans across the country will look at the first official BCS Standings this week and pontificate over the significance of the numbers. A few fans will be cautiously optimistic about where their favorite team sits, while others will be adamant that the system has failed us again.

But wherever your allegiances may lie, be sure of one thing: these standings don't mean very much in October. During the first four years of the system's existence, only three of the eight teams that have been No. 1 or No. 2 in the season's initial BCS Standings have also found themselves in the top-two of that year's final BCS Standings (FSU in '99, Oklahoma in 2000, Nebraska in 2001 -- and Nebraska, of course, lost a game in the interim and needed a minor miracle to get back up there).

Try to stay calm, people.

The Unbeatens
There are eight undefeated teams remaining in Division I-A, and only one is guaranteed to lose (Virginia Tech and Miami play on Dec. 7). But they all have at least a couple of potential challenges waiting on their schedules.

Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame and NC State are all expecting a huge fight to preserve their perfect records this week. OSU hosts Penn State, UGA travels to Kentucky, ND goes to Tallahassee and NC State takes its title hopes down to Clemson on Thursday night (7:30 ET on ESPN).

Unbeaten Teams in Division I-A


Team			Record		Still Play 
Miami   		6-0  		at Tennessee, Va. Tech 
Oklahoma		7-0    		Colorado, at Texas A&M 
Va. Tech  		7-0   		Pitt, at Miami 
Ohio St.   		8-0   		PSU, Michigan 
Georgia  		7-0    		at UK, Florida 
Notre Dame 		7-0   		at FSU, at USC 
NC State   		8-0    		at Clemson, FSU 
Bowling Green		6-0   		at NIU, at Toledo

But Oklahoma proved last year, as did Oregon on Saturday, that even a national title contender can be derailed by just about any opponent. Miami and Virginia Tech probably have that on their minds this week as they prepare for seemingly overmatched Big East foes. The Hurricanes visit 5-2 West Virginia (noon ET, ESPN2), and the Hokies host improved Temple. Just think back to 1998, when the Owls won in Blacksburg as five TD underdogs -- one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

A New Controversy
Many people will see the six unbeaten teams at the top of the BCS Standings this week and inevitably ask the question, "What happens if everyone wins out?" It's a fair question, especially on the heels of the disastrous scenarios that have ambushed the BCS in the last two seasons.

But even though we have seen some crazy things happen in this selection process, we have not yet seen a year with more than two undefeated teams from major conferences. The odds are against it, although it is far from impossible. The last time it happened with three championship-eligible teams was 10 years ago, when Alabama, Miami and Texas A&M all ran the regular-season table.

Undefeated Teams In the BCS Standings


	Initial Release		Final Release
1998	7			2 (Tennessee, Tulane)
1999	6			3 (FSU, Va. Tech, Marshall)
2000	5			1 (Oklahoma)
2001	7			1 (Miami)
2002	8			???

In the event that several teams do finish unbeaten, my current opinion is that Miami (or Virginia Tech) and Oklahoma have the inside track to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. It's tough to imagine these teams getting jumped in the polls without losing, and none of the other undefeateds has vastly superior schedule strength the rest of the way. Since there is no longer consideration for margin of victory in the computers, this makes it unlikely that a team could make a strong enough move from behind to pass anyone in that group.

Here Come The Irish
With Navy and Rutgers still on its schedule, 7-0 Notre Dame should easily get the nine wins it needs for BCS at-large eligibility. The only other condition necessary for the Irish to be selected by a major bowl is a Top-12 BCS finish, and a win over Florida State, Boston College or USC should be enough to lock that up. It's looking like ND fans will be visiting either Miami or New Orleans for the New Year's holiday -- unless, of course, there's enough magic left to get them to Tempe instead.

State Of Urgency
The increased emphasis on schedule strength within the BCS formula seems to have created the possibility that a team could go unbeaten against a weak schedule and finish behind a team with one loss against stronger opponents -- even if the unbeaten team is in a major conference. If it can keep winning, North Carolina State will provide an excellent case study for this theory.

The Wolfpack's non-conference schedule featured two I-AA teams (East Tennessee and UMass) in addition to Navy (1-6) and New Mexico (3-5). And even though the remainder of their ACC schedule is fairly strong with Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia and Florida State, it won't be enough to get them into the same schedule strength ballpark as the other top teams at the end of the year.

My estimation is there are as many as 10 teams that could have one loss and still finish ahead of NC State in the final BCS Standings, depending how those teams' opponents fare down the stretch. Those aren't good odds for a Wolfpack team that will have a hard enough time keeping itself unbeaten.

The Little Guys
Bowling Green kept its perfect season alive in dramatic fashion on Saturday with a come-from-behind OT win on its home field against Western Michigan. The Falcons have many injuries to defensive starters and, if the WMU game was any indication, will have a very difficult time staying undefeated through road trips to Northern Illinois, South Florida, Toledo and possibly Marshall for the MAC Championship Game. Unfortunately for BG, even if it is able to run that gauntlet, the chances of a Top-6 BCS finish are almost nonexistent.

The BCS saga of Air Force, however, can now be considered officially over. The cadets put up a valiant effort against Notre Dame but came up just short. No team from a non-BCS conference is going to gain at-large eligibility with a loss on its record, so the Falcons can refocus on the Mountain West title and a trip to the AXA Liberty Bowl.

BCS Standings
Here are the top 15 in the season's first BCS standings:

1. Oklahoma
2. Miami
3. Notre Dame
4. Virginia Tech
5. Georgia
6. Ohio State
7. Washington State
8. Michigan
9. LSU
10. Texas
11. NC State
12. Florida State
13. Iowa
14. USC
15. Oregon

Next week, I'll take a look at some of the once-beaten teams that are not out of the race quite yet.

Brad Edwards is a college football researcher for ESPN. Inside the BCS appears weekly.