BCS STANDINGSLSUAlabamaOklahomaOklahoma StateBoise StateWisconsinClemsonStanfordArkansasOregon
The Southeastern Conference is on a historical college football run with five consecutive national championships, and the league is certainly in the thick of things for a sixth straight crown.
LSU and Alabama are first and second in the inaugural Bowl Championship Series standings for the 2011 season. Oklahoma is third, followed by Oklahoma State and Boise State.
"It's a great compliment to our team and certainly to the body of work, but at this point in time we're just holding a spot," LSU coach Les Miles said Sunday night on ESPN after the standings were revealed. "It's not a final spot of achievement in any way."
The Tigers, who improved to 7-0 with a 38-7 trouncing of Tennessee on Saturday, are No. 1 in the BCS standings for the first time since November 2007, when they held the top spot for two straight weeks before losing their regular-season finale to Arkansas in triple overtime. LSU would regroup to win the '07 national title with a win over Ohio State in New Orleans.
This season's BCS championship will be held in New Orleans as well, and the biggest showdown on the road to the Big Easy likely will be the Nov. 5 matchup between LSU and Alabama, which is also 7-0, in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers and Crimson Tide are providing the SEC the top two teams in the BCS standings for the first time since 2009, when Florida and Alabama were ranked 1-2 for six straight weeks.
"Whoever lines up against LSU is going to play their best football," Miles said. "There is no extra target."
Another date of potential importance is Dec. 3, when Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State.
LSU hosts Auburn, the defending BCS champion, this weekend before having next week off. Alabama, which hosts Tennessee this Saturday, has next week off, too.
Since the implementation of the BCS standings in 1998, five SEC teams have held the top spot -- Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee. All five programs have won BCS titles.