First BCS Rankings of 2009: Florida Claims Top Spot, Followed Closely by Alabama

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

The BCS rankings cause controversy. There’s no debating that.

But usually that controversy doesn’t come until at least a few weeks into the BCS rankings, when people can see a trend that they might disagree with.

This year, however, there may be some griping to do just after one BCS rankings, following one of the most exciting and jam-packed action weekends of the college football season.

The top three of the first BCS standings may give some Alabama fans some pain, as the Crimson Tide sit at No. 2 on the first rankings, although the Associated Press poll, which is no longer a part of the BCS, had the Tide at No. 1 in their poll.

Alabama sits behind Florida, who has struggled to win the past few weeks, but in the eyes of the voters and computers, is strong enough to warrant the .046 point lead over the Tide.

Interestingly, Boise State and Cincinnati follow Texas (No. 3) in the BCS standings. Boise State gets healthy love from the computers and the human element, but Cincinnati is able to jump USC, who find themselves the victim of a poor computer ranking, and at No. 7 in the first BCS rankings.

In between the Bearcats and Trojans, you can find the class of the Big 10, Iowa. The Hawkeyes also got love from the computers that was not shown in the human element, as they ranked seventh and eighth in the two polls, but find themselves at No. 6 in the BCS, just .0001 points behind Cincinnati for that No. 5 spot.

Ready to pounce on the BCS buster opportunity if Boise State is to falter, TCU enters the rankings at No. 8, a guaranteed BCS bowl berth position for the Horned Frogs if the Broncos are unable to win out.

LSU and Miami, each with one loss on their record round out the top 10, and will definitely need some major help to climb back up the rankings, where they had stood earlier this season.

Oregon, whose only loss came to Boise State, comes in at No. 11 followed by Georgia Tech, whose shocking victory over previous No. 4 Virginia Tech dropped the Hokies out of the top 12, and let the Yellow Jackets make an appearance in the year’s first BCS top 12.

The current BCS rankings:

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