Just for the sake of conversation over the next five weeks, I'll suggest the possibility of Utah's losing to Brigham Young. While the first BCS standings published Sunday were very reassuring to the Utes, they also made this critical point: The Cougars ain't dead yet.
That's among the five things you need to know at this stage of the game.
* No. 1: Utah (11th) is in prime position.
The standings basically promise that if the Utes win their remaining four games, they're in a BCS game - claiming the one spot reserved for a top-12 team from a conference without automatic qualifying status. That was not the situation at this time four years ago, when Utah was No. 7 and had to reach the top six for a guaranteed invitation, which happened only when Wisconsin lost its second-to-last game.
* No. 2: BYU (21st) still has a shot.
The Cougars have enough of their own issues without asking anybody for help, and nothing about this past week's developments suggested the Cougars will beat Utah, judging by their 32-7 loss at Texas Christian. Yet they are not out of this thing entirely.
BYU needs Utah to beat TCU (14th) and Boise State (12th) to lose a Western Athletic Conference game, which could happen.
Then, by defeating Utah, the Cougars would move ahead of TCU - illogical, perhaps, but true - and make the top 12, or at least claim a top-16 position that's higher than a champion from a "BCS" conference, as another entry point for an outsider. Georgia Tech (18th) is the top Atlantic Coast Conference team.
* No. 3: The system is treating the local conferences reasonably well.
In terms of trying to win a national championship, Mountain West and WAC teams are still discriminated against without a playoff. The 2004 Utah team, for instance, deserved a chance to test itself against much better competition than Pittsburgh. Having said that, TCU's 35-10 loss to Oklahoma was sufficient evidence to me that this year's outside candidates are not in the same league as the Big 12's or the SEC's elite teams, so just being in any of the five BCS games is a nice enough reward.
The polls and computers obviously respect the MWC and the WAC. The same cannot be said of Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference, because Tulsa and Ball State each could go 13-0 and settle for second-tier bowls.
* No. 4: Besides TCU, Boise State was a winner in Fort Worth.
They still need help from somebody against Utah, but TCU's victory over BYU was a break for the Broncos. Among the hypothetical questions remaining, though, is whether Boise State would stay ahead of TCU if the Horned Frogs beat Utah. So BYU is the Broncos' chief ally.
* No. 5: Cheering against Ohio State is advised in the West.
I'm not dismissing the possibility of a second outsider receiving a BCS invitation. If Utah goes unbeaten and is in the middle of the top 10, I could picture a 12-0 Boise State team getting an at-large bid. It would take the Big Ten, Pac-10, ACC and Big East having only one worthy candidate each, which means Ohio State is the bubble team.
The Buckeyes may not fall far if they lose a close game at Penn State this week, but a trip to Illinois also appears dangerous.
But could both BYU and Utah get in, if each is 11-1? Could Utah still get in with a loss to TCU? Only if there's complete chaos in the other 49 states, especially Idaho.
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* KURT KRAGTHORPE can be reached at kkragthorpe@sltrib.com. To write a letter about this or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.
BCS rankings
Team / Rating
1. Texas 0.9979
2. Alabama 0.9487
3. Penn St. 0.8666
4. Oklahoma 0.8319
5. USC 0.7751
6. Okla. St. 0.7727
7. Georgia 0.7201
8. Texas Tech 0.7127
9. Ohio St. 0.7030
10. Florida 0.6990
11. Utah 0.6345
12. Boise St. 0.5870
13. LSU 0.4987
14. TCU 0.4197
15. Missouri 0.3682
16. South Fla. 0.3296
17. Pittsburgh 0.2831
18. Ga. Tech 0.2405
19. Tulsa 0.2368
20. Ball St. 0.2342
21. BYU 0.2171
22. Nrthwstern 0.1620
23. Kansas 0.1489
24. Minnesota 0.1426
25. Florida St. 0.1120
