NEW YORK – Texas held first place in the first BCS standings Sunday, and Alabama was a solid second.

The Longhorns are way ahead of the field, as expected, and appear in position to play in the BCS national championship game Jan. 8 in Miami if they can stay unbeaten.

Texas is an overwhelming No. 1 in the USA Today coaches’ poll and the Harris Poll, and rated first in each of the six computer rankings, giving the Longhorns a BCS grade of .998 out of 1.000.

Alabama is second across the board, behind Texas in the polls and the computers. The Crimson Tide have a BCS average of .949, which bodes well for Alabama being in control of its destiny. The Tide will be tough to catch from behind if it can stay unbeaten.

That’s bad news for third-place Penn State. With an .867 average, the unbeaten Nittany Lions will not just have to keep winning, but keep winning big to have a shot at catching Alabama.

Oklahoma (.832) is fourth and Southern California (.775) fifth.