They were one spot higher in the first BCS standings of the season, at No. 6. USC, ahead of them in the AP poll, was behind them on the BCS list.

All of this is sure to encourage those fans who keep talking about the Hawkeyes possibly playing in the BCS championship game if they can manage to win their five remaining regular-season games.

Sorry, but that’s still very, very unlikely. I would say one of the two SEC teams that are 1-2 in every poll – Florida and Alabama – will be in the BCS game. Those two do not meet in the regular season and each of them only has one more ranked team on the schedule. Alabama hosts LSU a few weeks from now and Florida still has to travel to South Carolina.

Texas, No. 3 in the polls, also has a good chance of finishing unbeaten if it can win next Saturday at Oklahoma State. The only other tough game on the Longhorns’ schedule is against Kansas, which also could be its opponent in the Big 12 championship game.

It’s also unlikely that Boise State is going to lose although I could see some voters eventually leap-frogging the Hawkeyes over Boise if they can beat Ohio State on Nov. 14. Of course, I also could see LSU leap-frogging back ahead of Iowa if it beats Alabama on Nov. 7.

The other team ahead of the Hawkeyes in the BCS right now is Cincinnati, which still has two ranked teams remaining on the schedule – West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

It’s way too early to be talking BCS title game. Get back to me after the Hawkeyes have won at Ohio State. Then we’ll talk.