The expression of surprise and disbelief on Brian Carter's face said it all.
"For real? We're No. 1?," Texas' senior receiver said.
Carter's surprise was a common reaction across the college football world Monday as the Longhorns jumped past Southern California in the second Bowl Championship Series rankings of the 2005 season.
Texas quarterback Vince Young, who said he plans to return next year for his senior season, said he believes his team deserves the top ranking, but he would rather be in the No. 1 spot at the end of the year. Texas coach Mack Brown said he agreed.
"It's a compliment, because it's a place we haven't been in a long time, and it sets our standard even higher," Brown said in a statement after the BCS standings were released Monday at 1 p.m. "We also understand that the percentage points and the rankings can change weekly.
"What we have to do is concentrate on winning. That's the only thing we have control over. It's only October, and what we want to do is to be one of the top two teams in December."
The Longhorns attained a No. 1 ranking Monday for the first time since the inception of the BCS in 1998 and for the first time in any poll since Oct. 8, 1984, when they were ranked atop The Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' polls.
The BCS average gave Texas a .9763 rating with USC a mere .0007 behind at .9756. That margin is the closest between the top two teams in BCS history. Virginia Tech held its third-place spot with a .9164 average, and Georgia and Alabama rounded out the top five with .8679 and .8513 averages, respectively.
Although the Longhorns remain second in The Associated Press, USA Today Coaches' and Harris Interactive polls this week, a perfect computer rating helped launch the Longhorns over USC. Texas did gain a few first-place votes that contributed to the narrow advantage.
The Harris Interactive and USA Today Coaches' polls each account for one-third of the BCS total, while the computer average counts as the other third. The Associated Press dropped its association with the BCS after last season.
"I think people in the country are starting to see the amount of depth we have - on offense and defense - and the caliber of football we've been playing," Carter said. "It's good that people are starting to notice that, and we received the No. 1 ranking. I think it's well-deserved."
It might be deserved, but the ranking will likely change in the coming weeks. The Longhorns received a boost from the computers with a dominating Saturday win over then-BCS No. 7 Texas Tech. With unranked Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas in the Longhorns' path, the weak schedule will hurt Texas in the computers.
Meanwhile, USC's strength of schedule will increase. The Trojans play three of their final five games against ranked opponents. After hosting Washington State and Stanford, they travel to No. 24 California, then return home to face No. 22 Fresno State and No. 8 UCLA.
None of that matters to the Longhorns, who said they just want to stay inside the top two positions to get a shot at the national championship.
"We've done all we can so far this year," Carter said. "We've won all of our games."
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