The top of the inaugural 2006 BCS poll wasn't much of a surprise, with Ohio State, USC and Michigan leading in that order. The only revelation over the poll's unveiling yesterday was how much they constitute a Big Three and how little the Big East means thus far to those obscure BCS computers.

No. 1 Ohio State (.973), No. 2 USC (.955) and No. 3 Michigan (.934) grabbed a wide lead out of the gate, followed far up the track by one-loss Auburn (.747) and then No. 5 West Virginia (.745). For unbeaten West Virginia, 6-0 against a schedule of foes carrying a 14-25 record, it might be viewed as something of a slap in the facemask contrasted to the Harris and USA Today coaches poll, both of which slotted the Mountaineers No. 4 yesterday. Each of those polls holds a one-third stake in the BCS rankings, and a half-dozen specific computer rating systems combining for the remaining one-third -- and that's where the Mountaineers slipped.

"The BS?" Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez joked Saturday about the poll's release. "Oh, you said 'BCS.'

"If we happen to drop a spot in the polls [like they did a week ago] ... who cares? You worry about it at the end of the year."

Unbeaten Louisville (.717), ranked No. 7 behind one-loss Florida (.737), and unbeaten Rutgers (.395) at No. 16 also represented the Big East in the BCS poll. The BCS percentages are derived from mathematical computations involving the Harris, USA Today and the amalgam of computer polls, with the lowest and highest of that last group tossed out.

Pitt, at 6-1, and Penn State, at 4-3, weren't part of the opening Top 25.

"It's still early in the year," said Mark Romig, the outgoing president of the Sugar Bowl and a spectator Saturday at Mountaineer Field as the defending Sugar Bowl-champion Mountaineers thumped Syracuse, 41-14. "My God, it's still the middle of October. There's still a lot of football to be played."

"Wherever West Virginia is ranked," added new bowl president John Landis, "there will be people ahead of them who lose."

For instance, Ohio State and Michigan have yet to play, though the winner of that Nov. 18 meeting in Columbus -- for the time being, at least -- appears to automatically advance to the national championship game Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. With BCS No. 10 Cal (.688) along with No. 8 Notre Dame (.693) and Oregon still to play, USC has no primrose path to a duel in the desert, either.

Wisconsin athletic director and former football coach Barry Alvarez, a Burgettstown native, commented on Fox's exclusive broadcast of the BCS poll that he expects the winner of West Virginia-Louisville Nov. 2 to meet the Big Ten champion in the national final. Of the Mountaineers, he added, "That strength of schedule is going to improve."

The Mountaineers travel to Connecticut (3-3) for an ESPN-televised game Friday, then finish with Louisville, Cincinnati, Pitt, South Florida and Rutgers -- teams with a combined 28-10 mark to date.

For the record, after falling last week to No. 5 in The Associated Press poll, the Mountaineers returned to No. 4 and Michigan vaulted USC to No. 2.

As for West Virginia's health, Rodriguez said starting defensive end Johnny Dingle sprained an ankle in Saturday's 41-17 win against visiting Syracuse, the extent of which isn't yet known. Ridwan Malik, who returned to health to start at safety at Mississippi State, was scratched after warm-ups Saturday because of a strained quadriceps muscle that is a byproduct of the hip injury that kept him otu the first four games. His status for Connecticut will be determined in the week.