Following a thrilling 20-13 overtime victory over Stanford on Saturday, Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 in the first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings, which were released Sunday evening.
The Irish (6-0) are off to their best start since 2002 and have not played in a BCS game since their 41-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl following the 2006 season.
The formula to determine the standings includes the USA TODAY coaches' poll, the Harris poll and a composite of six computer rankings. The three components are weighted equally.
Alabama is ranked No. 1, followed by Florida, Oregon and Kansas State in front of the Irish. Following its matchup with BYU this weekend, Notre Dame will travel to Oklahoma, which is ranked ninth in the initial standings. The Irish will conclude the regular season Nov. 24 at No. 10 USC.
Earlier in the day, Notre Dame was ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press (AP) poll, coaches' poll and Harris poll. It was the first time the program reached the top-five in either the AP or coaches' poll since the final week of the 2006 regular season.
