As we draw closer to the first BCS standings of the season, timing of the release of each week’s BCS Standings becomes a question on everyone’s mind.

When the BCS was aired exclusively on FOX, we were treated to the announcement of each week’s BCS standings wrapped around FOX’s coverage of the NFL on Sundays.

This often didn’t allow for much analysis from the studio crew, especially because it was often the NFL studio crew announcing the BCS standings, an arrangement which didn’t always benefit the average college football fan.

However, the BCS has returned to ABC/ESPN and for the first time, exclusively on ESPN. This allows the self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports” to create a show that revolves solely around the BCS standings for us each and every Sunday.

And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Starting on October 17 and ending with the announcement of the final BCS standings on December 5, ESPN will broadcast a “BCS Countdown” each Sunday night at 8:15 p.m. ET.

The 45 minute program will include the release of the new standings, analysis and interviews. At 9 p.m. the program will switch to ESPNU.

So for those of you looking for a release schedule, here it is:

First BCS Standings: October 17th, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Two: October 24th, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Three: October 31st, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Four: November 7th, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Five: November 14th, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Six: November 21st, 6:00 p.m. on ESPN
BCS Week Seven: November 28th, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
Final BCS Standings and BCS Bowl Pairings: December 5th,  8:15 p.m. on ESPN

Remember, as soon as the new rankings are released, turn to BCS Know How for the first shot analysis of the rankings and continuing coverage week to week of the BCS.

And of course, each Saturday night BCS Know How will release its projected BCS rankings, like we’ve been doing for some time with a great rate of success.

Stay tuned!

Hi everyone, we just received word from ESPN that BCS Know How has been selected as July 26th’s SportsNation’s Site We Like. Tune in today at 4 PM ET on ESPN2 to hear what they have to say!

UPDATE: Thanks again to the people over at ESPN and SportsNation for the shoutout, even though it was less than 15 seconds! If a video shows up I’ll be sure to post it here!

Update Two: The fine people at SportsNation have graciously posted the video on their YouTube page, here it is!:

One of the most open Heisman races in recent years is finally complete, and five college football players have been named as finalists for college football’s most coveted and prestigious award.

The season started as a race between quarterbacks for the trophy, as Heisman winners Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow were joined by Colt McCoy among the Heisman favorites. However, after Bradford went out with a season-ending injury, McCoy and Tebow were left alone. Both McCoy and Tebow will be headed to NYC for the presentation after both had very productive senior campaigns. McCoy will also be headed to the BCS National Title game in early January while Tebow heads to the Sugar Bowl.

The two quarterbacks are joined by two running backs, neither of which were on many watch lists when the season started. Stanford’s Toby Gerhart and Alabama’s Mark Ingram have stepped up in recent weeks to add their names to the list of Heisman favorites and were productive enough throughout the season to warrant an invite to the Heisman presentation.

The final finalist is Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, whose performance in the Big 12 Championship Game against McCoy and the Texas Longhorns gave Suh a last minute Heisman boost.

The trophy presentation is on Saturday December 12th at 8 PM EST on ESPN.

Final season statistics for the five finalists, listed in no particular order:

Colt McCoy QB Texas

330 of 468 (70.5%) passing for 3,512 yards, 27 TDs against 12 INTs. McCoy also rushed for 348 yards and three TDs.

Tim Tebow QB Florida

182 of 279 (65.2%) passing for 2,413 yards, 19 TDs against 5 INTs. Tebow also rushed for 1,109 yards and 13 TDs.

Mark Ingram RB Alabama

249 rush attempts for 1,542 yards (6.2 per carry), 15 TDs and zero fumbles lost. Ingram also had 30 receptions for 322 yards and three TDs.

Toby Gerhart RB Stanford

311 rush attempts for 1,736 yards (5.6 per carry), 26 TDs and zero fumbles lost. Gerhart also had 10 receptions for 149 yards, and a passing touchdown.

Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

82 tackles, 47 of which were solo. 12 sacks and one INT

As far as bowl games go, the Armed Forces Bowl isn’t half bad.

Good name, late in the bowl season (December 31^st), ESPN coverage and two solid conference ties, the C-USA and Mountain West Conference.

Usually, the winner of the MWC would be headed to Forth Worth to play in this very worthy bowl game, but this year its just a little different for the non-BCS conference schools.

See this year, both TCU and Boise State (of the WAC) have good shots at making a BCS bowl, and for TCU to avoid a date in Texas on New Year’s Eve and head to a BCS bowl, this weekend’s match up with Utah is of the utmost importance.

The Horned Frogs have climbed all the way up the BCS standings in the last four weeks to No. 4, the highest ranked non-BCS school in the country. Where they sit now, TCU would be assured of a BCS bowl bid, but the Utes stand in their way.

A victory by Utah would likely give them the MWC conference title, and send them to either the aforementioned Armed Forces Bowl or the Humanitarian Bowl, but this week all they’re focused on is the Horned Frogs.

The Utes have been in just this situation in the past. In fact, last year an undefeated Utes team faced a game Horned Frogs squad with the chance for a BCS bowl bid for Utah on the line, and Utah prevailed, making its way to the Sugar Bowl. The Utes hope the favor is not returned to TCU.

This MWC showdown highlights a weekend of very important conference matchups.

As we come down the stretch of the college football season, for the teams not vying for BCS glory, these weeks will decide whether they go to a bowl, or sit at home and watch 68 other teams play one final game in one of the 34 bowls this season.

Also at stake this weekend is a Rose Bowl bid from the Big 10. Iowa, who had been coasting to the Big 10 conference title and a shot at the Roses, experienced their first loss last weekend. Now they face Ohio State, the winner likely to win the conference and a date in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.

The triumvirate ruling over college football this season – Texas, Alabama and Florida – all go on the road this weekend to weaker in conference opponents, looking to avoid upsets and put dampers on both their opponents in-conference and overall records.

The season winds down and bowl games begin to fill, crunch time for the nation’s best is approaching. This is when college football is at its finest, with the postseason on the line, and as much as you think you know about the season thus far may have absolutely nothing to do with what we could see in the coming weeks.

Those weeks start now.

Enjoy.