Florida's Poll Position: Gators rank No. 2 in initial BCS standings of 2012

In the first BCS standings of 2012, Florida is No. 2. You predicted rankings success for the Gators in 2012, didn't you?

The Gators come in second behind Alabama and pip No. 3 Oregon with a .909 average in the Week 8 BCS standings. This is Florida's first appearance in the BCS standings since November 7, 2010, when Florida earned the No. 22 spot after a road win over Vanderbilt and prior to a home date with South Carolina. (Gulp.)

It's also Florida's first top-five spot in the BCS rankings since the final BCS standings of 2009; Florida had previously been No. 1 in the each iteration of the BCS standings in 2009, and fell to No. 5 after losing the 2009 SEC Championship Game to Alabama.

How'd the Gators take the No. 2 spot? Florida took the No. 3 spot in the Week 8 Harris Interactive poll, one of two human poll components of the BCS formula, and the No. 4 ranking in the Week 8 USA TODAY coaches poll, the other human poll component. But with an incredible performance in the six computer rankings systems used in the BCS formula — Florida is the No. 1 team in the computers' eyes, No. 1 in one ranking and No. 2 in four others — the Gators passed up the Ducks.

Florida also moved up to No. 3 in the Week 8 AP Poll, but since the AP Poll is the domain of working journalists who are relatively objective and try to get their rankings right, it is not part of the BCS formula.

I think there's a case to be made for Florida as the nation's No. 2 team, but I'm not sure that Florida's going to stay No. 2 in the BCS rankings, and I know it ultimately doesn't matter: Florida could be No. 20 right now, and, as long as there is still a chance for Florida to be an undefeated SEC champion, the chance remains for the Gators to play for a national title.