Norman, Okla. ? When the BCS standings made their season debut, Oklahoma occupied the top spot. That’s right where linebacker Travis Lewis didn’t want the Sooners to be.

Oklahoma players takes the field for their game against Iowa State on Saturday in Norman, Okla. For the third time under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma holds the distinction of being the first team to hold the No. 1 spot in the standings this season.

“Not that I don’t think we’re one of the best in the country, I don’t think we deserved it yet,” said Lewis, a defensive captain. “I think we’ve played two good games and then the rest have been inconsistent.

“Put someone deserving of it up there.”

Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0 Big 12), ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll, ended up in the top spot — and the driver’s seat for a spot in the national championship game — on Sunday after Ohio State and Nebraska each lost and fell out of the top five.

The Sooners are ahead of Oregon, Boise State, Auburn and TCU in the BCS standings heading into another chance to prove themselves worthy Saturday night at No. 18 Missouri (6-0, 2-0).

“What’s it matter? I don’t remember anybody talking about a goal that Oct. 15 we want to be No. 1 in the BCS,” coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday. “That doesn’t matter at all.

“All that matters is Missouri. We’ve played two conference games, and our whole focus and attitude is on them. That’s it.”

Stoops’ Sooners have started out as the top team in the BCS three times, but only made it to the national championship game in one of those seasons and never won it. Three other times, Oklahoma started out behind and made it to the national title game — winning it all after the 2000 season, losing to Southern California in the 2005 Orange Bowl and losing to Florida two seasons ago.

Relatively few players are back from that Oklahoma team, which featured Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and eventual first-round NFL draft picks Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams and Jermaine Gresham.

“We’ve got a pretty young team,” Lewis said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that didn’t play on that team, but we’ve got a lot of older guys that know how to handle it, that are not going to let those younger guys relax or start getting caught up in the hype because as soon as you … lose that edge and then you lose.”

Historically, the first team to hold the BCS lead hasn’t been able to sustain it. Only two of the 12 teams to debut at No. 1 in the standings have gone on to win the national title, and it’s just 50-50 whether that team even plays for the championship.

“We’re still 80th or 90th in the country in defense, and we’ve got a lot to work on,” Lewis said, placing the Sooners a little lower than their rank at 71st in yards allowed. “Just don’t mention it, don’t think about it, don’t make it an issue.

“We’ve still got to go out there and win all our games if we want to get to where we want to be at.”

The top billing hasn’t been friendly the last two weeks, and the Sooners have noticed.

“I know the BCS came out this past week but before in the AP poll, it was Alabama. They went down. Ohio State, they went down. So rankings don’t really matter at this time,” defensive end Jeremy Beal said. “If we’re ranked No. 1 on Jan. 11, come talk to me. I’ll have something to say about that.”

The Sooners are coming off of their most dominant performance, a 52-0 shutout against Iowa State. Other than a 47-17 blowout of Florida State in Week 2, the team’s other four wins have come by eight points or less.

“We’re not where we want to be yet. We’re not where we need to be and just to be ranked that way, I’m not jumping up and down,” safety Jonathan Nelson said.