NEW YORK -- The Bowl Championship Series standings will be released starting Oct. 17 on Sunday nights during ESPN's new BCS Countdown show.

The 75-minute show will debut Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET and run through Dec. 5. The first 45 minutes of the show will be on ESPN. At 9 p.m., it will switch to ESPNU.

The show will begin with a special preview edition on Oct. 10. Each week it will include not only the announcement of the 25 teams in the weekly BCS standings but also discussion from analysts, including the potential impact of upcoming games and interviews with college football coaches and players. There will also be a weekly Heismanology segment.

ESPN is in its first season as the TV home for the BCS, with rights to the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls, as well as the BCS Championship Game.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.