Campus Confidential

Thanks to Mike for looking at what a crazy weekend means in the big picture.

I have to agree with him that Florida should be very worried and Alabama should be very excited. I need to see what LSU is made of before I can rank the Tigers ahead of the Crimson Tide. Clemson's home loss to Maryland really does prove the Tigers of the ACC are again overrated. There's no excuse for a team with so much talent. They're really soft, that's the only thing I can point to.

I thought Wisconsin would come later, but I didn't feel the Big 10 title ran through Madison. After Ohio State lost, I quickly looked to State College as the best place for that to go down. I know Mike was wearing his white on Saturday night, and I have to say it looked pretty impressive on the replay. About as impressive at that Penn State offense.

I spent the weekend in Lincoln, a very cool place to see a football game. The fans were great and extremely knowledgeable and know it's going to be some time before the level of play in that town is back to where it once was. I think Bo Pelini will bring them in the right direction. With Wake Forest, Clemson and Miami losing, Virginia Tech sits in a good spot in the conference. If the Hokies beat Miami on the road in November, it can afford to drop one of Florida State, Maryland and Boston College to get to the title game.

Until Oklahoma proves otherwise, it's deserving of its No. 1 ranking. The Sooners have the No. 7 offense, No. 15 defense, a +1.5 turnover margin, tops in tackles for loss, fifth in points for and 13th in scoring defense. By the way, six of the top 10 passers in the country are from the Big 12.

At this point, you have to think the conference favorites are: Alabama, Southern California, Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia Tech and South Florida. Throw BYU and LSU in there and you have your BCS teams.

If it ended today, I wouldn't mind seeing something like:

Title game: Oklahoma vs. Alabama
Rose: Penn State vs. Southern California
Fiesta: BYU vs. Missouri
Sugar: LSU vs. Ohio State
Orange: Virginia Tech vs. South Florida

BY MIKE ROSE

As shocking as unranked Oregon State's 27-21 win over then-No. 1 USC on Thursday night was, it was just start of an even more shocking Saturday of upsets around college football.

In all, eight ranked teams lost this week, including four teams in the top 10 -- No. 1 USC, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Florida, and No. 9 Wisconsin.

It's starting to look a lot like last season, when top-ranked teams were falling each week. This season could find another two-loss team winning the national title. It's that crazy.

The AP and USA Today polls were released earlier today. Here's a look at the top 10s.

AP
1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Missouri
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Texas Tech
8. BYU
9. USC
10. South Florida

USA Today
1. Oklahoma
2. LSU
3. Missouri
4. Alabama
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. BYU
8. Texas Tech
9. USC
10. Georgia and South Florida

So USC dropped eight spots in each poll. Alabama went from No. 8 to No. 2 in the AP and No. 4 in the USA Today poll. Penn State jumped from No. 12 to No. 6 in both polls. Georgia went from No. 3 to No. 11 in the AP poll and tied for No. 10 in the USA Today poll.

Wow.

And Florida, which was No. 4 in both polls, dropped all the way to No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the USA Today poll. Wisconsin went from No. 9 to No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the USA Today poll.

Wake Forest, which was also unbeaten and No. 16, dropped to No. 25 in both polls.

Let's recap the three biggest upsets of Saturday:

No. 8 Alabama 41, No. 3 Georgia 30: Alabama winning this big game wasn't all that surprising. But the Crimson Tide taking a 31-0 halftime lead was an absolute stunner.

Alabama scored on five straight possessions to roll to that big halftime lead. The Crimson Tide has a solid defense. We all knew that. But Alabama has a solid offense to go along with it.

Quarterback John Parker Wilson, running backs Glen Coffee, Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram, and wide receiver Julio Jones are solid offensive players.

There's been plenty written and said recently questioning how good Georgia really is. Georgia has been good, but not spectacular this season. Remember, the Bulldogs were No. 1 to start the season. I'm really scratching my head over Knowshon Moreno. I know when you're down 31 points you need to start throwing, but Moreno carried the ball only nine times for 34 yards. Granted, Moreno got a little banged up with a bruised elbow.

What does this mean?: Alabama has put itself in position to run the table in the regular season and land in the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide should be 9-0 heading to LSU on Nov. 8. Alabama plays home games against Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas State, with a trip to Tennessee before meeting LSU. If Alabama beats LSU, it finishes at home with Mississippi State and Auburn. Auburn will be a tough game, as will LSU. Mississippi beat Florida in The Swamp. But compared to the rest of the SEC, Alabama is in the best shape.

Mississippi 31, No. 4 Florida 30: In my opinion, this was a bigger shocker than USC losing. The Trojans have a history of struggling on trips to the state of Oregon. The Gators had lost only once at home under Urban Meyer before this loss. Mississippi came in with a 2-2 record, with losses to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Percy Harvin had a spectacular game with 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, and 13 catches for 186 yards and another touchdown. Tim Tebow went 24 of 38 for 319 yards and a touchdown, and had two rushing touchdowns. So how did Florida lose this game? Three turnovers -- all fumbles, including a big fumble by Tebow. There was also some bad play-calling. Mississippi took the lead, 31-24, on Shay Hodge's 86-yard touchdown catch from Jevan Snead with 5:26 to go. Harvin's 15-yard run with 3:28 remaining got the Gators to within 31-30. But the PAT was blocked. And Houston Nutt gets his signature win as Mississippi's coach -- in just his fifth game.

What does this mean?: Florida has a tough road ahead, with a home game against LSU, and away games at Vanderbilt and Florida State. And there's also the neutral-site game with Georgia in Jacksonville. Mississippi is playing itself into a winning season and a decent bowl game.

Michigan 27, No. 9 Wisconsin 25: I've been saying it all season and I will continue to say it -- Michigan will get better as the season goes on and they'll be dangerous later in the season. Wisconsin built a 19-0 halftime lead, but couldn't hang on. Michigan won the fourth quarter, 20-6, in the 500th game at The Big House and biggest comeback win in stadium history. How Michigan won this game is mind-boggling. On offense, the Wolverines had three fumbles, two interceptions and one first down by halftime. Wisconsin didn't help itself. Quarterback Allan Evridge fumbled inside the Michigan 10 on the next-to-last drive. Wisconsin pulled to within 27-25 on a great 22-yard touchdown catch by David Gilreath. Evridge converted the two-point conversion on a pass to Travis Beckum, but Wisconsin was called for a penalty -- illegal man downfield. Beckum did not line up correctly. The second two-point try missed.

What does this mean?: First, Michigan is very much in the Big Ten race. The Wolverines still have to go to Penn State and Ohio State, and get a tough Illinois team at home this weekend. Wisconsin is still in good shape in the Big Ten. But the Badgers have to re-group very quickly. Ohio State comes to Camp Randall this Saturday, followed by No. 6 Penn State. I've said all along that the Big Ten title goes through Madison.

Extra points: Penn State looks like the front-runner in the Big Ten after a solid 38-24 win over then-No. 22 Illinois. Illinois is a solid team and was a good test to see how good the Nittany Lions really are. Joe Paterno said he won't know how good his team was until it faced some adversity. The Nittany Lions trailed twice in the first half -- 7-0 and 14-7. Penn State came back strong each time with touchdowns. Penn State had a 21-14 lead at halftime. What impressed me with Penn State is how it can beat you so many different ways on offense. Daryll Clark was once again solid at quarterback, completing 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Clark also rushed for 50 yards and another touchdown. Penn State also showed a little more of the "Spread HD" offense, with Clark taking off and running more. Those Clark runs proved to be crucial in the game. Evan Royster had another solid game with 139 yards on 19 carries. But the star of the game was senior wide receiver Derrick Williams. Williams had six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and turned in an electrifying 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter as Illinois had pulled to within 24-17. It's the first time in Joe Paterno's long tenure that a player caught a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and returned a kick for a touchdown. Still, the Nittany Lions have tough road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State remaining ... Wake Forest had a very bad loss, dropping a 24-17 game at home against unranked Navy. Also, in the ACC, Miami and Clemson both lost at home. Clemson wins the award for most overrated team in the preseason. Miami was supposed to be showing us all that it was ready to contend for an ACC championship. But the Hurricanes squandered a 10-point lead at home. Speaking of Clemson, the Tigers lost at home to Maryland, 20-17. Don't look now, but the Terps are 4-1 after a shaky start. Virginia Tech got a nice win at Nebraska, holding on for a 35-30 win and its fourth straight victory since a loss to East Carolina ... East Carolina. Boy, did they have us all fooled. The Pirates lost at home to Houston, falling 41-24. The Pirates were the darlings of college football not so long ago. Now they're totally out of the top 25. When East Carolina beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia to start the season, no one knew that both Virginia Tech and West Virginia would be a down this season. But the Hokies have rallied and will be in the thick of the ACC title race. Also in the ACC, Florida State disappointed me last week by losing at home to Wake Forest 12-3. So I pick visiting Colorado to beat the Seminoles this week. Florida State ends up winning, 39-21. The ACC may not have an elite team, but the race to see which two teams end up playing for the conference title will be interesting all season long ... My one problem with Texas at No. 5 is that I think that may be a little too high for the Longhorns. Texas has beaten Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Rice and Arkansas. The Longhorns, however, have a brutal stretch coming up. Check this out -- at Colorado, at Oklahoma, at home against Missouri and Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, home to Baylor and at Kansas. I'm also don't like the fact that quarterback Colt McCoy, who is having a great passing season, is also the team's leading rusher.

BY MIKE ROSE

Well, so much for USC being the best team in the country.

The top-ranked Trojans lost at unranked Oregon State tonight, 27-21. The Beavers came into the game at just 1-2.

USC's defense, which many thought was the best in the country, was shredded by 5-foot-6, 180-pound freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. Brother James Rodgers, a sophomore, caught two touchdown passes from Lyle Moevao, who played a steady game by completing 18 of 27 passes for 167 yards.

Here are some key stats:

USC committed two turnovers, including a huge interception thrown by Mark Sanchez on a horrible pass late in the fourth quarter that essentially sealed the upset. USC also committed seven penalties for 84 yards. Not the marks of a top-ranked team.

Trailing 21-14 with 1st-and-10 from his own 14-yard line, Sanchez badly overthrew his receiver and Greg Laybourn intercepted the ball, returning it 28 yards to the USC 2. Jacquizz Rodgers scored on the next play to give Oregon State a 27-14 lead with 2:39. Luckily for the Beavers, their second-string kicker didn't cost them the game. Sean Sehnem had a field goal blocked earlier in the fourth quarter and missed the extra point that would've put Oregon State up 28-14.

USC scored a quick touchdown on a Sanchez pass to Patrick Turner with 1:19 to go, but the Beavers recovered the onside kick.

Simply, a stunning upset. But Oregon State is used to beating USC. In 1967, the Beavers beat top-ranked USC and O.J. Simpson 3-0. Two years ago Oregon State held on to beat then-No. 3 USC 33-31.

This did not look like the same USC team that dominated Ohio State, winning 35-3, two weeks ago.

And this did not look like the same Oregon State team that lost to Stanford and got destroyed at Penn State, losing 45-14.

The key? USC did not look prepared to play this football game. It's rare that Pete Carroll does not have his team ready.

Oregon State did a nice job pressuring Sanchez. And Jacquizz Rodgers wreaked havoc on a fast USC defense.

The folks in Oklahoma are celebrating. Same in Georgia, Florida and Missouri. It will be very interesting to see how far USC falls. Perhaps out of the top 10?

In 2006, this weekend's schedule would be a lot more fun. Sadly, there are several big names playing each other but the game doesn't have a lot of weight and the lines are lopsided.

Either way, let's talk a little football.

Michigan State (-8) at Indiana
Abramson: With Javon Ringer, much is possible for the Spartans. He's the country's second-leading rusher and has 11 touchdowns in four games. But the key to this game is Michigan State slowing down Indiana's top rusher -- quarterback Kellen Lewis. The junior leads the No. 9 rushing offense in the country. However, the team had its first test against Ball State and fell on its face. With it not getting any easier this week, I'll take Michigan State 31-14.

Rose: Michigan State's ability to score points with star running back Javon Ringer and quarterback Bobby Hoyer tells me the Spartans will win this one going away. Yes, Adam -- Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis is very dangerous and has to be stopped by the Spartans' defense. I think that will happen, for the most part. And Ringer will go for 200 yards again. Michigan State wins 33-20.

North Carolina at Miami (-7.5)
Abramson: Seven days ago I would have said Tar Heels all the way, but there's a big problem with Butch Davis' team that beat the Hurricanes last year: T.J. Yates. Last time around UNC won with a big rushing attack and creating a lot of turnovers. This game won't look like that because Mike Paulus cannot keep the Hurricanes defense honest, so the UNC backs will face a heavily stacked defensive front. Also, Miami's rushing attack is sound with Graig Cooper and the extremely athletic Hurricanes will run away with this one, making themselves one of the conference favorites early in the season.

Rose: Without T.J. Yates, who is out six weeks with an ankle injury, I don't think North Carolina can score against a very fast Miami defense. Mike Paulus, brother of Duke basketball guard Greg Paulus, will be forced to make plays at some point. He'll have to deliver if North Carolina has a chance. I don't see that happening. Remember, Miami held down Florida's Tim Tebow for about 2 1/2 quarters. Plus, I think Miami's offense is getting better each week with quarterback Robert Marve. Miami rolls, 27-13.

Colorado at Florida State (-5.5)
Abramson: Two teams at very different junctures this weekend. Colorado comes off an impressive home win over West Virginia and has had some extra preparation time for the Seminoles. Meanwhile, FSU suffered the fate of making me look good with my pick of Wake Forest last week. I will take the Seminoles by a touchdown in this one, however, because I think Colorado lacks what Wake Forest used to beat Bobby Bowden's team -- tough defense. With the Buffalos playing rather average football, I can't see them improving to 4-0.

Rose: Florida State really surprised me last week, losing at home to Wake Forest, 12-3. I really thought Florida State was back. I watched just about all of Colorado's upset victory over West Virginia last week. Colorado can play some defense. Pat White and Co. took some hits in that game. I like the way Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins has played this season. I'm going to go with Colorado, mostly because Florida State let me down last week and if the Buffaloes can hold West Virginia to 14 points, I like their chances Saturday. Colorado wins, 20-13.

Wisconsin (-6) at Michigan
Abramson: Mike says every day, and will likely say it below: "The road to the Big 10 title goes through Madison." I disagree, thinking it goes through State College at this point, but I think the Badgers are in great position with a good slate of home games after this trip to Ann Arbor. I do believe that Wisconsin will win and I can't believe it will be close. Michigan can't move the ball and they don't create enough turnovers. Wisconsin will use P.J. Hill and John Clay to control this one in a big way.

Rose: Tough game to pick for two reasons: I'm not convinced Wisconsin can score a touchdown when it needs to, and Michigan's defense is not bad. The Badgers want to run the ball as much as possible with P.J. Hill. Travis Beckum is a good target at tight end. But I'm not impressed with the wide receivers thus far for the Badgers. Michigan, meanwhile, will get better at running Rich Rodriguez's offense soon. In their two losses, Michigan's defense struggled against the spread attack of Utah, and got put in tough situations against Notre Dame, which benefitted from six Michigan turnovers. I think Michigan will keep this game close, but No. 8 Wisconsin will win, 23-16.

Tennessee at Auburn (-7)
Abramson: There's no reason to believe Tennessee is any good at this point, but this is the SEC and it will be a close game. I know that's horrible analysis, but I think UT's kryptonite is huge offense, something Auburn does not have. I like Auburn 13-7.

Rose: Tennessee, at 1-2 and coming off a bad 30-6 loss at home against Florida, really needs this game. Head coach Phillip Fulmer is already feeling the heat. Arian Foster is a good running back for the Volunteers, but Auburn's defense is so good -- and so physical. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee's quarterback, will need to play to make plays. I don't like that scenario at Auburn. But Auburn probably hasn't forgotten last week's 26-21 loss to LSU. So the Tigers will either have the LSU game on their minds or they'll come out fired up. I'm picking fired up. The Tigers win, 20-3.

Purdue at Notre Dame (-1)
Abramson: Purdue struggled to take down Central Michigan, but I don't know how formidable of an opponent Notre Dame is yet. The problem with evaluating the Irish is who they're playing against. We may have to wait until North Carolina for that, but until then I can't believe the Irish will win, even at home. There's been zero offense to this point.

Rose: Purdue has been up and down. The Boilermakers hung with Oregon, losing in overtime. But then Purdue struggled with Central Michigan. Notre Dame is still a mystery to me. The Irish struggled to beat San Diego State, took advantage of a truckload of turnovers to beat Michigan, and gave up a ton of yards to Javon Ringer in a loss to Michigan State. Here's what I think: Purdue can score points with any team around, with quarterback Curtis Painter, running back Kory Sheets and wide receiver Greg Orton. I'm not convinced Notre Dame's offense can keep up. The Irish will score, but not enough to win. Purdue wins, 31-23.

Virginia Tech at Nebraska(-7)
Abramson: Two weeks in a row I thought Virginia Tech wouldn't be able to pull it off, and two weeks in a row the Hokies win 20-17. Slowly, the young VT offense is maturing, and the comeback against UNC was a big step. As per usual, any success for a rather weak offensive attack hinges on the offensive line's ability to get a push on the snap (hence the tale of two halves against UNC). Because there's some momentum on offense and Nebraska hasn't faced a good defense this season. I'm taking the Hokies, which is probably a death touch at this point. Either way, I'm flying to Lincoln to see it.

Rose: Virginia Tech has rebounded nicely after the loss to East Carolina. The win at North Carolina last week really opened my eyes. I agree with Adam. I don't think Nebraska has faced a defense as good as Virginia Tech's group. The Hokies continue to win, 17-13.

Alabama at Georgia (-6)
Abramson: Alabama has been impressive in the early going using a strong running game with Glen Coffee and freshman Mark Ingram and Nick Saban-like defense. But if Georgia wants to make it to the national title game, they need to win games like this in a big way with Knowshon Moreno and Caleb King running the ball in a dominant way against teams like Alabama, as well as LSU and Auburn later this year. Home advantage means a lot in a game like this and I think Alabama will lose to a taste of its own medicine.

Rose: Georgia has already faced some tough moments this season. The Bulldogs had to hold on to outlast South Carolina, 14-7, then had to go across the country to play Arizona State, winning 27-10. To me, those games have the Bulldogs prepared for a tough stretch in the SEC. Alabama has been very impressive, with Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram on offense. Plus, Alabama's defense has been nasty this season. But I like Georgia -- wearing its rare black uniforms -- at home. Bulldogs win, 16-13.

Illinois at Penn State (-14.5)
Abramson: This is a hefty line, but I'm not too worried about the Nittany Lions. First, the game is at home. Second, rain is the forecast, so it will be a ground game. Even though the Illini can run the ball, PSU has a lot of depth with offensive weapons. Third, it's a 'White Out,' which kind of goes along with the whole night game thing. I'm going to continue to believe Penn State is the top team in the conference at this point, so I like them by three touchdowns.

Rose: Illinois, especially Juice Williams, appears pretty confident about playing well in this primetime showdown against No. 12 Penn State. I can't blame them. Penn State's results thus far have come against a soft schedule of teams. The Nittany Lions may be the biggest mystery in the nation. How good is Penn State? Well, we'll find out. Penn State, with Daryll Clark running the 'Spread HD' offense, will continue to score plenty of points. Clark has so many weapons at wide receiver and tight end, and Evan Royster and Stephfon Green may be the best 1-2 running back combo in the Big Ten. But Big Ten games are won on the lines, in the trenches, and Penn State has one of the best offensive lines around. The defensive line, despite numerous losses, has played well thus far. And with 110,000 fans dressed in white on a rainy night in Happy Valley, I've got to go with Penn State. It's close for a while, but Clark makes a big play and the Nittany Lions win, 34-24.

By Adam Abramson

Thanks to "Entourage: Let's Blog It Out" friend La Monica, I sat in the front row of the last game in Yankee Stadium's 85 years.

But I don't want to write about it for a few reasons. First, La Monica did here and captured it well. Second, I'm more of a baseball fan than a Yankees fan -- I've been to maybe a dozen Yankee games at the Stadium. Third, something happened there that set me up for the perfect analogy.

After Mo clinched the final out, the celebration began and tears from grown men commenced. As soon as Cody Ransom stepped on first, riot police by the dozens SPRINTED out onto the field and set up what appeared to be a solid perimeter. Behind them stood a row of police not decked in the riot armor, but toted the clubs. Behind them a row of cops on horses (I still think the only purpose for the horses was served in 1996 when Wade Boggs climbed aboard).

So, again, five minutes passes. Claps, cheers, tears. Then, La Monica notices a guy bracing himself for the jump from the short wall along the right field line and points it out to me. Notice that we see something, not in our field of vision, before it transpires.

As expected, the guy jumps on the field and takes off, putting together a rather impressive run.

He made it about 40-50 yards before he was completely abused by about 15 cops, as pictured. After the hoopla settled, I was able to put the situation in a football context.

The whole situation was rather comparable to a Javon Ringer touchdown run. The guy made it through the defensive line (riot gear) with rather ease. Once he hit the second level, linebackers, he used the combination of vision, speed and wiggle to get past a menacing commanding officer (he literally grasped and got nothing but air and landed on his face). Finally, he hit the group of stallions we'll call the secondary. Much like Louisiana Tech's 119th ranked pass defense, the horses took a bad angle and he found daylight. Unlike Ringer would, the poor guy was caught up in the moment and fell down just before paydirt (being centerfield, where no cops were stationed).

I then thought about doing the same thing. I've watched a lot of film and the last time I played in a semi-organized football game (about a year ago), the hips still had a fair amount of twist and the top end speed was still there. I asked La Monica what he thought and advised I stay along the wall, for he didn't want me to end up like Mike Golic's son, arrested.

And, just because I'm curious, should this be true and the bust was at an early Sunday party, was Notre Dame celebrating its loss to Ringer and Michigan State?

BY MIKE ROSE

No. 6 LSU has just beaten No. 10 Auburn, 26-21. Great college football game.

The Tigers had to rally in the second half. The game actually went back and forth for the entire second half. What did Les Miles say after the game, something like another day in the SEC?

Give credit to quarterback Jarrett Lee, who helped to rally the Tigers from a 14-3 halftime deficit with two second-half touchdown passes, including the winner to Brandon LaFell with 1:03 left.

Lee really stepped up, especially after LSU's other quarterback -- Andrew Hatch -- was knocked out after a big hit.

Charles Scott of LSU rushed for 132 yards on 21 carries, a 6.3 average against one of the nation's top defenses.

It was LSU's first win at Auburn since 1998. The home team in this series had won the last eight meetings.

Some really interesting games in the ACC.

I'm a Wake Forest believer. The No. 18 Demon Deacons went to No. 24 Florida State and came away with a 12-3 win. Wake Forest certainly has to be the favorite to land one of the sports in the ACC title game and win the conference crown.

And Virginia Tech also is very much alive, winning at North Carolina, 20-17. A lot of people picked North Carolina to win this game.

Don't forget about Miami. The Hurricanes went to Texas A&M and looked impressive, winning 41-23. The young Hurricanes will be one of the better teams in the country by the end of the season.

Just to show how strong the SEC really is, Vanderbilt is 4-0 and has a good shot to land in a bowl. The Commodores, who upset South Carolina earlier this season, beat Mississippi.

Georgia is comfortably ahead at Arizona State, 27-10 late in the fourth quarter.

No. 25 Fresno State, possibly still stinging after that 13-10 loss to Wisconsin last week, is in a fight at Toledo, up 34-31 in the fourth quarter.

BY MIKE ROSE

One team I did not mention earlier, but should have -- No. 9 Alabama.

Alabama, which has a good defense to go along with a good offense, blew out Arkansas in an early-afternoon game, 49-14. With all the talk about Florida, LSU and Auburn, keep an eye on the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban has this team playing well.

Now to the late afternoon games ....

No. 4 Florida did what I thought they would do -- score plenty of points and shut down Tennessee, winning easily in Knoxville, 30-6. The Vols needed Arian Foster to have a big game and he didn't. Foster rushed for only 38 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw for 162 yards and interception.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow did not have a big game -- just 96 yards passing, but he did throw two touchdowns.

Boise State -- yes, the Broncos could be BCS busters -- went on the road and beat No. 17 Oregon 37-32.

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore completed 25 of 37 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns.

Bad loss for the Ducks. It's looking more and more like USC will go undefeated and land in Miami for a shot at the national title.

Remember Boise State? The Broncos beat Oklahoma in th at memorable Fiesta Bowl a few seasons ago.

BYU is looking more and more like a top 10 team. The Cougars beat Wyoming 44-0. That's the second straight shutout for BYU, which beat UCLA 59-0 last week. We all know BYU has an electric offense with quarterback Max Hall. But BYU can play defense too.

Speaking of BYU, Utah rallied to beat Air Force 30-23. The Utes rallied from a 16-9 halftime deficit. That game between BYU and Utah on Nov. 22 is shaping up to be a huge game, with BCS implications.

No. 5 Missouri did end up beating Buffalo, 42-21. Missouri's Chase Daniel completed a Big 12-record 20 straight passes in the game. Daniel also passed for a career-high 439 yards.

Finally, Michigan State and Javon Ringer were too much for the Notre Dame defense. And the Irish went back to having trouble scoring points.

The Spartans won, 23-7. Ringer went for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

BY MIKE ROSE

It's still early on another great college football Saturday, but some interesting storylines ....

No. 15 East Carolina went down, losing 30-24 at unranked North Carolina State in overtime. I really thought East Carolina would win this game. I had all the confidence in the world with quarterback Patrick Pinkney. Pinkney had a decent game (19-32, 210, 1 TD, 1 INT), but it wasn't enough. Credit Tom O'Brien and the Wolfpack for rallying. North Carolina State has struggled this season, but here's a quality win. The Wolfpack are 2-2 now.

With East Carolina and Fresno State losing, the winner of BYU-Utah later in the season could be the BCS buster this season.

And don't forget about Boise State.

The Terrelle Pryor era has begun in Columbus. Pryor, the true freshman quarterback, threw four touchdowns as No. 13 Ohio State beat Troy 28-10. The game was a struggle, as the Buckeyes led just 14-10 in the fourth quarter. Jim Tressel went with Pryor instead of senior Todd Boeckman, who was unimpressive against USC last Saturday. One thing's for sure -- Pryor makes the Ohio State offense a lot more exciting and much tougher to stop. It will be interesting to see whether Tressel sticks with Pryor when the Big Ten season gets going.

I, for one, am happy that Penn State's non-conference schedule is over. The No. 16 Nittany Lions beat Temple today, 45-3. Penn State's offense -- the "Spread HD" -- has been impressive this season. But we'll find out how good this team really is next Saturday night in the primetime showdown at home against Illinois.

So other things going on ...

No. 4 Florida appears to be in control in Knoxville, leading Tennessee 20-0 late in the second quarter.

No. 5 Missouri is getting a tougher game than expected game against Buffalo, leading 41-21 about midway through the fourth quarter.

And No. 17 Oregon trails Boise State 24-6 at home. That game is late in the second quarter.

What's really amazing about the Big East's embarrassing first month is that it's not as if any of the teams that were supposed to contend, save South Florida, were exposed by really, really tough squads.

Uh, no. West Virginia, who some genius thought would run away with the BCS bid, is now 1-2 after last night's OT loss at Colorado. So, that's losses to East Carolina and Colorado. Got that?

As for the rest of the conference, Pitt is as bad as ever and a loss at home to Iowa isn't out of the question tomorrow. South Florida has shown toughness in the last-second win over Kansas and an OT win over Central Florida, but that's not going to be enough to garner much attention. UConn will likely go to 4-0 tonight at home against Baylor -- it's worth noting that the Huskies beat Virginia (45-10) by a wider margin than they beat Hofstra (35-3) -- but UConn is RB Donald Brown and a solid defense, nothing more.

Rutgers? Hmm... Will the Knights beat Navy tomorrow? I can't even tell anymore.

Well, at least we all get to watch Syracuse battle Northeastern on SNY tomorrow. And yes, the Orange could actually lose that one too.

What this awful start has really done is render the conference portion of the season almost meaningless. Yes, someone will make it to a BCS bowl game from the Big East, but I can think of four or five mid-major conference teams who would be more deserving.

Not a bad Week 3...here we go.

LSU (-2.5) at Auburn
Abramson: Auburn is coming off of it's momentous 3-2 win over Mississippi State. I'm not sure what else to say except that it was 3-2. Either way, this game will feature two teams who can run the football, have some passing issues and play really good defense. I don't expect another 3-2 game, but I can see LSU covering with something like 10-6. I just can't see Ben Tate being able to run the ball against LSU's defense, a unit that has yielded less than 100 yards in its two games ... combined.
Rose: Expect two things from this game: the hitting will be fierce and the points will be scarce. This game is always a slugfest between two of the SEC's premier programs. Auburn's 3-2 win over Mississippi State has me worried about the Tigers' offense. Auburn is going to need more than Ben Tate to win this game. LSU, however, should be able to make enough plays on offense in this one. LSU running back Charlie Scott (23 carries, 262 yards, an eye-popping 11.4. yards-per-carry average and four TDs) will be the difference. LSU wins 13-9.

Georgia (-7) at Arizona State
Abramson: Georgia, coming off of its scare, finds itself in an interesting position. The Dawgs are heading across the country to take on a team that has been a force in the Pac 10. Is Mark Richt's team rattled by last week's scare or are they using it as fuel to put a smackdown on the Sun Devils? If I'm ASU, I grind on Georgia with intermediate and underneath routes and neutralize their speed with speedy offense. Once Rudy Carpenter sets in, you take your shots with the deep game and Dimitri Nance on the ground. I think Dennis Erickson will have a fine game plan, but I still have to go with Georgia because they can keep up with the Devils in a scoring race. I will say 31-27 Georgia.
Rose: Well, Georgia showed last week that its offense can be stopped, posting a 14-7 win over South Carolina. But Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and the rest of the Bulldogs will get back on track this week. Arizona State must be eager to play this game. What better way to forget last week's shocking loss to UNLV at home than to have the opportunity to beat the No. 3 team in the country on national TV at your place? This game will be close, because the Sun Devils are always dangerous in the desert. But Georgia pulls it out, 31-28.

Wake Forest at Florida State (-4)
Abramson: Doak Campbell is surely going to be rocking, but the Seminoles have a tough foe. Wake Forest is one of my favorites to win the conference at this point (along with North Carolina and Miami). Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner is going to shock a team that has beaten very weak opponents to this point. Keep an eye on Demir Boldin, Skinner's favorite target. I'm going 24-13, Wake.
Rose: Wake Forest is definitely a team to keep an eye on in what has become a wide open ACC. The Demon Deacons appear to be the favorite to capture the conference title. But not so fast. Wake needed a last-second field goal to beat Mississippi at home a few weeks ago. This team is good, but they're not going undefeated. Florida State hasn't played a good team, but I've got to believe the Seminoles will be fired up at home. Florida State wins 24-20.

Miami (-3) at Texas A&M
Abramson: I've been waiting a long time for Texas A&M to show off its blue collar attitude on the field, but it just isn't there and hasn't been for quite a while. Miami is young, fast and hungry. I think they run big over Mike Sherman's team, 24-6.
Rose: Texas A&M hasn't impressed me one bit. Miami, on the other hand, hung around with Florida for a while before losing. The Hurricanes are a team to watch closely the rest of the season. They have talented players. They're just inexperienced. This is the game where Miami starts to show it will be a good team. Hurricanes roll 27-10.

Florida (-7.5) at Tennessee
Abramson: Florida comes off its big win over Miami, which wasn't as easy as people in Gatorland had hoped. Florida has a lot of weapons and speed that can run circles around Tennessee which looked pretty slow against UCLA. I like Tennessee's running game, but Florida's improved defense can neutralize it with weapons like Jermaine Cunningham, Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Spikes. I expect Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin will blow by the Vols, 28-13.
Rose: Florida has more talent and will have the better players on the field in Knoxville. Tennessee has a chance at the upset if the Volunteers can get Arian Foster going. Foster is averaging almost eight yards per carry this season. If not, then Tennessee will be forced to have quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who has more interceptions than touchdowns this season, make plays. I like Florida, 28-17.

Notre Dame at Michigan State (-7)
Abramson: Notre Dame looked rather impressive against Michigan after starting the season a little flat. The problem the Irish face against the Spartans comes in the form of Javon Ringer. If he can get loose in the secondary, he's one of the most dangerous running backs in the country. If the Spartans take care of the football, they should win this game, but I think it will be close. I will say 26-20 Michigan State.
Rose: Not sure what to think about Notre Dame. I absolutely didn't expect the offensive display last week against Michigan. But remember, Michigan turned the ball over six times, so the Irish had some easy scoring opportunities. I like Michigan State's Javon Ringer to run wild. Spartans win 31-21.

Virginia Tech at North Carolina (-3)
Abramson: For Virginia Tech to win this game, several things are required. Long drives early in the game fueled by the rushing attack. Once the box becomes a little more cramped with defenders, the Hokies have to take shots down field, something they haven't done this year. With UNC stocked well at the skill positions, I will take the Tar Heels 20-13.
Rose: North Carolina's offense looked sharp against Rutgers a few weeks back. The Hokies have a better defense than the Scarlet Knights, but I like what I'm seeing from the Tar Heels. My concern is whether Virginia Tech can muster enough offense. I'll go North Carolina, 23-16.

Arizona (-2.5) at UCLA
Abramson: Arizona has no problem putting up points, even in the loss against New Mexico last week. What troubles me is the fact that UCLA has flat out not tried to run the ball this year -- to the tune of 38 yards in two games. That is the only stat that matters to me. If UCLA doesn't establish the run, it cannot win this game. And even if the Bruins discover offense on the ground, the defense has been woeful early on. I like Arizona in a shootout, 35-27.
Rose: UCLA's defense disappeared against BYU last week, getting lit up for 59 points and seven touchdown passes from Max Hall. The real key is whether UCLA will score enough points to keep up with the Wildcats. You probably won't see a Norm Chow offense go without scoring again. Arizona wins a wild one, 38-34.

By Adam Abramson

Al Groh has to be reaching the end of his rope.

Virginia's loss to Southern California can be excused, no matter what the score. Nobody thought the Cavaliers were the same caliber football team as the Trojans, so a blowout loss doesn't really change anything in Charlottesville.

What does is the embarrassment UVa suffered this weekend against UConn. I don't want to take anything away from Randy Edsall's team, but Virginia has no business losing 45-10. I don't care where the game is played.

The alumni has reached its wit's end. I felt Groh was on the ropes at the beginning of last season when his squad went to Wyoming and lost 23-3, but the Cavaliers ripped off nine wins, including a 48-0 smacking of Miami. It was enough to save Groh and buy him some more time to turn the ship around in Wahoo.

However, this season was marked by arrests and legal troubles for some of his more highly recruited players -- something the University of Virginia should not tolerate. UVa has long stood as one of the top public learning institutions in the country and that standard of excellence is demanded with its football program, via character and performance.

It might take Groh ripping off eight more wins to make people again forget what's happened recently. Could it happen? Sure. Will it? I doubt it. I don't see AG surviving much longer in Charlottesville, even in a weakened ACC.

BY MIKE ROSE

About every three weeks, I'll rank the conferences. Here's the first installment:

1. SEC: I don't think anybody can argue that the SEC is the top conference in the country.The SEC has five teams currently ranked in the AP top 10, and four in the USA Today top 10 (Alabama is No. 13). But it may be hard for an SEC team to land in the national championship game. I just don't see any SEC team going through conference play undefeated.

2. Big 12: Oklahoma (No. 2), Missouri (No. 5) and Texas (No. 7) gives the Big 12 three elite teams. Texas Tech is No. 10 in the USA Today poll. Kansas certainly is a top 25 team (the Jayhawks are No. 19 in both polls after the 37-34 loss to South Florida). The Big 12 should have either Oklahoma and Missouri in the national title hunt all season.

3. Pac 10: Top-ranked USC alone gives the conference this ranking. Oregon is a worthy No. 2 team. After that, there's a big drop with Arizona State, Cal, UCLA and Oregon State. Arizona State (losing to UNLV in OT), Cal (losing to unranked Maryland), and UCLA (getting thrashed by BYU, 59-0) all had bad weekends. But the Pac 10 went 3-1 against the Big Ten in crossover games this season (Penn State got the lone Big Ten win, a 45-14 beating of Oregon State).

4. Big Ten: Ohio State may not be among the elite teams after the loss to USC, but let's see how this all plays out. The Big Ten has four ranked teams -- Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois. I expect Ohio State to be in contention for a BCS bowl, Wisconsin is in position to possibly go unbeaten, Penn State has looked great but even Joe Paterno doesn't know how good his team is, and Illinois hung with Missouri. Plus, Purdue and Michigan State should be bowl teams.

5. Mountain West: Go ahead and laugh. BYU and Utah are potential BCS party crashers, UNLV knocked off then-No. 15 Arizona State, and New Mexico beat Arizona.

6. ACC: Clemson's early loss to Alabama certainly did not help the ACC. Wake Forest is the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 18. I think Clemson will eventually come back. Maryland pulled a nice upset of Cal over the weekend. And I expect Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Florida State to be bowl teams.

7. Big East: After South Florida and West Virginia, there's not much left. Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have not looked good this season. Louisville is rebuilding. Connecticut may be the third best team in the conference.

8. Conference USA: East Carolina has been the big story in college football this season. Plus, Central Florida went to OT against South Florida.

9. WAC: Fresno State gave No. 8 Wisconsin a game, falling 13-10. Boise State will find its way into a bowl.

10. MAC: Bowling Green beat Pittsburgh and Ohio gave Ohio State a surprisingly tough game.

11. Sun Belt: Somebody has to finish last.

Even though USC embarrassed Ohio State on Saturday, it wasn't enough for everyone. Apparently Georgia squeaking by South Carolina was enough to earn two No. 1 votes (the win was on the road, but come on).

Florida also got a vote. I guess they impressed on their of fweak.

Who's not in the mix? Oklahoma. The Sooners went on the road and beat a Washington team at will, the same way they beat a Cincinnati team considered a Top 40 team in the country by many. Also, Washington was coming off a last-second heart breaker against a very good BYU team.

At this point, Oklahoma does what it wants on offense. Bradford was 18-of-21 for 304 yards and 5 TDs and DeMarco Murray snapped off 100 yards with just 16 carries. No No. 1 vote? Not one?

The two best teams in the country right now are Southern California and Oklahoma. Yes, they're 1-2, but obviously not EVERYONE is thinking this way.

BY MIKE ROSE

The Buckeyes took a big fall in both polls after Saturday night's 35-3 loss at No. 1 USC.

Ohio State fell from No. 5 in both polls to No. 13 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the USA Today poll.

The Big Ten appears to be a little more wide open than first expected. Wisconsin is currently the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 8 in both polls. Then Ohio State.

Penn State is No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 15 in the USA Today poll. Illinois is No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the USA Today poll.

Penn State hosts Illinois in two weeks at home. Ohio State goes to Wisconsin on Oct. 4.

Chris "Beanie" Wells is obviously a big part of Ohio State's offense and makes them a totally different team. But there are some trouble spots beyond his absence.

Todd Boeckman did not look good at quarterback against USC. Terrelle Pryor, however, did some good things and Ohio State moved the ball when he was in the game. Might there be a quarterback controversy in Columbus? Doubtful, but Ohio State may need Pryor in the game more. The play calling against USC was very conservative, in my opinion. The Buckeyes did not take many shots down the field. And, if anything, the performance against USC gives the rest of the Big Ten hope that the conference is up for grabs.

I still feel Ohio State has the most talent of any team in the conference. But the road to the Big Ten title will probably go through Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers play home games against Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois this season.

BY MIKE ROSE

Wisconsin, No. 10 in the country at the time, beat No. 21 Fresno State 13-10 late Saturday night in California.

A very nice road win for the Badgers. Really, Wisconsin could be in position to run the table. Sounds crazy? Maybe not. Wisconsin has to go to Michigan in two weeks. The Wolverines aren't exactly tearing it up with Rich Rodriguez, but you can bet they'll be ready in The Big House. Still, Wisconsin should be able to win that game.

After that, Wisconsin gets Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois, all ranked, at home. This was the one potential stumbling block. And the Badgers survived. Wisconsin can obviously play defense. My question is whether or not they can score enough points when they'll need to.

Fresno State played well, but the Bulldogs missed numerous opportunities to win this game. There is no chance Fresno State can get a BCS bid with a loss. The Bulldogs needed to go undefeated to crash the party. And remember, Fresno State still has UCLA and Boise State left.

Bad, bad loss for No. 15 Arizona State, falling at home to UNLV in overtime. And with Cal losing to Maryland and UCLA getting blown out by BYU, USC and Oregon appear to be the elite of the conference. Although Oregon needed a big rally and overtime to win at Purdue.

USC gets Oregon at home. So unless USC has another Stanford episode this season, the Trojans should be in Miami playing for the national title.

As for the Sun Devils, they get No. 3 Georgia next on Saturday night.

After these results, Wisconsin moved up to No. 8 in both polls, Fresno State is hanging on at No. 25 in the AP poll, but is not ranked in the USA Today poll.

Arizona State is out of the AP poll, but is No. 24 in the USA Today poll.

BY MIKE ROSE

USC is the No. 1 team in the land. The Trojans are very, very impressive. They have talent all over the field, on both sides of the ball.

There should not be any doubt as to who's No. 1.

Top-ranked USC beat No. 5 Ohio State 35-3 tonight in the L.A. Coliseum.

It was a dominant, convincing performance by Pete Carroll and the Trojans. The win was rather easy for USC, which is deep, physical and well-coached.

And there should not be any question about whether Mark Sanchez can replace John David Booty. Sanchez completed 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards, and threw four touchdowns. Joe McKnight, who put some serious moves on the Ohio State defense, had his second career 100-yard rushing game.

Let's not forget the defense. You'll get no argument from me about USC's defense being the best in the country. That front seven is tremendous. Just ask Ohio State quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor. Boeckman, who looked like a deer in headlights, was constantly under pressure and took some vicious hits.

If I had to pick my top five teams through the first three weeks of the season, it would have to be: USC, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and Missouri.

Ohio State star tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells did not play as he continues to rest his injured foot. It was really Jim Tressel's decision not to play Wells. All week long Wells was saying everything that would leave you to believe that he wanted to play and expected to play.

Without Wells, Ohio State's offense struggled, just like last week against Ohio. But let's be honest -- Wells is not a 32-point difference. His presence would have made the game closer, but there's no denying that USC is a great team.

Actually, Pryor, the true freshman dual-threat quarterback, played significant minutes, but it didn't matter.

I was a little surprised that the Buckeyes used Pryor as much as they did. I agree that Pryor needed to play a lot tonight for the Buckeyes to have a chance without Wells. Tressel didn't use Pryor much last week against Ohio, and you had to wonder whether the Buckeyes would lean on a freshman with little experience in such a big game. But you had to figure that Tressel would need Pryor as a change of pace on offense to have any chance to some enough points against an excellent USC defense. Remember, Carroll's teams have struggled against mobile quarterbacks in the past (Remember Vince Young?).

The Buckeyes really hurt themselves with penalties and mistakes, especially in the first half. A touchdown in the second quarter was called back because of a holding penalty. That would've made it 14-10. Then Boeckman threw an interception that USC linebacker Rey Maualuga returned for a touchdown. So instead of a 14-3 deficit late in the second quarter, Ohio State had a 21-3 deficit. The Maualuga play was a real back-breaker and really took any momentum Ohio State was building completely away.

It really didn't matter. The Trojans are the better team. They have more talent.

It was really remarkable to remember that these two great programs had not met for 18 years before tonight's game.

In other games ...

No. 9 Auburn beat Mississippi State 3-2. Yes, that score is correct. Auburn held Mississippi State to 116 total yards. I'm guessing Auburn could slide a bit in the polls. I don't question Auburn's ability to play defense. That unit is one of the best in the country. But will Auburn be able to score enough points in big games?

No. 3 Oklahoma put a serious beating on Washington. The Sooners rolled to a 55-14 win.

How good is Sam Bradford? The Oklahoma quarterback again looked very, very good tonight, completing 18 of 21 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns.

And we have a good one going on right now. No. 10 Wisconsin leads No. 21 Fresno State 13-7 in the third quarter.

BY MIKE ROSE

Very, very interesting afternoon around college football. We touched on Maryland's upset of Cal earlier. The later games were packed with noteworthy items:

Wow. Did No. 2 Georgia get a scare? The Bulldogs barely escaped, and needed an interception with 12 seconds remaining to stop South Carolina from possibly tying the game. Georgia won a surprisingly tough game, 14-7.

I figured Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and that offense would roll up the points.

The Gamecocks had two red-zone turnovers in the fourth quarter. Definitely a game Steve Spurrier and South Carolina could've won.

Georgia now has to go to ranked Arizona State and then gets a brutal stretch in the SEC. The SEC is going to be very, very competitive this season.

The best game of the afternoon was probably No. 16 Oregon's 32-26 win over Purdue in double OT in West Lafayette. Oregon goes to 3-0.

Give credit to Oregon, which rallied from a 20-6 halftime deficit.

Big win for the Pac 10, especially after Cal was upset at Maryland and UCLA was embarrassed at BYU.

Hard-fought win by East Carolina, beating Tulane 28-24 on the road. Tulane gave Alabama a tough game last week so the Pirates had to figure they were in for a difficult game today. Again, it was Patrick Pinkney leading the way. Pinkney, the efficient offensive leader, went 22 of 32 for 260 yards and two touchdowns (with an interception). He led the final drive, getting the winning touchdown on a 24-yard pass to Jamar Bryant with 1:41 to go.

The feel-good story continues, and East Carolina's dream of a BCS bowl bid is very much alive.

I certainly expected BYU to handle UCLA easily today. But not 59-0. The Cougars may have been thinking about last week's game, which they barely won 28-27 against Washington in the infamous party/celebration penalty game. BYU went up 49-0 in the third quarter. The Cougars, thanks to a 35-point second quarter, led 42-0 at halftime.

Oh yeah -- BYU's first seven touchdowns were all from quarterback Max Hall. Yes, Hall threw seven touchdowns. He finished 27 of 35 for 272 yards.

I figured UCLA wouldn't follow up the upset win over Tennessee in its opener with another win at BYU. The Bruins are still nicked up with various injuries. And Kevin Craft, the team's third-string quarterback is still leading the offense. But did you ever expect a Norm Chow offense to put up zero points?

And what does this say about Tennessee? The Volunteers lost to UCLA earlier this season.

Give Notre Dame and Charlie Weis credit. The Irish didn't look good last week in a win over San Diego State, but beat Michigan rather easily today. The Irish took a 21-0 lead and ended up winning 35-17.

Weis backed up his words from earlier ("To hell with Michigan"). I figured this would be a low-scoring, defensive struggle. But the Wolverines killed themselves with six turnovers, including four fumbles on a rainy day in South Bend.

Weis tore the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left leg after Irish defensive end John Ryan was blocked into Weis. Weis coached the rest of the game with a brace on his knee and crutches.

I thought Michigan's defense would be the strong part of the team. But those turnovers really put that unit in some tough situations. Now Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines are 1-2 with the Big Ten schedule looming.

Don't look now, but the Irish are 2-0. Say what you want, but 2-0 is a good start toward a bowl game.

Good win by Virginia Tech. I picked the Hokies 17-13 in a defensive struggle. I was close. Virginia Tech won 20-17 against Georgia Tech. Despite the early loss to East Carolina, the Hokies are 2-1, but, most importantly, 1-0 in the ACC. Don't forget about Virginia Tech. As I said earlier, the ACC has no dominant team. It's wide open this season.

BY MIKE ROSE

Maryland, which had looked awful this season with a loss to Middle Tennessee State and a seven-point win over Delaware, knocked off No. 23 California this afternoon, 35-27.

What happened to the Bears?

Cal started the season by beating a decent Michigan State team, 38-31, then put a beating on Washington State last week, 66-3. Some were declaring Cal the second best team in the Pac 10 (I have always maintained that Oregon is the second best team in the conference and I'm sticking to that.). I know the game was at noon EST, making it 9 a.m. in California. So maybe the Bears were still asleep. Maybe they left their helmets and shoulder pads back in Berkeley.

Not sure. Anyhow, a really bad loss for the Bears. Kevin Riley had a good game, going 33 of 58 for 423 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Maryland quarterback finished 15 of 19 for 156 yards and two touchdowns. The Terps were also able to get a pass rush going, for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, Ralph Friedgen and Maryland needed a strong performance and got it, going up 21-6 at halftime and 28-6 heading into the fourth quarter. Cal had a really nice rally, but it wasn't enough.

The ACC absolutely needed this win, with Virginia Tech and Clemson stumbling in the first week. Count the Terps among the teams that can challenge in the ACC. There's simply no dominant team in the conference.

Speaking of the ACC, how about Duke beating Navy, 41-31?

BY MIKE ROSE

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel announced Friday night that star running back Chris "Beanie" Wells is out for Saturday night's big showdown with No. 1 USC in the L.A. Coliseum.

Wells has an injured toe.

When asked on ESPN whether Wells was surprised by Tressel's decision, analyst Kirk Herbstreit said yes. Apparently, Wells was moving around well at practice and smiling.

I don't think we've heard the last of this story. Don't be surprised if Wells does play. It seemed all week that Wells was making nice progress and would at least see some playing time. It all could be a psychological ploy by Tressel. Same with not using Terrelle Pryor much last week against Ohio. Tressel may want to keep USC guessing right up until game time whether Wells will play and whether Pryor will play some role in the Ohio State offense.

We'll see. I still like USC by about 10 points.

BY MIKE ROSE

Wow. That about sums up tonight's game between No. 19 South Florida and No. 13 Kansas in Tampa.

South Florida won the game 37