ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

... taking a step back.

Two years ago, Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers were all in the top 10. But then Bobby Petrino left for the Atlanta Falcons (on his way to Arkansas). Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan. And Greg Schiano hasn't been able to sustain the momentum in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has yet to climb above mediocrity and Syracuse is enduring its worst stretch in history. Both those tradition-rich programs should be league tent poles.

So it's no wonder the Big East is struggling in 2008.

But ...

South Florida is blossoming into the power everyone always thought it could be. It's way too early to count out Steve Kragthorpe at Louisville or Bill Stewart at West Virginia. Brian Kelly is building a consistent winner at Cincinnati, and Randy Edsall is taking Connecticut to new heights. Perhaps this is a step back for now, with a major leap forward on the way.

Best case scenario: South Florida runs the table and forces its way into the national title mix. West Virginia or UConn wins enough to earn consideration for an at-large BCS bid.

Worst-case scenario: A falling tide sinks all boats. South Florida loses a league game, and everyone writes off the entire league as subpar. A poor bowl season makes critics wonder why the Big East deserves an automatic BCS bid instead of the overachieving Mountain West.

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

... totally unbalanced.

It's early, but East Carolina already has proven to be the power of the conference by virtue of its wins over West Virginia and Virginia Tech. Teams such as Tulsa, Central Florida, Rice, Marshall and Southern Miss are close, but from there the bottom seems to drop out.

Best case scenario: Teams such as Houston, SMU and Tulane spring up and make the conference a little more competitive and a little less bottom heavy so that if ECU does run the table it gets consideration for a BCS bowl other than the Fiesta Bowl.

Worst case scenario: One of the aforementioned teams springs up and beats East Carolina throwing a monkey wrench in C-USA's best hope for a BCS buster.

... passing efficient.

When you think of passing offenses, Conference USA is usually the first non-BCS conference that comes to mind, but the Mid-American Conference is closing the gap. Eight teams have a passing efficiency ranking among the top 56 in the country and seven teams have passing offenses in the top 40.

Best case scenario: The offensive display gives bowl eligible MAC teams more looks when spots are filled by the larger conferences.

Worst case scenario: All that passing puts defense on the backburner and the MAC continues to be one of the worst defensive leagues in the country.

... almost out of the national picture.

With Fresno State losing to No. 10 Wisconsin this past weekend, Boise State is the last WAC team with any real shot of busting open the BCS. This isn't new territory for the Broncos. They played this role two years ago. But if they fail, this will be the first time in two years a WAC team doesn't play in a BCS bowl.

Best case scenario: The Broncos roll into No. 17 Oregon this weekend, assert their dominance and the national focus shifts from Greenville, N.C., to Boise.

Worst case scenario: The Broncos lose this weekend and the WAC's lasting impression on the BCS is Georgia's 41-10 drubbing of Hawaii in the 2007 Sugar Bowl.

... the best chance for a BCS buster.

What a weekend for the Mountain West. The conference was 4-0 against the Pac-10, and with the exception of San Diego State, seven of the eight teams playing notched victories. This isn't a random occurrence. The Mountain West has more undefeated teams than any other conference and currently leads the race for the upper echelon of bowls.

Best case scenario: One of the Mountain West's four undefeated teams remains on that path for the rest of the season and gives the conference its first BCS berth since 2004.

Worst case scenario: The undefeated teams knock each other out of the BCS race starting with this weekend's game between Utah and Air Force.

... better than you think.

If you're not watching the Sun Belt, you're missing some pretty good football. Teams such as Arkansas State, Troy and Middle Tennessee have competed with fervor and are giving the Sun Belt far more credibility than the league has had before this early in the season. Throw in reigning conference champion Florida Atlantic and the Sun Belt is starting to creep up to the level of some of its non-BCS brethren.

Best case scenario: Arkansas State wins the conference title. It's time to get some new blood at the top of the Sun Belt food chain. FAU made a name for itself and now Arkansas State has a chance to make waves and show the conference has more than a couple good teams.

Worst case scenario: No team in the Sun Belt finishes with more than six wins. That would show that all this work during the nonconference was a fluke. At least two Sun Belt teams need to come out of this season with at least eight wins.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Links from the Lack-10 -- or do you want me to put lipstick on a pig (I just invented that line: witty, eh?)?

• This is a good summation of where Arizona is after three games -- back in the dumps. Also of note: Bad run defense, bad night from QB Willie Tuitama.
• Noting Arizona State embarrassment from UNLV loss. The Sun Devils will look to rebound against, oh golly, Georgia. A UNLV game rewind.
• It wasn't the early start that killed California -- it was getting whipped up front on both sides of the ball.
• With QB Justin Roper out 2-4 weeks, Oregon will use a first-time starter at the position against Boise State -- either JC transfer Jeremiah Masoli or true freshman Chris Harper. The Broncos are pretty salty on defense.
• Nice win against Hawaii for Oregon State, which now gets (cue scary music) top-ranked USC. Hey, the Beavers have done the impossible before.
• Stanford isn't going to win many games with 193 yards of offense.
• Considering UCLA's running game is the worst in the nation, it can only get better. Or can it? The offensive line is going from bad to worse due to injuries. Bruins Nation is trying to keep things in perspective.
• Now USC needs to avoid its annual letdown. USC received 61 of 64 No. 1 votes in the latest AP Poll (and 57 of 61 coaches). Here's one that voted the Trojans No. 3. Talk amongst yourselves on that one.
• Washington's numbers through an 0-3 start are dismal. The Huskies are physically inferior to elite teams. This is an interesting quote from offensive coordinator Tim Lappano from Seattle Sports Online: "We all know what's on the line at Stanford. Guarantee you we all know what's on the line. That is a must-win game." 
• Washington State coach Paul Wulff is moving some folks around in his lineup, looking for answers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

For the first time in history, according to research done by the SEC, the league has five teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest Associated Press poll. That's pretty heady stuff, although what transpired this past weekend makes it difficult to pick out the strongest team of those five. I've waffled between Florida and Georgia up until this point. Maybe I'm not giving LSU enough love. The Tigers are loaded. They just haven't played anybody. Even though Georgia was fortunate to escape at South Carolina, I'm going to keep the Bulldogs No. 1. Florida and LSU both get chances to lay claim to that spot with tough SEC road tests this weekend. And don't look now, but Vanderbilt is 3-0 headed to Ole Miss on Saturday:

1. Georgia: The Bulldogs survived in Columbia thanks to defense and special teams. The biggest play of the whole game might have been Brian Mimbs' 77-yard punt. For this to be a special season, Georgia has to do a better job of protecting quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was knocked around by the Gamecocks.

2. Florida: No team in the league has more guys on its roster who scare opposing defensive coordinators to death when they get their hands on the ball in the open field. The Gators also have the franchise -- Tim Tebow. They just don't have a running back, which means Tebow remains the running game for now.

3. LSU: We know the Tigers have what it takes to win a championship on the offensive line and defensive line. Their defense is out of sight, and they have playmakers all over the place on offense. It comes down to the quarterbacks. A win at Auburn pushes LSU into contention for the top spot.

4. Alabama: Now that was more like it. Alabama rebounded from its lethargic effort against Tulane with a thorough 41-7 whipping of Western Kentucky. The younger players continue to gain experience, and the offensive line welcomed back Andre Smith. We see how kind the road is the Tide the next two weeks with games at Arkansas and Georgia.

5. Auburn: What a defense. The Tigers are everything you want in a defense -- fast, swarming and experienced. The only problem is that it looks like the defense is going to have to carry this team. How many games can you win in this league 3-2?

6. Vanderbilt: The Commodores have moved to 3-0 with sound, disciplined play across the board. They're faster than they have been on defense, opportunistic on special teams and better than anybody could have imagined on offense. With the Ole Miss trip looming, 4-0 doesn't sound that farfetched.

7. Kentucky: Rich Brooks sort of saw this coming. Remember how displeased he was with practice last week? He'd be sick to his stomach if Robbie McAtee hadn't saved the game by tackling the Middle Tennessee player at the 1 after the Blue Raiders connected on a Hail Mary pass at the end of the game.

8. Ole Miss: Jevan Snead is still one of the best three or four quarterbacks in this league, even though he didn't play like it in Ole Miss' 34-10 win over Samford last Saturday. It's not surprising that the Rebels would be a little flat coming off such a heartbreaking loss at Wake Forest. The real season starts now, though.

9. South Carolina: Seeing Steve Spurrier with an offense this ordinary is weird, to say the least. The Gamecocks don't have much of a running game, and their passing game without star receiver Kenny McKinley lacks much downfield pop. But the Gamecocks can play defense and will be in every game they play because of their "D."

10. Tennessee: The Vols drop this week, not because of anything they did in their 35-3 win over UAB, but because of what BYU did to UCLA in a 59-0 drubbing. How in the name of Gen. Robert R. Neyland could Tennessee lose that game to UCLA? The Vols are more talented than they're playing. They will need their best game -- by far -- to knock off Florida.

11. Arkansas: The Hogs move out of the cellar even though they didn't play a game. They can thank Mississippi State's offense for that. Arkansas' game with Texas was postponed until Sept. 27 because of Hurricane Ike.

12. Miss. State: How bad has Mississippi State been on offense? The 3-2 debacle against Auburn last Saturday was not a new phenomenon. This is the same team that has scored 17 or fewer points in five of its last seven games dating back to last season. It's a shame, too, because the Bulldogs are good on defense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The rankings didn't change much the first two weeks as Big Ten teams beat inferior opponents and avoided embarrassing losses. Week 3 provided opportunities to flourish or flop, and Big Ten teams certainly did both.

Both Ohio State and Wisconsin headed to California with something to prove, and only the Badgers reached their goal. They get rewarded in the rankings, while the Buckeyes pay the price for a miserable performance.

1. Wisconsin -- This team had the guts to play Fresno State on the road and emerged with a hard-fought win that drew national attention. Despite some early health questions, Wisconsin has established itself as a legitimate top 10 squad that likely gets over the BCS hump if it holds serve at home against Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois.

2. Penn State -- The Lions have a gripe to be ranked higher in the polls, but they get their due here. Sure, the competition has been shoddy, but Penn State has won its three games by an average of 43 points and is the only FBS team averaging more than 260 rushing yards and 270 passing yards a game. We'll get a better read on this team soon, but the early returns look good.

3. Ohio State -- The Buckeyes still might be the Big Ten's best team, but they haven't shown it so far. A respectable effort without Chris "Beanie" Wells against USC would have kept Ohio State ahead of Penn State, but getting outclassed in every area merits a drop. A senior-laden Buckeyes team has more questions than anyone could have imagined at this early juncture.

4. Illinois -- Consistency continues to elude the Illini, who are struggling to get strong efforts on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Juice Williams struggled Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette after two stellar games, but the defense came up big to erase some earlier problems. A bye week probably comes at a decent time for Illinois, which must regroup before visiting Penn State.

5. Michigan State -- A downpour couldn't stop the Spartans, who finally got the defensive performance they had been looking for against Florida Atlantic. The soggy conditions put a asterisk next to Saturday's shutout, but Michigan State has rebounded well from its opening loss, thanks in large part to running back Javon Ringer. A win this week against Notre Dame would push the Spartans higher in the rankings.

6. Iowa -- Coach Kirk Ferentz is still looking for a quarterback, but he has found a strong defense that could take Iowa a long way this fall. The Hawkeyes have allowed just two field goals in three games -- Iowa State also scored on a safety on Saturday -- and six different defenders already have interceptions. A road game at Pitt provides a good barometer for this team.

7. Northwestern -- The program scored a coup by landing veteran defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who has made an immediate impact. A usually porous defense has led the way in all three Wildcats victories. Northwestern will need more polished play from quarterback C.J. Bacher and the offense in the coming weeks, but the defense doesn't seem to be a major detriment any longer.

8. Indiana -- No movement for the Hoosiers after a bye, but the mystery about this team ends in six days against Ball State. Indiana has played easily the league's weakest schedule and looked great, but it's impossible to get a read until Nate Davis and a high-powered Cardinals offense come to Bloomington.

9. Michigan -- Getting to a bowl game could be a chore for Michigan, which was a total mess in a potential swing game at Notre Dame. Instead of limiting mistakes and letting a veteran defense lead the way, the Wolverines had seven fumbles (four lost) and two interceptions against the Irish. Freshman Sam McGuffie was a bright spot, but the execution needs to improve on both sides before Wisconsin visits the Big House on Sept. 27.

10. Purdue -- The Boilermakers would have made a major move had they finished off Oregon, but I have a hard time rewarding a moral victory for a team that has had way too many of them. The Ducks appeared to give this game away numerous times and Purdue's defense showed signs of marked improvement, but the Boilers fell short in another big game. Fortunately, they get several more chances for redemption.

11. Minnesota -- A 3-0 start nearly gets the Gophers out of the cellar, but I need to see more this week against Florida Atlantic. Minnesota needed two and a half quarters to pull away from Montana State on Saturday, though DeLeon Eskridge might have established himself as the team's featured back. A strong defensive performance against the Owls should answer some lingering questions.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

At this point it looks like USC and everyone else, though Oregon remains a strong No. 2.

1. USC: Two games. Two dominating performances. You tell me: Where are the weaknesses? I watched practice all last week and resisted drinking the punch. Every time I thought, "This is a really, really good looking team." I said: "Wait. Don't drink the punch!" After Saturday? Give me a double.

2. Oregon: I don't hold the Ducks struggles at Purdue against them. I saw a good team playing badly but finding a way to get it done on the road against a solid team. That's good coaching and mental toughness. I'd feel better, though, if a Ducks QB could stay healthy.

3. California: If I could, I'd skip a few spots and rank the rest of the conference Nos. 92-99. The Bears jump Arizona State because they played at 9 a.m. on the road against a BCS team and decided to fight back in the fourth quarter. But that 3-4 defense sure looked terrible.

4. Arizona State: Many members of the national sports media were cursing the Sun Devils in the Coliseum press box Saturday. They were hoping for a nice weekend of fun and frolic in Tempe with Georgia coming to town. Now, many won't make the trip after the Sun Devils threw up on themselves in the fourth quarter against UNLV.

5. Arizona: I don't know why I keep thinking the Wildcats are good. Maybe I just enjoy email telling me I'm stupid. If they lose at UCLA on Saturday, I'm guessing it's time to abandon the thinning numbers on the bandwagon and starting putting the thermometer back on Mike Stoops' stool.

6. UCLA: The Bruins now have a magnificent win and a dreadful loss on their resume under Rick Neuheisel. It's possible that Arizona's visit this weekend sets a tone for the rest of the season. Or the Bruins may just keep being inconsistent. FYI: UCLA now ranks 119th in the nation in rushing with 19 yards per game (0.81 per carry). Yes, that's last -- by a wide margin (over 15 yards per game less than 118th San Diego State).

7. Stanford: The glow from the victory over Oregon State is fading. The fourth-quarter flop vs. TCU looked like the old, feckless Cardinal. It's a must-win this weekend against San Jose State.

8. Oregon State: The good news is the Beavers came home and posted a decisive win. The bad news is their next visitor is USC on Thursday, Sept. 25.

9. Washington: A 55-14 loss looks bad, but the Sooners could have scored 100. Tyrone Willingham has a bye week to try and stop the leaking, but it may be too late. Of course, it's worth noting that, other than a Nov. 1 visit to USC, no one else on the schedule will be as good as Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma.

10. Washington State: The joke before the Baylor visit was the game was to decide which is the worst BCS team. After the Cougars lost 45-17, we may have an answer to who that is.

1. South Florida (3-0): I now have little doubt that the Bulls are the Big East's best team. The question is: can they be the most consistent?

2. Connecticut (3-0): The Huskies should be 4-0 heading into their conference opener at Louisville. Will that be enough for them to crack the Top 25?

3. West Virginia (1-1): The Mountaineers will have had almost two weeks to fix their problems before taking on Colorado on Thursday night in Boulder. This is a good time for Bill Stewart and his staff to show what they're made of.

4. Cincinnati (1-1): Normally one of the most open coaches around, Brian Kelly closed practice last week as he tried to prepare his team to deal without injured quarterback Dustin Grutza. With the next four games coming against Miami (Ohio), Akron, Marshall and struggling Rutgers, the Bearcats should manage just fine.

5. Pittsburgh (1-1): The Panthers' opening loss to Bowling Green looks even worse now that the Falcons followed that up with double-digit defeats at the hands of Minnesota and Boise State. If Pitt doesn't come out with a strong effort against Iowa, all the hopes for a breakthrough season will be officially forgotten.

6. Louisville (1-1): Wednesday's game against Kansas State is critical for the Cardinals, who already lost their first swing game against an FBS team in the opener against Kentucky. Louisville can't leave too many victories on the table and still hope to go bowling this year.

7. Rutgers (0-2): There's nothing really to like about what Rutgers has done the first two games. The Scarlet Knights have two softies coming up in Navy and Morgan State. They'd better find some answers before opening Big East play in Morgantown Oct. 4.

8. Syracuse (0-3): Only because there's no place lower than No. 8 to put the Orange.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are my Big 12 conference rankings for this week:

1. Oklahoma -- Making it look easy after outscoring opponents, 164-42, so far this season.

2. Missouri -- Defense played tough down the stretch vs. Nevada despite early sputters.

3. Texas -- Facing a scheduling gauntlet because of Hurricane Ike.

4. Texas Tech -- Sure it was SMU. But the Red Raiders finally played defense like advertised.

5. Kansas -- You've got to admire Todd Reesing's moxie, but maybe not as much his passing arm.

6. Oklahoma State -- "Greatest Show on Earth" has blistered opponents by run and pass.

7. Nebraska -- Just like the old days with Cornhuskers' tough-minded mentality.

8. Kansas State -- Rare chance in national spotlight for Wildcats against Louisville. 

9. Colorado -- West Virginia looms as biggest game in Dan Hawkins' coaching tenure there.

10. Baylor -- Robert Griffin playing even better than expected after strong early start.

11. Texas A&M -- Stephen McGee's condition still iffy heading into the Miami game.

12. Iowa State -- Red zone and special teams woes were too great to overcome against Iowa.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten is at the quarter pole, and the favorite has fallen back in the pack. After the first truly revealing weekend of the season, let's see what's happening around the league. 

• Wisconsin and Penn State are carrying the Big Ten banner after Ohio State's face-plant, Teddy Greenstein writes in the Chicago Tribune. I disagree with Cory Giger's assessment that Wisconsin was mediocre in beating Fresno State, but it's hard to argue that the Big Ten took a hit this weekend. 
• Ron Zook is calling out Illinois' star players after a shaky start, Terry Bannon writes in the Chicago Tribune. Zook's coaches were acting like someone died after the Louisiana-Lafayette game, Bob Asmussen writes in The (Champaign) News-Gazette.
  
• The pendulum has swung back to Jake Christensen in Iowa's never-ending quarterback competition, Marc Morehouse writes in The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette. The Hawkeyes' defenders aren't thinking too much of their strong start, Eric Page writes in the Quad City Times.
  
• Michigan continues to be a mystery after three inconsistent performances, Mark Snyder writes in the Detroit Free Press. At least the Wolverines have found their running back in Sam McGuffie, Angelique Chengelis writes in The Detroit News.
  
• Despite beating Notre Dame last year, Michigan State's 2006 collapse in the rain at Spartan Stadium still gnaws at players, Shannon Shelton writes in the Detroit Free Press. Wideout B.J. Cunningham (bruised knee) should play against the Irish, Eric Lacy writes in The Detroit News. 
  
• Despite a 3-0 start, Minnesota must make a multitude of improvements this week against Florida Atlantic, Kent Youngblood writes in the Star Tribune. Running back no longer is a major concern after DeLeon Eskridge stepped up.
• Northwestern leads the league in red-zone offense but wants more touchdowns, Shannon Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune. The Wildcats landed their top offensive line recruit in years with Patrick Ward, Taylor Bell writes in the Chicago Sun-Times.
  
• Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was noncommittal about his quarterback situation after rotating Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor against USC, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer. More troubling for the Buckeyes is an apparent lack of fire, Ken Gordon writes in The Columbus Dispatch.

"When we walked in at halftime, nobody was saying anything," tackle Alex Boone said. "I mean, what the [heck], we're Ohio State -- we should be screaming and swearing and saying everything evil you can think of. And guys are hanging their heads, and you don't know what to say to them. You try screaming, and they just put their head down even more. We can't play like that, and if we play like that the rest of the season, we won't be anything."

Yikes. 

• Tougher competition awaits, but Penn State's confidence is building, Sam Ross Jr. writes in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Despite not winning the starting job, Lions quarterback Pat Devlin is maximizing his on-field time, Ron Musselman writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 
  
• Though Purdue's offense wasted several opportunities to beat Oregon, running back Kory Sheets showed he can carry the load, Tom Kubat writes in The (Lafayette, Ind.) Journal and Courier. Boilermakers kicker Chris Summers made no excuses after missing the potential game-winner.
• Wisconsin answered several questions in the win against Fresno State, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Linebacker DeAndre Levy did it all in the win, Jim Polzin writes in The Capital Times.
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Before venturing away from the friendly confines of Owen Field, there were some lingering questions that persisted about Oklahoma.

Considering Oklahoma had notched a 1-7 record in its last eight games west of Norman, the Sooners' road struggles were well chronicled. It led Oklahoma players preparing for the upcoming road season by wearing "Built Road Tough" t-shirts in the past several weeks.

The inspiration must have worked. The Sooners delivered a masterful 55-14 thumping of Washington on Saturday that ranked as the Huskies' worst home loss since 1929. That performance had Daily Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel writing about how the Sooners are legitimate contenders for the national championship.

It won't be easy. The Sooners' remaining opponents have a combined record of 21-3 so far this season. And DT DeMarcus Granger picked up a nasty-looking injury to his left leg when he was involved in a scrum with three Washington defenders a play after he had been flagged for a personal foul.

But Tulsa World Oklahoma beat writer John Hoover said this squad appears to be different than recent Oklahoma teams after it returned to the top two in the nation in both major polls for the first time since 2004.

Whether the Sooners can maintain that ranking through the Big 12 schedule remains to be seen. But it's about as good a start as Bob Stoops could have asked for coming into the season.

Speaking of good starts, here are some nourishing links to get Big 12 fans through a Monday morning.

• Despite rolling up 693 yards against SMU in a 43-7 victory, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wasn't happy with his team's offensive performance. Leach kept individual standouts Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree from postgame interviews because quarterbacks and wide receivers were "holding us back." The Red Raiders' offensive line is getting healthier with the return of G Louis Vasquez and the most extensive playing time of the season for T Rylan Reed.
• San Antonio Express-News columnist Mike Finger writes about some undetected early weaknesses in the Big 12, despite a strong early record.
• Bo Pelini saw glimpses of what he thinks are the real Cornhuskers, particularly his team's strong secondary play against New Mexico State.
• Iowa State was kicking itself after pushing the ball inside the Iowa 30 six times, but only producing a field goal. But Gene Chizik was impressed with the Hawkeyes' defense.
• Baylor's convincing victory over Washington State -- the Bears' first over a nonconference BCS opponent since 1998 -- opened some eyes around the country.
• Despite having two producers with more than 10 catches against South Florida, Kansas coach Mark Mangino was peeved about his wide receivers. The Jayhawks' heralded defense was doomed by a 20-minute lull against South Florida.
• The Lawrence Journal-World's Eric Sorrentino hands out his weekly Big 12 awards.
• There was no letup in Missouri's offense against Nevada, as the Tigers made quick work of the school's record book against the Wolf Pack. And the Columbia Tribune's Dave Matter writes the Missouri offense  might be the nation's best.
• Louisville FB Brock Bolin is preparing for a physical game Wednesday against Kansas State.
• Oklahoma State's sizzling offense has piled up an average of 536 yards per game in its last three contests. And it has already scored 152 points so far this season -- a standard it didn't reach until the eighth game last season.Three OSU backs reached 100 yards against Missouri State on Saturday with none playing in the fourth quarter.
• Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls offers a tongue-in-cheek look at the proposed Longhorn Television Network.
• Dallas Morning News columnist Chuck Carlton says that USC's dominating performance against Ohio State could help the Big 12.
• Freshman WR Jeff Fuller and Ryan Tannehill have emerged as vital cogs in Texas A&M's sputtering pass offense.
• Colorado is preparing for West Virginia's unconventional swarming 3-3-5 defense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Hey look, it's the week of the Atlantic Division ...

Wake Forest (2-0) -- The Demon Deacons had the week off, but when it comes to being tested, these guys proved their worth in the first two weeks. Can they do it again on the road against FSU?

Clemson (2-1) -- This team is still regrouping, and injuries haven't helped, but the Tigers should be 3-1 heading into their Sept. 27 game against Maryland.

Maryland (2-1) -- The Terps looked like that ACC dark horse in their upset of No. 23-ranked Cal, as they're the only team in the league with a win over a top 25 team. The only problem with Maryland is you never know which personality is going to show up.

Florida State (2-0) -- Yes, the Seminoles have played much weaker opponents, but, man, have they looked good winning. Still too soon, though, to give these guys too much credit.

North Carolina (2-0) -- The Tar Heels got a ground-breaking road win they can build on against Rutgers but have an important Coastal Division matchup this weekend against the Hokies.

Miami (0-1) -- The Hurricanes shouldn't be punished for having the week off, but the above three teams looked too impressive this past weekend to ignore.

Virginia Tech (2-1) -- The Hokies finally seem to have a sense of direction now that Tyrod Taylor has been named starting quarterback, but the win over the Yellow Jackets was partly a gift.

Georgia Tech (2-1) -- This is still a good football team oozing with potential, but the turnovers and penalties have got to stop. The Yellow Jackets beat themselves against Virginia Tech.

Boston College (1-1) -- The loss of defensive end Alex Albright to a season-ending neck injury was a huge blow -- he might have been their best pass rusher -- and there is some uncertainty at quarterback.

Duke (2-1) -- A third win against Virginia is suddenly not just possible, but expected. The more the Blue Devils win, the more you have to ask why not again?

NC State (1-2) -- This team just has no offense, and No. 15 East Carolina, this season's Mighty Mites, are rolling into town. The streak of no offensive touchdowns for 13 quarters might continue.

Virginia (1-2) -- Are there still questions about this ranking? The Cavaliers have so many problems Al Groh started the bye week with a Sunday practice.