ESPN More Sports

Florida State may have had the most impactful National Signing Day, inking No. 10 overall player DT Eddie Goldman and No. 38 overall player CB Ronald Darby on Wednesday. It came in addition to already having top overall player DE Mario Edwards in the fold.

The Seminoles finished with 10 ESPNU150 recruits, including three of the top five defensive line prospects in the nation. They added to a defensive front that has posted the most sacks (88) and the second-fewest yards per rush (2.92) in the nation the past two seasons.

But Florida State’s 2012 class wasn’t the best in the nation.

Alabama took home the honor of 2012’s top recruiting class after finishing second to Florida State last year.

The Crimson Tide addressed their greatest needs, filling holes at defensive back and wide receiver.

Alabama struggled to replace Julio Jones in 2011, with no player catching more than 56 passes or four touchdowns last season. Next year, they'll face a similar problem when they have to again replace their top receiver, Marquis Maze.

But this year they signed four 4-star or 5-star athlete/wide receivers, the most of any school in the nation, adding options for AJ McCarron on offense.

McCarron improved throwing downfield last year, completing nearly 56 percent of his attempts of more than 15 yards in Alabama’s final six games (nearly 41 percent in team’s first seven games), and should have more chances to go vertical in 2012 with a deeper receiving corps.

Alabama also signed the top safety and No. 2 cornerback of the 2012 class to help replace three secondary starters in Dre Kirkpatrick, Mark Barron and DeQuan Menzie. Alabama had a historically stingy secondary in 2011, allowing the same number of completions (seven) as they made interceptions on passes of 20 or more yards.

Recruits Landon Collins and Geno Smith should fill in nicely for the Alabama backs that graduate or enter the draft.

Conversely, Florida State loaded up an already-strong defense but failed to address needs on offense.

The Seminoles’ offensive line was porous in 2011, allowing 41 sacks in 13 games, 14 more than in 2010 and 21 more than in 2009. Florida State signed two offensive tackles from abroad, but did not have a commitment from any offensive line recruits in the US.

Whether any of these recruits have an impact is yet to be known. None of the schools with the top-ranked recruiting class the last four years reached 10 wins in the following season.

Regardless, Florida State’s defensive front is positioned to be formidable for years to come while Alabama filled critical needs while putting together the nation’s top recruiting class.

--Mike Freer and Jonathan McDonald contributed to this report

Less than a week after the Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies rewrote the bowl record book in the Alamo Bowl, the new volume will need to go back to the printer after the West Virginia Mountaineers' run through the Orange Bowl.

West Virginia broke six team records and four individual records on the way to a 70-33 win over the Clemson Tigers. Five of those records had been set or tied during last week’s Alamo Bowl, and the number of records set rises when compared only with other BCS bowl games.

Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith tied three bowl records. He threw for six touchdown passes to tie Chuck Long, who did the same in the 1984 Freedom Bowl for the Iowa Hawkeyes. His other two records, touchdowns responsible for and points responsible for, matched Keith Price’s Alamo Bowl records for the Washington Huskies. All three established new marks for BCS bowl games.

Also on the individual honor roll, Tavon Austin set an Orange Bowl record and tied a record for any bowl game with four touchdown receptions.

Austin and the West Virginia receivers did most of their damage after the catch. Smith completed nearly 80 percent of his throws of less than 10 yards, and all six passing touchdowns came on short tosses.

As a team, West Virginia now holds most of the point-related records in bowl games. The Mountaineers scored 35 points in the second quarter, 49 points in the first half and 70 points in the game. All three set new standards, as did the 69 points the teams combined for in the first half. West Virginia’s 10 touchdowns broke the record for most in a game, previously set by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2000 Alamo Bowl for the most in a bowl.

The two teams combined for 103 points. While that was well short of the record for a bowl game, it easily set the record for a BCS bowl. In a trend that is likely to reverse in the BCS Championship Game, three of the seven highest scoring BCS bowl games have taken place this season.

With Clemson's loss, the ACC falls to 2-13 all-time in BCS bowl games, the worst record among Automatic-Qualifying leagues.

As we look back on the Orange Bowl and start to look forward to the BCS Championship Game between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, here are some things that are unlikely to be repeated in New Orleans on Monday.

• West Virginia scored 10 touchdowns against Clemson… Alabama (12) and LSU (14) each barely allowed that many touchdowns in the entire season.

• Geno Smith threw for six touchdowns… For the Alabama (6) and LSU (7) defenses, that’s a full season’s worth.

• Clemson allowed six offensive touchdowns in the first half… Neither Alabama (5) nor LSU (6) allowed more in every first half this season combined.

• Clemson allowed 49 first-half points against West Virginia… Alabama has allowed just 54 points in the first half this season.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks to RJLARIAT (comments below) for pointing out the error in this post, which has been corrected. West Virginia's 10 touchdowns against Clemson did indeed set a record for bowl games, breaking the mark of 9 set by Nebraska against Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

Tonight’s Discover Orange Bowl (8:30 ET on ESPN) between No. 23 West Virginia and No. 15 Clemson should continue the trend of strong offensive performances during the bowl season.

West Virginia Offense
Geno Smith broke the West Virginia school record with 3,978 passing yards this season. Smith ranks ninth nationally in total offense and has completed 65 percent of his passes this season.

West Virginia’s success hinges on Smith’s ability to throw the ball downfield. Since the start of last season, the Mountaineers are 13-0 when he completes at least half of his passes thrown 15-or-more yards downfield.

The Mountaineers offense has transitioned from run-based under Rich Rodriguez to pass-centric under new head coach Dana Holgorsen. From 2005-07, West Virginia ranked in the top four in rushing offense and the bottom 20 in passing offense each season. This year, the Mountaineers are seventh in passing and 98th in rushing.

Clemson Offense
Clemson is led by the dynamic duo of Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. Watkins set ACC freshman records with 77 receptions, 1,153 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions. Boyd has thrown for at least three touchdowns seven times this season.

As the Tigers ran out to an 8-0 start, Boyd was great in the red zone, but over the last five games he has struggled to complete passes.

In Clemson’s 10 wins, he has thrown 15 touchdowns without an interception. In three losses, Boyd has more interceptions than completions.

Watkins became the second Clemson receiver in the last eight seasons to gain at least 1,000 yards. Over 60 percent of his yards have come after the catch, including two games where he gained over 100 yards after catching passes.

Numbers to Know
Clemson is playing in its first BCS bowl game since the system began in 1998. The last time the Tigers played in the Orange Bowl was in 1982, when they beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers to claim the national championship.

The schools have met once before, with the Tigers beating the Mountaineers 27-7 in the 1989 Gator Bowl. That is Clemson’s only win in four games against current Big East members. West Virginia is more familiar with the ACC, posting a 97-97-5 record against current conference members.

With Virginia Tech’s Sugar Bowl loss, the ACC has the fewest wins of any automatic qualifying conference in BCS games. The ACC is 2-12 in BCS bowls, and every other AQ conference has at least six wins.

West Virginia has won at least nine games in each of the past seven seasons. During that stretch, the Mountaineers are 2-0 in BCS bowl games, beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2006 Sugar Bowl and the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.

Playing in its first BCS bowl game since the 2006 season, the Michigan Wolverines kicked a field goal in overtime to claim their first BCS win since the 2000 Orange Bowl. It was the eighth bowl game decided by three points or fewer this season and the first time that two BCS games have gone to overtime in the same season.

Special-teams play has been a strength for the Virginia Tech Hokies under Frank Beamer, but a series of special-teams miscues was the difference in the game. Michigan picked up 16 points on special teams against the Hokies.

Michigan scored its first touchdown on a drive that was extended by a roughing the punter penalty. Virginia Tech fumbled twice, once on a kickoff return and once on a fake punt, with each leading to a field goal for the Wolverines. After making four field goals in regulation, third-string kicker Justin Myer missed a 37-yard attempt in overtime.

That helped the Wolverines win a game where they were outgained by nearly 200 yards and Denard Robinson completed only two passes after halftime. Michigan’s 184 yards were the lowest for the school since a 2007 loss to Ohio State. The last team to win a bowl game when gaining less than 200 yards was Mississippi State, which beat UCF 10-3 in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.

Denard Robinson was held to 117 passing yards and 13 rushing yards. It was the first time in three seasons that Robinson ran for less than 20 yards when he had at least 10 carries. The 130 yards of total offense was his second lowest output in the last two years, and the only time he has been held below 200 yards when he was involved in 30 or more plays.

Robinson was able to connect with Junior Hemingway for two touchdowns on throws of 15-plus yards. Those were Michigan’s only two touchdowns and Robinson’s only completions on nine throws downfield.

The Hokies loss continues recent trends for the school and the conference. Virginia Tech was the first ACC at-large selection to a BCS bowl game, and with the Sugar Bowl loss the ACC falls to 2-12 in BCS games. Frank Beamer and the Hokies have been to six BCS games, but were only able to win the 2009 Orange Bowl.

David Wilson broke the Virginia Tech single-season rushing record with 1,709 yards but was held without a touchdown for the eighth time in 14 games this season.

In tonight’s Allstate Sugar Bowl (8:30 ET on ESPN), one of college football’s bluebloods from the Big Ten returns to the BCS Bowl party for the first time in five years to face an ACC team that has become a regular participant in the postseason.

The Michigan Wolverines are playing in a BCS Bowl for the first time since a loss in the 2007 Rose Bowl vs USC; their only win on college football’s biggest stage came in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama.

Virginia Tech has extended its bowl appearance streak to 19 games, the third-longest active streak in the FBS. It’s the sixth BCS Bowl appearance for the Hokies, who also have just one win in the five previous matchups.

Virginia Tech Offense vs Michigan Defense
The Hokies offense is fueled by the ACC player of the year, running back David Wilson, who averages a conference-best 125 rush yards per game. Wilson has rushed for 1,627 yards this season and needs just 29 yards to set a new school record for single-season rushing yards.

Wilson gets his yards in bunches. His 34 rushes of at least 15 yards led the FBS entering the bowl season, and Wilson has had at least one such run in every game this season except the ACC Championship game.

Hokies QB Logan Thomas came on strong after Virginia Tech’s first loss to Clemson. Thomas struggled early in the season throwing downfield, but during the last eight games, Thomas is completing half of his attempts of 15-plus yards in the air and has thrown eight touchdowns on such throws.

Michigan’s seventh-ranked defense, which is allowing just 17 points per game, has made a dramatic turnaround from last season when they ranked 108th in points allowed and gave up more than 450 yards per game.

Despite a rushing defense that gives up the third-fewest yards per game among Big Ten teams, the Wolverines have had trouble stopping the long run. Michigan has allowed 25 rushes of 15 yards or longer this season, fifth-most in the conference.

Michigan Offense vs Virginia Tech Defense
Denard Robinson is the unquestioned leader of the Wolverines’ attack, accounting for over 60 percent of Michigan’s total offense with his arm and his feet. His 18 passing touchdowns are fourth-most in the Big Ten this season and his 14 rushing scores are second only to Montee Ball.

Robinson has attempted nearly 80 percent of his passes out of the shotgun this season but he’s actually had more success on snaps from under center. In conference games this fall, five of his 12 touchdown passes came in non-shotgun sets despite 97 fewer attempts.

Virginia Tech should have no problem stopping Robinson in the air. The Hokies have the ACC’s best pass defense, allowing a pass efficiency rating of 111.8. The Hokies also have a favorable matchup on the ground, giving up just 3.3 yards per carry, second-best in the ACC.

However, Virginia Tech’s rush defense has been vulnerable. The team has allowed over 200 yards on the ground in three separate games, including 217 rush yards in its loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game.

Two of college football’s most prestigious programs may not have had the best of seasons, but both have significant reasons for wanting to win today’s Champs Sports Bowl matchup (ESPN, 5:30 ET).

Here’s a closer look at this matchup:

History
It’s the first meeting between the two storied programs since 2003 (a 37-0 win by FSU in South Bend). This is their second bowl meeting.

The first bowl meeting came in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1996 when Florida State rallied from a 26-14 fourth-quarter deficit by scoring 17 points in the final 9:47 of the game for a 31-26 victory.

Overall, Florida State leads the series 4-2.

Florida State is 7-0-2 all-time in games played in Orlando. One of those games is a 23-16 win over Notre Dame on November 12, 1994. This is the Seminoles’ second appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl. They defeated Wisconsin 42-13 in the 2008 edition.

Keys to the Matchup
The biggest battle in this game will be Notre Dame rushing the football against one of the best run defenses in the country.

Florida State holds opponents to 2.3 yards per rush (fewest in FBS) because it does not allow opponents to gain yards in chunks.

Fewer than a quarter of Florida State opponents’ rushes gain five or more yards. The Seminoles have only allowed 104 rushes of at least five yards out of 423 attempts.

The Irish, led by Cierre Wood (1,042 yards) and Jonas Gray (791), rank 20th among FBS schools in yards per carry, netting just over five yards per rush. In fact, the team gains at least five yards on 43 percent of its rushes, the sixth-best rate among FBS schools.

Notre Dame will have to take care of the football. The Irish enter the game fifth-worst in the FBS in turnover margin, with a minus-13 turnover differential. Much of that is attributable to quarterback Tommy Rees, who has thrown 12 interceptions and lost five fumbles. In the past eight games, they've trimmed that differential to minus-3.

This will be the third bowl game and second start for Florida State QB E.J. Manuel. Manuel is 28-for-39 for 273 yards in two previous bowl appearances, with one touchdown throw and no interceptions.

Over the past four games, Manuel has thrown 83 passes and not thrown an interception.

Manuel’s success at throwing the long pass could be significant in this contest. In the three Seminoles losses in which he played, he was 1-for-12 with two interceptions when throwing the ball at least 20 yards downfield.

In his other games, he is 13-for-29 on pass attempts of at least 20 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception.

Stats of the Game
Florida State is appearing in a bowl game for the 30th consecutive season, the longest active streak in FBS (though the NCAA does not recognize FSU’s 2006 Emerald Bowl).

Brian Kelly is trying to become the first coach in Notre Dame history to win bowl games in each of his first two seasons there.

Keep in mind, the Fighting Irish did not play in a bowl from the 1926-68 seasons because of a self-imposed bowl ban.

There were 770 games played in the 2011 college football season. We give you the 10 plays that shaped the BCS Championship race.

1. Tyrann Mathieu returns fumble for TD
LSU 40, Oregon 27
Significance: These top-five teams were locked in a 6-3 game. The Tigers went three-and-out and punted, but Kenjon Barner fumbled the return at the three and LSU's playmaker snapped it up and went into the end zone for a momentum-shifting score.

2. Kirk Cousins completes 44-yard Hail Mary to Keith Nichol
Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31
Significance: Wisconsin had its eyes on a perfect regular season and a spot in the title game. But after a last-second heave, ricochet, catch and then video review, that dream was dashed.

3. Oklahoma misses 28-yard field goal vs Texas Tech
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38
Significance: The Sooners were preseason No. 1 and still undefeated, but trailed 31-7 at home. They mounted a comeback, but after Michael Hunnicutt's missed FG from 28 yards out there wasn't enough time left to overcome a 10-point deficit.

4. Tajh Boyd gets intercepted in the end zone
Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 17
Significance: Down 14 points, Clemson had just intercepted Georgia Tech, getting the ball at Georgia Tech's nine-yard line. But on the first play, Boyd was picked by Jemea Thomas, ending the Tigers' comeback and dashing their national-title hopes.

5. LSU’s Eric Reid intercepts Alabama at the 1-yard line
LSU 9, Alabama 6 (OT)
Significance: In a 6-6 game in the fourth quarter, LSU's Eric Reid wrestled the ball away from Alabama TE Michael Williams at the one-yard line for an interception, preventing what could have been the winning score. LSU would win it in overtime.

6. Boseko Lokombo picks off Andrew Luck and returns it for TD
Oregon 53, Stanford 30
Significance: This was Stanford’s last major obstacle to a perfect regular season. Down 16 points, Luck had Stanford driving. But the pick ended those hopes, putting the game out of reach and handing the Cardinal its only loss of the season.

7. Boise State misses 39-yard field goal as time expires
TCU 36, Boise State 35
Significance: Playing on the home turf where they had been dominant for so long, the Broncos went down a point after TCU made the gutsy call to go for two. But Boise drove down the field before Dan Goodale sailed his kick wide right as time expired and the Broncos were no longer unbeaten.

8. Brandon Weeden's pass intercepted in first play of second overtime
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31 (2 OT)
Significance: The Cyclones came back from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game at 24 heading into overtime. But on the first play of the second overtime, Brandon Weeden was intercepted. Three plays later Iowa State scored to end Oklahoma State's dream.

9. Oregon misses 37-yard field goal as time expires
USC 38, Oregon 35
Significance: Even after their season-opening loss, the Ducks still had a shot at the BCS Championship. But USC, ineligible for postseason play, gave the Ducks a battle at Autzen Stadium. Down three, Oregon had the chance to send it into overtime. But Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yarder.

10. Robert Griffin III completes 34-yard TD pass with :08 left
Baylor 45, Oklahoma 38
Significance: Just like Oregon, Oklahoma still had a chance to sneak back into the title picture despite a loss. But Baylor's Heisman candidate Griffin shocked the Sooners with a game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds left.

To see images of these plays, click here.

Entering the bowl season the SEC maintains a healthy, but not unreachable lead in ESPN’s Stats & Information’s conference power rankings. For more on how we objectively rank conferences check here.

There are many parallels between the final BCS standings and the conference rankings. Most notably the SEC is ahead of the Big 12 primarily because of its human rankings. The Big 12 is actually a stronger conference in most computer ranking systems, but the AP poll more than makes up for the gap with four SEC teams in the top 10 (the Big 12 has one).

In the BCS Alabama is playing in the national championship primarily because of human voters. Four of the 6 computer rankings that make up the BCS have OSU ahead of Alabama, but the Tide had stronger human numbers.

Conference USA was the biggest loser during championship week as undefeated Houston took a huge slide down the AP rankings after its loss to Southern Miss. The loss is almost entirely the reason Conference USA fell behind the Big East in the conference rankings for the first time in weeks.

Interestingly Houston and Southern Miss are both ahead of the Big East BCS participant West Virginia in the AP poll and in each team’s average computer ranking.

With the exception of the national championship game every bowl game will feature inter-conference matchups, making the final conference rankings standings far from set in stone. Stay tuned.

The final BCS standings were released Sunday along with matchups for the five BCS bowls. With four weeks left until the Rose Bowl on January 2, here are some notes on each of the games to whet your appetite.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio
10 Wisconsin Badgers vs. 5 Oregon Ducks
January 2, 5 ET on ESPN

• Wisconsin: consecutive Rose Bowl appearances for first time since 1998-99 seasons

• Oregon: lost last four Rose Bowl appearances, last win came in 1917 Rose Bowl


Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
4 Stanford Cardinal vs. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys
January 2, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Stanford: consecutive BCS Bowl appearances (def. Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl last season)

• Oklahoma State: first major bowl appearance since 1974 Fiesta Bowl

• First meeting between teams


Allstate Sugar Bowl
13 Michigan Wolverines vs. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies
January 3, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Michigan: 0-3 in last three BCS bowl appearances; last BCS bowl win was Orange Bowl in 1999 season

• Virginia Tech: first game against a Big Ten school since playing Indiana in 1993

• Virginia Tech: no wins this season against teams that are currently ranked


Discover Orange Bowl
23 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. 15 Clemson Tigers
January 4, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Clemson: won first conference title since 1991

• Clemson: first BCS game appearance; first appearance in Orange Bowl since 1981 season (won national title)

• West Virginia: first Orange Bowl appearance; third BCS bowl appearance



Allstate BCS National Championship
1 LSU Tigers vs. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
January 9, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• LSU: 4-0 all-time in BCS Bowl games (all in New Orleans)

• Alabama: Nick Saban looking to become first coach to win three BCS National Championships

• The SEC will win its eighth BCS national championship and sixth straight

• An SEC team will lose the national championship game for the first time

Two heavy hitters squared off Tuesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge as second-ranked Ohio State hosted fourth-ranked Duke.

Ohio State burst out of the gate with an 11-0 run and although Duke rallied early, the Buckeyes rolled to a 22-point rout over the Blue Devils. The victory gave Ohio State its 29th-straight home win, which is the fourth-longest active streak in Division I.

Jared Sullinger, who is one of five players in D-I averaging at least 19 points and 10 rebounds per game, led four Buckeyes in scoring with 21 points. Sullinger did most of his damage near the rim as het got 12 touches in the lane and went 6-9 with 12 points on possessions in that location.

Sullinger had 14 touches outside the lane and went 2-5 with eight points, as the Blue Devils had more success defending him away from the basket.

Aaron Craft chipped in 17 points and eight assists, but it was his defense that helped shut down Duke. Led by Craft, Ohio State held Duke to season lows in points and three-point field goals and did so by controlling the Blue Devils in the halfcourt.

Duke guards combined to score four points on 2-8 shooting when being defended by Craft with four turnovers. Entering the game, Craft had allowed opponents to shoot 25 percent from the floor as an on-ball defender this season, best in the Big Ten.

Entering this game Duke had won 35 consecutive games in the month of November, but the 22-point loss is Duke's worst in a regular season non-conference game since February 26, 1995, when they lost 100-77 to UCLA. It is also the Blue Devils’ second-worst loss ever against a current member of the Big Ten.

Austin Rivers scored a career-high 22 points in defeat. He and Mason Plumlee were the only two consistent offensive contributors as they combined for 38 points while the rest of the starters combined to score just seven and did not attempt a free throw.

Ryan Kelly who entered averaging 14.6 PPG and Andre Dawkins (10.1) were each held scoreless.

Duke’s next game is Wednesday versus Colorado State while Ohio State takes on Texas-Pan American on Saturday.

After an exciting weekend with a handful of inter-conference matchups, ESPN Stats & Info’s Conference Power Rankings remain relatively unchanged at the top.

The SEC holds a solid 5.7 point lead over the Big 12 heading into Championship Weekend. The SEC went 3-1 in inter-conference game this weekend as South Carolina, Georgia and Vanderbilt won by a combined 69 points against their ACC rivals. Overall, the SEC is 42-6 in games outside of its conference, including wins over three of the top six teams in the ACC. The SEC was always going to fall a bit this week because it was likely to lose one team from the AP top 3, but its strong out of conference performance made the drop very slight.

As a result of the SEC’s dominance this weekend, the ACC slid 7.6 points and fell into sixth place in the rankings for the first time this season. Losses by Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia dropped the ACC in the AP Ranks, as the ACC now averages 64.5 fewer AP points per team than the Mountain West Conference.

The Mountain West Conference continues to climb in the rankings based upon the strength of its top two teams. Boise State and TCU are the only two teams in the conference ranked in the top third of the country in the computers, but the their consistency and strong out of conference wins have helped the conference climb into fifth place.

The Pac-12 continues to rise based upon the resurgence of USC. At the beginning of the season, the Pac-12 looked to be a two-team race, but USC’s four-game win streak has catapulted the Trojans into the AP Top 10 and helped the Pac-12 build a solid lead for third place in the conference rankings.

Finally, at the bottom of the rankings the Big East remains behind Conference USA, but for the first time in three weeks the Big East has a team ranked in the AP Top 25. The MAC passed the Sun Belt for ninth place and the WAC continues to miss Boise State as it remains in last place.

The late-afternoon slate in college football featured a pair of winner-take-all games in which the winner took total control of humbled opposition.

In the case of the Virginia Tech Hokies rout of the Virginia Cavaliers, the Hokies won the ACC Coastal Division crown for the fifth time and won its 13th straight road game overall.

This was the eighth straight win for Virginia Tech against Virginia, one that made the Hokies 35-5 against its current divisional opponents since joining the ACC in 2004.

It was the 11th win of the season for Virginia Tech, marking the second time in team history that it won at least 11 games in consecutive seasons (it also did so in 1999 and 2000).

The loss was the second-largest shutout loss for Virginia against Virginia Tech in the history of the rivalry. The only larger one was a 48-0 drubbing in 1983.

David Wilson’s 153 yards rushing gave him 10 games this season with at least 100 yards. That’s tied with Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey (who had 217 yards Saturday in a win over Troy) for the most 100-yard games this season.

The Cavaliers had their bid for their first-ever five-game conference winning streak snapped.

The taking in the Wisconsin Badgers 45-7 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions was done by Montee Ball, who ran for four touchdowns, giving him 34 this season. That’s the second-most in FBS history, five shy of Barry Sanders single-season record set in 1988.

It was the second-worst loss for Penn State since joining the Big Ten back in 1993 (it lost 45-6 to Ohio State in 2000).

Wisconsin has won 16 straight home games, matching LSU for the longest active streak among FBS teams.

Penn State entered the day as a team poised to stop the Badgers quick-striking offense. The Nittany Lions entered the day having allowed only one touchdown drive all season that was accomplished in two minutes or less, but allowed three such touchdowns in this contest.

In other late-afternoon action:

Alabama scores, now sits
Alabama won the Iron Bowl by beating Auburn, 42-14. The Crimson Tide scored their most points against Auburn since a 48-21 win in 1977.
A.J. McCarron excelled throwing play-action passes, completing eight of nine passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. McCarron’s eight completions off play-action set a new career high.

Alabama, ranked No. 2 in the BCS, will not play in the season’s final week.

This will be the sixth time that a team has been in the top two spots of the BCS and not played in the last week of season.

Each of the previous five went on to play in the national title game (in other words: none got passed in the standings).

James adds to his ledger
LaMichael James had a rushing touchdown in Oregon’s 49-21 win over Oregon State, the 49th of his career, tying former USC running back Charles White for third-most in Pac-12 history.

The touchdown also gave him 324 points in his career, passing former kicker Jared Siegel (323) for the most career points scored in Oregon history.

Darron Thomas threw four touchdown passes and became the fourth Oregon quarterback with 60 career passing touchdowns.

The 49 points tied for the third-most ever scored by Oregon against its “Civil War” rival.

Winless No More
Lastly, Florida Atlantic beat UAB, 38-35, and became the last FBS team to win a game this season. Running back Alfred Morris set school records with 198 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

1. If you’re expecting an upset in the Iron Bowl Saturday, history says look in a different direction. In series history, there have been 33 times an AP top-10 team has faced a team ranked outside of the top 10, and the higher-ranked side is 27-6 in those games (the Auburn Tigers are currently unranked in the AP Poll). Only two of the six losses were against an unranked opponent, and the squads that pulled those upsets both finished the season with a top-15 ranking (Auburn in 2002 and the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1985).

2. Friday, No. 1 LSU Tigers face No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks in the Tigers third matchup of AP top-four teams this season. Earlier this year No. 1 LSU won at No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 LSU beat No. 3 Oregon in Arlington, TX. Only one other time in history has a team been involved in three pre-bowl matchups of AP top-four teams. That came in 1943 when Notre Dame actually played in four matchups of top four teams, winning them all, as they defeated No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight, No. 3 Army, No. 3 Navy and No. 2 Michigan as the nations’ top-ranked team.

3. When the Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators take the field on Saturday, they will do so with neither team ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 1986. This ends a stretch of 26 straight meetings (including two bowls) with at least one of the teams being ranked, including 13 of which featured both teams being in the top 10. What’s even more impressive is that of those 26 meetings, both teams were ranked in 18 of them and six featured matchups of top-five teams.

4. There is still a possibility that every Big East team this season will finish with an overall record of at least .500. You have to go back 67 years to find the last time a conference had such an occurrence. As members of the Mountain States Conference in 1944, Colorado (6-2), Denver (4-3-2), Utah (5-2-1) and Utah State (3-3) all finished at least .500. Colorado was crowned conference champions with a 2-0 mark.

5. This weekend features three classic college football rivalries that might be coming to an end thanks to conference re-alignment. Including this season, Texas-Texas A&M (118), Missouri-Kansas (120) and Pittsburgh-West Virginia (104) have combined for 342 meetings. All three have been played every season since 1943 and the last year in which none of these rivalries was played was 1890.

There is no debating that the SEC is currently the top conference in the nation. After a weekend in which three of the top five teams in the BCS Standings lost, the SEC came out victorious on the field and in the polls.

The SEC now has the top three teams in the polls after Alabama and Arkansas jumped to 2nd and 3rd respectively. No conference has ever had the top three teams in the BCS Standings, and the last time that three teams from the same conference were 1-2-3 in the AP Poll was 1971, when Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado from the Big 8 were atop the final AP Poll.

The SEC’s dominance in the polls is reflected in ESPN Stats & Info’s Conference Power Rankings. The SEC has opened a season-high 7.8 point lead over the Big 12 after losses by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Although the computers continue to favor the Big 12, the SEC is dominant in the AP Poll, receiving 2,828 more AP points than any other conference.

The Mountain West Conference gained the most from the mayhem this past weekend. Boise State climbed back into the top seven of the AP Poll as Oklahoma, Clemson and Oregon all fell out of the top seven after their losses.

The Mountain West Conference is 30.9 points ahead of the Big East (which does not have a team ranked in the AP Poll for the second straight week) and is within 4.3 points of the ACC. With discussions of changes to the BCS system and the policy of automatic qualifiers, the success of the Mountain West Conference as a whole has come at a valuable time.

Look for more mayhem and upsets next weekend as six different games feature a matchup of Top 25 teams. Arkansas looks to create a three-way tie atop the SEC West and further complicate things in the BCS Standings by beating LSU on Friday. Additionally, inter-conference rivalry games such as Georgia-Georgia Tech and Clemson-South Carolina have the ability to drastically change the conference power rankings next week.

For a brief recap on how we rank the conferences, click here.

The Penn State Nittany Lions' Big Ten title dreams remain alive while the Ohio State Buckeyes' are officially over. Penn State’s 20-14 win over the Buckeyes means that for the first time since 2004, Ohio State will not earn at least a share of the conference title.

Penn State rebounded from its tough loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers last week to give interim coach Tom Bradley his first career win. The last Penn State coach to earn a win besides Joe Paterno was Charles “Rip" Engle on December 4, 1965.

Penn State’s defense held Ohio State scoreless in the second half and forced two key turnovers. They now lead the Big Ten with 25 turnovers this season. The Buckeyes were also the seventh Penn State opponent in 11 games this season to be held under 300 yards of total offense.

Ohio State has now lost five games in a season for the first time since 2004, and has lost two games in November for the first time since 1999. They finished 6-6 that year and didn’t reach a bowl game after losing their final three games of the season.

The focus for Penn State now turns to next week’s matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers. The winner of that game will clinch the Big Ten Leaders division and a berth in the Big Ten Championship game.

Something’s gotta give in Madison next Saturday, as the Nittany Lions will bring their perfect 4-0 road record to Camp Randall, where the Badgers are 6-0 this season and outscoring opponents by more than 40 points per game.

Penn State beat Wisconsin 48-7 in its last trip to Madison in 2008, a game that was both its largest-ever win against the Badgers and the most points Penn State has ever scored against Wisconsin.

Elsewhere around CFB Nation
• The Houston Cougars improve to 11-0 for the first time in school history as they beat SMU 37-7. Case Keenum racks up two more NCAA career records, passing Graham Harrell in completions (1,427 to 1,403) while tying Timmy Chang with his 36th 300-yard passing game.

• The North Carolina State Wolfpack upset No. 7 Clemson 37-13 for their first win against an AP top-10 team since 2005 when they beat No. 9 Florida State. Wolfpack defensive back David Amerson intercepted his 11th pass of the season, tying the ACC record for most interceptions in a season set by UNC's Dre' Bly in 1996.

• The Arkansas Razorbacks defeat Mississippi State 44-17 as they improve to 10-1 heading into next week’s showdown with the LSU Tigers. Tyler Wilson (365 yards) now has 3,215 yards this season, joining Ryan Mallet as the only players in Arkansas history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season.