#1 OU (3-0) 31 Oregon (0-2) 7
Oregon got back on track with this game, which sounds a little funny since they almost got shut out in this game. That's because the other half of it is that they were in this contest the whole time. The Ducks looked 100% better against the Sooners than they did against the Hoosiers a week ago. Quarterback Kellen Clemens completed 24 of his 35 passes for 179 yards and the Ducks' only touchdown. Once again, the story for Oklahoma was amazing freshman running back Adrian Peterson, who lit up Oregon defenders with shifty and powerful moves for 183 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns, his best performance yet. He currently has 400 total yards on 65 carries and 5 touchdowns. Jason White was also successful, completing 17 of 23 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. The only down note for Oklahoma was the 6 penalties they incurred for 65 yards, but that pales when compared to Oregon's 11 penalties for 100 yards. Oklahoma is still #1.
#2 USC (3-0) 42 BYU (1-2) 10
BYU had a surprising opening day shocker against Notre Dame, but has since dropped two straight, the first to Stanford (yes, that Stanford) and now to USC (which is much less of a surprise then their first loss). The BYU defense played surprisingly well in this game, but their offense was practically non-existant. Despite countless mistakes by USC, BYU was unable to capitalize, succombing to the superior athleticism of the Trojans. Reggie Bush again provided huge sparks of excitement for the men of Troy, rolling to a huge 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that seemingly broke the Cougar back. The first test for USC will be a home game against the Golden Bears of Cal. FEARLESS PREDICTION: USC shows no sign of real weakness until their November 27 showdown with Notre Dame. This will be the best USC-Notre Dame matchup in years.
#3 Miami (2-0) 48 Louisiana Tech (2-1) 0
Miami's win over Louisiana Tech was marked by the spectacular play of their special teams, not the least of which being Devin Hester's two big punt returns for touchdowns. The real story, of course, was the Miami defense, once again. Allowing only 183 total yards, the defense thoroughly dominated the Bulldogs, and as Miami's Antrel Rolle stated, "Our defensive line was in their backfield all night long." Regardless, this was a big mismatch. Miami should have probably won by more, but their offense (and QB Brock Berlin) was off for the most part. Miami will need to get itself under control on the offensive side of the ball before the season gets too far down the road.
#4 Texas (2-0) Idle
#5 Auburn (3-0) 10 LSU (2-1) 9
LSU squandered every gift-wrapped opportunity they were given, and even managed to hand the game to Auburn after they missed their first extra-point attempt. That's not to say that both teams didn't play exceptionally well on defense. In fact, if nothing else, both teams were relatively dominant on the defensive side of the ball, each allowing only a little over 300 total yards a piece. That was part of the problem, however, as LSU continued its offensive woes, and the only touchdown of the game came on a late pass across the middle from Jason Campbell to Courtney Taylor for Auburn.
#6 Georgia (3-0) 13 Marshall (0-3) 3
Georgia will need to show it has an offense before the SEC season starts for them (which is consequently in two weeks versus LSU). The Bulldog defense looked outstanding once again, holding Marshall to 160 total yards and 7 first downs. The bottom line here is that Marshall is not a bad football team. They have played two straight tight games against major programs, which is not too bad for a mid-major program. The bottom line here is that Georgia needs to kick it in gear in two weeks, or they will drop off my top 10.
#7 Purdue (2-0) Idle
#8 Cal (2-0) Idle
#9 West Virginia (3-0) 19 Maryland (2-1) 16 OT
Rasheed Marshall struggled against Maryland once again, but he struggled mightily and it was just enough to give the Mountaineers the overtime advantage over the Terrapins. In the end, it was Marshall and his subpar performance that pushed West Virginia over the top. His 7 yard pass to Chris Henry in the end zone sealed the win in overtime. Kay-jay Harris rushed for 142 yards and the first touchdown of the game. In all, this was a battle of two very good teams. FEARLESS PREDICTION: West Virginia secures their first BCS bid this year in the weakened Big East.
#10 Virginia (3-0) 51 Akron (0-3) 0
UVA is dominating the lesser competition, Akron included, but can they live up to their billing in the new ACC? The Zips lived up to their nickname in this game, gaining only 84 total yards (6 yards rushing!) and making only 6 total 1st downs. I think it is safe to say that UVA dominated in this game, but what is in store for them when they face Florida State on October 16? Only time will tell.
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