COLLEGE WEEKLY NOTEBOOK BY BRENT BEAIRD

In five of the past six seasons, the team ranked first in the initial BCS standings of the season finished first in the final standings. The only time it didn't happen in that span was last season, when Texas was first in the initial standings.

Since the BCS began in 1998, the worst initial ranking for a title-game participant was LSU in 2003; the Tigers were 12th in the first BCS standings that season. The 12th-ranked team in the first standings this season is Georgia Tech.

Florida State (1999), Oklahoma (2003), USC (2004) and Ohio State (2006) are the four teams that went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the BCS standings.

Boise State is the highest-ranked team from a non-Big Six league. A non-Big Six team is guaranteed a BCS spot in two ways. One is if it finishes in the top 12; the other is if it is ranked in the top 16 and its ranking is higher than that of a conference champion that has an automatic berth. This week, the Broncos are higher than any team from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10.

Other non-Big Six teams in the BCS top 25 are TCU, No. 16 BYU, No. 17 Houston and No. 18 Utah. BYU plays host to TCU this Saturday.

Under BCS rules, only one non-Big Six team is guaranteed a spot if it meets the criteria. Any others would be at-large candidates.

The three components of the BCS standings are the coaches' poll; the Harris poll, voted on by media members and by former players, coaches and administrators; and six computers. Each of the components counts one-third. The best and worst computer rankings are thrown out, and the sum total of the remaining four is divided by 100 (the maximum possible points) to come up with the BCS' computer rankings percentage.

While strength of schedule isn't a BCS component, all six computers have a strength-of-schedule factor in their rankings.

The final BCS standings will be released Dec. 6. Teams first and second in the final standings meet in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif.

Some other items of interest from the first set of standings:

Texas is the only Big 12 team in the top 14. The Longhorns also have the widest computer variance of any team in the BCS top 10. The Longhorns are third in Billingsley but 15th in the Sagarin ratings. The next-highest variance is seven, for TCU; the Horned Frogs are sixth in the Wolfe rankings but 13th in Sagarin.

The only teams in the top five in all six computers were Alabama, Florida and Iowa. The Gators and Crimson Tide were in the top three in all six.

Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team, at No. 10.

Seven teams in BCS top 25 are unranked in the Sagarin computer poll top 25; that's the most of any of the computers used in the formula. Just two in the BCS 25 are unranked in the Colley Matrix and Anderson & Hester computer rankings.

No. 19 Ohio State has the second-lowest average computer ranking of any team in the top 25, at 32nd. No. 25 Kansas' average computer ranking is 33rd.

The highest-ranked ACC team by the computers is No. 12 Georgia Tech, whose average ranking is 10th. Miami, which beat the Yellow Jackets, has an average ranking of 13th.

      The Big Ten and SEC each have four teams in the top 25, followed by the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Mountain West and Pac-10 with three each and Conference USA and the WAC with one each. (Rivals.com)

      Of the three, the upstart Bearcats may have the most realistic shot at sneaking into the top two. Two nights before Florida, Texas and USC all got taken to the wire by inferior foes, Brian Kelly’s team visited then 5-0 South Florida in its jacked-up stadium and cruised to a 34-17 win. Even a game-ending wrist injury to star quarterback Tony Pike couldn't faze the Bearcats. Mobile backup Zach Callaros came in and promptly dashed for a 75-yard touchdown run.

      If Cincy continues winning, critics will point to its purportedly weak Big East schedule, but it certainly helps perception-wise that future opponents Pittsburgh (6-1) and West Virginia (5-1) both entered the top 25 this week.

      Boise State's case is even trickier. Based on the current pecking order, the 6-0 Broncos -- No. 4 in the BCS standings -- theoretically sit one Texas loss away from playing for the national title (again, based on the Florida-Alabama elimination factor). More realistically, however, they've probably hit their ceiling because their schedule strength is about to get heavily diluted.

      Iowa, meanwhile, is the most un-talked-about 7-0 team in the country. For the second time in as many Big Ten road games, the Hawkeyes rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win going away. They visit Michigan State next weekend and suddenly vulnerable Ohio State on Nov. 14. It says something about the Big Ten's respect level right now that the Hawkeyes sit behind both a WAC and Big East team (albeit by a .0001 margin).

      All three, however, must bide their time, keep winning, and hope that one or more of the "Big Three" go down. My guess is Texas will be the first to fall. (CNNSI.com and Rivals.com)

POSSIBLE BAMA VS. FLORIDA REMATCH: But Brad Edwards, ESPN’s BCS expert, doesn’t see much of a scenario that would create a rematch between Alabama and Florida in the BCS National Championship Game if they both meet up in the SEC championship game unbeaten.

The first BCS standings were released Sunday. Florida was No. 1 and Alabama No. 2. The Gators were No. 1 in all three polls used in the BCS formula -- the USA Today coaches' poll, Harris Interactive poll and computer poll.

But even if they stay there until the SEC championship game and then play a classic game, Edwards believes several teams would have to lose again for there to be any chance of a rematch in the national title game.

Texas, which outlasted Oklahoma last weekend in Dallas, would probably have to lose twice. The Longhorns were third this week in the BCS standings. Southern California would probably have to lose a second time, and Iowa would also have to lose. The other team that might need a second loss for a rematch to occur is Penn State, according to Edwards.

“The bottom line, for a rematch to occur, is that the SEC title game would have to be an absolute classic, even better than last year's,” Edwards said. “Then the losing team would have to fall to only third in the polls, ranked just behind a team with a much weaker schedule, most likely Boise State. In that case, the computers would help make up the deficit in the polls and set up a rematch. (ESPN.com)

PLAYOFF PAC: Advocates of a playoff system to replace college football's Bowl Championship Series have formed a political action committee. The Playoff PAC, launched Monday, aims to help elect lawmakers who support changing the system for selecting a national football champion. The complex system of computer rankings and polls often draws criticism. The hope is that if there's enough pressure from Congress, the BCS will voluntarily change to a playoff system. One of Playoff PAC's founders, Washington layer Matthew Sanderson, is a graduate of the University of Utah. Its football team was passed over for last year's national championship even though it was undefeated in the regular season. (AP)

                                                SEC NOTES

Alabama and Florida are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in total defense nationally. Tennessee (13^th), South Carolina (19^th), Ole Miss (23^rd), Vanderbilt (24^th) and LSU (35^th) give the SEC seven of the top 35 defenses in the country.

SEC teams have scored 245 offensive touchdowns and kicked 114 field goals this season. That means 31.8 percent of all offensive scores have come on field goals; that's the highest percentage since 1992, when it was at 35.3 percent. (Rivals.com)

TENNESSEE AT ALABAMA: The Alabama defense has given up just seven touchdowns on the year and has allowed just one touchdown, one, since the opening day win over Virginia Tech, and hasn’t given up more than one touchdown pass in a game.

The Tide is trying to become the first Alabama team since 1973 and 1974 to go unbeaten in back-to-back regular seasons. Alabama tailback Mark Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards and a game-clinching touchdown in the South Carolina win. In Alabama’s decisive drive, Ingram took the direct snap for five consecutive runs. Ingram covered all 68 yards on the drive. He finished with the third-best rushing game in Alabama history. His previous career-high was 172 yards set last week against Mississippi. In seven games this season, Ingram has 905 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns, eight rushing and three receiving. In 304 career touches at Alabama, he’s never lost a fumble. In four SEC games on four consecutive Saturdays he's tallied 608 rushing yards, and 905 overall despite missing most of one game with the flu. He leads the SEC with 11 touchdowns, hasn't lost a fumble in 302 career touches, and in three games versus ranked opponents is averaging 189.3 rushing yards.

Alabama's Greg McElroy, who was 10 of 20 for 92 yards, was shaky against South Carolina’s No. 6 ranked pass defense. Two of his first four passes were picked off after he had gone 135 straight passes without an interception. The four turnovers matched the number of turnovers the Crimson Tide (7-0) had committed in six previous games this season. Safety Mark Barron returned a pick 77 yards for a touchdown. Leigh Tiffin kicked field goals of 25 and 35 yards. Alabama committed 10 penalties for 113 yards. Cornerback Marquis Johnson started in Arenas' place and finished with a game-high six pass breakups. South Carolina sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia had just as rough of a night with an interception, five sacks, eight hurries and 11 passes broken up.

The Vols (3-4) were off last week after beating Georgia. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton was 20 of 27 for 310 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. The Tide has beaten the Vols in the last two straight games. With no game over the weekend, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin spent Friday night recruiting in Atlanta. He arrived at one game in dramatic fashion -- just before kickoff by helicopter. Kiffin, it seems, will never run out of creative stunts. Left guard Vlad Richard was among several banged-up Tennessee Vols back at work Monday after the open date. Richard, already playing on a sore Achilles tendon, injured his knee at Florida on Sept. 19 and missed the past three games. Kiffin said Richard and Cory Sullins alternated with the first team and a decision on who starts will be made at game time. Receiver Quintin Hancock is still wearing a walking boot due to an ankle sprain suffered against Georgia. (Rivals.com and BOL.com and Volquest.com)

FLORIDA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE:  Of Florida's top six defensive tackles, freshman Omar Hunter and junior Terron Sanders may be the only two available Saturday night in Starkville. The other four — Jaye Howard, Lawrence Marsh, Brandon Antwine and Justin Trattou — are on the injury list and either questionable or doubtful for the Mississippi State game. Sanders and Hunter are basically the last men standing at defensive tackle. The depth will come from seldom used Troy Epps, Duke Lemmens, a defensive end who weighs in at all of 260 pounds, and redshirt freshman defensive end Earl Okine. (Gainesvillesun.com)

In three of the Gators’ four SEC games this season, they’ve scored 23 or fewer points, and they’re not scoring touchdowns, either. In three games against Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee, they managed just five touchdowns. Key defensive tackles Marsh (ankle) and Howard (knee) did not play. Brandon Spikes, arguably the nation's best middle linebacker, was sidelined early with a groin injury. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham has a similar problem with his groin. Even though he's battling a groin injury, Cunningham played one of his best games in a long time with six tackles and two sacks. Justin Trattou hurt his shoulder. He will likely not play.  A real concern is Florida being (-2) in turnover ratio. It was a strange ballgame as Florida lost four fumbles and Tebow was sacked six times. Arkansas put up more points than any opponent so far this season - more than Charleston Southern, Troy, Kentucky and LSU combined. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a rough outing, getting burned multiple times. Two plays specifically stood out as uncharacteristic for Florida's defense: The first was running back Dennis Johnson's 25-yard run late in the third quarter that helped set up Tejada's field goal to tie it at 13. On a simple run play, Johnson busted to the outside and knocked over or just ran around six Florida defenders as he took the ball down to the 32-yard line. Johnson made the Gators look bad, like pushovers. The next play was another Johnson carry for 18 yards. The Razorbacks would tie it soon after.

The other was when quarterback Ryan Mallett connected with wide receiver Greg Childs for a 75-yard touchdown strike with 9:40 left that put Arkansas ahead, 20-13. Childs finished with four catches for 135 yards. Cornerback Joe Haden, safeties Will Hill and Ahmad Black and Hunter each had six tackles, too. Haden and linebacker A.J. Jones each had a sack.

Going into the Arkansas game, since 2005, Florida (6-0) has committed the least amount of turnovers of any Division I team (72). In that time, the Gators have had 18 games in which they did not turn the ball over at all, which is second to West Virginia’s 20 games without a turnover. Florida has lost to an SEC West team for 10 straight years.

BAD CALLS: Most notably, there was a pass interference call that wasn't and a phantom personal foul on an Arkansas player. The play took place in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game between Florida and Arkansas in Gainesville. Arkansas defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard collided with Florida offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert in the middle of the field. Gilbert initiated the contact, but Sheppard won the collision and Gilbert fell to the ground. It was just two guys running into each other in the middle of the field. It was a football play. Out comes a flag for a personal foul against Sheppard. The penalty gave Florida a first down at the Arkansas 10-yard line. Florida went on to tie the game at 20-20 and won it on a field goal in the final seconds. (Gatorbait.net)

 Additionally, a case could be made that UF wide receiver Riley Cooper committed offensive pass interference after those two blown calls. After reviewing the events in The Swamp, the conference released a statement addressing the personal foul call. "After video review, there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty called on Arkansas midway through the fourth quarter."The league did not publicly address the pass interference call that preceded the personal foul and occurred on the same drive, but the Orlando Sentinel reports that the SEC said that call was a "judgment call" and "a review of those calls have been communicated to Arkansas." It should also be noted that the same crew involved in the events this past Saturday was responsible for the phantom excessive celebration penalty on Georgia's  A. J. Green in the LSU-UGA game.  The league came out shortly after that game and admitted the officials should not have flagged Green.

Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon, who ran for 135 yards and two scores, became the school's all-time leading rusher in the win over Middle Tennessee with 3,299 yards. He also became the career leader in 100-yards games with 14 including his last five outings. State (2-5) gained 333 yards on offense with 178 yards on the ground and 155 yards through the air. Tyson Lee, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 155 yards and also added a 39-yard rushing touchdown, again played the entire game due to the suspension of Chris Relf. Arnil Stallworth was the leading receiver for the Bulldogs with four catches out of the backfield for 71 yards. The Bulldogs and Gators split in 2004 and 2005.

ARKANSAS AT OLE MISS: The Ole Miss run defense has struggled. UAB, and quarterback Joe Webb, ran for 230 yards last week, and Alabama rumbled for 200 yards the week before. Ole Miss might be eighth in the nation in pass defense, but those teams on the schedule that could throw the ball, did. Arkansas won’t have a problem hitting the 200-yard mark through the air.

The Razorback (3-3) defense sacked Tebow six times and forced four turnovers in the loss to Florida. Mallett threw for 224 yards, Johnson ran for 107 in place of injured starter Michael Smith (hamstring) and Childs caught four passes for 135 yards.  Arkansas made costly mistakes. Mallett overthrew fullback Van Stumon, who was wide open in the end zone, and had to settle for a field goal that tied it at 13. Then Alex Tejada sliced a 38-yard field goal with 3:08 remaining.

The Rebels (4-2) had trouble with Webb, who rushed 17 times for 121 yards and a touchdown, in their win over the Blazers. Webb was also 9 of 15 passing for 89 yards and an interception. The Blazers finished with 351 yards of total offense, 230 of which came on the ground. Quarterback Jevan Snead completed 15 of 22 passing for 240 yards. Ole Miss finished the game with 501 yards of offense, including 338 through the air and 163 on the ground. The Hogs have won four of the past five games in the Ole Miss series. It will mark the second time that Nutt has coached against his former team. Ole Miss won at Arkansas last October, 23-21. (Hawgsports.com)

LOUISIANA-MONROE AT KENTUCKY:  The Wildcats (3-3) won at Auburn for the first time since 1961 and only the second ever in 14 trips. Kentucky erased a 14-7 deficit in the final 6:29. Tailback Derrick Locke finished with 126 yards rushing and Randall Cobb added 109 as the Cats rushed for 282 yards. Kentucky defenders Danny Trevathan and Micah Johnson had 14 tackles each in the win over Auburn. ULM (4-2) beat Arkansas State last Tuesday, 16-10. (Catspause.com)

AUBURN AT LSU:  Auburn hasn’t won in Baton Rouge since 1999. Auburn backup cornerback Harry Adams has been dismissed from the football team for breaking an unspecified team rule, leaving the Tigers' thin defense with another obstacle to overcome in Saturday's game at LSU.
Adams had eight tackles this season, playing mostly when the Tigers put in an extra defensive back. He was signed as a wide receiver and was moved to defense and then to offense and back to defense at Auburn. Adams, a sophomore from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, played in eight games last year, mostly on special teams. He had one tackle. Auburn has only four healthy cornerbacks on scholarship. Chris Todd has completed just 25-of-52 passes for 213 yards with an interception over the last two games. By comparison, he only threw for fewer than 218 yards once in the first five games.

Auburn (5-2) was up 14-7 at halftime, but was held scoreless by the Kentucky defense in the second half. Ben Tate rushed 31 times for 132 yards, his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Chris Todd was only 10 of 24 for 80 yards and one pick. Thirty-seven of Todd's 80 yards passing came on one completion. The Tigers had 10 penalties for 76 yards.  Auburn had eight penalties in the fourth quarter. Kentucky didn't have any. After giving up 495 yards and 44 points to Arkansas last week, Auburn’s defense limited Kentucky to 357 yards, but 156 of those yards came in the fourth quarter. Kentucky was only 3 of 14 on third down conversions, but rushed for a season-high 282 yards. For the second consecutive week, the Tigers' offense was inconsistent to say the least. Quarterback Chris Todd completed just 10-of-24 passes (41.7-percent) for 80 yards, no touchdowns and an interception as Kentucky beat the Tigers 21-14 on a chilly and windy night on the Plains. CB Neiko Thorpe scooped up a blocked field goal attempt by Jake Ricks and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. It's AU's first blocked return for a TD since 1981 when Chris Martin returned one 77 yards against Georgia Tech. (Auburnsports.com)

LSU (5-1) was off last week. LSU has not lost consecutive night games at home since 1999. LSU is last offensively in the SEC, by a wide margin, and 112th nationally. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson has thrown for 308 yards total in his past two games, with two picks and no touchdowns. In four SEC games this season, Jefferson has been picked off only three times, but he has been sacked on 18 occasions - 11 in the past two games against Georgia and Florida. The Tigers are averaging 124 yards on the ground and 171 yards through the air. In four SEC games, LSU has scored six offensive touchdowns - two on passes. Charles Scott and Keiland Williams have rushed for a combined total of 515 yards in the first half of the season. On that pace, Scott and Williams would barely eclipse the 1,000-yard mark together in 12 regular season games. Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver are easily the leading receivers. LaFell has caught 27 passes, while Toliver has 25 receptions. The Tigers have won the past two games in the series. The last five games have been decided by a total of 19 points. (Tigerbait.com)

VANDERBILT AT SOUTH CAROLINA: The Bulldogs' 399 yards and 34 points are the most scored against the Commodores defense this year. Against Georgia, Vanderbilt (2-5) managed 299 yards of offense-a season high for them in SEC play-but 48 came on its last drive of the game when Mackenzi Adams completed 6 of 8 passes for 53 yards. Quarterback Larry Smith, who was 11 of 26 for 121 yards, will remain the starter. The line allowed three sacks.

Cornerback Akeem Auguste has served a three-game suspension for violating team and university rules, while freshman running back Jarvis Giles sat out the Alabama game for academic reasons. Quarterback Stephen Garcia sustained a mild twisted knee but should be ready to play the next weekend, Spurrier said.

As USC welcomes back Auguste and Giles, wide receiver Moe Brown will miss the Vanderbilt game with a concussion suffered in the second quarter of Saturday night's loss in Tuscaloosa. Brown was carted off the field after making a catch at the UA 5-yard line and taken to a local hospital.  After the loss to Alabama, the Gamecocks (5-2) still have not beaten a team ranked higher than No. 3 under Steve Spurrier. They were hoping for their second win (Ole Miss) over a top-five team this season. Garcia was 20 of 46 for 214 yards after completing just 4 of 18 passes in the first half. South Carolina gained only 64 yards rushing. Receiver Moe Brown was okay after a scary hit. USC intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles, three of the turnovers within the game's first 22 minutes. They led to no points. The Gamecock offensive line, down another man this week when Heath Batchelor quit the team, gave up five sacks and eight hurries. Spurrier lost at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time. He is 6-5 all-time against Alabama.

Vandy has beaten the Gamecocks in the last two meetings, including the last trip to Columbia when the Commodores beat a No. 6 ranked Gamecock team. Vanderbilt fell to 0-4 in the conference, 2-5 overall with Saturday's 34-10 home loss to Georgia. The Commodores are last in the SEC in scoring offense (17.6 ppg), passing offense (150.6 ypg) and 11th in total offense (330.1 ypg). (Gamecockcentral.com)

GEORGIA IS OFF:  Sophomore running back Richard Samuel - who started the first six games, but waited until the third quarter for his first carry in Saturday's win at Vanderbilt - could eventually move to linebacker, but not before the offseason, Richt said Monday. The Bulldogs (4-3) rushed for a season-high 173 yards while quarterback Joe Cox completed 16 of 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Green took on a screen pass and turned into a 65-yard touchdown. Freshman Washaun Ealey ran for 71 yards on 13 carries and redshirt freshman Dontavius Jackson added 38 yards on just three carries late in the fourth quarter. Caleb King only rushed for 15 yards. Kicker Blair Walsh added field goals of 42 and 43 yards. The Bulldogs limited Vanderbilt to 296 total yards. Georgia recorded 12 tackles for loss, including three sacks, one each by Justin Houston, Demarcus Dobbs and Kade Weston. Sunday, Richt said that linebacker Akeem Dent (hamstring), linebacker Marcus Dowtin (finger) and fullback Shaun Chapas (burners) all stand a good chance to be back for Florida, while safety Quintin Banks could be ready for additional action at safety after seeing his first playing time of the season during Vanderbilt's final drive.

FLORIDA STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA: In his last two games, Ponder has thrown for eight touchdowns with no interceptions. With Florida State trailing, 24-6, early in the third quarter, it looked like North Carolina was on pace to cruise to a relatively easy win in front of a nationally televised audience. But the Seminoles found new life in the second half and mounted a monstrous comeback.

After Tar Heel quarterback T.J. Yates' 10-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, Florida State rallied back to score 17 unanswered points. Finally, with 7:27 left in the game, UNC kicker Casey Barth hit a field goal to extend the home team's lead to four points. Ponder would answer right back. The 'Noles' junior quarterback led the Seminoles to a game-winning touchdown on a four-play 67-yard drive.

Ponder's 300-yard passing games are becoming a routine these days. But his 395-yard effort on Thursday night in Chapel Hill, against the nation's No. 1 ranked pass defense, was nothing short of remarkable. The Florida State signal-caller even pulled off a "Chris Weinke" type play completing a 98-yard touchdown pass to Rod Owens in the third quarter - the longest touchdown pass in the history of Kenan Stadium.

Perhaps what was even more impressive was Ponder's finish. While his final stats were amazing enough - 33-40 for 395 yards and three touchdowns - Ponder finished the game completing 16 straight attempts for 236 yards and three touchdowns. On the night, FSU's offensive leader finished with an 82.5 percent completion percentage despite a handful of dropped passes. And with those numbers he moved into third all time behind Danny Kanell and Charlie Ward for career completion percentage at 61.6 percent.

Wide receiver Rod Owens came up with a career performance right when the Seminoles needed somebody to break out. The senior wideout set career highs for catches in a game (9) and yards (199). And his 199 receiving yards are the most by any player in the ACC this season. It was also the most receiving yards turned in by a Seminole since Craphanso Thorpe had 217 yards against Notre Dame in 2003.

Down by 11 in the third quarter, Owens turned in the biggest play of the evening, and probably his career, when he hauled in a Christian Ponder pass, broke a tackle and took it 98 yards to pay dirt. After that play, the Seminoles were right back in the game trailing by only four and had momentum turning in their favor.

Sophomore tight end Beau Reliford knew he had some huge shoes to fill stepping in for injured senior Caz Piurowski. While the major concern regarding his increased role was his blocking, the sophomore from Miami did just enough to get the job done according to offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.

But Reliford's biggest impact on the game was rather obvious. Trailing 27-23 late in the fourth quarter, he was the recipient of an 18-yard touchdown pass from Christian Ponder in what proved to be the game winner. On the play, Reliford benefitted from wide receiver Jarmon Fortson running off the coverage and he found himself wide open with nothing but the end zone in front of him.

Florida State has had some trouble with officials this season. That trend continued against North Carolina on Thursday night with Seminoles drawing a staggering 16 flags for 126 yards. One questionable pass interference call near the end of the first quarter negated a 60-yard screen pass to Jarmon Fortson and drew the ire of offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher who was livid on the sidelines.

There have been a few other games this season where FSU appeared to get the short end of the stick from an ACC officiating crew late in the game. Against Miami, FSU appeared to have a couple seconds left to get one more shot from the goal line to win the game but those seconds mysteriously disappeared. Against Boston College, a couple very questionable pass interference calls in the final minutes of the game turned the tide to the Eagles.

Following the conclusion of the North Carolina game, Fisher finally boiled over and let it be known that he was none too pleased with how the referees called the game. With guns blazing, FSU's head coach in waiting explained that it wasn't the first time that he was disappointed with how this officiating crew went about their business. (Warchant.com)

Five top candidates to replace Mickey Andrews:

Karl Dunbar: Defensive Line Coach for the Minnesota Vikings. He has been in the NFL coaching defensive line for Minnesota for the past four years. Served as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach at LSU in 2005. Travis Jones: Assistant Defensive Line Coach for the New Orleans Saints. Served as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for LSU from 2003-04. Doug Mallory: Defensive Coordinator at New Mexico. Served as LSU's secondary coach from 2005-08. In 2008, he was promoted to co-defensive coordinator. Worked with Fisher at LSU in 2005, 2006. Greg Hudson defensive coordinator at East Carolina. Has been the defensive coordinator at ECU since 2005. Coached with Jimbo Fisher at Cincinnati in 1999. Kirby Smart: Defensive coordinator for Alabama. The only candidate to have ties to both Florida State (GA 2002-03) and Jimbo Fisher (LSU 2004).

CLEMSON AT MIAMI: C. J. Spiller wanted to prove he's more than just a return threat, and Spiller did that with touchdown runs of 66 and 14 yards in the Tigers' 38-3 win over Wake Forest.  He finished with nine carries for 106 yards. His 66-yard touchdown was the fifth scoring play of at least 63 yards this season for Spiller and pushed the ACC's all-purpose career yardage leader past 6,000 yards -- a first in league history.  Clemson junior safety DeAndre McDaniel recorded five tackles and returned his ACC-leading fifth interception of the season 26 yards in the Tigers’ 38-3 win over visiting Wake Forest. McDaniel patrolled the secondary that held the Demon Deacons to 82 passing yards and Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, the league’s top-rated passer entering the game, to a 57.6 pass efficiency rating.

The inconsistency that’s plagued the Tigers this season has been relegated to the offensive side of the ball. The defense has been just fine. In fact, Clemson is No. 2 in the ACC in scoring and total defense, yielding 15 points and 270 yards a game, respectively. When blending the edge pressure of Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers with the cover skills of Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler, it’s awfully tough to throw on this group. The Tigers completely neutralized Wake’s Riley Skinner, who entered the game as the league’s hottest quarterback. RB C.J. Spiller is one of those rare players, who’s capable of jetting past Miami’s defenders once he gets into space.

The Hurricanes’ young quarterback is better than the Tigers’ young quarterback. While Jacory Harris is continually evolving into one of the game’s steadier passers, Kyle Parker continues to struggle with his consistency. He’s had just one 200-yard game all year, and that was out of necessity after Clemson fell behind Georgia Tech in Week 2. He’ll have problems solving CB Brandon Harris and an athletic Miami secondary that’s holding the opposition to less than 50% completion percentage. The Tigers still suffer from pass protection issues, which is an invitation for LB Sean Spence to come busting through the line on a blitz.  Neither team will have much luck throwing the ball, putting added pressure on both ground games. While Clemson’s fate rests squarely on Spiller, Miami will rely on multiple backs, including Javarris James, Damien Berry, and Graig Cooper if his hip pointer doesn’t act up. A converted defensive back, Berry has picked up some slack in the last two weeks, rushing for 222 yards and a couple of scores.  (collegefootballnews.com)

Meanwhile, should the ACC Coastal wind up a three-way tie (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami are all 1-1 against each other), the 'Canes now stand to win the tiebreaker due to their higher spot in the BCS standings -- and you know Miami-Penn State would be a dream matchup for the Orange Bowl. The top-ranked team in the BCS Standings is the division winner, unless the second of the tied teams (in this case Georgia Tech) is ranked within five or fewer places. Miami is No. 10, and Georgia Tech is No. 12, but the Canes would win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

MIAMI: Win out and stay more than five places ahead of Virginia Tech in the BCS Standings OR have all three teams win out and have GT and Miami finish as the ACC's two highest rated teams so the Canes win the head-to-head battle.  GEORGIA TECH: Win out AND have Miami lose again. VIRGINIA TECH: Win out AND have Georgia Tech lose again. VIRGINIA: Win out. (espn.com)

Miami won, 27-7, over UCF improving to 5-1 on the season - it's the first time since 2005 that the team has started winning five of its first six games. Harris finished hitting on 20 of 26 throws for 293 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He began the game on fire, hitting on his first seven passes for 97 yards with a touchdown. Harris was sacked six times in the game. James and Damien Berry led the ground game. James ran 17 times for 65 yards; Berry added 14 carries for 60 yards. The top receiver was LaRon Byrd, who had five catches for 85 yards. Leonard Hankerson scored UM's opening touchdown with a great full-speed over-the-shoulder grab in the back of the end zone. Hankerson had four grabs for 64 yards. The Cane defense allowed 229 yards (53 rushing) and had two sacks. After rushing for over 200 yards in UCF's previous game, Brynn Harvey was held to 12 runs for 25 yards. With his first two carries, Javarris James gained 12 yards, which moved him past Frank Gore into seventh place all-time on the career rushing list. He now has 2,032 rushing yards for his career. Middle linebacker Darryl Sharpton played one of his best halves of football in the first half against the Knights. Sharpton tallied eight tackles in the opening half, which matched his season-high of eight tackles against Georgia Tech. He finished the game with 11 tackles, one short of tying his career-high of 12 tackles that came at Virginia Tech in 2006. Jacory Harris continued his trend of spreading the ball around the field. In the first half, seven different Hurricanes caught a pass from Harris marking the fourth time this season that at least that many Hurricanes have had a catch in a game. For the game, nine different Hurricanes caught a pass. The Hurricanes tallied a season-high 26 first downs tonight, surpassing the previous high of 24 set a week earlier against Florida A&M. It was the most first downs by a UM team since the Hurricanes had 31 against FAMU on Sept. 9, 2006. For first time this season, Miami held an opponent without points in the first half. It was the first time since the 2008 season opener against Charleston Southern that the Hurricanes held an opponent scoreless in the first half.

GEORGIA TECH AT VIRGINIA: A week after scoring a nice win at Florida State, the Yellow Jackets scored a huge home win over Virginia Tech. They won despite quarterback Josh Nesbitt completing just 1 of 7 passes with an interception. The win puts Georgia Tech, which ran for 308 yards against the Hokies, in the thick of the ACC Coastal Division chase. After giving up an average of 37.5 points and 513 yards over the past two games, Georgia Tech held the Hokies to 334 total  yards and, with the exception of a 66-yard touchdown run, kept running back Ryan Williams in check most of the night. The Hokies were scoreless in the first quarter, and defensive coordinator Dave Wommack did a great job of getting his players ready for a much improved Hokies' offense.

In one of the biggest games in Georgia Tech football history, the Yellow Jackets pulled off a 28-23 stunner over No. 4 Virginia Tech Saturday night in Bobby Dodd Stadium. The win was the Jackets first win over a highly ranked team at home since 1962 when they defeated No. 1 Alabama 7-6. The Jackets were powered to victory by quarterback Josh Nesbitt who ran 23 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns and a stout defensive effort that held the Hokies to 10 points through the first three quarters of the game.

All is well on the Flats when the triple-option is clicking the way it’s been during the hot streak. The key has been quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who has turned the corner in his progression, running for 262 yards and six touchdowns in recent wins over Florida State and Virginia Tech. When he’s doing his job, life becomes much easier for backs Jonathan Dwyer, Anthony Allen, and Roddy Jones. If the Jackets are controlling the clock and putting points on the board, Virginia will struggle to keep up on offense. The Cavs have been inconsistent all year, ranking 10th or lower in total and scoring offense.

Over the last three weeks, the Cavalier D has become downright ornery, holding North Carolina, Indiana, and Maryland to a total of 16 points and a single meaningless touchdown. It’s been stout against the run and even better when the ball is in the air, especially on third down and in the red zone. Ras-I Dowling, Rodney McLeod and the rest of the secondary has been outstanding, while the front seven is meshing around LB Steve Greer and DE Nate Collins.

As if having a bum ankle isn’t bad enough, Virginia QB Jameel Sewell could spend much of the afternoon trying to outrun Georgia Tech Derrick Morgan. The junior already has 7.5 sacks, and would have more if he wasn’t always attracting attention. The Cavaliers are 118th nationally in sacks allowed; having particular problems in pass protection when they employ Gregg Brandon’s spread attack. (collegefootballnews.com)

Virginia started 0-3 in the conference is now leading the pack. Technically. With Georgia Tech’s win over Virginia Tech, the Hokies dropped into pack of one-conference loss teams that also includes Duke, but guess what? Virginia is still undefeated in the ACC, thanks to road wins over Maryland and North Carolina. Georgia Tech will travel to Charlottesville on Saturday, where it hasn’t won since 1990, but the Jackets look like a better team than the Cavaliers right now, and certainly have a more potent offense. The question is whether they can break the C-ville curse. UVA won its third straight victory for Virginia (3-3, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Cavaliers trailed 9-3 late in the third quarter before scoring 10 points in a 19-second span. Virginia played the fourth quarter without quarterback Jameel Sewell, who left with an undisclosed injury. The Cavaliers finished with 67 yards rushing, the first time in 16 games since 1957 that Virginia beat Maryland when rushing for fewer than 100 yards. The Terrapins finished with a minus-3 turnover differential and are minus-13 for the season. (Rivals.com)

BOSTON COLLEGE AT NOTRE DAME: Montel Harris set two school records in the Eagles' 52-20 rout of NC State. Harris had 264 yards rushing and five touchdowns. It was an impressive accomplishment considering the Wolfpack entered that game holding opponents to just 62.8 rushing yards per game. On the second series, Harris lined up in the Wildcat formation and took off for 70 yards. He scored on the next play for a 7-0 lead and continued to run at will from that point on.

There’s a reason why Notre Dame has lost a pair of games this season—the defense isn’t close to where it needs to be. You can run on the Irish, and the pass defense is especially inept. Enter the Eagles, which are approaching a level of balance that wasn’t there earlier in the year. On the ground, RB Montel Harris is coming off a record-breaking 264-yard, five-touchdown effort in the win over the Pack. As defenses are forced to gameplan to stop the sophomore, life gets a little easier for QB Dave Shinskie. The 25-year old former pro baseball player has performed well in three of the last four games, forging a bond with rangy sophomore WR Colin Larmond.

There’s a reason why the Irish is a few plays away from being perfect—QB Jimmy Clausen. Bad toe and all, he’s carried the program throughout the first half of the season, putting up huge numbers and playing at his peak late in games. He’ll be facing a Boston College defensive backfield that’s had problems over the last months shutting down Riley Skinner, Christian Ponder, and Tyrod Taylor. Plus, the Eagles have the ACC’s No. 11 pass rush, which means Clausen will have that extra tick or two to find WR Golden Tate and TE Kyle Rudolph.
S Kyle McCarthy has been to the Notre Dame defense what Clausen has been to the offense. A playmaker, especially in crunch time, he’s had a knack for being around the ball and making game-sealing plays throughout the first half of the year. He leads the team with 54 tackles and three interceptions, often tattooing unsuspecting receivers crossing over the middle of the field.

Boston College’s problems on the road this season are going to continue in South Bend. Oh, the Eagles will compete and even put a scare in Notre Dame for a while, but unless Shinskie can somehow channel Clausen for four quarters, the upset isn’t going to happen. (collegefootballnews.com)

N. C. STATE IS OFF: It appeared that way a week ago when Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis shredded the Pack for almost 500 yards, five touchdowns and completed 40 of 50 pass attempts. But this week, it couldn’t stop the run, allowing Boston College running back Montel Harris a record-setting day with over 200 yards and five touchdowns. This team should have been better in Coach Tom O’Brien’s third season, but now, after an 0-3 start in conference play, the Pack is no better than Florida State right now.

VIRGINIA TECH IS OFF: Once the Hokies get outside the cozy confines of Lane Stadium, they look a lot like almost every other team that makes road trips -- beatable. Their only true road win so far this season was at Duke, and even that was a too-close-for-comfort game. How would Virginia Tech fare at Miami? Possibly the same way they did on the road last year -- a 16-14 loss. Last year’s losses all came on the road -- against East Carolina, at Boston College, at Florida State and at Miami. This year, when they needed a road win most, even the No. 4 team in the country couldn’t get comfortable in the usually unintimidating Bobby Dodd Stadium. Since the 2004-'05 season, the Hokies are 22-11 in road games (that includes neutral sites and bowls), compared to 30-4 at home. Tyrod Taylor was extremely efficient in the loss completing 10-of-14 for 159-yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Ryan Williams clearly wasn't completely healthy in the first half, but over the course of the game he gutted it out and made some critical runs. No more important was a 66-yard burst to keep the Hokies in it in the third. Williams finished with a very impressive 14 carries for 100-yards and two touchdowns, including 22-yards receiving.