Seven things we learned on Sunday:
• LSU and Oklahoma are the best teams in the country right now. With USC taking a weekend at the beach, the Tigers and Sooners laid waste to quality opponents by a combined score of 99-20.
What is about Oklahoma quarterbacks? Bob Stoops keeps plugging them in. They keep winning Big 12 titles and chasing Heismans. Looks like redshirt freshman Sam Bradford could be the latest to do both. His five touchdown passes against Miami tied a school record and topped all of the Sooners' total passing TDs versus The U throughout the '80s.
| Dodd's Power Poll |
| 1. USC |
| 2. LSU |
| 3. Oklahoma |
| 4. Florida |
| 5. Texas |
| 6. West Virginia |
| 7. Wisconsin |
| 8. Louisville |
| 9. Cal |
| 10. Appalachian State |
| 11. UCLA |
| 12. Ohio State |
| 13. Arkansas |
| 14. South Carolina |
| 15. Rutgers |
| 16. Oregon |
| 17. South Florida |
| 18. Texas A&M |
| 19. Georgia Tech |
| 20. Auburn |
| 21. Boston College |
| 22. TCU |
| 23. Nebraska |
| 24. Penn State |
| 25. (tie) Washington |
| Boise State |
LSU looks better than it did in 2003. The offense is more diverse. The defense is frightening. Bo Pelini's group had the Hokies questioning their manhood after a 41-point beatdown, the worst of the Frank Beamer era.
• The upsets just keep on coming. South Carolina announced itself as a factor in the SEC East with a 16-12 victory at Georgia. The Spur Dog is suddenly channeling Jim Tressel -- run, run, pass, punt. Let defense win the game.
• Technically, we're not counting South Florida among the upsets because it was picked in this space on Friday (and by others across the country) to beat Auburn. It took overtime and five Tiger turnovers but nobody in the Big East is apologizing. The league now goes four deep along with West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers.
Five turnovers? Hell, Michigan could win with that kind of help.
• The devolution will be televised: Notre Dame and Michigan are 0-2 at the same time, for the first time. Someone has to win Saturday when the Passive Irish play at The Quiet House.
NBC doesn't have a choice. It has to keep showing Notre Dame home games. ABC execs face a big decision after Saturday. Do they continue to feature the Listerines (wash your mouth out) for the voyeur factor or do they opt for, you know, ranked teams?
Bet the highway-accident factor. How many times can Detroit columnists write that Lloyd Carr should be fired? (Although that, "The Ducks beat a lame duck," line was a good one). As long as Michigan is losing, and Mike Hart is guaranteeing victory, people will slow down to gawk at this sad, sad tale.
• Wisconsin is now on the clock. Three of the four longest winning streaks ended Saturday. Boise State (14), BYU (11) and TCU (nine) all went down. That means Wisconsin is carrying an 11-game winning streak and the reputation of the Big Ten because ...
• ... this is one of those years when Purdue, Michigan State or Iowa can win the Big Ten. It's that wide open with no dominant team and plenty of criticism to go around. The league has taken a hit with Michigan's bad start. Beyond that, Ohio State struggled with Akron. Wisconsin struggled even more with UNLV. Penn State has beaten Florida International and the worst Notre Dame team of the Charlie Weis era. Most consistent? Maybe the Boilers (2-0), who have surpassed 50 twice and could be 4-0 when they host Notre Dame on Sept. 29. In other words, Purdue will be 5-0.
• A moment passed almost imperceptibly Saturday. It is becoming increasingly likely that no mid-major will qualify for a BCS bowl. Boise, TCU and Southern Miss all lost big.
Hawaii is undefeated but looked shaky in an overtime victory at Louisiana Tech.
Cinderella is drunk in a gutter somewhere with her skirt torn and reputation questioned.
