Weekend in Review: Delivering a plethora of 'Believe it or nots'

Headlines you thought you'd never read:

Red Sox win World Series

Florida State a long shot for ACC title

John Bunting saves job

Georgia beats Florida in Cocktail Party

Kyle Orton benched

UNC shoots down Miami with late three -- in football!

What? Baylor!?

All in one week. Feel free to look it up. Pigs might be winging their way South. It was the Saturday we live for, the life-changing event that redefines the football season.

To summarize:

The three Florida schools all lost on the same day for the first time since Oct. 14, 1978. There wasn't a current Miami, Florida State or Florida player alive back when those teams could cry on each other's shoulders on the same weekend.

Which was more surprising?

1. Miami's defense giving up 1,551 yards the past the three games to Louisville, North Carolina State and North Carolina.

2. Florida State in complete disarray after both Wyatt Sexton and Chris Rix (again) failed on the road at Maryland.

3. Georgia finally breaking through against Florida. The Gators had won six in a row and 13 of the last 14. Even Ron Zook hadn't been able to screw up the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

You can talk about the mitigating circumstances of his firing, but through thick (Steve Spurrier) and thin (Zook) the Gators had been able to protect this house (Alltel Stadium).

Madison Hedgecock (44) and Scott Brumett enjoy North Carolina's upset victory over Miami. (AP)

Now it's a state of depression in the state of Florida. Joining the pity party is Central Florida, the nation's only winless team at 0-8.

Time for pork, the other winged meat.

Random thoughts:

• The Florida State and Miami losses effectively take the ACC out of the national title hunt. You can talk about parity and balance, but not many expected both the Hurricanes and 'Noles out of it at this point. Virginia and Virginia Tech have been let back in the door. Both teams control their own destinies and meet in what could be a winner-take-all ACC title game on Nov. 27 in Blacksburg.

• North Carolina just won the biggest (football) game in its history. It had never beaten a top five team. The school, in fact, opposed Miami's entry into the ACC because of the dilution of the league's academic rep. Carolina came into the game second-worst nationally in total defense and down to its third-string tailback, senior Chad Scott. Naturally, Scott ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

• Welcome to the ACC, Hurricanes. It was tougher than you thought, huh? Clearly, this is no Big East, where Miami was able to file its nails while contending for a national championship each year. Yes, there have been some injuries in both lines, but that doesn't excuse losing to a team that gave up 669 yards to Utah. The 'Canes have looked unmotivated and uninterested lately. It cost them on Saturday.

• For once it wasn't Brock Berlin's fault. He completed 20 of 35 for 338 yards.

• It's clear North Carolina needs to schedule Miami more often for homecoming. "I don't know what to say. I don't know what we're supposed to feel right now," Hurricanes safety Brandon Meriweather told the Miami Herald. "I'm not used to losing."

• In Tallahassee, you don't know where to start laying blame. Clearly, Wyatt Sexton is spooked by road games. He has been shaky the past two weeks at Wake Forest and Maryland. He completed fewer than half his passes Saturday and threw two interceptions. Chris Rix was asked to bail out the 'Noles, but the results were predictable. He missed wide-open receivers, threw off his back foot, etc. The accusing finger must once again point at Bobby Bowden, who continues to stick with his son Jeff as offensive coordinator.

• The Miami result might have been enough for John Bunting, the North Carolina coach, to save his job. Suddenly, the Heels are 4-4, and a bowl is a definite possibility. The final three games are against Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke. Remember when Steve Spurrier was a dead, solid lock to head to Chapel Hill?

• Florida's Big Three are a combined 16-7 at this point. That's behind Alabama's Big Three ('Bama, Auburn, UAB at 19-5) and California's Big Three (USC, UCLA, Cal at 19-4)

The Joy of Six

The list of unbeatens was whittled to six on Saturday. The survivors: USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Wisconsin, Utah and Boise State.

No matter who your favorite team is, it's becoming obvious that no matter what happens, if the Sooners and Trojans keep winning, they will play in the Orange Bowl.

USC might be playing better than any team in the country. Washington State (a 42-12 victim) isn't a fair representation, but the Trojans (8-0) have few weaknesses. They have two strong Heisman candidates in Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. The defense held the Cougars to 2½ yards per snap.

The remaining schedule includes a trip to Oregon State and UCLA and home games against Arizona and Notre Dame.

Oklahoma (8-0) is less secure. Its defense almost blew the game against Oklahoma State. The Sooners travel to Texas A&M, where the Aggies are trying to shake off their own version of the upset of the century against Baylor.

Nothing new, but Auburn continues to be a victim of the BCS numbers. Expect the Tigers to be No. 3 on Monday behind USC and Oklahoma. The Most Complete Team in the Country (our officially licensed label) handled Mississippi 35-14. Cadillac Williams put up 239 total yards.

Wisconsin, off this week, probably has the toughest road of the unbeatens. It has Minnesota this week and finishes with roadies at Michigan State and Iowa.

Utah might have all but clinched its BCS bowl spot with an easy victory over San Diego State. Thanks to the upsets, the Utes could be as high as fifth in Monday's BCS ratings. If they keep winning, they probably can't be knocked out of that top-six automatic spot.

More evidence of flying hogs

Guy Morriss is a ramblin', gamblin' guy. He rides a hog. He wears those tropical Tommy Bahama shirts.

He what-the-hells college football games.

Trailing Texas A&M 34-33 in overtime, Baylor 's second-year coach called his players to the sideline and told them they were going to go for it. Go for two. Try to win the game. Right then.

"Guys we're going to go for it," Morriss said, "is that what you want? Everybody said, 'Yes sir.'"

Quarterback Shawn Bell rolled right and spotted Dominique Zeigler for the winning points to complete an upset as big as any this season.

How big was it? Baylor hadn't beaten a ranked team since 1998. It was sitting on an 11-game Big 12 losing streak. It was whipped last year by the Aggies 73-10. Texas A&M came into the game leading the nation in turnover margin. Baylor was tied for last. Of course, the Bears won the turnover battle 3-1.

Bell subbed for injured Dan King and completed 32 of 50 for 262 yards and four touchdowns. Ziegler missed two days of practice to deal with a family matter. Then he came out and tied a school record with 12 catches for 121 yards.

With all that pain and distraction heaped on it, Morriss quickly made the decision to go for the victory in overtime.

"I thought, 'What the heck. Let's see if we can't win right now,'" Morriss said.

The loss doesn't ruin Texas A&M's season. If it beats Oklahoma this week, it will be the only Big 12 South team that controls its own destiny. Oklahoma and Texas would need help to get to the conference championship game on Dec. 4

The result does taint A&M's football credibility. The Aggies' season-opening loss to Utah looked better every day. Now it has to live the rest of the way with a loss to a bottom-feeder.

Scoping the nation

• Carolina kicker Connor Barth looked unusually calm in the moments before his game-winner against Miami, like he'd been there before. He has, in a way. In practice, Bunting has Barth kick with the clock winding down. The former surfer from Wilmington, N.C., is the laidback type who credits his balance from being up on a board. Barth pretty much has given up surfing to concentrate on kicking. He was a prep All-American who spends the offseason working with former Carolina kicker Dan Orner. He came into the game leading the ACC in accuracy (eight of nine).

• Hand Michigan's Braylon Edwards the Biletnikoff Award for the nation's best receiver. His spectacular 11-catch, 189-yard performance against Michigan State put him head and shoulder pads above any other wideout in the country. However, don't hand him the Heisman. First, he might not be the best player on his own team. Edwards likely will split votes with teammate Michael Hart, who ran for 200 yards again. Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, USC's Reggie Bush, Cal's Aaron Rodgers and USC's Matt Leinart deserve to be ahead of Edwards at this point too.

• Saturday big-picture losers: Texas, Tennessee, Michigan and Boise State. The first three could all finish 10-1 and be shut out of a BCS bowl. It looks like the best the Longhorns, Vols and Wolverines can do at this point is an at-large BCS berth. Cal and Utah seem to have both at-large berths locked up. Cal would replace USC in the Rose Bowl if USC wins out. As mentioned, the Utes can sew up their spot if they keep winning.

• Benching Kyle Orton was one thing, but Purdue coach Joe Tiller didn't have to call out his quarterback after the game. "It's one thing to be not at your best physically," Tiller said after a 13-10 loss at Northwestern. "It's another thing to be not at your best mentally." That won't help Tiller recruit any quarterbacks. Best to deal with the issue in private. Three weeks ago, Orton was the toast of the country and the Heisman frontrunner. After three consecutive losses, he is trying to regain confidence and his starting job. Amazing.

• Boise State (8-0) is on its way to an undefeated season, but where is it going to go bowling? The WAC's bowl tie-ins are with the Hawaii Bowl, the Silicon Valley Bowl and Humanitarian Bowl. That's below them even if the Broncos play at home in the Humanitarian. They deserve a better postseason home if they go undefeated.

• Unsightly: Nebraska's Joe Dailey completed only four of 18 passes against Missouri. The Huskers averaged 3.81 yards per play and needed two blocked punts to beat the Tigers 24-3.

• Unsightly II: Missouri landed in Lincoln three hours before the 11:10 a.m. CT kickoff. The team plane had trouble leaving Columbia when a tire was stuck in the mud on Friday night. Coach Gary Pinkel decided to rise early and catch a morning flight to Huskerland.

• Unsightly III: Michael Robinson continues to be misused at Penn State. The Nittany Lions' receiver/signal-caller/best player ever completed only seven of 21 passes with two interceptions against Ohio State.

• Why upsets become more likely late in the season: Injuries have an impact and opponents have more film to break down. Teams wear down and have a hard time wearing the favorite's crown. Oklahoma, Miami, Auburn and Florida State gave up a combined 1,722 yards on Saturday. That's an average of 430.5 yards.

• Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom might get two SEC coaches fired. The Bulldogs knocked off Kentucky and embattled coach Rich Brooks 22-7.

• Texas El-Paso clinched its second winning season in 16 years with a 38-20 victory over San Jose State. Jordan Palmer threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

• It looked like Hawaii coach June Jones mercifully pulled quarterback Timmy Chang from Friday's embarrassing 69-3 loss to Boise. Chang ended with 227 yards, 14 short of breaking Ty Detmer's career passing mark. Instead, his four interceptions did break the NCAA career record, recently held by Purdue product Mark Herrmann. It's a good idea saving Chang so he can break the record at home against Louisiana Tech.

• Where would you go Dec. 4? That day USC finishes the regular season at UCLA. Oklahoma likely will play a sub-standard opponent in the Big 12 title game. Auburn already has clinched a spot in the SEC title game, probably against Tennessee. The Vols need only to beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky to wrap up the SEC East.