J. Darin Darst

We still have a big weekend of college football left, but with the BCS announcing which teams remain in consideration for BCS bowl berths today, the rest of the bowls are starting to make their selections.

The two biggest bids to come out so far are the Cotton Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Dallas Morning News is reporting Oklahoma State and Mississippi will be battling on Jan. 2. The game will be a rematch of the 2004 game and a return trip for the Rebels, who beat Texas Tech.

GoVolsExtra.com is reporting that it will be Virginia Tech and Tennessee meeting in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It was widely thought that the Vols would land in the Outback Bowl, but that invitation went to Auburn, according to AL.com.

June Jones is heading back to Hawaii for the Hawaii Bowl. It's no surprise for SMU as Jones coached at Hawaii two years ago. If Hawaii beats Wisconsin, the Warriors will be the opponent. Otherwise, look for Nevada or Fresno State to play SMU.

Another C-USA team, UCF, will be headed to the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Knights accepted the bowl bid at a press conference today and the school has already launched www.UCFBowl.com for fans to get all the info. UCF will play a team from the Big East, which will most likely be South Florida, Rutgers or Connecticut.

This blog will update throughout the day and you can check out all my projections here.

Frank Solich has done it again.

For the second time in four seasons, Solich has guided Ohio to the MAC Championship game. Pretty good for a program that hasn't seen much success since joining Division I-A in 1983.

Not only that, Ohio jumped to No. 40 in the latest CBSSports.com 120 rankings. It will take on Central Michigan for the conference title on Dec. 4.

The season didn't start out strong for the Bobcats. After falling short in a 23-16 loss to Connecticut, it needed overtime to beat one of the worst teams in the nation, getting past North Texas 31-30.

But the Bobcats have won seven of their last eight and clinched the East Division with a win over Temple on Saturday.

"I think the early part of the season was telling for us," said Solich. "We didn't get off to a great start against Connecticut -- they are a very good football team -- but we hung in there and then the next week on the road at North Texas, with bad weather, we found a way to win that football game right at the very end. I think our team felt all along that we had the capability of being a very good football team and capability of winning football games, but it started to generate some action there (at North Texas) and I think I started to truly believe."

The victory was the 28th win for the Bobcats' senior class, which is the school's winningest since 1963, when that group won 29 games from 1960-63.

"I'm as proud of these guys as I've ever been of any team that I've been associated with," added Solich after the Temple game. "You look back and there have been a lot of great games. This one is as good as it gets. This team has been truly amazing as to how they kept battling back in games throughout the course of the entire season."

Two players that have been key to Ohio's success is the wide receiver tandem of Taylor Price and LaVon Brazill. Price has 51 catches for 733 yards and Brazill has 49 catches for 670 yards. The duo has combined for 11 touchdowns.

Two guys on defense are ranked in the top 15 of the nation in their perspective categories. Linebacker Noah Keller is 14th in the nation with 122 tackles, while freshman defensive back Gerald Moore has six interceptions (8th in the NCAA).

Now it all comes down to the game against Central Michigan, which is ranked No. 25 in the CBSSports.com 120.

"Central has been there the past couple years and has gotten a lot of national exposure. We want to get our program going that direction, and we feel like we've got the talent here," said linebacker Lee Renfro. "It's going to be another hard game, but if we keep getting better every week, I like our odds."

Matchups of other conference title games:

ACC: No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. 27 Clemson

Big 12: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 19 Nebraska

Conference USA: No. 21 Houston vs. No. 52 East Carolina

SEC: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Alabama

Notes

... Eastern Michigan finished the season at 0-12 and is ranked No. 119. Western Kentucky is No. 120 at 0-11, but has one game remaining against Arkansas State.

... Hawaii has quietly moved up to No. 75 and is eyeing a bowl bid. If the Warriors beat Wisconsin on Saturday, they would be headed to play in the Hawaii Bowl, mostly likely against SMU. The Mustangs are coached by former Hawaii coach June Jones.

... The lowest-ranked team with a winning record is Northern Illinois at No. 68. Despite being 7-5, the Huskies have the 119th ranked schedule. The highest-ranked team with a losing record is Mississippi State at 5-7. The Bulldogs have not only played a tough SEC schedule, but lost to Houston (10-2) and beat Middle Tennessee State (9-3).

It was all about not having to call 9-1-1.

And that was one goal we all reached!

With nine guys all over the age of 37, we headed out to the local park to try and pretend how thin and fast we were 20 years ago in our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Flag Football Game and Picnic.

The wives and kids were also there, hanging out at the playground and cheering us on. At the end we brought all the kids out to the field for a little family football.

The rules are simple in old man football. First team to score 29 points wins. You can take the free extra point after a touchdown, but you must go for a 2-point conversion at least once (ball placed at the 5-yard line). If you miss it, you'll have to score a fifth touchdown. Field is 50 yards long. A first down is midfield. So basically you get the ball at your own 5 to start each drive and have three downs to get there.

I've seen enough crossing routes and quick slants and shovel passes to last a liftime. Flag football surely isn't about running the fullback dive play.

Since we had nine players this year, we had an all-time offensive player. This caused some issues earlier with all the trick plays, but it wasn't about the final score, just the ability to get out and toss the ball with friends.

Here are the results (Except for me, I used first names only to protect the old and slow):

Game 1:
Team Red (Darst, Daryl, Brad, Troy)
Team Green (Jose, Andy, Jason, Jeff)
All-Time Offense (Scott)

Final: Team Green 29, Team Red 21
RED -- Daryl 35 pass from Darst (Extra Point Taken)
GREEN -- Jose 20 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken)
GREEN -- Jason 25 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken)
RED -- Troy 20 pass from Scott (2-Point Pass Failed)
GREEN -- Jason 5 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken) -- Note: Andy made an amazing falling down catch on 3rd down to set up the TD
RED -- Troy 10 pass from Scott (Darst pass from Scott)
GREEN -- Jose 20 pass from Scott (Jose pass from Scott)

MVP -- Scott -- 6 TD passes (4 for winning team)

Game 2:
Team Yellow (Darst, Troy, Jason, Jeff)
Team Blue (Scott, Jose, Brad, Andy)
All-Time Offense (Daryl)

Final: Team Yellow 29, Team Blue 21
YELLOW -- Daryl 20 pass from Darst (Extra Point Taken)
BLUE -- Jose 40 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken)
YELLOW -- Darst 5 pass from Troy (Extra Point Taken)
BLUE -- Jose 10 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken)
BLUE -- Brad 30 pass from Scott (Extra Point Taken)
YELLOW -- Jeff 20 pass from Troy (Extra Point Taken)
YELLOW -- Troy 35 pass from Darst (Daryl pass from Darst)

MVP -- Troy -- 2 passing TDs, game-winning TD reception

If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma and Boise State beats Nevada, the Broncos will most likely be left out of the BCS.

The Fiesta will most certainly take Oklahoma State to replace Texas and match it up with TCU. The Sugar Bowl is projected to have the loser of the Alabama/Florida game vs. the Big East champion, while the Orange Bowl will match up Georgia Tech/Clemson winner against either Penn State or Iowa. The Rose will have the Pac-10 champion vs. Ohio State.

So what happens to Boise State?

The Poinsettia Bowl, where the Broncos played last year, was talked about a few weeks ago. Boise State would replace a Pac-10 team, but that can't happen now because the conference has seven bowl eligible teams.

It could take one of its WAC bowls -- Hawaii, Humanitarian or New Mexico Bowl, but neither of those bowls have very appealing matchups for the No. 6 ranked team in the country.

The best option for the Broncos is to grab one of the at-large spots available in the GMAC, Little Caesars Pizza, EagleBank or potentially the International Bowl (if UConn doesn't get bowl-eligible).

"I would assume like in most in years, a Boise State or any highly ranked team that gets left out of the BCS, it is going to want to play the best available team," said Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and International Bowl Executive Director Ken Hoffman. "The Mid-American Conference is going to have a couple of them that are very good, in particular Central Michigan, Temple and Ohio are likely to have strong records and likely ranked at that point."

Boise State could take on the MAC Champion in either the GMAC or Pizza Bowl. Temple is 9-2, while Central Michigan has one of the most exciting players in QB Dan LeFevour and is also 9-2.

"I would think there will be a real good option for Boise State to play a 10- or 11-win team out of the MAC in one of those locations. I can speak for Toronto and Detroit, we would be very interested in that. And I'm absolutely certain Mobile would be interested in that."

Another solution for the Broncos and the WAC is to maybe trade a tie-in with another bowl.

"In the past we've looked at trading teams and trading bowls," said WAC Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations Director Dave Chaffin. "A few years ago Boise State went to the Liberty Bowl ... we had no tie-in to that. That type of situation could happen again this year. We just to have to wait to see what happens."

After this weekend, things will get much clearer.

History is being made at Nevada.

And with a win at Boise State on Friday, the Wolf Pack will make the Broncos' BCS hopes history.

With both teams undefeated in conference play, the WAC basically ends up with a conference title game, which will be played the day after Thanksgiving.

Beating Boise on the blue turf won't be an easy task, but the Wolf Pack are one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, winning eight consecutive, while averaging 51.6 points per game during the stretch.

Nevada blasted New Mexico State 63-20 this past weekend, moving up to No. 42 in this week's CBSSports.com 120. It has also scored 70 against Idaho, 62 against San Jose State and 52 against Fresno State in recent weeks.

That's quite a difference from a team that started 0-3, including a 35-0 loss to Notre Dame in the season opener.

"We're taking a lot of momentum," Nevada coach Chris Ault said about playing at Boise State. "We have to ... They're the target that everybody shoots for. I'm proud we're playing for a championship. You can't ask for anything more. I'm really proud of this football team. To win eight straight and get to the championship game, this is exciting."

Nevada entered into the record books this weekend becoming the first team in NCAA history to have three 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has 1,129 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns, running back Vai Taua has 1,185 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, while Luke Lippincott has 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns.

The school even has a cool little video on its website to recognize the accomplishment.

"It's a compliment to our backs and our offensive line and our quarterback. Things like that don't happen because of one person," added Ault.

Overall, the Wolf Pack's "Pistol" offense leads the nation with 373.2 yards rushing per game and a 7.7-yard average. Georgia Tech is second with 314.1 yards per game, while Navy is third at 282.6.

The pistol offense is a hybrid of the shotgun and single back where the quarterback lines up in a shotgun, with the running back directly behind him. There are also three wide receivers in the formation with one tight end.

"We ran the ball but nothing like what we are seeing with this offense," said Chris Vargas, a former Nevada quarterback told the MercuryNews.com. "It is pretty special what these guys are doing this year. Even in the heyday of 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust-the Oklahoma Sooners and running the wishbone and all that type of stuff-you never saw a team that had three guys go for a thousand yards."

Nevada will need its high-powered offense to be clicking to beat Boise State, which comes into the game with its own lethal offense. The Broncos are ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring, averaging 44.4 points per game.

The Wolf Pack have also never won the WAC outright, only sharing the conference title with the Broncos in 2005.

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish continue their freefall, dropping to No. 54 after losing to Connecticut. They have lost four consecutive and are on the verge of missing a bowl game. At 6-6, they aren't guaranteed a slot and might get passed over if Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette or Bowling Green pick up their seventh win. Rules state seven-win teams must be selected over six win teams.

Army

The Black Knights are on the verge of making a bowl (if it beats Navy) for the first time since losing in the 1996 Independence Bowl, but according to CBSSports.com, they have the worst schedule in the nation.

The 120th-ranked schedule features Eastern Michigan (0-11), Duke (5-6), Ball State (1-10), Iowa State (6-6), Tulane (3-8), Vanderbilt (2-10), Temple (9-2), Rutgers (7-3), Air Force (7-5), VMI (FCS team) and North Texas (2-9).

That is five opponents ranked in the bottom 18 and three in the bottom five -- Vanderbilt (No. 102), Tulane (No. 106), North Texas (No. 115), Ball State (No. 117) and Eastern Michigan (No. 119).

Notes

... Despite not being ranked in the AP Top 25, Nebraska (No. 24) and Northwestern (No. 25) cracked the Top 25 of the CBSSports.com 120. Nebraska beat Kansas State to reach the Big 12 title game and Northwestern knocked off Wisconsin.

... Three nine-win teams are not in the Top 25, but are on the verge of getting in. Houston is ranked No. 30, Central Michigan is No. 31 and Temple is No. 33.

... The highest-ranked team with a losing record is Wyoming at No. 69. The 5-6 Cowboys can become bowl-eligible with a victory over Colorado State in the regular-season finale on Friday.

The Bronko Nagurski finalists were announced Thursday and its not much of a surprise. The Nagurski is awarded to the top defensive player and honestly, any one of the five guys could win it.

Here are the finalists:

Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa: He leads the Hawkeyes with 119 total tackles (79 assisted and 40 unassisted), two tackles for loss (one sack), five passes defended and two forced fumbles. 
 
Eric Berry, S, Tennessee: Berry has 70 tackles this season, 44 unassisted and 26 assisted. He has five tackles for loss, two interceptions and six passes broken.
 
Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama: Cody blocked two field goals in victory over Tennessee, including the potential game-winner as time expired. He also has 20 tackles, five for losses, one pass break-up and two quarterback hurries for the unbeaten Crimson Tide.
 
Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU: TCU is fourth in the country in total defense and sixth in the country in rush and pass defense and Hughes is a big reason why. He has 49 tackles, 13 tackles for loss with 10.5 sacks, one pass broken up, six quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
 
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska: Leads Nebraska in tackles with 31 unassisted and 25 assisted. He has 13 tackles loss (five sacks), eight pass breakups, 19 hurries, one forced fumble and three blocked kicks.

Finish up strong.

Every coach preaches it, but North Carolina is showing how it's done.

With its second consecutive victory over a Top 25 team -- a 33-24 victory over Miami (Fla.) on Saturday -- the Tar Heels jumped to No. 20 in the latest CBSSports.com 120.

The team has now won five straight over ranked teams, going back to last season (Georgia Tech was not ranked when the Yellow Jackets beat them).

Not bad for a team that was basically written off after losing to Virginia 16-3 and blowing a lead against Florida State earlier in the season.

"Life teaches you lessons," said head coach Butch Davis. "I think this football team, in the Thursday night game vs. Florida State, learned a really big lesson about trying to finish ballgames. About how important it is to play all 60 minutes, no matter what the score is at halftime."

North Carolina isn't like most 7-3 teams. It doesn't have a running back with more than 600 yards rushing and its leading receiver has just 409 yards receiving. Quarterback T.J. Yates has the same number of touchdowns as interceptions (10).

But the one thing is does have is a defense ranked eighth in the nation in total yards allowed and second in the ACC in interceptions. The team also has 25 sacks, led by sophomore defensive end Robert Quinn with 10.

In the win over Virginia Tech, the defense sacked Tyrod Taylor three times and recovered two fumbles, including one with two minutes left as the Hokies were trying to run out the clock.

Against the Hurricanes, the Tar Heels recorded four interceptions, including three by Kendric Burney. The junior cornerback returned one for a 77-yard touchdown and compiled an ACC single-game record with 170 interception return yards.

"Our guys are really getting a handle on studying quarterbacks," defensive coordinator Everett Withers said. "You hear their conversations while they're watching film -- this guy will stare down this receiver, this guy looks here in this personnel group, this guy looks to run in this formation, how another guy handles the pocket. They know that as the quarterback goes, so goes the offense."

Now if the Tar Heels can just take care of business against at Boston College and at North Carolina State to end the regular season, they will have won five in a row and six out of the last seven.

Southern California

Despite still being ranked in all the other polls, USC fell out of the CBSSports.com Top 25, falling from No. 12 to No. 28. The Trojans are now 7-3, 4-3 in the Pac-10 and will not make a BCS bowl for the first time since 2001.

"I'm not sure I have the right words to describe being humbled like this," Pete Carroll said after losing 55-21 to Stanford. "I don't really know where to put it. ... We have fallen apart and given our opponents the opportunity to do whatever they want, but you have to give Stanford a lot of credit."

The Trojans are on a bye this week and then return to the field against UCLA.

Nevada

The Wolf Pack started the season 0-3, but has now won seven in a row and is ranked No. 45. After taking care of Fresno State this weekend, the Wolf Pack are eyeing the end of the season game against Boise State. With a victory, Nevada would win the conference and end Boise State's dream of going undefeated and playing in a BCS bowl.

MAC Attack

Central Michigan and Temple are course to meet in the Mid-American Conference title game. Both teams control their own destiny and the game would feature two teams in the Top 35.

Central Michigan is ranked No. 31, while Temple is No. 34. Both teams are 8-2 and 6-0 in the conference. The winner will play in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, which used to be the Motor City Bowl.

Three winless teams left

New Mexico (No. 118), Eastern Michigan (No. 119) and Western Kentucky (No. 120) are all 0-10. New Mexico was close to winning this weekend, falling 24-19 to BYU. It plays Colorado State on Saturday.

I'm guilty. I was one of the pundits to pick Kansas State toward the bottom of the Big 12 North.
 
Boy, was I wrong!
 
Bill Snyder's team is sitting in first place of the Big 12 North at 4-2 and 6-4 overall and this week moved up to No. 43 in the latest CBSSports.com 120 rankings.

K-State needs just one more victory to become bowl-eligible (The Wildcats played two FCS teams, so they must win seven games, instead of the usual six) and controls its own destiny to reach the Big 12 Championship game against Texas.

"At the beginning of the season, everyone expected us to not do so much, to have a losing season or whatever," cornerback Josh Moore said to The Manhattan Mercury, "but all the players on the team and the coaches have a lot of faith in what we're doing. We're number one in the North right now - you have to take us seriously."

After Bill Snyder retired in 2005, the Wildcats didn't have much success under former assistant Ron Prince. They made just one bowl game (Texas Bowl in 2006) and had two consecutive losing seasons. The school decided a change needed to be made and brought Snyder back.

Not much was expected heading into this season, in what was supposed to be a competitive Big 12, with one of the worst defensives in the nation. Kansas state gave up 36.8 points per game (110th in the nation) and was 117th in the nation overall. This year, the defense is 43rd in the nation overall and 45th in points allowed.

The biggest telling statistics is the Wildcats are plus-11 in turnover margin. Safties Emmanuel Lamur, who leads the team in tackles and recorded two INTs against Colorado, and Tysyn Hartman, who has four INTS, are the driving force behind the turnaround on defense.

We're playing at a very high level," Hartman said to The Kansas City Star a few weeks ago. "We don't make a lot of mistakes, and when we do we try to correct them as soon as possible. That's what leads to our performance."

Another nice surprise has been running back Daniel Thomas. After rushing for 185 yards in the victory over Kansas, he now has 1,087 yards on the season with 11 touchdowns.

Thomas was a star at Northwest Mississippi Community College before signing with Kansas State, but wasn't expected to contribute much with the return of three running backs.

"Here is a guy that did not know where Kansas was a few months ago and still does not know anything about Kansas, but he gives it everything he has got, and he played hard," said Snyder after the game. "Sometimes he plays like he is a linebacker, and I just appreciate his approach to the game. He is not an easy guy to get down, and that is for one reason and one reason alone. It does not have anything to do with speed or size or anything else, it is just tenacity and a desire to get that extra inch or foot."

Oregon ranking talk, Part II

Last week, we had the debate about which team should be ranked higher -- one-loss Oregon or an undefeated Boise State team? This week we have the Oregon/USC debate.

Both teams are 7-2, but Oregon destroyed USC two weeks ago 47-20. In all four polls (AP, Coaches, Harris and BCS), the Trojans are ranked ahead of the Ducks. Did the voters forget about the thrashing the Trojans took?

One poll that didn't follow the rest of the nation was the CBSSports.com 120, where Oregon is ranked No. 11, USC is No. 12 and Ohio State is No. 13. The Trojans beat the Buckeyes 18-15 earlier in the season.

Notes

... The highest-ranked team with a losing record is Washington at No. 71. Despite being only 3-6, the Huskies beat USC, Idaho and Arizona. It also barely lost to LSU, Notre Dame and UCLA.

... The lowest-ranked team with a winning record is Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 101. The Rajin' Cajuns are 5-4, but their strength of schedule is ranked No. 116 out of 120 teams. They did beat Kansas State, but the rest of their wins are against Southern (FCS team) and three Sun Belt schools with a combined record of 4-22.

... One of the biggest games between non-Top 25 teams is this weekend when No. 40 Fresno State (6-3, 5-1) takes on No. 53 Nevada (6-3, 5-0). Both teams still have a shot to win the WAC, especially Nevada, which hasn't faced the Broncos yet.

It didn't take long for Brady Hoke to make an impact at his new job.

The former Ball State coach has guided San Diego State to a 4-4 record after beating New Mexico 23-20 over the weekend. With the victory, the Aztecs move up to No. 82 in the latest CBSSports.com 120 rankings.

The Aztecs now have a legit shot to finish 6-6 and make a bowl game, something they haven't done since 1998 when the team went 7-5 and played in the Las Vegas Bowl.

"Obviously you want to win more than you lose," said Hoke. "These kids have worked hard. Our seniors have done a tremendous job. For them, that's why we get excited as coaches to sing our fight song in the locker room. Guys know how we played and what we need to do to get better. It's great to be at that point right now."

A three-point win over a winless team might not seem like a big deal to most schools, but not only did the Aztecs snap an eight-game losing skid to the Lobos, but got revenge for last year's 70-7 beating.

San Diego State still has to play two of the biggest teams in the conference, beginning with TCU on Saturday and then at Utah on Nov. 21. But win or lose, things are starting to look up in San Diego.

This is a program that was supposed to turn things around with Tom Craft and Chuck Long, but neither could get the program going. Long was 9-27 in three seasons, including 2-10 last season.

"It's always good," said quarterback Ryan Lindley on what it means to win. "I think getting to .500 is something that, this late in the season, this program hasn't done in awhile and it's always good to get a victory."

Things just got tougher for the Aztecs as Vincent Brown will likely miss the rest of the regular season. The San Diego Union Tribune is reporting that Brown, who leads the team with 45 catches and 778 yards, suffered a thumb injury against Colorado State. He underwent several tests last week that revealed ligament damage.

Boise State/Oregon

The voters had to do some switching in the Top 10 after Oregon dismantled USC 47-20. Oregon moved up from No. 11 to No. 7, but a majority of the voters felt Boise State should still be ranked ahead of the Ducks based on the head-to-head meeting. So Boise State moved from No. 8 to No. 6.

Boise State is ranked ahead of Oregon in every major poll, including the BCS.

Key games

There are some key games in the non top 25 this weekend. One of the biggest is between No. 41 Kansas and No. 56 Kansas State.

The Wildcats actually lead the Big 12 North with a 3-2 conference record and 5-4 overall. Kansas is 5-3 overall, but just 1-3 in conference. Kansas State can take another step closer to winning the division with a win over the Jayhawks.

Not bad for a program many thought would be in shambles this season, but Bill Snyder has done a good job getting this team into position to make a bowl game.

Meanwhile, Kansas' Todd Reesing was benched against Texas Tech, but coach Mark Mangino said Reesing will be back as the starter against the Wildcats.

The other big game to keep an eye on is No. 43 Fresno State at No. 44 Idaho. Even though Boise State steals most of the headlines in the conference, Fresno State is 4-1 in WAC play, while Idaho is also 4-1. Don't forget about Nevada either, they are 4-0 in conference play.

Notes

... Miami (Ohio) won its first game of the season, beating Toledo 31-24. It might be the last win of the season because the Redhawks still have to play at Temple, Bowling Green and Buffalo.

... No. 120 ranked Western Kentucky was in a wild game, losing to North Texas 68-49. Riley Dodge accounted for seven touchdowns, four passing and three rushing, as North Texas matched its school record of 68 points set against Youngstown State in 1957.

... After being ranked for the first time last week, Central Michigan fell out of the Top 25. It lost 31-10 to Boston College to drop from No. 22 to No. 35.

We are down to five.

Five winless teams.

And it should be no surprise that all five are ranked No. 116 - No. 120 in this week's CBSSports.com 120. The bigger question is ... can any of them win a game over the final six weeks of the season?

It's been a rough couple of seasons for the team ranked No. 120 ... Western Kentucky.

The Hilltoppers have lost 15 consecutive games and this season rank 112th in the nation in scoring offense and 119th in scoring defense. This past weekend they lost 62-24 to Middle Tennessee.

"Today is an absolute miserable day for WKU football, there's no two ways about it," Western Kentucky coach David Elson said after the game. "How you respond goes back to our core principles and values. It's all about how you respond to these type of things. All year we've played bad one week and gotten a little better the next week.

"We played bad today, so we've got to look forward to playing better next week and try and get this thing on track."

In Western Kentucky's defense, it is finally a full-fledged member of FBS after having years of success in the former I-AA.

The Hilltoppers have three road games left on the schedule, but might finally end that losing streak this weekend at North Texas. The Mean Green are just 1-6, beating lowly Ball State in the first game of the season.

Two teams that don't have the excuse of moving up divisions are MAC bottom-feeders Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan.

Both had chances to get their first victory of the season, but were edged. Miami (Ohio) lost to Northern Illinois 27-22 and Eastern Michigan lost 29-27 to Ball State.

The RedHawks have never been the same since Ben Roethlisberger left after the 2003 season. After going 11-1 that season, Miami (Ohio) is 25-43 with just one bowl appearance. It did go 8-4 in 2004, but had has two 2-10 seasons and this year is 0-8.

With a remaining schedule of Toledo, at Temple, Bowling Green and Buffalo, a victory might not be in the cards for the winless RedHawks, especially since they are averaging 11.6 points per game, worst in the nation.

"I didn't think we improved last week versus Ohio. However, I think we improved this week with the physicality of our team. I think we improved with the teamwork and togetherness," said Miami coach Michael Haywood. "I think guys fought well in the third and fourth together and started bonding together."

As for Eastern Michigan ... It will have the toughest time finding a win as it has four road games in the last five, including a meeting at Arkansas this weekend.

Rice (0-8) and New Mexico (0-7) are the two other winless teams.

Big 12 North

Nebraska? Kansas? How about Iowa State!

The Cyclones moved up to No. 42 from No. 65 this week after beating Nebraska 9-7. At 5-3 and 2-2 in the conference, the Cyclones are close to being bowl-eligible and are just one game back of Kansas State for the division lead. Kansas State is No. 51, mostly because of its strength of schedule, which ranks 68th. (Iowa State's is 40th).

Iowa State, which hasn't played in a bowl since 2005, meets Texas A&M this weekend in a key conference game.

"That's our goal definitely," said senior defensive tackle Nate Frere to the GazetteOnline. "One game away. We are just going to keep doing what we've been doing and that will hopefully turn into a bowl game."

Notes

... Nevada is making a move back up. After starting the season at 0-3, the Wolf Pack are now 4-3 and 3-0 in the WAC. After blasting Idaho 70-45, Nevada jumped from No. 75 to No. 55.

... Colorado State took a big tumble, falling from No. 71 to No. 94 after losing to San Diego State. The Rams are now 0-4 in conference play.

... UTEP jumped from No. 91 to No. 79 after beating Tulsa 28-24. UTEP is now 3-4 and 2-1 in Conference USA.

... New Mexico State is the lowest-ranked team with at least three wins. Despite being 3-5, the Aggies are ranked No. 109. The biggest reason is because their schedule ranks 119th in the nation with wins over Prairie View A&M, New Mexico and Utah State.

The nation can't decide on which team is the best in the country, but with the help of the latest CBSSports.com 120 rankings, we can decide who has the best conference in the nation.

With Alabama and Florida ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, it's no surprise the SEC is still king in the conference debate, but what about the second-best conference?

Only one league has five teams ranked in the Top 30 -- the Pac-10.

USC and Oregon are both ranked in the Top 25, but it's the other teams that help make the conference so strong. Arizona is No. 27, California is No. 28 and Oregon State is No. 29.

Arizona has been to only one bowl game in the decade, finally going to the Las Vegas Bowl last season under Mike Stoops. This season the Wildcats are 4-2, 2-1 in the conference, with victories over Stanford and Oregon State.

In the 37-32 win over Oregon State, the Wildcats held on while the Beavers were driving for the game-winning score. This past weekend against Stanford, Nic Grigsby raced 57 yards for a touchdown with 2:57 to go, rallying from a 15-point deficit to win 43-38.

"The bottom line is that we won. Each win is special and very hard to come by," said Stoops. "Each week, we have to play our very best, I'd rather play bad and win than play well and lose. It's not easy to play in a conference like ours. We go up against nine very good teams, and it's not easy to do that week in and week out."

With home games against UCLA and Washington State up next, the Wildcats could find themselves at 6-2, their best start since going 12-1 in 1998.

Another big factor for the Pac-10 is it has just one team ranked outside the Top 60 -- Washington State at No. 108. The Big 12 has five teams ranked 60 or lower, while the Big Ten has four teams.

The ACC is the lowest-ranked BCS conference with a rating of 48.58. While the conference has three teams ranked in the Top 25, its next best team is Boston College at No. 40. N.C. State (No. 81) and Maryland (No. 90) are dragging it down.

Based on an average ranking, here are the overall conference ratings:

1. SEC -- 34.00
2. Pac-10 -- 40.40
3. Big 12 -- 42.58
4. Big Ten -- 44.36
5. Big East -- 44.63
6. ACC -- 48.58
7. Mountain West -- 62.67
8. WAC -- 74.89
9. C-USA -- 81.42
10. MAC -- 90.53
11. Sun Belt 101.00

The independents (Notre Dame, Navy and Army) have an average of 54.33.

Biggest first-half surprises:

Cincinnati is undefeated and ranked No. 5. This was a team that was picked to finish fifth in the conference by most publications. Now it has a real chance of playing for the national championship.

Miami (Fla.) is ranked No. 8 at the halfway point. This is a team that featured four of the toughest games of the year to start the season and came out of it at 3-1. Now the Hurricanes are in line to possibly win the ACC and play in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 2004.

Oklahoma is 3-3 and ranked No. 32. The Sooners were in everybody's top 5 at the beginning of the year, but with an average offensive line and Sam Bradford getting hurt, the Sooners are struggling.

Idaho is 6-1 and ranked No. 38. If Boise State ends up going undefeated and playing in a BCS bowl, imagine Idaho playing in the Humanitarian Bowl in front of the home-state fans. Amazing.

Biggest first-half disappointments:

The Ron Zook era might be coming to a close. The Illini are 1-5, ranked No. 101, and their only victory is a 45-17 win over Illinois State. They still have to play Michigan, at Minnesota, at Cincinnati and Fresno State.

N.C. State was supposed to be one of the favorites in the ACC Atlantic, but has lost three straight, dropping games to Wake Forest, Duke and Boston College. At 3-4 and ranked No. 81, it is on the verge of not making a bowl game.

Wasn't Ball State 12-2 last season? What a difference a year makes because the Cardinals are 0-7 and ranked No. 117.

Loveable losers are losers no more.

Two historically bad programs -- Army and Duke -- both earned big victories this weekend to improve to 3-3 and get their schools and fan bases to start thinking about the unthinkable ... a bowl game.

Army knocked off Vanderbilt 16-13 in overtime to move up to No. 86 in the latest CBSSports.com 120 . It was the first time Army beat a SEC team since 1988, ironically, when it beat the Commodores.

First-year coach Rich Ellerson already has the team with the same number of wins as they finished with the last three seasons at 3-9 and is eyeing more.

The Black Knights haven't been to a bowl since going 10-2 and playing Auburn in the Independence Bowl in 1996. It was the last time they had a winning record, but with a remaining schedule featuring Temple, VMI and North Texas, the Black Knights hope to get to 6-6 and earn an EagleBank Bowl invite.

The EagleBank Bowl  signed a deal with the Black Knights that if they become bowl-eligible, they will play in Washington D.C. against an ACC team.

The defense has been playing fantastic and ranks 28th in the nation in total yards allowed and is 41st in the nation in points allowed.

Linebacker Stephen Anderson leads the team with 51 tackles, including 31 solo, while safety Donovan Travis is tied for second in the NCAA with four interceptions. Defensive lineman Josh McNary is fourth in the nation in tackles for a loss with 11.5.

"If our defense will play like they have been playing, we'll have a chance every week. We played well and have done a good job of building a fence around our opponents' offense," added Ellerson. "We have some play-makers and some guys that do a beautiful job of clearing because the other team makes plays and gets themselves in scoring position, but we don't freak out. We just reload and play the next play."

One of the team's Army actually lost to earlier in the year is also making waves in the ACC.

Duke scored a huge upset on the road against N.C. State, ending a 20-game conference road losing streak. Many thought the Wolfpack would be one of the favorites in the Atlantic Division, but the Blue Devils racked up 49 points and Thad Lewis threw for a career-high 459 yards and five touchdowns.

The Blue Devils moved up to No. 67 in the CBSSports.com 120 rankings this week.

"It's kind of surreal," head coach David Cutcliffe said to the Winston-Salem Journal. "We haven't felt this way in a long time at Duke."

The last time Duke had a winning record was in 1994 when it went 8-4 and lost to Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl.

Things start to get much tougher for the Blue Devils with North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.) and Wake Forest on the horizon.

"All you got to do is look at what happened last year in the ACC. The ball can bounce a lot of ways. There is a lot of football left to be played. Anybody can beat anybody in this league."

Notes

... Speaking of losing teams, there are now seven winless teams remaining. Three of the teams are in the MAC -- Ball State, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan. Two are Sun Belt squads (Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky).

... SMU made a big jump in the rankings this week, leaping from No. 104 to No. 68 after beating East Carolina. June Jones has his team on the right track and at 2-0 in Conference USA, the Mustangs might be headed to their first bowl since the 1984 Aloha Bowl.

... Georgia took a big drop, falling to No. 47 after getting smoked against Tennessee. The Bulldogs are 3-3 and still have to play Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

... Middle of the road: With 120 teams, Marshall checks in at No. 60 at 4-2. There are about as close as you can get to being the most average team in the nation as their strength of schedule is 65th.

... Of all the teams in the Top 25, Virginia Tech's strength of schedule still ranks No. 1. Having played Alabama, Nebraska and Miami (Fla.) pushed its schedule to No. 1. It should start to get weaker with games vs. Maryland, N.C. State and Virginia to close out the season.

Before the season started, things didn't look too promising for Boston College.

First-year coach Frank Spaziani was taking over a program that had just lost another ACC Championship and the Music City Bowl to Vanderbilt.

Things got worse in a hurry. The Eagles got news in May that All-American linebacker Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Then in June, Dominique Davis, who was expected to be the starter at quarterback, was placed on academic probation and ended up transferring to Fort Scott Community College.

But after one month into the season, the Eagles are a surprising 4-1, including victories over Wake Forest and Florida State. They are inching closer to the Top 25, moving up to No. 35 in this week's CBSSports.com 120 rankings.

One of the biggest surprises is the new man under center, freshman Dave Shinskie.

Before you can say "Who?" … that would be 25-year-old freshman Dave Shinskie, the same guy who was recruited by Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State ... in 2003.

Shinskie decided to play pro baseball out of high school after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He never made it past Double-A, with his best season coming with the Class A Beloit Snappers in 2006. He went 6-7 with a 2.13 ERA and 11 saves.

After being released by the Blue Jays, Shinskie was ready to give college football a shot.

After Justin Tuggle's 4-for-20, three interception performance against Clemson, Shinskie got his chance to start against Wake Forest. He ended up throwing for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

Boston College had found their new quarterback.

"He confirmed a lot of the stuff we knew about him. We knew he had athletic ability. We knew he could make plays. We knew when we got into trouble he could get us out of it because of his athletic skills," said Spaziani after the game. "He didn't look like he was away from football for seven years."

Shinskie did it again against Florida State, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the 28-21 victory.

"He's progressing just like a freshman would. He's making some progress, but in no means is he a polished, accomplished signal caller and field general. There's just not enough experience," said head coach Frank Spaziani to the Boston Herald. "But once again, he's getting better every week, he's learning and we see improvement there. We need to see a lot more."

Shinskie will need to follow coach's orders quickly as the Eagles face Virginia Tech this weekend. This might end up being a preview of the potential ACC Championship game in December.

One player that has high regards for his new inexperienced quarterback is wide receiver Justin Jarvis.

"In the huddle I can feel a different presence," said Jarvis. "It's a little similar to what I felt with Matt Ryan and Chris Crane. It's leadership. ... He's demanding a lot out of us and demanding a lot out of himself too."

Idaho, Part II

With another upset victory, the Idaho Vandals find themselves at No. 50 in this week's rankings. Idaho, who was ranked No. 105 two weeks ago, is sitting at 4-1.

The IdahoStatesman.com had a Q/A with head coach Robb Akey after the team's hot start. Could Idaho fans be thinking bowl game?

"I could see the room when we were at the WAC (media) meetings and I started throwing out the word 'bowl,' it was like 'what the hell is he talking about?' But we started talking about that a long time ago with this team and encouraged them to pay attention to us," said Akey. "We kind of hammered it home 'this is where we're headed guys and the sooner you believe in it, we can make it happen.' I do believe it's attainable, and compete for a WAC championship? That's our job. Every team in the conference should be feeling that way right now. My concern is that our guys feel that way. We're getting closer."

Arizona

The Wildcats might not be making alot of noise, but they sit at 3-1, ranked No. 37 in this week's rankings. Arizona is also No. 35 in both AP and Coaches poll, while checking it at No. 37 in the Harris Poll.

Arizona's strength of schedule is No. 2, mostly because it hasn't played a team with a losing record yet (minus FCS team Northern Arizona). It beat Central Michigan, Oregon State and lost to Iowa. The Wildcats get their first team under .500 this week as they play at Washington.

Fresno State's SOS is No. 1. Not counting FCS team UC-Davis, the Bulldogs have lost to Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati. All three teams are undefeated.

Notes

... Michigan State jumped up from No. 61 to No. 44 after beating Michigan. The Spartans are 2-3 and play at Illinois this week.

... North Carolina took a tumble to No. 55 after being ranked No. 33 the previous week. The Tar Heels lost to Virginia 16-3 and are 0-2 in the ACC.

... Somebody will get a W: No. 114 Florida International (0-4) takes on No. 120 Western Kentucky (0-4) this week. The Golden Panthers won last year 27-3.

... Good news for the blog lead feature? Auburn and Wisconsin were both featured in the blog the two previous weeks and soon after jumped into the Top 25.

The folks in Madison are getting excited.

That's because Wisconsin is one of three Big Ten teams off to a 4-0 start (Iowa and Michigan being the other) after beating Michigan State 38-30 on Saturday.

The Badgers moved up from No. 41 to No. 31 in the latest CBSSports.com 120, one of the largest jumps of the week.

For a team that was projected to finish fifth or sixth in the conference, the Badgers are enjoying their early season success.

"I'm not worried about rankings," coach Bret Bielema said to the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel. "I'm just worried about getting better ... If it gets us ranked, it gets us ranked. If not, we'll just go on and do our business."

And doing business is exactly what they are doing.

One of the biggest reasons for the team's early success is quarterback Scott Tolzien.

The junior, who never started a game before this season and threw only eight passes in college, is ranked 13th in the nation in passing efficiency. To put it in perspective, Kansas' Todd Reesing is 27th, Texas' Colt McCoy is 29th, Penn State's Daryll Clark is 54th and Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor is 57th.

Tolzien is 66-of-99 for 884 yards with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. He has spread the ball around too as three players have at least 200 yards receiving.

"I love how smart he is, he's making the right decisions, the right looks and knows when to throw it away when he has too," said offensive lineman Peter Konz. "It's really comforting knowing as an offensive lineman that you're not going to have to go chase anybody down for an interception or he's going to scramble, and you might let up a sack."

Wisconsin is playing close games, but this season is winning them. Three of their four wins have been decided by eight points or less. It opened the season beating Northern Illinois 28-20 and beat Fresno State 34-31 in overtime.

Last year the Badgers lost three key conference games by three points or less.

"This is not the same team from a year ago," Bielema said. "There's more accountability among the players. They've done things differently."

Things get real tough for Wisconsin the next three games as it plays at Minnesota (Oct. 3); at Ohio State (Oct. 10); and Iowa (Oct. 17).

Idaho

The Vandals usually find themselves down in the 100-rankings, but have started the season at 3-1. Idaho jumped up from No. 105 to No. 83 this week after beating Northern Illinois.

Idaho has also beaten New Mexico State and San Diego State. Its only loss was to Washington. If the Vandals can keep it going, it might make grab one of the WAC's bowl bids. Idaho hasn't played in a bowl since 1998, when it beat Southern Miss in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Notes

Four non-BCS teams are ranked in the Top 25 with Boise State leading the way at No. 4. TCU is No. 9, Houston is No. 11 and BYU is No. 23. Utah just missed at No. 29. Central Michigan is 3-1 and at No. 46.

Nevada remains the highest-ranked team without a win, checking in at No. 89. The Wolf Pack has had a tough schedule, losing to Notre Dame, Colorado State and Missouri. Those three teams are combined for a 10-2 record.

Washington fell nine spots after jumping up to No. 36. After beating USC, the Huskies moved from No. 80 to No. 36, but fell back to No. 45 after losing to Stanford.

The lowest-ranked undefeated team is Texas A&M at No. 59. Despite going 3-0, the Aggies have the 118th-rated strength of schedule. They have beaten New Mexico (No. 106 and 0-4), Utah State (No. 114, 1-2) and UAB (No. 112, 1-3).