South Carolina, which has been energized by its home fans, will be all alone in Tuscaloosa.(AP)

Hit the road, Tennessee.

Get ready for the Big House, Wisconsin.

And K-State, you won't be in Kansas anymore.

We're a month into the season, and four teams ranked in the Top 25 still haven't left the security of home. (Close enough in Kansas State's case; the Wildcats played a "neutral field" game against Iowa in Kansas City.)

There's a new challenge this week. All four of those teams leave their friendly confines to play big-name opponents in big-time stadiums. Never mind that three of the opponents are struggling mightily these days. If anything, they just might fight more feverishly to crawl out of their early hole.

The undefeated Gamecocks have swatted down two ranked teams, including Mississippi State last week, but still have the most to prove. Can Lou Holtz's team -- 0-11 last season -- really be that good?

"They have the magic," said Bulldogs cornerback Fred Smoot, "and the team with the magic always prevails."

But will Holtz be able to bring the magic against Alabama, in Alabama? The Gamecocks have never beaten the Crimson Tide, anywhere, in nine tries.

Tennessee leaves town to take on the worst team in the SEC, but LSU can never be counted out of pulling off an upset in Tiger Stadium.

Wisconsin, unable to survive the ShoeGate suspensions, goes to Michigan with no margin of error in the Big Ten race, thanks to a loss against Northwestern last week. Even at home, Badgers quarterback Brooks Bollinger hasn't looked like the champ he was last year in leading Wisconsin to the Big Ten title, and playing in front of 110,000 Maize and Blue faithful usually brings out the worst in visiting QBs.

Dominant at home, K-State is mortal on the road. The Wildcats' five worst defensive efforts last season came when they were away from cozy Manhattan. This week, K-State steps out to play Colorado, due for a win after an 0-3 start.

Each of these four teams still has major hopes, but being homeless for a while might change all of that.

A battle of unbeatens

There is only one this week -- Southern California at Oregon State.

Last week, the Trojans played like a team ready to be beat, and San Jose State nearly obliged.

Among the Trojans' sins: They fumbled the opening kickoff, had a punt blocked for a touchdown and missed two extra points. If they don't clean that up, Oregon State will be ready to clean up.

The Beavers, led by stud running back Ken Simonton, are in prove-it mode after sweeping the cushiest non-conference schedule in the league, and not always doing so with ease. But the general feeling is that second-year coach Dennis Erickson has this program turned around, at least to the point where they can be competitive in Corvallis with the Pac-10's big boys.

Put security on goal post alert. If the Beavers win, the celebration will be wild.

It takes a Beavers fan with a long memory to recall the last time OSU beat the Trojans. That would be 26 games ago, in 1967, when USC's O.J. Simpson ran for 188 yards ... and still lost to Oregon State, 3-0.

Keep an eye on ...

• Florida State's place-kicking. The Seminoles have only one more tune-up (Maryland, Thursday night) before a national-championship-defining game at Miami, and there's still no passable replacement for Sebastian Janikowski. FSU has missed four extra points in four games -- from three different kickers. The Seminoles haven't even bothered attempting a field goal of more than 39 yards. Sooner or later, this will be a major issue.
• Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler. The junior ranks 13th in the nation ... in rushing. He's also third in passing efficiency and should go absolutely wild against a Duke squad that is probably the worst major-conference team in the nation (although Wake Forest will have something to say about that).
• Fourth downs. The two biggest plays of last week -- South Carolina backup QB Erik Kimrey throwing a game-winning TD against Mississippi State and Michigan State's Jeff Smoker connecting with Herb Haygood for a 68-yard score to stun Notre Dame -- came on fourth-and-10. Don't give up. Don't ever give up.
• Florida's pass rush. Erstwhile All-American defensive end Alex Brown didn't even start last week against Kentucky, and the Gators managed to sack Jared Lorenzen -- he of the not-so-swift 275 or so pounds -- exactly once. A similar (lack of) effort could allow for Mississippi State's Wayne Madkin to spin some magic in all that free space.
• The best defensive game of the week -- Memphis at Southern Miss. Combined, they allow less than 500 yards per game, with the Tigers ranking seventh in the nation and the Eagles 14th. How good is Memphis? Well, maybe it was just sour grapes, but after getting blitzed by Tennessee 70-3 last week, Louisiana-Monroe QB Andy Chance told reporters that he's seen a better defense than the Vols: "I know Memphis is the best we've seen. They're more physical."

Games of the week