College Football Top 25 Review

College Football Top 25 Review

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Alabama proved itself mortal against Arkansas, but the No. 1 Tide rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit for a 24-20 win. Mark Ingram ran for 157 yards and the game-winning score, a one-yard TD run with 3:18 to play. The Tide were able to run out the clock after intercepting Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett for the third time.

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Dane Sanzenbacher caught four touchdown passes, but his record-breaking effort was overshadowed by an otherworldly day from Terrelle Pryor, who completed 20 of 26 passes for 224 yards and four scores, rushed seven times for 104 yards and a touchdown and even caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Hall, his former high school teammate.

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Playing before a nationally televised and hosting the biggest game in school history wasn't too daunting for the No. 3 Broncos, who amassed 474 yards and 37 points against the Beavers. Boise State will undoubtedly be heavy favorites against the other teams left on its 2010 schedule.

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TCU couldn't shake SMU early, and even fell behind 1:02 into the second half following QB Andy Dalton's second straight interception. But receiver Jeremy Kerley (pictured) returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards, Dalton led the Horned Frogs to touchdowns on their next three drives, and TCU pulled away for a big win.

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Darron Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 5 Oregon unleashed a big-play passing offense to pull away from Arizona State in the Pac-10 opener for both teams. Arizona State held the nation's second-leading rushing team to 145 yards - 235 below its average - but the Sun Devils committed seven costly turnovers in the loss.

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There was nothing pretty about Nebraska's victory against lightly regarded SDSU, but Alfonzo Dennard and the Cornhusker defenders can take pride in holding the Jackrabbits to 236 total yards and just 10 first downs

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Texas has struggled offensively all season, but against UCLA, the Longhorns' defense failed for the first time. Jonathan Franklin (pictured) and the Bruins compiled 264 rushing yards against a 'Horns D that entered the game No. 1 nationally against the run, and UCLA pulled off a shocking upset over the nation's No. 7 team.

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The Sooners were lucky to escape Paul Brown Stadium with a win over Cincinnati. But hey, at least Ryan Broyes (10 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD) came out victorious before the Oct. 9 Red River Rivalry classic -- something No. 7 Texas cannot boast.

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The Gators finally got the breakout performance they craved during the non-conference slate, erupting for 466 total yards and 27 second-half points against the Wildcats. QB John Brantley threw for 248 yards and one touchdown for Florida, which travels to No. 1 Alabama next week.

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Wisconsin barely survived Arizona State in Week 3. The Badgers had no such trouble this week, crushing overmatched Austin Peay. Despite being without injured wide receivers Nick Toon and David Gilreath, Wisconsin scored 49 first-half points and posted its highest points total of the modern era.

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The Tigers are making an art of the primetime comeback. For a second straight week, QB Cam Newton has rallied his team to a thrilling victory over a powerhouse from the Palmetto State. On Saturday, Newton accounted for 334 total yards and five touchdowns (three rushing) against the Gamecocks.

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All eyes were on Utah receiver Eddie Wide, who pulled down eight catches for a team-high 61 yards and one touchdown against the Spartans. Up next for the 4-0 Utes: An Oct. 9 clash with the Big 12's Iowa State.

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A defensive battle netted just four field goals all game until Arizona's Nick Foles found receiver Juron Criner on a three-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats the win. Arizona squeezes by the Golden Bears to improve to 4-0 before facing No. 24 Oregon State next Saturday.

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With their offense stalling, LSU used defense and special teams to outlast West Virginia. The Tigers jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, highlighted by Patrick Peterson's 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. With the win over the Mountaineers, LSU improves to 4-0.

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Stanford hadn't won in South Bend since 1992 and had never beaten Notre Dame in back-to-back years, but both those things changed Saturday in a 37-14 Cardinal win. Quarterback Andrew Luck threw his first two interceptions of the season, but Owen Marecic (48) was the star of the day, scoring on a touchdown run and interception return 13 seconds apart.

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Iowa lost backup running back Jewel Hampton to a knee injury earlier this week, but if starter Adam Robinson keeps running this way, the Hawkeyes should be fine. Robinson rushed for 115 yards and two scores and added 75 yards receiving, and Iowa became the first team to shut out Ball State since 2005.

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Jacory Harris and the offense had little trouble scoring on Pitt, but Miami won this contest with shut-down defense. The Hurricanes had five sacks, nine tackles for loss and forced three turnovers while holding Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri to 61 passing yards and running back Dion Lewis to 41 rushing yards.

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The Cougars drew first blood, scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter, but it was all USC after that. Matt Barkley threw three touchdown passes and USC received 80-plus rushing yards from both Allen Bradford and Stanley Havili (pictured) in a lopsided win over lowly Washington State.

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If there was one thing Michigan fans didn't want to see, it was an injury to Denard Robinson. The star quarterback twisted his left knee after a 47-yard run in the first quarter and did not return, but the Wolverines rallied. Backups Devin Gardner and Tate Forcier both saw time, but it was the much maligned Forcier who helped Big Blue secure a big win and move to 4-0 on the year.

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After being outscored 154-9 in its previous four games against Penn State, Temple looked poised to pull the upset in the first half. But the Owls' offense stalled after Bernard Pierce (pictured) was lost to injury, and Penn State prevailed on the strength of five Collin Wagner field goals and a 187-yard rushing day from Evan Royster.

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The Spartans cruised to an easy victory, which was just what they needed after a stressful week in which head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a mild heart attack just hours after the team's stunning overtime win over Notre Dame. Danotonio reportedly watched the game from home.