College Football Top 25 Review

College Football Top 25 Review

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Oregon capped its first-ever week as the nation's No. 1 team in style, pummeling UCLA, 60-13, on Thursday night. The Bruins simply didn't have the speed to hang with the Ducks, who posted 582 yards of offense behind strong nights from quarterback Darron Thomas (308 yards, three TDs) and running back LaMichael James (123 yards, two scores).

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QB Blaine Gabbert (308 passing yards, 1 TD) and the Tigers won't get much time to enjoy their first win over the Sooners in 12 years (dating back to the Larry Smith era). A road trip to Nebraska looms next week. As for Oklahoma, the Sooners are the third No. 1 team to fall in consecutive weeks.

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Life is good for QB Andy Dalton (278 total yards, 2 TDs) and the No. 4 Horned Frogs, who easily dispatched of Air Force and have only one more roadblock (UNLV) before the TCU-Utah showdown on Nov. 6.

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The Cam Newton show continues. LSU had no answer for Auburn's star quarterback, who ran for a career-high 217 yards and two touchdowns. Newton wasn't alone, though. An LSU defense that entered the game ranked sixth nationally against the run surrendered 440 rushing yards to a relentless Auburn attack.

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Injuries and double-coverages may have limited Julio Jones' production in recent weeks, but there was no stopping him against the Volunteers. The junior pulled down 12 catches for 221 yards -- both season-highs -- in the Tide's runaway win, which precedes a bye week and Alabama's Nov. 6 showdown with LSU.

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Sparty's magical run was in jeopardy until the final two minutes, when Kirk Cousins found B.J. Cunningham to take the lead on Northwestern for the first time all game. Cousins finished with 329 yards and three touchdowns and Michigan State scored 28 second-half points to move to 8-0 on the season.

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The QB-RB connection of Jordan Wynn and Matt Asiata accounted for 357 yards and five TDs in the Utes' rout of the Rams. Counting Saturday's result, Utah has beaten its seven opponents by an aggregate score of 334-90 -- and that includes a narrow 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh in Week 1.

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Starting tailback John Clay scored two touchdowns for Wisconsin, but it was backup Montee Ball who delivered the winning score from eight yards out with 1:06 left in the game. But let's reserve some credit for punter Brad Nortman, who kept that final drive alive with a 17-yard run on a fake punt.

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Maybe Ohio State isn't finished after all. The Buckeyes got over their Wisconsin hangover in a hurry, dismantling the Boilermakers in a 49-0 win. Dan Herron got things started with two early touchdowns, and the Ohio State defense kept Purdue under 100 total yards until the Boilermakers' final possession of the game.

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Running back Stepfan Taylor (153 total yards, 2 TDs) basks in the afterglow of another win, boosting the Cardinal's record to 6-1 (3-1 in conference). But the revelry should be short-lived, as Stanford must bog down for a trip to Washington and home date with Arizona up next.

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A week after being benched against Texas, Taylor Martinez set a Nebraska freshman record with 323 passing yards. T-Magic also delivered a career-high five touchdown passes and ran for 112 yards, but he wasn't the only Husker to post a big game; Brandon Kinnie caught the first three touchdown passes of his career, including one in the final five minutes to ice the game and give Oklahoma State its first loss of the season.

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So far, so good for the Wildcats (6-1, 3-1) and their pursuit of a Pac-10 crown. Led by Nic Grigsby (two TDs), Arizona rolled up 44 points and 467 yards against a Washington team that had just knocked off Oregon State -- the only club to handle the Wildcats this season. Up next for Arizona: A road trip to UCLA.

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Wideout Tori Gurley (13 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD) was one of three Gamecocks to crack the century mark in rushing or receiving yards against the Commodores (along with Brian Maddox and Alshon Jeffery). South Carolina hosts SEC East rival Tennessee next week.

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Entering this game, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith had thrown two interceptions on the year. He threw three Saturday against Syracuse. The Orange only managed to turn those picks into field goals, but their swarming D kept Smith on his heels during a scoreless second half, resulting in an upset win for Syracuse and West Virginia's first loss of the season.

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Twice, this game was delayed by lightning. Twice, the Rebels pulled within a touchdown of the Hogs. Twice, Arkansas running back Knile Davis answered with touchdown runs. Star quarterback Ryan Mallett again left the game injured (bruised throwing shoulder), but the Hogs prevailed on the strength of a 176-yard, three score day from Davis.

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So much for Texas' resurgence. A week after upsetting then No. 5 Nebraska, the Longhorns came out flat against Iowa State, dropping back-to-back home games for the first time since 1997 and losing to the Cyclones for the time since -- well, ever.

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Tyrod Taylor is less than 100 yards away from becoming Virginia Tech's career leader after a 327-yard, three touchdown day against Duke. The Hokies are also four wins away from a guaranteed Coastal Division title. James Madison, who?

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Mississippi State can still privately celebrate last week's landmark victory over Florida ... now that it has survived a scare against lowly UAB. Tailback LaDarius Perkins paced the Bulldogs with 135 total yards (131 rushing) and two touchdowns.

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What looked like a preview of the ACC title game in July was nothing more than another notch on Miami's conference belt. Led by QB Jacory Harris (217 passing yards, 3 TDs), the Hurricanes (5-2, 3-1) amassed 442 yards against the depleted Tar Heels defense.