College Football Top 25 Review

College Football Top 25 Review

AP

The Cowboys are on quite a roll. A week after showing concussion-like symptoms against Missouri, star receiver Justin Blackmon returned in notable fashion, catching 13 balls for 171 yards and two touchdowns. But Oklahoma State also impressed on defense, disrupting Robert Griffin III (pictured) and limiting him to one touchdown pass and two interceptions.

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After nearly a full calendar year of blowout victories, Luck and the Cardinal might have forgotten what a thriller feels like. Luck threw for 330 yards and drove his team for the game-tying score after trailling with 3:08 to play to force overtime. Stepfan Taylor ran for the go-ahead score in the third overtime, and Stanford's defense preserved its 16-game winning streak by forcing Curtis McNeal's fumble into the end zone to finish it.

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Junior Tevin Washington rushed for 176 yards and broke the two longest runs of his career, leading Georgia Tech to an upset of Clemson and likely snuffing out the Tigers' national title hopes. Orwin Smith (shown) added two short rushing tochdowns for the Yellow Jackets, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

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With Darron Thomas and LaMichael James back but not at full strength, Oregon benefited from a huge day from its special teams. Avery Patterson (pictured) blocked a punt early, and superfrosh De'Anthony Thomas registered a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter.

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This one's going to sting for a while. With Vanderbilt up 28-20 in the fourth quarter, Jerry Franklin recovered a Zac Stacy fumble and returned it 94 yards for the touchdown. A two-point conversion evened the score, and Arkansas went up by a field goal with 6:53 left. Vandy had a chance to send the game to overtime with a 27-yard field goal, but Carey Spear missed wide right.

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Call it a Hail Mary Hangover. A week after shocking Wisconsin on a last-second touchdown pass, Michigan State managed just 187 total yards against Nebraska. The Huskers didn't have to completely rely on their defense, getting 158 total yards and three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) from Rex Burkhead.

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Kansas State's undefeated season came to an end in lopsided fashion. The Wildcats had the misfortune of drawing the Sooners off their shocking Week 8 loss to Texas Tech, and Bob Stoops has never lost back-to-back conference games. Bill Snyder's crew kept it close in the first half, but Ryan Broyles (pictured) and Co. pulled away in the second half to register an astounding 690 total yards on the day.

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Wisconsin had its heart broken again. Braxton Miller threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith (shown) with 20 seconds left as Ohio State stunned Wisconsin. It was almost exactly seven days earlier that the Badgers were beaten 37-31 at Michigan State on a miracle pass on the final play of the game. The latest heartbreak, just like that one, wasn't confirmed until it passed a video review.

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South Carolina's offense may not look as pretty without star running back Marcus Lattimore. It still managed to get the job done. Connor Shaw (14) threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Brandon Wilds ran for 137 yards as South Carolina survived Tennessee to stay in control of the SEC East.

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The Hokies managed just 14 points despite racking up 434 yards, but they'll take the victory. David Wilson had another big day for Tech, rushing for 148 yards, but first-year started Logan Thomas continues to be up-and-down at quarterback. Thomas managed just 191 pass yards against the Blue Devils, threw two interceptions and fumbled once.

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Another week, another second-half collapse for Texas A&M. The Aggies led by 11 at halftime, nearly lost in regulation (Missouri failed to hit a 46-yard game-winning field goal) and then failed to answer in overtime after James Franklin found Marcus Lucas for an 11-yard score. Henry Josey (pictured) had another big day for the Tigers, rushing 20 times for 157 yards and a score.

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Purdue was riding high after its Week 8 upset of Illinois. Unfortunately, Purdue was also catching Michigan coming off a bye week. Denard Robinson had a poor day through the air, completing just nine passes for 170 yards, no touchdowns and a pick, but he got plenty of help from his ground game. Fitzgerald Toussaint (pictured) carried 20 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines to a 7-1 mark.

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Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads watched as redshirt freshman Jared Barnett's confidence grew. Barnett threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Iowa State shocked the Red Raiders a week after they won at Oklahoma. Making his first start, Barnett's mobility gave the Red Raiders defense fits. He rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries and completed 14-of-26 passes for 144 yards. His touchdowns were career firsts.

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There are good nights, and then there are nights like Case Keenum had against Rice. Houston's star quarterback (pictured) threw five touchdowns to set the FBS career touchdown-pass record, then went on to throw four more to finish with a whopping nine on the night to go along with 534 yards.

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Joe Paterno has made history once more, passing Eddie Robinson as the all-time winningest NCAA Division I football coach with his 409th victory. The Nittany Lions improved to 8-1 on a game-winning touchdown from Silas Redd (pictured) in the final minutes, while the Illini suffered their third loss in a row.

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The monkey is off Mark Richt's back, at least for a little while. Georgia registered just its fourth victory in the last 22 meetings with SEC East rival Florida, allowing the Bulldogs to keep their divisional title hopes alive. Aaron Murray threw two touchdown passes on fourth-down to help the Bulldogs win their sixth straight; the Gators have lost four in a row.

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In control of the Pac-12 South, Arizona State couldn't afford a slip-up against an injury-riddled, 31-point underdog. Brock Osweiler threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, Cameron Marshall added three scores on the ground and Arizona State (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) routed conference newcomer Colorado.

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It was a snowy day in Jersey. It was also an emotional one, as paralyzed former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand led the Scarlet Knights out of the tunnel to start the game. But the Mountaineers bounced back from Week 8's shocking loss to Syracuse thanks to a big day from Shawne Alston, who rushed for 110 yards and two scores on 10 carries.