Teams of the Week

Clemson — This is why the Tigers are known as the most schizophrenic program in college football. Just three weeks after losing to Maryland, Clemson posted one of the most impressive wins by any team this season — a 40–37 victory in overtime at Miami. Quarterback Kyle Parker was sensational, completing 25-of-37 for 326 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. The Tigers are now in great shape in the ACC Atlantic Division race. They are one of three teams with two losses, but they beat the other two teams (Boston College and Wake Forest) in head-to-head matchups.

TCU — Like it or not, college football is a beauty contest, and TCU looked downright stunning last Saturday in Provo, rolling to a 38–7 win over BYU. Underrated quarterback Andy Dalton only completed 13 passes, but those 13 completions went for 241 yards and three touchdowns. The Horned Frogs, who climbed to No. 6 in the BCS standings, are now 7–0, with wins on the road against Virginia, Clemson and BYU.

Texas A&M — Just one week after suffering through one of the most humiliating losses in school history — a 62–14 defeat at Kansas State — the Aggies dominated a very good Texas Tech team in Lubbock. Led by a balanced attack that netted 238 yards passing and 321 yards rushing, Texas A&M outscored the Red Raiders 45–16 over the final three quarters en route to a 52–30 victory. Two A&M ball-carriers topped the 100-yard mark — Cyrus Gray (131, three TDs) and Christine Michael (121, two TDs).

Disappointments of the Week

Nebraska — The Cornhuskers’ hopes of winning the Big 12 North took a huge hit with a stunning 9–7 loss at home to Iowa State. Nebraska outgained the Cyclones 362 to 239 but committed a school record eight turnovers (five fumbles, three interceptions). A season that looked so promising after a gutty comeback win at Missouri has taken two very wrong turns with back-to-back losses at home. The Huskers remain only one game back in the loss column, but keep in mind this team is 1–3 vs. BCS conference foes, and in that one win — at Missouri — they trailed 12–0 heading into the fourth quarter.

Idaho — We’ve showered a ton of praise on the Vandals this season, but Idaho deserves to be scolded after getting blasted by Nevada 70–45 in Reno. Idaho showed some spunk with a 24-point second quarter but was blasted in the second half, 42–21, en route to its first WAC defeat of the season. The Vandals are already bowl-eligible with a 6–2 record, but Robb Akey’s club needs to pick up a few more wins to feel comfortable about playing in the postseason.

Eastern Michigan — In a battle of winless teams, Eastern Michigan emerged as the loser, falling 29–27 to Ball State in front of an announced crowd of 1,535 in Ypsilanti. The Eagles held Ball State to one passing yard but had trouble slowing down the Cardinals’ rushing attack, yielding 464 yards on 57 carries. What’s next for EMU? A trip to Fayetteville to play Arkansas. Good luck.

Player of the Week — Colin Kaepernick, Nevada

One of the elite true dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, Kaepernick torched the Idaho defense for 230 yards rushing and four touchdowns while adding 178 yards and two scores through the air. Kaepernick had TD runs for 11, 61, 35 and 75 yards and scoring tosses for 44 and 9 yards.

Freshman of the Week — Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

This space is usually reserved for an offensive skill player, but Banks gets the nod for his memorable performance against Florida, even in a losing effort. A true freshman from Maben, Miss., Banks picked off Tim Tebow two times and returned both interceptions for a touchdown, one for 100 yards in the second quarter and another for 20 yards in the fourth.

Under the Radar Wins

• Duke beat Maryland 17–13 and has now won back-to-back ACC games for the first time since 1994. It’s also the first time since ’94 that the Devils have had a winning record in league play at any point of the season.

• Gary Andersen’s rebuilding efforts at Utah State got a big boost with a 23–21 win over Louisiana Tech.

• Kent State remained in the hunt for the MAC East title with a 20–11 win over Ohio.

• Navy continues to excel in the post-Paul Johnson era. The Midshipmen improved to 6–2 with a 13–10 win over Wake Forest in Annapolis. Navy did not attempt a pass in the game.

• Pittsburgh continues to roll in the Big East. The Panthers are 4–0 after an impressive 41–14 win over sliding South Florida.

Notes

• Georgia Tech has seized control of the ACC Coastal Division race. There are four teams with one loss, but the Jackets already have five wins, and the only team that beat them, Miami, suffered its second ACC defeat on Saturday. Georgia Tech has a home game with Wake and a trip to Duke remaining on its league slate.

• Each of Texas Tech’s last four games has been decided by 20 points or more. The Raiders have wins over New Mexico (48–28), Kansas State (66–14) and Nebraska (31–10) and a loss to Texas A&M (52–30).

• South Carolina freshman receiver Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 161 yards against Vanderbilt Saturday night, giving him 19 receptions for 382 yards and four touchdowns over the last three games.

• There’s no middle ground for the Arkansas offense. In their seven games, the Hogs have either scored 40 points or more (four times) or 20 points or less (three times).

• Ole Miss’ all-purpose star Dexter McCluster got more than 15 carries for the first time in his career, and he responded with a career-high 123 yards rushing (on 22 attempts) in the Rebels’ 30–17 win over Arkansas. He also caught seven passes for 137 yards.

• Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw for 200 yards and rushed for 100 against a Big Ten foe for the first time in his career. The sophomore completed 13-of-25 passes for 239 yards and added 104 yards rushing on 15 carries in the Buckeyes’ 38–7 win over Minnesota.

• Florida has scored less than 30 points in three straight games for the first time since the middle of the 2006 season.