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 1) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 1. Texas Tech followed its dramatic 39-33 win over Texas on November 1 with a convincing 56-20 win over Oklahoma State on 11/8 in Lubbock. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and if there remained any doubters after the Texas game, there can be none left after Harrell picked apart the Cowboys. Harrell fumbled on Tech’s first possession and OSU took a 7-0 lead but he then led the Red Raiders to TDs on their next seven possessions. Harrell finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards with six TDs (three to Crabtree) and no interceptions. That followed his 474-yard effort against the Longhorns (by the way, that makes 103 attempts the last two games vs Texas and OSU, without an interception), giving him his 30th game of 300 yards passing, with 20 of those having topped 400 yards. The 456-effort gives Harrell 14,759 career passing yards, just behind Ty Detmer of BYU, who ranks second with 15,031 yards (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards). The six TD passes give him 125 for his career, as he passed Ty Detmer (121), leaving only Colt Brennan (131) ahead of him on the all-time list. The win over Texas was arguably the biggest in school history, as it marked Tech’s 500th career win and was the school’s first-ever against a school ranked No. 1. However, the OSU win solidified Tech’s No. 2 ranking in the BCS standings and sets up another “biggest game in school history” this Saturday in Norman against Oklahoma. Tech is tied with Alabama and Utah for the nation’s longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins. The Red Raiders are averaging 47.9 PPG (3rd in the nation) and have now scored at least 30 points in 26 of their last 28 games, including 14 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Tech got a much-deserved week off (as did the Sooners) but head to Norman this Saturday where Oklahoma has won 23 straight and 43 of its last 44. So who’s worried? Surely not Harrell. The Red Raiders beat the Sooners 34-27 last year in Lubbock, a loss that knocked Oklahoma out of the national championship chase. Harrell had an interception returned 63 yards for a TD to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead but Sam Braford was forced out of the game with an apparent concussion with the Sooners up 7-3, after just their second possession of the game. Tech scored 24 straight points after Bradford went out and by the time the Sooners got anything going on offense in the fourth quarter, it was too late. Harrell threw for 420 yards (47-of-72) with two TDs (also two INTs) and ran for a third. However, two years ago in Norman, the Sooners won 34-24, as Harrell had just 250 yards passing (26-of-48) with two TDs and an interception. The early number has the Red Raiders as a seven-point underdog. His season stats are: 332-of-449 (71.7 percent) for 4,077 yards with 36 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 165.2 ranks 7th / 6 rush TDs.

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 2. Talk about ’splitting hairs.’ It’s difficult to chose between Harrell, Bradford and McCoy. In the end it may come down to personal preference for the voters. Does one prefer blondes, brunettes or red-heads. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 188.9, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already surpassed last year’s TD pass (38) and passing yards ( 3,406) totals with at least three games left to his 2008 season. Oklahoma is the nation’s No. 1 scoring team (51.4 PPG) and has scored 50-plus points in six games this season (the only Oklahoma team with more 50-point games was the 2003 squad, with seven 50-point games). Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four TDs (to four different receivers!) in his last game (a 66-28 win at Texas A&M) without an interception, plus added a rushing TD. Bradford now has eight 300-yard passing games this season, tying the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel in 1999 and 10 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 22 completions now give him an Oklahoma-record 461 for his career. Oklahoma and Bradford lost their showdown on October 11 to Texas and McCoy but get a ’second chance’ this Saturday when Texas Tech and Harrell visit Norman. Oklahoma has won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. Neither Oklahoma nor Bradford can afford a loss to Texas Tech if the Sooners are to have a chance at the BCS title game and Bradford at the Heisman. As I mentioned in the above write-up, Bradford was knocked out of last year’s game early on. “Game on” this Saturday at 8:00 ET! Bradford’s season stats are: 224-of-330 (67.9 percent) for 3,406 yards with 38 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 188.9 ranks him No. 2 / 4 rush TDs.

 3) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October and 11 and if he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. Remember my line about splitting hairs? I’ll keep McCoy at the No. 3 spot but the final three weekends promise plenty of drama. While both Harrell and Bradford were resting this past Saturday, McCoy led Texas past Kansas 35-7. The Longhorns moved to 10-1, claiming their eighth straight 10-win season, which ties them with Miami (1985-92) for the second-longest streak of all-time. The Longhorns also own at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. Colt McCoy was 24-for-34 for 255 yards and two TDs (no INTs). It was his 15th straight game with at least one TD pass. McCoy’s two TD passes raised his season total to 30, breaking his own school record set in his freshman year (2006). He’s now 30-7 as a starter, tying Vince Young for the most wins as a Texas quarterback. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) a month ago and with his two TDs and one rushing (ran for 78 yards on 16 carries vs the Jayhawks), his career mark is now up to 95 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year, his QB rating of 177.6 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 527. That’s a pretty good resume for the QB of the nation’s 4th-ranked team in the AP and 3rd in the current BCS standings. While Texas Tech and Oklahoma battle in Norman this coming Saturday night, the Longhorns are off until Thanksgiving, when they host Texas A&M. His season stats are: 268-of-347 (77.2 percent) for 3.134 yards with 30 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 177.6 is 4th in the nation / 117 carries for 527 yards (4.5 YPC) and 8 TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers were not going to cut it. However, Tebow has been quite impressive since that loss to Ole Miss, leading the Gators to six straight wins, by the combined scores of 299-63. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs) and 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team). Tebow led the Gators to a dominating 56-6 win over South Carolina this past Saturday, completing 13-of-20 passes for 173 yards with two TDs and no INTs. He ran for 39 yards (14 carries), while adding another rushing TD. He broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and his career total is now up to 42. Florida is guaranteed a spot in the SEC title game, where the Gators will meet current No. 1, Alabama. Florida is currently No. 3 in the AP poll and 4th in the BCS standings. If both Alabama and Florida can stay perfect the rest of the way, it’s likely that SEC championship game on December 6, will give the winner a spot in the BCS title game. Tebow’s slow start is too much to overcome this year in the Heisman race but Florida’s overall play has many thinking the Gators are now CFB’s best team. Tebow’s thrown 13 TDs (just two INTs) and added nine more TDs on the ground over the last six games but those Big 12 QBs just had too much of a head start. The Gators host The Citadel this Saturday, so Tebow will have little chance to impress anyone. His season stats are: 139-of-214 (65.0 percent) for 1,913 yards with 19 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 167.5 ranks 9th / 119 carries for 393 yards (3.3 YPC) 11 TDs.

 5) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 5. I had Crabtree No. 9 in my preseason poll, along with fellow WRs Percy Harvin (Florida) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) but while Maclin’s been a poll-regular for me due to his versatility, I didn’t put Crabtree into my top-10 until November 3 (at the No. 5 spot). As the saying goes, better late than never. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over Oklahoma State on 11/8. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. Crabtree had a modest 89 receiving yards in the game but has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 23 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. Tech visits Oklahoma this Saturday in a game which has some fairly important implications. Crabtree’s season stats are: 78 catches for 1,010 yards (12.9 YPC) with 18 TDs.

 6)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 6. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin caught eight passes for 103 yards and one TD in Missouri’s 52- 20 win at Iowa State this past Saturday. It was his sixth 100-yard receiving game this year and the ninth of his career. He added eight rushing yards and 111 more yards on four kickoff returns. Maclin has 79 receptions for 1,052 yards (13.3 YPC) with 10 TDs. He’s added 198 rushing (6.4 YPC) with two more TDs. Throw in 188 yards on punt returns plus 769 more on kickoff returns and his 200.6 YPG ranks him first in all-purpose yards nationally. Missouri is off next week and closes vs Kansas in Kansas City on November 29.

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 7. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Harrell, Bradford and McCoy). Daniel has completed 76.5 percent for 3,592 yards with 30 TDs and 11 INTs (his QB rating of 171.2 ranks 5th) but likely will not get an invite to New York this year (he finished fourth last year). Sweet revenge could still be his however, if Missouri were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game. Missouri is off next week and closes vs Kansas in Kansas City on November 29.

 8) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 8. Ringer leads the nation with 20 TDs (No. 1 in scoring 10.9 PPG), ranks third in rushing yards (140.7 YPG) and 4th in all-purpose yards (173.2 YPG). The 20 rushing TDs in a season is the second-most in school history, behind Jehuu Caulcrick’s 21 set last season. The Spartans are 9-2 for the first time since 1999 and can win a share of the Big Ten title by winning at Penn State this coming Saturday, something they haven’t done since 1990. Ringer has seven 100-yard games this year (19 in his career) but was a non-factor last year (13 carries for 48 yards), when the Spartans came back from a 24-7 deficit to beat Penn State 35-31 in East Lansing.

 9) MAX HALL (BYU) Last Week: NR. Max Hall red-shirted his freshman year (’04) at Arizona State and then transferred to BYU but left for a mission before joining the football team. When he took over as BYU’s starting QB at the beginning of ‘07, he hadn’t played a competitive game in four years. All he did last year was lead BYU to an 11-2 season, passing for 3,848 yards in ‘07, throwing 26 TDs and just 12 INTs (completed 60.1 percent). BYU entered this year on a 10-game winning streak and extended it to 16 in a row, before losing in Fort Worth to TCU, 32-7. Hall has led the Cougars to four consecutive wins since, throwing for 326.3 YPG with 14 TDs and just two INTs during the run. Hall has 11 career 300-yard games (two of more than 400), is 21-3 as a starter and has led BYU to 20 wins in its last 21 games. BYU travels to salt Lake City this Saturday, hoping to spoil 11-0 Utah’s perfect season. The Utes are currently No. 7 in the BCS standings and a win almost assures them their second BCS bowl bid since 2004. Playing with a sprained shoulder last year, Max Hall drove the Cougars 80 yards in seven plays to beat the Utes, 17-10 at Provo. All he had to do was convert on a fourth-and-18 from his own 12 with barely a minute remaining, connecting on 49-yard gain. The play, with 1:05 left, kept the final drive going and led to an 11-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds. Will we see that same kind of drama this year?

10) Up for grabs. You make the call.

With the Celtics edging the surprising 103-102 Hawks earlier Wednesday night, the Lakers head into the weekend as the NBA’s lone remaining unbeaten team, at 7-0 (6-1 ATS). It’s the first time the team’s opened 7-0 since the 2001-02 season, the year of the franchise’s last championship. It should be noted that the Lakers’ best-ever start to open a season came in the 1997-98 season, when they opened 11-0, finished 61-21 but were swept 4-0 by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals.

It’s far too early to ‘crown’ the Lakers just yet but the team’s early numbers are truly impressive. LA leads the NBA in scoring (104.7 PPG) and is also an NBA-best in points allowed (86.7 PPG). That combo gives them a point-differential of plus-18.0 PPG, a figure that is truly mind-boggling. Here’s just a quick historical perspective.

Comparing LA’s point-differential start this year to the NBA’s top regular-season teams in each of the last five seasons reveals this. Boston went 66-16 last year with a point-differential of plus-10.3 PPG. The preceding years were as follows. The 61-21 Mavs (2006-07) came in at 7.3, the 64-18 Pistons (2005-06) at 6.7, the 62-20 Suns (2004-05) at 7.1 and the 61-21 Pacers (2003-04) at 5.8.

Point-differential is a great indicator of a team’s real strength and it should be noted that only last year’s Celtics (among the five teams just listed) went on to win an NBA title. It’s no coincidence that Boston’s 10.3 PPG differential was a full three points better than any of the other four teams and 4.5 PPG better than the worst of the four teams, the 2003-04 Pacers.

Michael Jordan’s best Chicago Bulls team was the one which set an NBA record for wins in a season, going 72-10 in the 1995-96 season. The Bulls led the NBA in scoring that year (105.2 PPG) and finished third-best in points allowed (92.9). Chicago’s point-differential was 12.2 PPG but not the nest all-time. That belongs to another Laker team.

In 1971-72, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West led the Lakers to a then NBA record 69 wins. That team won an incredible 33 straight games at one point during that season (still an NBA record), finishing that year as the league’s top-scoring team (121.0 PPG) and its sixth-best defensive team (allowed 108.7). Doing the math, one gets a point-differential of 12.3. As the Lakers progress through this season, let’s keep an eye on that number.

The Staples Center will host two games over the weekend, Friday night when the Lakers meet the Pistons and Saturday afternoon, when the Clippers take on the Warriors. What the Lakers are ‘giving’ the fans of LA this year, the Clippers are ‘taking away.’ While the Lakers were moving to 7-0 on Wednesday, the Clippers were losing 103-98 in the Staples Center to the Sacramento Kings. The loss drops “LA’s other team” to 1-7 SU and ATS.

The Clippers are not just losing, they are getting ‘killed!’ No NBA team is scoring less that the Clippers’ 88.3 PPG average and coupled with the 101.6 PPG they are allowing (five teams allow more), the Clippers’ point-differential is an abysmal, minus-13.4 PPG. Let’s compare the Clippers’ current point-differential mark to that of the worst teams of each of the last five NBA seasons, starting with last year and going backwards.

The Heat won just 15 games last year and had a point-differential of minus-8.6 PPG. The Grizzlies won 20 games in 2006-07 (minus-5.1), the Blazers won 21 games in 2005-06 (minus-9.5), the Hawks won 13 games in 2004-05 (minus-9.7) and the Magic won 21 games in 2003-04 (minus-7.0).

What do Clipper fans have to look forward to the rest of the year? Who knows for sure this early? However, I will mention that the worst season in NBA history belongs to the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who went 9-73 that year, with a point-differential of minus-12.1 PPG. The Clipps’ minus-13.4 PPG to open this year should have their fans worried.

Good luck, Larry

 1) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 2. Harrell threw for five TDs and 646 yards in Stillwater last year (the fourth-best passing game in major college football history) but the Red Raiders lost to the Cowboys, 49-45. However, losing hasn’t been an option for Mike Leach’s Red Raiders in ‘08 and Tech followed its dramatic 39-33 win over Texas on November 1 with a convincing 56-20 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday night in Lubbock. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and if there remained any doubters after the Texas game, there can be none left after Harrell picked apart the Cowboys. Harrell fumbled on Tech’s first possession and OSU took a 7-0 lead but he then led the Red Raiders to TDs on their next seven possessions. Harrell finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards with six TDs (three to Crabtree) and no interceptions. That followed his 474-yard effort against the Longhorns (by the way, that makes 103 attempts the last two games vs Texas and OSU, without an interception), giving him his 30th game of 300 yards passing, with 20 of those having topped 400 yards. The 456-effort gives Harrell 14,759 career passing yards, just behind Ty Detmer of BYU, who ranks second with 15,031 yards (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards),. The six TD passes give him 125 for his career, as he passed Ty Detmer (121) , leaving only Colt Brennan (131) ahead of him on the all-time list. The win over Texas was arguably the biggest in school history, as it marked Tech’s 500th career win and was the school’s first-ever against a school ranked No. 1. However, the OSU win solidified Tech’s No. 2 ranking in the BCS standings and sets up another “biggest game in school history” on November 22 in Norman against Oklahoma. Tech owns the nation’s longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins and the Red Raiders, who are averaging 47.9 PPG (3rd in the nation), have now scored at least 30 points in 26 of their last 28 games, including 14 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Tech gets a much-deserved week off (as do the Sooners), before heading to Norman where Oklahoma has won 23 straight and 43 of its last 44. So who’s worried? Surely not Harrell, who takes over the top spot in my poll. His season stats are: 332-of-449 (71.7 percent) for 4,077 yards with 36 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 165.2 ranks 7th / 6 rush TDs.

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 1. Talk about ’splitting hairs.’ It’s difficult to chose between Harrell, Bradford and McCoy. In the end it may come down to personal preference for the voters. Does one prefer blondes, brunettes or red-heads. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 188.9, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already topped last years TD pass (38) and passing yards ( 3,406) totals with at least three games left to his 2008 season. The Sooners jumped out to a 38-14 halftime lead at College Station (they are averaging 47.3 points in the first half in their last three games!) and finished with a season-high 66 points, which is the most-ever for an opponent at Kyle Field (Sooners won 66-28). Oklahoma has now scored 50-plus points in six games this season and the only Oklahoma team with more 50-point games was the 2003 squad, with seven 50-point games. The Sooners rank second in the nation in scoring (51.4 PPG), after scoring 58, 62 and 66 points the last three Saturdays. Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four TDs (to four different receivers!) without an interception, plus added a rushing TD as the Sooners cruised to their sixth straight win over the Aggies. Bradford now has eight 300-yard passing games this season, tying the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel in 1999 and 10 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 22 completions now give him an Oklahoma-record 461 for his career. Oklahoma and Bradford lost their showdown on October 11 to Texas and McCoy but get a ’second chance’ on November 22 when Texas Tech visits Norman. Oklahoma has won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. Neither Oklahoma nor Bradford can afford a loss to Texas Tech if the Sooners are to have a chance at the BCS title game and Bradford at the Heisman. More to come. Bradford’s season stats are: 224-of-330 (67.9 percent) for 3,406 yards with 38 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 188.9 ranks him No. 2 / 4 rush TDs.

 3) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October and 11 and if he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. Remember my line about splitting hairs? I’ll keep McCoy at the No. 3 spot but the final four weekends promise plenty of drama. McCoy overcame two first-half interceptions last Saturday in Austin, as the Longhorns beat Baylor, 45-21. He finished the game 26-of-37 for 300 yards (he now owns eight career 300-yard games) with five TDs and added 21 yards on the ground. His five passing TDs are the second-most in a single game for his career, behind his six-TD effort in October of 2006, also against Baylor (also a Texas school-record). McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) three weeks ago and with his five TD throws vs Baylor, his career mark is now up to 92 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). Let’s remember that McCoy took over for Vince Young in ‘06 as a redshirt freshman and led Texas to a 10-3 season, throwing for 2,570 yards (68.2 percent completions) with 29 TDs (then a freshman record, broken last year by Bradford) and just seven INTs. The Longhorns went 10-3 again last year but McCoy’s numbers ‘fell off.’ He did throw for more yards (3,303) but his completion percentage dipped slightly (65.1), while his TDs (22) went down and his INTs went way up (18). The win over Baylor ups Texas to 9-1 on the season, giving the Longhorns at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year (78.0), his QB rating of 180.3 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 449. That’s a pretty good resume for the QB of the nation’s 4th-ranked team in the AP and 3rd in the current BCS standings. While fellow Big 12 schools Texas Tech and Oklahoma get the week off, the Longhorns travel to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks. It’s just the second time this year that the Longhorns have had to leave the state (played at Colorado on October 4). Texas hasn’t played Kansas since 2005, when the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks 66-14, in a game they led at half, 52-0. Texas should be reminded that the Jayhwaks has won 14 of their last 15 home games but that loss did come to Texas Tech on October 25, by the score of 63-21. McCoy and Texas will have a tough time topping that one. His season stats are: 244-of-313(78.0 percent) for 2,879 yards with 28 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 180.3 is 4th in the nation / 101 carries for 4449 yards (4.4 YPC) and 7 TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. I’ll repeat what I said last week, that the only player remaining who has a chance to challenge the Big 12’s “Big Three” of Bradford, Harrell and McCoy is the “defending champ,” Florida’s Tim Tebow. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers were not going to cut it. Tebow is a terrific talent and he’s proven just that since the Ole Miss loss, leading the Gators to five straight wins, while outscoring their opponents 243-57. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs) and 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team). Tebow led the Gators to a 45-12 win at Vandy last Saturday, completing 12-of-17 passes for 171 yards with three TDs and no INTs. He added a season-high 88 yards on the ground (11 attempts) and two more TDs. He broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and his two vs Vandy ups his career total to 41. The win gives Florida a guaranteed spot in the SEC title game, where the Gators will meet current No. 1, Alabama. Florida is currently No. 3 in the AP poll and 4th in the BCS standings. If both Alabama and Florida can stay perfect the rest of the way, it’s likely that SEC championship game on December 6, will give the winner a spot in the BCS title game. Tebow is well-deservedly respected by all for the way he carries himself and leads his life off the field. That will give him tremendous good-will among many voters (much like Archie Griffin, the award’s only two-time winner) but in the end, I just don’t see how a voter could place him ahead (as of now) of the three players (forget my order) I have currently placed above him. Up next for the Gators are Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. Two years ago, the Gamecocks (and their lovable coach) nearly beat the Gators in “The Swamp” (lost 17-16) but last year in Columbia, the Gators won 51-31. All Tebow did in that game was throw for 304 yards with two TDs plus run for 120 yards with five more TDs. A repeat performance could just get me (and others) re-thinking Tebow’s chances at a second straight Heisman. His season stats are: 126-of-194 (64.9 percent) for 1,740 yards with 17 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 167.1 ranks 8th / 105 carries for 354 yards (3.4 YPC) 10 TDs.

 5) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 5. I had Crabtree No. 9 in my preseason poll, along with fellow WRs Percy Harvin (Florida) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) but while Maclin’s been a poll-regular for me due to his versatility, I didn’t put Crabtree into my top-10 until last week (at the No. 5 spot). As the saying goes, better late than never. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over OSU last Saturday. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. Crabtree had a modest 89 receiving yards in the game but has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 23 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. As already mentioned, Tech visits Oklahoma on November 22 in what will be a fairly important game. Crabtree’s season stats are: 78 catches for 1,010 yards (12.9 YPC) with 18 TDs

 6)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 7. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin has 71 receptions for 949 yards (13.4 YPC) for nine TDs. He’s added 190 rushing (7.0 YPC) with two more TDs. Throw in 188 yards on punt returns plus 658 more on kickoff returns and his 198.5 YPG ranks him second in all-purpose yards nationally.

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 6. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Harrell, Bradford and McCoy). Daniel has completed 76.1 percent for 3,264 yards with 28 TDs and 10 INTs but likely will not get an invite to New York this year (he finished fourrth last year). Sweet revenge could still be his however, if Missouri were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game.

 8) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 8. The lone RB on this list, leads the nation with 20 TDs (No. 1 in scoring 10.9 PPG), ranks second in rushing yards (140.7 YPG) and 4th in all-purpose yards (173.2 YPG). The 20 rushing TDs in a season is the second-most in school history, behind Jehuu Caulcrick’s 21 set last season. The Spartans are 9-2 for the first time since 1999 and can win a share of the Big Ten title with a win at Penn State in two weeks (Michigan State is off next week), something they haven’t done since 1990.

 9) BARACK OBAMA (Illinois) Last Week: 10. I had him in a dead-heat for the No. 10 spot last week with Arizona’s John McCain but his 364-173 electoral win moves him up one spot. Watch out boys, this guy has a way of attracting voters.

10) DAVID JOHNSON (Tulsa) Last Week: In a season dominated by QBs, I figured a should find a spot for the nation’s top-rated QB from a school ranked 25th in the latest AP poll and 23rd in the BCS standings.

 1) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 2. Remember when the Nebraska/Oklahoma game meant something special? A week after Oklahoma ‘exploded’ for 55 points in the first half of its game against Kansas State in a 58-35 win, the Sooners intercepted Nebraska’s first pass attempt and returned it 18 yards for a TD on Saturday night. The Huskers also had turnovers on each of their next two passes, as the Sooners jumped to a 28-0 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes and led 35-0 after the first quarter of a 62-28 win. After losing seven straight, the Sooners have now won five of their six games against the Cornhuskers (all this decade). Sam Bradford threw for 311 yards and five TD passes, completing 19-of-27 passes with one interception. It was a nice “bounce-back” for the sophomore who had completed just 40.6 percent (13-of-32) against KSU, the lowest percentage in any game of his career. He topped 300 yards for the seventh time in nine games this season, giving him nine career 300-yard games, two of which have been 400-plus. It also marked the fourth time this season he had five TD passes in a contest (his single-game career high), giving him six career five-TD games. Let’s remember he had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His QB rating of 189.0, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him third in the nation. Oklahoma has won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. The Sooners have scored at least 35 points in every game this year and their 49.8 PPG average ranks second in the nation. I see the Heisman as a three-way race between Big 12 QBs and for now, I’ll place Bradford at “the head of the class.” He lost his showdown game with Colt McCoy of Texas but will get a shot at Graham Harrell and Texas Tech in Norman on November 22. The Sooners also must visit Stillwater on November 29, so lots can still happen. However, before those two huge matchups, the Sooners travel to College Station on Saturday to take on the Aggies. Bradford had one of his six, five-TD games in last year’s 42-14 win over A&M. A similar effort would set him up perfectly for his final two games against Texas Tech (currently No. 2 in the BCS) and Oklahoma St (currently No. 9 in the BCS but let’s remember that last year’s game was in Norman. Stoops has had his problems in College Station this decade. The Sooners won 35-31 in ‘00, lost 30-26 in ‘02, won 42-35 in ‘04 and won 17-16 in ‘06. Neither the Sooners (No. 6 in the BCS) nor Bradford can afford a loss or even a “close win” this weekend in College Station. Bradford’s season stats are: 202-of-297 (68.0 percent) for 3,086 yards with 34 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 189.0 ranks him No. 3 / 3 rush TDs.

 2) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 3. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and he may have answered any remaining critics this past Saturday night. In a game in which the Red Raiders had ‘owned’ from the first play (Tech led 19-0 with just under six minutes to go in the second quarter), the Longhorns took their first lead of the game (33-32) on a four-yard TD run with 1:29 to play. Unfortunately, Texas left Graham and Texas Tech too much time. Harrell drove the Red Raiders 62 yards to the TD in six plays, connecting on a 28-yard TD pass to Crabtree with one second remaining on the clock. Harrell was brilliant and lucky on the final drive. He hit on four straight passes to get the ball in Texas territory but got a break when Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon dropped what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball, one play before the TD throw. Given that second chance, Harrell made the big play to Crabtree. He completed 36-of-53 passes on the game for 474 yards with two TDs and not a single interception. It marks his 29th game of 300 yards passing, with 19 of those having topped 400 yards. The 474-effort moved Harrell into third place on the career passing yardage list with 14,303 yards. He won’t be able to catch Timmy Chang of Hawaii, the all-time leader with 17,072 yards, but he will pass Ty Detmer of BYU, who ranks second with 15,031 yards. The two TD passes give him 119 for his career, leaving him behind only Ty Detmer (121) and Colt Brennan (131) on the all-time list. Watch out boys, here comes Graham. The win is arguably the biggest in school history, as it marked Tech’s 500th career win and was the school’s first-ever against a school ranked No. 1. Tech had entered the game tied with Penn State (idle) for the longest active winning streak at 10 straight. Tech now stands alone with 11 straight wins and the Red Raiders, who are averaging 47.0 PPG (3rd in the nation), have now scored at least 30 points in 25 of their last 27 games, including 13 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Texas Tech is now No. 2 in both the latest AP poll and the current BCS standings (school’s highest-ever ranking in both!). Harrell and Tech will now try to do what McCoy and Texas were not able to do. That is, beat four consecutive ranked teams. Tech will host No. 8 Oklahoma State (No. 9 in the BCS) this coming Saturday and as all bettors are aware, the Cowboys remain the only team in the nation which is perfect ATS, going 9-0! Last year’s game in Stillwater saw the Cowboys win 49-45 and for the only time in school history, OSU had three 100-yard rushers in the same game. As for Harrell, all he did was throw for five TDs and 646 yards, the fourth-best passing game in major college football history! Harrell’s season stats are: 292-of-413 (70.7 percent) for 3,621 yards with 30 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 165.9 ranks 8th / 6 rush TDs.

 3) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 1. As I just mentioned in the Harrell write-up, the Longhorns came up one second short of beating their fourth consecutive ranked team, when the Red Raiders beat them 39-33 in Lubbock. McCoy was under tremendous pressure all night by Tech’s front-four but despite Texas falling behind 19-0, he brought the Longhorns back. McCoy surely has nothing to be ashamed of, throwing for 294 yards with two TDs and one interception (was 20-of-34). He was sacked four times in the game and had his face bloodied on a hard hit in the third quarter. After Tech returned his lone interception for an 18-yard TD, Texas was down 29-13. However, McCoy responded with TD passes of 37 and 91 yards to Malcolm Williams and after Tech kicked a FG for a six-point lead, he led Texas on a gutty 62-yard TD drive to take a one-point lead with 1:29 left. If Gideon hadn’t dropped a sure interception, McCoy would have had his 10th career “comeback” win. More importantly, Texas would still be No. 1 in the AP poll and BCS standings (Texas is now ) and less importantly, McCoy would have remained at the top of my Heisman list. I have McCoy at the No. 3 spot but in actuality, a see the top-three in a ‘dead heat,’ with four weekends remaining. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) two weeks ago and with two more TDs against Texas Tech, his career mark is now up to 87 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). Let’s remember that McCoy took over for Vince Young in ‘06 as a redshirt freshman and led Texas to a 10-3 season, throwing for 2,570 yards (68.2 percent completions) with 29 TDs (then a freshman record, broken last year by Bradford) and just seven INTs. The Longhorns went 10-3 again last year but McCoy’s numbers ‘fell off.’ He did throw for more yards (3,303) but his completion percentage dipped slightly (65.1), while his TDs (22) went down and his INTs went way up (18). McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year (79.0), his QB rating of 181.4 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards with 428. The Longhorns (now 5th in the AP and 4th in the latest BCS standings) get a much needed ‘breather’ this Saturday, as 3-6 Baylor comes to Austin. The Bears nearly upset No. Missouri on Saturday (lost 31-28) but that was in Waco. The Bears are a pathetic 2-48 SU in Big 12 road games since the conference was formed in 1996. Texas beat Baylor 31-10 last year in Waco but in the 2006 game played in Austin, McCoy (in his freshman season) threw for a school-record six TD passes. His season stats are: 218-of-276 (79.0 percent) for 2,579 yards with 23 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 181.4 is 4th in the nation / 93 carries for 428 yards (4.6 YPC) and 7 TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. The only player remaining who has a chance to challenge the Big 12’s “Big Three” of Bradford, Harrell and McCoy is the “defending champ,” Florida’s Tim Tebow. The Gators wanted to beat the Bulldogs badly this year because the Bulldogs used a full-team, end-zone celebration near the end of last year’s 42-30 Georgia win. Florida led 14-3 at the half and a three-TD third quarter broke it open, as the Gators went on to win 49-10. Besting Georgia is nothing new for the Gators, as this was their 16th win in the last 19 meetings between the two schools but the 39-point margin of victory is the second largest by Florida over Georgia in the rivalry’s history. It also marked the worst loss in Georgia coach Mark Richt’s career, which left the preseason No. 1 team staring directly at being No. 2 in the SEC East for the second straight season (last year the Vols took the East). Georgia QB Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions and Knowshon Moreno had just 65 yards on the ground (17 carries) with a lost fumble, after running for 188 yards with three TDs in the Bulldogs’ win last year (Moreno’s Heisman chances are now “Gone with the Wind”). Tebow won’t come close to matching his numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but the man did account for five TDs in Saturday’s rout. However, he attempted just 13 passes (completed 10 with two going for TDs) for 150 yards and while he ran for three TDs, he gained a modest 39 yards on the ground in 13 carries. His first rushing TD broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36, as Tebow finished the game with 39 rushing TDs for his career (he scored three rushing TDs in a game for the second time in his career). The win gives Florida the ‘inside track’ to the SEC East title and a matchup up with new No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game. Florida is currently No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the current BCS standings. One wonders where the Gators would have been ranked if not for their one-point home loss (missed extra-point) to Ole Miss? However, one doesn’t have to wonder about how Tebow and the Gators responded to that loss. The Gators are 4-0 since that upset, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 201-43. Tebow has thrown eight TD passes against two INTs in that span, while adding six rushing TDs (had just two TDs in his first five games, both coming in the loss to Ole Miss). Tebow is a terrific player and is well-deservedly respected by all for the way he carries himself and leads his life off the field. That will give him tremendous good-will among many voters (much like Archie Griffin, the award’s only two-time winner) but in the end, I just don’t see how a voter could place him ahead (as of now) of the three players (forget my order) I have currently placed above him. Florida travels to Nashville this coming Saturday to take on Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores opened the 2008 season by winning their first five games but have lost three straight, reminding everyone just why this school hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1982. The Gators have won 17 straight games over Vandy, including eight straight wins in Nashville. As for Tebow, he completed 22-of-27 passes for 281 yards with three TDs and one INT in last year’s 49-22 Florida win over Vandy in “The Swamp.” He also had two rushing TDs in that game. I guess if Tebow duplicates that performance this week, which would give him consecutive five-TD games, I may have to revisit my statement that this year’s Heisman race is down to the three Big 12 QBs? Tebow’s season stats are: 114-of-177 (64.4 percent) for 1,569 yards with 14 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 162.7 ranks 10th / 94 carries for 266 yards (2.8 YPC) 8 TDs.

 5) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: NR. As I’ve made clear in the above write-ups, I feel as if the rest of my top-10 are fairly irrelevant. With that in mind, I’ll put Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree at No. 5, returning him in my top-10 for the first time since I had him No. 9 in my presson poll, along with fellow WRs Percy Harvin (Florida) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri). Maclin’s been a poll-regular for me due to his versatility, as evidenced by the fact that his average of 193.3 YPG leads the nation in all-purpose yards. However, it would be hard to argue against Crabtree being the nation’s most talented WR. He caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree has 70 catches through nine games this year (ranks sixth in receptions/game) with none being more important than his game-winner Saturday night against the Longhorns. I’m sure you’ve all seen it by now but Crabtree made an outstanding catch, then broke a tackle and kept his balance while managing to stay in bounds, before scooting the last few yards for a score. Crabtree has had a minimum of five catches in every game this year, while scoring at least one TD. That streak reaches 12 games, by going back to the final three games of last year, which is quite a run of consistent excellence. Crabtree has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 22 career games, while catching 37 TDs.As already mentioned, Tech hosts Oklahoma State this Saturday. In last year’s 49-45 loss at Stillwater, Crabtree had 14 receptions (a career-high) for 237 yards with three TDs. His season stats are: 70 catches for 921 yards (13.2 YPC) with 15 TDs.

 6) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 7.

 7) JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 8.

 8) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 6.

 9) DEZ BRYANT / KENDALL HUNTER / ZAC ROBINSON (Oklahoma State) Last Week: NR.

10) JOHN MCCAIN (Arizona) or BARACK OBAMA (Illinois): Tuesday’s winner gets my 10th spot this week.

 1) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 1. The top-five teams in the nation did not change in either the AP poll or the latest BCS standings and following suit, I’ve made no changes to the top-five players in my Heisman top-10 this week. The Longhorns held on to beat previously undefeated Oklahoma State 28-24 this past Saturday in Austin, giving Texas three straight wins over opponents all ranked among the nation’s top-11 teams. The win kept Texas a unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll for the second straight week and No. 1 in the season’s second BCS standings as well, as Texas was ranked No. 1 in both “human” polls and all six computer rankings. Leading the way again for Texas was QB Colt McCoy, who completed 38-of-45 passes for 391 yards with two TDs and one INT. He also ran for 41 yards (10 carries) and another score. In beating Oklahoma (then No. 1), Missouri (then No. 11) and Oklahoma State (then No. 7), McCoy has completed 84.8 percent of his pass attempts, averaged 335.0 YPG through the air, thrown five TDs against just one INT, run for three TDs and led the Longhorns to an average of 43.0 PPG. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) last week and with three more TDs against OSU, his career mark is now up to 85 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). Let’s remember that McCoy took over for Vince Young in ‘06 as a redshirt freshman and led Texas to a 10-3 season, throwing for 2,570 yards (68.2 percent completions) with 29 TDs (then a freshman record, broken last year by Bradford) and just seven INTs. The Longhorns went 10-3 again last year but McCoy’s numbers ‘fell off.’ He did throw for more yards (3,303) but his completion percentage dipped slightly (65.1), while his TDs (22) went down and his INTs went way up (18). McCoy’s 391-yard passing effort was his third 300-yard game of the ‘08 season and the seventh of his career, plus his total of 412 yards rushing still leads the team. His QB rating of 186.5 ranks behind only Tulsa’s David Johnson and one can hardly compare the twos competition. Texas will meet its fourth consecutive top-11 team this Saturday, as the Longhorns will visit Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders, whose No. 6 ranking in the AP poll is the school’s highest ranking since November 15 of 1976, when the Red Raiders were ranked No. 5 (Tech is 7th in the BCS). Texas has won the last five meetings between the two schools, last losing in 2002, 42-38 (in Lubbock). McCoy has led the Longhorns to two straight wins over the Red Raiders, completing 68.8 percent of his 61 attempts, averaging 262.0 YPG and throwing eight TDs against just two INTs. McCoy’s season stats are: 198-of-242 (81.8 percent) for 2,285 yards with 21 TDs and 4 INTs / QB rating of 186.5 is 2nd in the nation / 80 carries for 412 yards (5.2 YPC) and 7 TDs.

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 2  Oklahoma ‘exploded’ for 55 points in the first half of its game against Kansas State this past Saturday but added just three points in the second half, for a 58-35 win. Bradford had topped 300 yards in six straight games against Division I-A opponents since the Sooners opened against Chattanooga but had his worst game of the season against the Wildcats. He entered the game having completed 71.4 percent of his 238 pass attempts this year but completed just 40.6 percent (13-of-32) against KSU. The 40 percent completion rate was the lowest of his career and was only the second time more than half of his passes were incomplete in a contest. In the second half, Bradford was 1-for-9 with only a 33-yard completion. However, he did throw three TD passes and wasn’t intercepted but his 255 yards passing was his worst effort of ‘08 since seeing limited action against Chattanooga. That leaves him with eight career 300-yard games, two of which are 400-plus. Let’s remember he had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His QB rating of 185.9, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him third in the nation. The Sooners return home to Norman this week to host Nebraska. A sign that times have changed in the Big 12 is that while the Sooners are just 5-10 vs the Cornhuskers since 1988, four of those five wins have come since 2000, including a 21-7 win in the 2006 Big 12 championship game (these schools no longer meet every year). Oklahoma has won 22 straight home games (13-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have won 42nd of their last 43 home games and are 58-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. They last lost a conference home game on Nov 24, 2001, when Oklahoma State (26 1/2-point underdogs) beat them 16-13. The early number on this game has Oklahoma favored by points. Bradford’s season stats are: 183-of-270 (71.4 percent) for 2,775 yards with 29 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 185.9 ranks him No. 3 / 3 rush TDs.

 3) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 3. Kansas matched Harrell and Texas Tech TD-for-TD in a first quarter that ended 14-14 in Lawrence this past Saturday. However, the Red Raiders ripped off 49 unanswered points for their 10th victory in 11 games against Kansas, a team which had won 13 straight home games. Harrell threw for 386 yards (34-of-42) and five TDs (no INTs), while also scoring a rushing TD (his sixth of the year) for the fourth straight game. It marked Graham’s 28th game of 300 yards passing (18 of those have topped 400 yards) and it marked the ninth career game in which he’s had at least five TD passes. His TD pass total is now 117, tying him with Timmy Chang for third on the all-time list, behind only Ty Detmer (121) and Colt Brennan (131). He also moved past Philip Rivers for fourth place on the all-time career passing yardage list with 13,829 yards. Tech has now won 10 straight games, joining Penn State for the nation’s longest active winning streak. The Red Raiders have now scored at least 30 points in 24 of their last 26 games, including 12 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. I mentioned in the McCoy write-up that Tech’s No. 6 ranking in the AP poll is the school’s highest since 1976 and by improving to 8-0 this year, it should be noted that the Red Raiders haven’t started a season better than 8-0 since 1938. The win over then-No. 19 Kansas was impressive but things only get tougher for the Red Raiders (and Harrell’s Heisman chances) the next three games. Tech will host No. 1 Texas this Saturday, then No. 9 Oklahoma State on November 8 and after a week off, visit No. 4 Oklahoma on November 22. Harrell’s made two career starts against the Longhorns and his Red Raiders are 0-2 but it would be hard to say it’s been his fault. Harrell completed 36-of-48 passes for 466 yards (with five TDs and one INT) in last year’s 59-43 loss at Austin and when Texas beat the Red Raiders 35-31 in Lubbock in 2006, Harrell completed 42-of-62 for 519 yards with three TDs and one INT. Harrell’s season stats are: 256-of-360 (71.1 percent) for 3.147 yards with 28 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 167.4 ranks 6th / 6 rush TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. I mentioned last week that I believe this year’s Heisman race is down to McCoy, Bradford and Harrell. I’m sticking to that for now but I’ll continue to place Tebow (the defending champ) in my top-five, as he’s got a pedigree and lots of good will built up among voters (not only for his play last year, which was spectacular, but because of the type of person he is). It seemed unreasonable to expect that Tebow would match last year’s numbers (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he “won’t even come close” this year. He vowed to play better against LSU on October 11 in “The Swamp,” following the performance he had in his previous home game, a 31-30 loss to Mississippi on September 27. He backed up that promise with his best game of the season to-date, throwing two TD passes to Percy Harvin and running for a score, as Florida dominated defending national champion LSU by the score of 51-21. Tebow finished 14-of-21 for 210 yards. He also ran 12 times for 22 yards. After an off-week, the Gators hosted Kentucky and Florida won 63-5. Beating the Wildcats isn’t exactly news, as Florida beat Kentucky for the 22nd straight time. Tebow completed 11-of-15 passes for 180 yards (one INT), while throwing for two TDs and rushing for two more (nine carries for 48 yards). The two rushing TDs gave him 36 in his career, tying him with Emmitt Smith for the school record. Florida also improved to 23-2 at home under Urban Meyer. Coming up this Saturday is Florida’s annual showdown with Georgia in Jacksonville, better known as “the world’s biggest outdoor cocktail party.” The Bulldogs thumped the Gators last year (42-30) but Florida has won eight of the last 10 meetings, as well as 15 of the last 18 with Georgia. To beat the Bulldogs this year, the Gators will need a better game from Tebow, who last year completed 14-of-22 passes for 236 yards (one TD and no INTs). He also added two rushing TDs but for the game, was held to minus-15 yards on the ground. Tebow’s season stats are: 104-of-164 (63.4 percent) for 1,415 yards with 12 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 157.6 ranks 11th / 82 carries for 227 yards (2.8 YPC) 5 TDs.

 5) KNOWSHON MORENO (Georgia) Last Week: 5. I may as well have one RB in my top-five and I’ve chosen Moreno over Ringer in this spot because the Bulldogs have played a much tougher schedule. Georgia continued its dominance of Vanderbilt with a 24-14 win on October 18, as Moreno led Georgia with 172 yards rushing on 23 carries. The 172 yards was a season-high and was his fourth 100-yard performance of the season. He followed that performance by running for 163 yards this past Saturday (including a 68-yard TD) in Georgia’s impressive 52-38 win at LSU. It was his 11th career 100-yard game and third straight this season. Georgia is ranked No. 8 in the current AP poll and 6th in the first BCS standings and Moreno has run for 335 yards (7.6 YPC) in his last two games. Saturday’s showdown in Jacksonville with No. 5 Florida (8th in the BCS) will likely determine the SEC East champion. Moreno was dominant in last year’s 42-30 win over Florida, gaining 188 yards on the ground with three TDs. In was the second game of a five-game stretch in which he averaged 153.2 YPG on the ground, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. A repeat-performance of last year, could get Moreno an invite to New York, as a Heisman finalist. His season stats are: 149 carries for 925 yards (6.2 YPC) with 12 TDs / 14 catches for 143 yards (10.2 YPC) with 0 TDs.

 6) JEVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 7

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 6.

 8) JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: NR.

 9) DAVID JOHNSON (Tulsa) Last Week: 10.

10) DONALD BROWN (U Conn) Last Week: NR.

However, BCS history tells us that’s not something which is likely to happen. In fact, just the opposite is true. Only Florida State (1999) and USC (2004) have debuted as the BCS’ initial No. 1 team and gone one to win the national championship. It should be noted though, that the last five initial No. 1s have reached the BCS title game, although only USC (in ‘04) claimed a title.

Oklahoma (’03), USC (’05) plus Ohio State in both ‘06 and ‘07, each opened at No. 1 in the first BCS standings those years, but all four lost in the championship game. Oddly, three of the four were blowout losses, as Oklahoma lost 55-19 to USC in ‘04, while Ohio State lost to Florida (41-14) in ‘06 and to LSU (38-24) in ‘07. USC’s ‘05 team, looking for its second straight BCS title and third straight national title (had captured the AP title in ‘03), lost that classic Rose Bowl encounter with Texas, 41-38.

Speaking of multiple title winners, LSU’s win in ‘07, makes the Tigers the only school to have captured two BCS national titles (first won in ‘03), which means one may find the following factoid rather odd. While Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC have spent a combined 46 weeks at the top of the BCS standings (each school has won a single BCS title), LSU has spent a grand total of just two weeks at the No. 1 spot.

Opening at No. 1 is not necessarily at good omen, just ask UCLA. The Bruins became the first-ever No. 1 team back in 1998, the initial year of the BCS. UCLA spent one week as the No. 1 ranked team but has never returned. However, being ranked in the top-six of the initial BCS standings does seem to be significant. Nineteen of the 20 teams to have played in the 10 BCS title games, have all been ranked no lower than sixth in that year’s initial standings.

The lone exception came in ‘03, when LSU opened at No. 12. That year, USC finished No. 1 in both the AP and the Coaches’ poll, but finished just No. 3 in the final regular season BCS standings (Oklahoma finished No. 1 and LSU at No. 2). The “fall out” from that fiasco caused the AP to drop out of the BCS process (replaced by the Harris poll) and for the aggregate computer ratings to lose some of their influence. Is it better or worse now? Who knows?

The last two years we’ve seen Florida leapfrog idle Michigan in the final 2006 BCS standings and LSU go from No. 7 in the second-to-last standings, to No. 2 and a berth in the national championship game, last year.

Some random thoughts on this year’s initial standings. First off, over the last 10 years, at least one of the top-three teams in a given year’s initial standings, had also been one of the AP’s top-three preseason teams. That’s not the case this year. Texas was the AP’s No. 11 team in its preseason poll, while Alabama was ranked just 24th and Penn State, 22nd.

Georgia was the AP’s preseason No. 1 (coaches’ poll as well) but opened at No. 7 in the BCS standings. Oklahoma State, unranked in anyone’s preseason poll and just 18-19 in Mike Gundy’s first three seasons, is 7-0 to start ‘08 and ranked No. 6, the school’s highest-ever BCS ranking (previous high was 14th).

Fellow SEC school Florida got no ‘love’ from the computers, as the Gators, ranked 6th in the Harris poll and 7th by the coaches, opened No. 10 in the BCS standings due to their ranking of 12 by the computers. USC opened at No. 5 in the BCS standings and Ohio State at No. 9, but Trojans’ fans must be wondering how the BCS computers have their team ranked 10th and the Gators rankled 5th.

There are five schools from non-BCS conferences ranked in the initial standings, with the Sun Belt being the only conference not represented. Utah (MWC) is the highest-ranked non-BCS school at 11, followed by Boise State (WAC) at No. 12, TCU (giving the MWC two schools) at 14, Tulsa (C-USA) at 19 and Ball State (MAC) at No. 20. Only one non-BCS school can quality for a BCS bowl bid (if ranked at least in the top-12 or ranked in the top-16 ahead of a BCS conference champ), but not more than one.

Weekend highlights: Nine schools remain unbeaten heading into this week’s action, having gone a collective 64-0 SU and 42-14 ATS (that’s 75.0 percent). Boise State (13th in the AP and 12th in the BCS) is the first team to play, visiting Fresno State on Friday night (Broncos are favored by seven points). Another non-BCS school, Utah (8-0 SU and 3-4 ATS), is the lone one of the nine unbeatens to be off this weekend.

The Utes have won nine straight games going back to the end of last year (just 3-5 ATS), a streak that’s matched by No. 3 Penn State (8-0 SU and 6-1 ATS) and No. 8 Texas Tech (7-0 SU and 2-3 ATS) for the longest active winning streaks in CFB. The Nittany Lions are 7-1 ATS in their nine straight wins and visit Columbus on Saturday to face No. 10 Ohio State (9th in the BCS). PSU is favored by two points but the Nittany Lions are 0-7 SU in Columbus since joining the Big 10.

Texas Tech (a one-point underdog) takes its nine-game winning streak (just 3-4 ATS) to Lawrence, Kansas where the No. 19 Jayhawks (23 in the BCS) have won 13 straight games (10-1 ATS). However, KU hasn’t beaten a ranked team during that span plus Tech has won nine of its last 10 against Kansas, including going 5-0 in Lawrence. The Red Raiders have scored at least 30 points in 23 of their last 25 games, including 11 in a row, a streak which leads the nation.

There are two other important games matching top-25 opponents, besides PSU/OSU and Texas Tech/Kansas. They are No.1 Texas hosting No. 7 Oklahoma State (6th in the BCS) and No. 11 LSU (13th in the BCS) hosting No. 9 Georgia (7th in the BCS). The Big 12 and SEC dominated the first BCS standings with the Big 12 featuring four of the nations’ top-eight teams plus two more schools among the top-25, 15th-ranked Missouri and 23rd-ranked Kansas. The SEC, which has won the last two BCS titles (Florida in ‘06 and LSU in ‘07), placed four schools in the BCS standings’ top-13.

Saturday’s meeting between 7-0 Oklahoma State and 7-0 Texas is also unique because both schools are also undefeated ATS, as well. OSU is 6-0 ATS and Texas 7-0. Something has to give here and the Longhorns are favored by 12 points. How often have you seen a 7-0 team (also 6-0 ATS) getting 12 points?

Ball State (7-0 SU and 6-0 ATS) joins Oklahoma State and Texas as the only three schools to be both perfect SU and ATS in ‘08. The Cardinals, who entered the AP poll for the first time in school history on October 5, will host Eastern Michigan and are favored by 25 points. Georgia Tech (6-1) continues to ‘fly under the radar,’ as the Yellow Jackets are also undefeated ATS with a 5-0 pointspread mark, despite having suffered one loss. Georgia Tech will host Virginia on Saturday, laying 14 points.

My closing kudos go to the state of Oklahoma. When the latest AP poll came out last Sunday, Oklahoma (4), Oklahoma State (7) and Tulsa (22) were all ranked at the same week for the first time since November 12, 1945. The three schools are a combined 20-1 SU and 15-3 ATS. By the way, it’s Oklahoma which owns the SU loss and is just 4-2 ATS, compared to OSU and Tulsa’s combined 11-1 ATS mark. Who’da thunk it?

 1) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. Just two weeks ago, the Longhorns were No. 5 in the AP poll but consecutive wins over Oklahoma 45-35 and Missouri 56-31 have seen the Longhorns become the nation’s unquestioned No. 1 team (for now). Texas jumped from No. 5 to No. 1 after its win over Oklahoma and its win this past Saturday night over Missouri was good enough to make them a unanimous choice in the latest AP poll, as well as opening No. 1 in the season’s first BCS standings. The Longhorns dominated the BCS standings as well, ranking No. 1 in both human polls (Harris and coaches’) plus held the number-one ranking among the computer ratings. Along the way, Texas QB Colt McCoy has played himself into the role of Heisman-favorite in many circles, including my Heisman top-10. McCoy made “all the big plays” during the second-half of the Longhorns’ win over Oklahoma and last Saturday vs Missouri, he dominated from start to finish. Texas jumped to a 35-0 lead (led 35-3 at the half) and cruised to a 56-31 victory. McCoy passed for a 337 yards and two touchdowns, ran for two more and set a school record with 17 straight completions, finishing 29-of-32 for the game. With his four touchdowns (two passing and two rushing), McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list for TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) with 82 (Young has 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). McCoy took over for Vince Young in ‘06 as a redshirt freshman and led Texas to a 10-3 season, throwing for 2,570 yards (68.2 percent completions) with 29 TDs (then a freshman record, broken last year by Bradford) and just seven INTs. The Longhorns went 10-3 again last year but McCoy’s numbers ‘fell off.’ He did throw for more yards (3,303) but his completion percentage dipped slightly (65.1), while his TDs (22) went down and his INTs went way up (18). McCoy has now completed 85.1 percent (57-67) of his passes for 614 yards with three TDs (0 INTS) plus two rushing TDs in wins over then-No. 1 Oklahoma and then-No.11 Missouri the last two weeks. His 337-yard passing effort was his second 300-yard game of the season and the sixth of his career. His total of 371 yards rushing still leads the team but after running for 278 yards in his first four games, McCoy has gained just 93 yards (2.6 YPC) over Texas’ last three games, as RB Ogbonnaya has gained 263 yards (7.1 YPC) during that same time frame. Up next for Texas is No. 7 Oklahoma State (No. 6 in the BCS) in Austin. Texas is 13-1 all-time when hosting OSU with the Cowboys’ lone win coming in 1944. This has been some game in three of the last four years, as Texas rallied to win from a 35-7 deficit in 2004 (won 56-35), 28-9 in 2005 (won 47-28) and 35-14 in 2007 (won 38-35). McCoy’s season stats are: 160-of-197 (81.2 percent) for 1,894 yards with 19 TDs and three INTs / QB rating of 190.8 is 4th in the nation / 70 carries for 371 yards (5.3 YPC) and six TDs

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 1. Oklahoma and Texas combined for 80 points two weeks ago in Dallas, breaking the record for most points in the 103 games of this rivalry. The Sooners led most of the way, despite being held to only 48 yards rushing on 26 carries. With the lack of any real running game, the pressure was all on Bradford. He didn’t disappoint, completing 28-of-39 passes for 387 yards with five TDs and two INTs. His five passing TDs tied a school record (also matched a career high) and were the most by an Oklahoma QB in the history of its rivalry with Texas. The Sooners lost 45-35 but it was hard to argue with Bradford’s performance and I put him at No. 1 in my poll last week. Oklahoma extended the nation’s longest active home winning streak to 22 straight with a 45-31 win over No. 16 Kansas this past Saturday. It marked the team’s 42nd win in its last 43 home games and makes them 58-2 at home under Bob Stoops, having not lost a conference home game since Nov 24, 2001 vs Oklahoma State. If you are looking for some historical perspective, Oklahoma’s current 22-game home winning streak is only topped in school history by a 25-game streak which was part of Oklahoma’s NCAA-record 47-game win streak under Bud Wilkinson in the 1950s. Returning to the present, Bradford passed for an Oklahoma-record 468 yards (completed 36-of-53 passes with no INTs) and had three TD passes, despite losing top receiver Manuel Johnson to a first-quarter arm injury (WR Juaquin Iglesias caught 12 passes for 191 yards, both set school records). Bradford has now topped 300 yards in six straight games against Division I-A opponents (has eight career 300-yard games / two of which are 400-plus), passing for 2,337 yards (389.5 per game) with 24 TDs. He had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His passer rating of 199.2 currently ranks No. 2. Oklahoma travels to Manhattan this Saturday to take on Kansas State. His season stats are: 170-of-238 (71.4 percent) for 2,520 yards with 26 TDs and five INTs / QB rating of 192.2 ranks him No. 2 / two rush TDs.

 3) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 4. The Big 12 owns four of the top-eight teams in both the current AP poll as well as the first BCS standings and Tech QB Graham Harrell makes it a three-QB sweep of my top three spots in my current Heisman poll. The Red Raiders won 43-25 this past Saturday at College Station, giving them four straight wins over the Aggies for the first time since 1970-’73. Tech improved to 7-0 for the third time in school history and the first time since 1976, as the Red Raiders rank No. 8 in the current AP poll and 8th in the year’s first BCS standings, as well. With BYU’s loss at TCU on Thursday, Tech’s nine straight wins joins Penn State and Utah for the longest active winning streak in the nation. The Red Raiders have now scored at least 30 points in 23 of their last 25 games, including 11 in a row, a streak which leads the nation. Now enough about the Red Raiders as a team and more about their spectacular QB. The Red Raiders trailed at the half for the first time this season against Texas A&M on Saturday (23-20), after committing two turnovers and eight penalties, while giving up 274 yards. However, Tech scored on four of six possessions after halftime and held A&M to 32 yards and five FDs (A&M’s lone second-half score came on a 97-yard return of a blocked extra-point try). Harrell had a TD pass and two TDs runs (both one-yard runs) in the second half, finishing 44-of-56 for 450 yards with three TDs and two INTs (plus those two rush TDs) for the game. It marked Graham’s 27th game of 300 yards passing and the 18th time he has topped 400 yards. The three TD passes against A&M gives Harrell 112 in his career. He is one of seven players with more than 100 all-time and Colt Brennan’s career mark of 131 is certainly within his reach. The Red Raiders travel to Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday to take on No. 19 Kansas. Tech has won nine of the last 10 meetings with the Jayhawks, including five straight in Lawrence but the schools didn’t meet last year when Kansas went 12-1. Harrell’s season stats are: 222-of-318 (69.8 percent) for 2,761 yards with 23 TDs and five INTs / QB rating of 163.5 ranks 8th / five rush TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 6. Things change quickly in the world of sports but as of now, I believe this year’s Heisman race is down to McCoy, Bradford and Harrell. I’ll place Tebow (the defending champ) in the ‘four-hole,’ as at least he’s got a pedigree. Tebow vowed to play better against LSU on October 11 in “The Swamp,” following the performance he had in his previous home game, a 31-30 loss to Mississippi on September 27. He backed up that promise with his best game of the season, throwing two TD passes to Percy Harvin and running for a score, as Florida dominated defending national champion LSU 51-21. Tebow finished 14-of-21 for 210 yards. He also ran 12 times for 22 yards. The Gators were off last week and while they stayed No. 5 in the current AP poll, they opened a disappointing No. 10 in the season’s first BCS standings. Florida hosts Kentucky this Saturday but for Tebow to crack the “top-three,” he’ll need to greatly improve on his numbers, as none of them match up comparably with last year. Still, he is a formidable Heisman candidate. Tebow’s season stats are: 93-of-149 (62.4 percent) for 1,235 yards with 10 TDs and one INT / QB rating of 152.8 ranks / 73 carries for 179 yards (2.5 YPC) 3 TDs.

 5) KNOWSHON MORENO (Georgia) Last Week: 9. A day after the school launched a web site to tout him as a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Ohio State defense held Michigan’s State’s Javon Ringer to a season-low 67 yards (16 attempts) and kept him out of the end zone for just the second time this year, as the Buckeyes routed the Spartans 45-7. I had Ringer at No. 5 in last week’s poll, the top RB in my top-10. I’ve already stated that at the present time I believe the Heisman is a three-man race (McCoy, Bradford and Harrell) but I may as well have one RB in my top-five. That being said, why not Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno? Georgia continued its dominance of Vanderbilt with a 24-14 win this past Saturday, improving to 22-3-1 in its past 26 meetings with the Commodores. Moreno led Georgia with 172 yards rushing on 23 carries. The 172 yards was a season-high for Moreno and was his fourth 100-yard performance of the season, which included an 11-yard TD run. It was third-best effort of his career and his 10th all-time 100-yard game. Georgia is ranked No. 9 in the current AP poll and 7th in the first BCS standings. The Bulldogs play at LSU this Saturday and then meet Florida in Jacksonville on November 1, with the winner likely playing in the SEC championship game. Moreno’s season stats are: 128 carries for 762 yards (6.0 YPC) with 11 TDs / 12 catches for 134 yards (11.2 YPC) with 0 TDs.

 6) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 2. Missouri’s national championship hopes took a huge tumble two weeks ago at home when the Tigers lost 28-23 to Oklahoma State. Missouri had won 10 in a row and 18 of its last 19 home games and took the nation’s No. 3 ranking into the game. The Tigers entered with a scoring average of 53.4 PPG (lowest output was 42) and QB Chase Daniel had 15 TD passes and just one interception. While Daniel put up huge passing numbers against the Cowboys, going 39-of-52 for 390 yards (16th career 300-yard game) and a TD, he threw three second-half interceptions which were critical. This past Saturday, Daniel and Missouri had a chance at redemption with a game in Austin vs No. 1 Texas. History was against Missouri, as the Tigers hadn’t won in Austin since 1896. History and the Longhorns “won the day,” as Texas jumped out to a 35-0 lead (won 56-31) and while McCoy’s Heisman candidacy reached new heights, Daniel’s Heisman hopes are all but over (he finished fourth in the voting last year). He completed 31-of-41 passes for 318 yards (his 17th career 300-yard game) with two TDs and one INT but his entire performance was an afterthought. Missouri gets a Homecoming game this Saturday with Colorado but after the last two weeks, Daniel finds himself “way behind” fellow Big 12 QBs McCoy, Bradford and Harrell. His season stats are: 189-of-249 (75.9 percent) for 2,373 yards with 18 TDs and five INTs / QB rating of 175.8 ranks 5th / 26 carries for 112 yards (4.3 YPC) 1 TD.

 7) JEVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 5. The Spartans opened the ‘08 season with a 38-31 loss at Cal, as Ringer was pretty much held in check (had 81 yards on 27 carries), although he did score two TDs. However, the Spartans then won six straight, giving them their longest win streak since 1999. MSU ended Northwestern’s perfect season a week ago Saturday, knocking off the then-5-0 Wildcats 37-20 in Evanston. The win moved the Spartans to No. 20 in the AP poll and Ringer was the main reason, going over the 1,000-yard mark for the season and becoming the first Spartan with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since TJ Duckett did it in 2000-01. Michigan’s State’s home game with Ohio State this past Saturday was likely the school’s biggest game this decade, as the Spartans last won 10 games in 1999 (went 10-2 after beating Florida in the Citrus Bowl). Ringer entered the game with 17 career 100-yard games (three have been more than 200 yards), 3,782 career rushing yards (third-most in school history) and was No.2 in the nation in rushing with an average of 158.9 per game, as well as being No.2 in all-purpose yards with 201.7 per game. His 14 TDs were the most in the nation and his average of 12.0 PPG through seven games left him tied for third in scoring. So what happened? Michigan State was handed its most lopsided loss at home since Nick Saban’s debut in 1995, when the Spartans lost by 40 to Nebraska. Ohio State jumped out to a 28-0 lead and scored a season-high in points in a 45-7 rout. As for Ringer, he was held to season lows with 67 yards rushing and 16 attempts, just one day after the school launched a web site to tout him as a Heisman Trophy candidate (anyone believe in karma?). Ringer remains the nation’s second-leading rusher (147.4 YPG), dropped to third in all-purpose yards (187.3 YPG) and his 14 TDs are still tied for the most in the nation but his scoring average of 10.5 PPG in now ranked 7th. I’m not sure his web site will be getting too many hits this week. Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor this Saturday and if the Spartans lose to the Wolverines, Ringer will have to shut down his web site. Ringer’s season stats are: 263 carries for 1,179 yards (4.5 YPC) 14 TDs / 15 catches for 95 yards (6.3 YPC) 0 TDs / 224 KOR yards.

 8) MARK SANCHEZ (USC) Last Week: NR. I didn’t list USC’s Mark Sanchez among my preseason top-10 choices but moved him into my No. 8 spot after he threw three TD passes in his first game as the Trojans’ true No. 1 QB on August 30, as USC won 52-7 at Virginia. He was just a little more than three weeks removed from a dislocated kneecap that kept him out of practice until the season opener, but he completed 26-of-35 for 338 yards with those three TDs and one INT. I’ve had him in and out of my top-10 throughout the season and he’s back in this week, after USC beat Washington State 69-0 this past Saturday, its largest shutout victory since a 69-0 win over Montana in 1931. Sanchez completed 15-of-20 passes for 253 yards and tied the school record of five TD passes (shared with Rodney Peete, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart with 4:51 still remaining in the second quarter! USC lost at Corvallis 27-21 on September 25 but the Trojans have won their last three games by a combined 141-10 since that loss cost them their No. 1 ranking. They have scored 117 unanswered points and have recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1971. USC moved to No. 6 in the latest AP poll and opened No. 5 in the first BCS standings. Don’t count the Trojans out of the BCS title-game ‘picture’ just yet. USC travels to Tucson this Saturday to play Arizona. Sanchez made his first career start vs the Wildcats last year, leading the Trojans to a 20-13 win but hardly put up impressive numbers (19-of-31 for 130 yards with one TD and two INTs). Sanchez will need another excellent performance to stay in my top-10 next week. His season stats are: 108-of-166 (65.1 percent) for 1,501 yards with 19 TDs and six INTs / QB rating of 171.6 ranks 7th / one rush TD.

 9) DARYLL CLARK (Penn State) Last Week: NR. Why not put Penn State’s starting QB on this list? He’s been a dramatic improvement over Anthony Morelli, who led the Nittany Lions to consecutive 9-4 seasons in ‘06 and ‘07. Clark had just 36 attempts the last two years (backing up Morelli) but has completed 63.3 percent this year (11 TDs / 2 INTs), while also running for eight scores. He’s got Penn State 8-0 and ranked third in both the current AP poll and in the first BCS standings. Penn State ended a nine-game losing streak to Michigan on Saturday, as Clark played a “typical” game. The Nittany Lions withstood some early big plays by Michigan, as the Wolverines took a 17-7 lead. PSU cut the lead to 17-14 at the half and then outscored Michigan 32-0 in the second half for a 46-17 win. Clark completed 18-of-31 passes for 171 yards (one TD / 0 INTs) plus added two rushing TDs on nine carries for 45 yards. This coming Saturday’s game at Columbus will be huge for the Nittany Lions. PSU hasn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2002 and the 10th-ranked Buckeyes (No. 9 in the BCS standings) could be the only thing in the Nittany Lions’ way of a perfect regular season. Now here’s the rub. PSU hasn’t won in Columbus since 1978, going 0-7 since that time with an average loss of 21 PPG. Clark’s season stats are: 114-of-180 (63.3 percent) for 1,531 yards with 11 TDs and two INTs / QB rating of 152.7 ranks 18th / 47 carries for 190 yards (4.0 YPC) / 8 TDs.

10) DAVID JOHNSON (Tulsa) Last Week: NR. What a story Tulsa is in 2008, led by an unknown senior QB in David Johnson. The Golden Hurricane have been to three straight bowl games from 2005-07 (won two of them) but Johnson was a non-contributor, sitting behind the talented Paul Smith (47 TD passes and 5,065 passing yards in ‘07). Johnson opened the ‘08 season having just 63 career pass attempts (41 completions) for 472 yards with two TDs and one INT. So what’s he done in helping Tulsa start 7-0? Not much at all, if you want to ignore his almost 2,400 passing yards and 31 TDs. Tulsa and UTEP played to a 28-28 tie this past Saturday night but that was only after the first quarter! That’s right! However, the Golden Hurricane outscored the Miners 49-7 the rest of the way, winning 77-35. Tulsa amassed 791 total yards (including 321 rushing) but Johnson completed 21-of-27 passes for 434 yards with five TDs, which covered 97, 51, 34, 22 and 31 yards. The win moved Tulsa to No. 22 in the latest AP poll, the school’s first top-25 ranking since 1991. That 1991 team finished 10-2, including a 28-17 Freedom Bowl win over San Diego State (remember Marshall Faulk?) and finished with a final AP ranking of 21. Johnson’s full stats are listed below but his QB rating of 212.8 leads the nation, with Tulsa averaging 56.6 PPG (Texas is No. 2 at 48.1) and 624.7 YPG (Texas Tech is No. 2 almost 70 YPG behind). Tulsa will host Central Florida this coming Sunday, the school which beat them twice last year, first in the regular season (44-23) and then in the C-USA championship game (44-25). However, both of those games were played in Orlando. Johnson’s season stats are: 138-of-200 (69.0 percent) for 2,397 yards with 31 TDs and eight INTs / QB rating of 212.8 ranks No. 1 / one rush TD.

Texas is No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches’ regular season poll for the first time since the 1984 season. Of course, we all remember Texas winning the 2005 national championship but USC was No. 1 all season that year, until the Longhorns beat the Trojans 41-38 in that classic Rose Bowl encounter (BCS title game). Texas is the AP’s fourth No. 1 team this season (Georgia began at No. 1, followed by USC and Oklahoma), already matching the number of teams which held the No. 1 ranking last year.

Last season was one of CFB’s most volatile in history, as eight different school’s held the nation’s No. 2 ranking during the year and LSU became the first two-loss team to compete for the BCS title. Its 38-24 win made LSU the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season and the Tigers became just the fourth favorite to win in 10 BCS championship games. LSU was a runaway No. 1 in the final AP poll, as the Tigers received 60 of 65 first-place votes, making them the first-ever two-loss champs in that poll (began in 1936).

The CFB weekend opened on Thursday (10/16) with 10 remaining unbeaten teams, with the first BCS standings set to be released this Sunday. However, No. 9 BYU lost at Fort Worth on Thursday night, as the Horned Frogs won in a rout, 32-7. The loss all but ‘killed’ BYU’s dreams of playing in a BCS bowl and ended the nation’s longest active winning streak. The Cougars had won 16 straight games since their 55-47 loss at Tulsa in last year’s third contest.

TCU’s win also ended the Cougars’ 18-game winning streak in MWC play, a streak which was the longest of its kind in any conference in the nation. BYU had also owned the nation’s longest active road winning streak (at a modest six games) and the Cougars became the 22nd ranked team to lose to an unranked opponent (AP rankings) in ‘08. Boise State will put its unbeaten 5-0 mark on the line Friday night at home against Hawaii (Broncos are favored by 24 points).

With the BYU loss, nine unbeaten schools remain. Their combined records are 56-0 SU and 38-10 ATS (79.2 percent). Ball State (7-0 SU and 6-0 ATS), Oklahoma State (6-0 SU and 5-0 ATS) and Texas (6-0 SU and ATS) are a combined 17-0 ATS, with the remaining six undefeated schools going 21-10 ATS (67.7 percent). Boise State is 3-1 ATS this year and takes a 16-game home winning streak (9-4 ATS) into its Friday night contest with Hawaii. It should also be mentioned that the Broncos have gone an incredible 61-2 SU and 39-15 ATS on their famed “Blue Turf” since the 1999 season.

Checking in on those three unbeatens with perfect ATS marks we find the following. Ball State (7-0) is ranked No. 24 in the AP (became ranked for the first time in school history two weeks ago) and gets the weekend off. Things won’t be as easy for No. 1 Texas, which hosts No. 11 Missouri. The Longhorns are favored by 4 1/2-points but it should be noted that the last time the Tigers beat the Longhorns in Austin was a 10-0 shutout win in ‘96. That’s 1896!

As for Oklahoma State, the Cowboys are 6-0 for just the second time since 1945 (that team finished 9-0!) and are ranked No.8 in the current AP poll, their highest since being ranked seventh in November of 1985. The fast start comes as quite a surprise, as in Mike Gundy’s first three seasons, OSU went just 18-19 SU and 16-18 ATS. OSU hosts Baylor on Saturday and is favored by 17 points over a Bears team which is 2-46 SU all-time on the Big 12 road.

Georgia Tech edged Gardner-Webb 10-7 last Saturday, barely holding on for the win when a 43-yard FG attempt by Gardner-Webb was tipped with three seconds left. However, it was a non-lined game and the 5-1 Yellow Jackets remain 4-0 ATS, joining Ball State, Oklahoma State and Texas as the nation’s only undefated ATS teams. Georgia Tech visits “Death Valley” to take on Clemson this Saturday, a school which just dismissed its head coach, Tommy Bowden. Tech opened as a four-point underdog but is currently favored by 2 1/2-points.

Oklahoma lost its No. 1 ranking last week after its 45-35 defeat at the hands of Texas but the fourth-ranked Sooners still own CFB’s longest active home winning streak, having won 20 straight games in Norman (13-6-1 ATS). Oklahoma has won 41 of its last 42 in Norman and is 57-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. Since losing 16-13 in Norman to Oklahoma State in their final home game of the 2001 season, the Sooners have won 21 straight Big 12 home games by the average score of 42-21. Kansas, a 19 1/2-point underdog, is just 3-17 SU in Norman since 1963.

With BYU losing on Thursday, the nation’s longest active overall winning streak of eight now belongs to Penn State (6-1 ATS), Texas Tech (3-3 ATS) and Utah (3-4 ATS). Joe Pa’s Nittany Lions (minus-24 1/2 points) host 2-4 Michigan, a school which is likely to see its streak of 33 consecutive bowl appearances end this year. However, it should be mentioned that Penn State has lost nine straight to Michigan, making in the longest losing streak in Paterno’s career.

Texas Tech is 6-0 for the first time since 2005 and for just the fifth time in school history (1998, 1976, 1938). The Red Raiders have now scored at least 30 points in 22 of their last 24 games, including 10 in a row, a streak which leads the nation. They’ll take their eight-game winning streak into College Station to face the 2-4 Aggies. Tech has won three straight in this series but hasn’t won four in a row since 1970-’73, in a series which has been played every year since 1956. Tech is favored by 20 1/2 points.

Utah benefited most from BYU’s loss on Thursday, as it is the 14th-ranked Utes who now claim the title of “the most likely non-BCS conference school to gain a BCS bowl bid” (Boise may argue?). Utah hosts 3-3 Colorado Sate on Saturday and is favored by 22 points.

One can’t talk about “winners” without mentioning the “lovable losers.” Just two Division I-A schools remain winless, 0-6 North Texas (1-5 ATS) and 0-5 Washington (1-4 ATS). North Texas will be at UL-Monroe (getting 18 points) and Washington hosts Oregon State (getting 16 points). Four schools remain winless ATS. Washington State (home to USC as 43-point home ‘dogs!) and Wyoming (idle) are both 0-6 ATS, while Clemson is 0-4 (home to Ga Tech) and Indiana is 0-4-1 (at Illinois and getting 15 points).

North Texas owns the nation’s longest active overall losing streak at seven straight (1-6 ATS) and UAB owns the longest active road losing streak at 18 in a row (6-12 ATS). As already mentioned, North Texas is at UL-Monroe and UAB is home to Marshall. Duke ended the nation’s longest active home streak (an incredible 16 straight!) way back on August 30 by beating James Madison 31-7 and no current school owns a home losing streak of any major significance as we enter this weekend’s play.

There were three games involving top-25 opponents last weekend and in each case the higher ranked team lost, No. 5 Texas beat No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 17 Oklahoma State beat No. 3 Missouri and No. 11 Florida beat No. 4 LSU. There are four games this weekend which feature top-25 opponents and with the season’s first BCS standings coming out on Sunday, who knows what the fallout would be if we saw a repeat-performance of last weekend’s upsets?

For the record, here’s the four games involving top-25 opponents. No. 1 Texas hosts No. 11 Missouri, No. 4 Oklahoma hosts No. 16 Kansas, No. 10 Georgia (minus-14 1/2 points) hosts No. 22 Vandy and No. 12 Ohio State (minus-three points) visits No. 20 Michigan State.

Good luck, Larry