Excitement reigned in Los Angeles on Saturday night. A tremendous game against USC, a three-OT thriller. QB Andrew Luck showed why he's all the rage, guiding his Cardinal through tough waters and keeping them on track in the Pac-12 and national pictures. And, the defense forced the clinching fumble in the third OT. That's 16 straight wins, if you're keeping score at home. Oregon State hosts Stanford on Saturday and hopes the OTs took a lot out of the Cardinal. Not likely.

In past years, a three-point win at Vanderbilt would be cause for alarm. But if you've watched Vandy this year, you understand that new coach James Franklin is doing a tremendous job in Nashville and a win, any win there is a good one. The Hogs got it done with a game-changing defensive score. Now, they welcome in East frontrunner South Carolina.

Repeat after me: South Carolina will go as far as its defense will take it this year. Tennessee was pesky and in position to beat South Carolina. But twice, the Gamecocks’ defense rose up inside its own 30-yard line and took the ball away from the Vols. DEs Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney are relentless. The game at Arkansas this week will be one to watch.

Still tracking toward a rematch with Clemson in the ACC title game, the Hokies fought off the tenacious Blue Devils from Duke (who can't seem to catch a break this year). Duke usually plays Virginia Tech tough. The Hokies will rest on Saturday, but then they head to Atlanta for a Thursday nighter against Georgia Tech in a key Coastal Division game.

If anything ails you in the Pac-12, Colorado will help you cure it. Another "W" on the schedule was posted against the Buffs, and another one is expected at UCLA this weekend. QB Brock Osweiler and RB Cameron Marshall are playing very well, and Coach Dennis Erickson will be preaching all week about how dangerous a team is when its head coach is on the hot seat. Exhibit A? UCLA.

Yes, I hear it, too. "Penn State is the worst 8-1 team we've seen since . . ." Well, guess what? Doesn't matter. They are 8-1 and have a two-game lead in the loss column in the Big Ten Leaders Division. JoePa is now the winningest coach in Division I football, surpassing the trailblazing Eddie Robinson of Grambling. There’s an open week and then the final chapters begin to be written: vs. Nebraska, at Ohio State, at Wisconsin. Doubt JoePa all you want.

So many pointed to a letdown for the Spartans after the exciting ending in their win over Wisconsin, but to me it was cumulative (if it was a letdown). They beat Ohio State and Michigan previously before dispatching Wisconsin. And, then to go on the road to Nebraska? Tough assignment. Michigan State needs to get right against Minnesota, which upset Iowa on Saturday.

Ouch. It was a bad time for the Sooners to schooner to Manhattan after their loss to Texas Tech at home. Now that the magic has been suspended for a bit, can Coach Bill Snyder's Wildcats conjure up some more for a difficult finishing kick? They’re at Oklahoma State this week, then vs. Texas A&M, at Texas and finish with Iowa State. They’re likely to be favored only vs. Iowa State, but that underdog role is the one these Wildcats prefer.

The Longhorns have really worked hard to put last year's 5-7 humbling behind them. Despite the pasting Oklahoma put on them, they had their chances the next game, against Oklahoma State. Now, they welcome Texas Tech to Austin after destroying Kansas (441 rush yards to minus-2 for the Jayhawks).