Florida, Texas finally play like top two teams

That's more like it, Gators and Longhorns. Just as we all were beginning to question the authenticity of the best two teams in the country (yes, Alabama, you're in the conversation, too, but you had a day of rest Saturday), Florida and Texas stood up tall enough against quality opponents to be counted a-wunna-and-a-twooa. And then Oregon came along in the evening and showed us that there's no team in the country whom the Ducks wouldn't beat right now. But then, TCU and Boise State and Cincinnati feel like they could say the same thing — or at least that they'd love to get a chance to prove it. But only Florida and Texas really matter these days in the race for the national championship, and they showed Georgia and Oklahoma State that they're putting their best feet forward. Now it's up to the big boys to keep doing what they're doing — and Saturday they did what we have been expecting them to do every week. It's becoming clear that they're zeroing in on a Jan. 7 date in Pasadena.

A glance back

For what it's worth, last year at this point in the season, the teams that wound up in the national championship game were ranked fourth (Oklahoma) and eighth (Florida). But that was a season of all those crazy upsets. Conversely, in 2007, Ohio State and LSU were ranked first and third at this point. In 2006, Ohio State and Florida were first and fourth. And in 2005, USC and Texas were already No. 1 and No. 2.

Tebow, Colt, and ...

What's more, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy re-established their Heisman Trophy credentials, although that chase is considerably more open than the national championship race. Without an obvious choice, or even a pool of obvious quarterbacks and/or running backs pulling away, this is the perfect year to find a superior defensive candidate to get behind. But Taylor Mays has fizzled right along with USC, and Tennessee's Eric Berry is impressive but not dominant. We tend to think that Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes is the most complete player, but he missed two games with injury. How about Terrence Cody at Alabama? A returning first-team All-American, he's the most noticeable piece of the Tide's incredible defense, and of course he preserved Alabama's perfect record by blocking two Tennessee field goals in the fourth quarter last week. He might not put up glossy sack numbers or the like, all he does is dominate the middle of the line to the point that it changes the way offenses can try to attack Alabama — always unsuccessfully. And as good as 'Bama running back Mark Ingram is, Mount Cody would be a much more inspired choice than any running back or quarterback through two-thirds of the season (yes, that includes Houston's Case Keenan, the best of this year's glossy-numbers club).

Positioning for BCS bowls

Fully realizing that roughly a third of the season remains, and a lot figures to change, we still can't foresee any ACC or Big 12 teams making their way into a BCS at-large spot. Remember, there are four of those: One figures to be the loser of the SEC championship game (Sugar Bowl). One figures to go to a Big Ten runner-up (Penn State is in the best shape; Fiesta). One figures to be either TCU or Boise State (Sugar). And the fourth looks like either USC or ... uh ... yes, Notre Dame. It currently dials out something like this:

BCS Championship Game: Florida vs. Texas

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. USC or Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. TCU

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Georgia Tech

Irish on the verge?

If Notre Dame does wind up eligible for more than a ho-hum bowl, that could put the Fiesta Bowl in an enviable position. ND automatically gets a BCS bowl spot if it is in the top eight in the final BCS rankings, and to be eligible for an at-large invitation, it needs (like anyone else ) to have at least nine wins and finish in the top 14. And the way it looks at the moment, they'll have to go 10-2 to get there. The Fiesta, then, could have its choice of USC and Notre Dame to pair against Penn State (which gets to prove its point at home against Ohio State this week). Interesting options. But like we said, a third of the season is remaining, and it is terribly presumptuous to think that USC and Notre Dame will win out. But don't kid yourself: Pete Carroll's Trojans will bounce back from their humiliating Halloween night in Eugene, where the 47-20 defeat was their worst loss since he arrived in 2001. The 6-2 Trojans have a trip to Arizona State next week before finishing the season with three home games against Stanford, UCLA ... and on Dec. 5, with possibly the Fiesta Bowl bid in the balance, against Arizona. The 6-2 Irish have Navy, at Pitt, UConn and at Stanford. Still, if ND did get to 10-2, and were ranked behind a 10-2 USC, who should the Fiesta Bowl pick? Could be a tough call, but one the folks in the Valley of the Sun would love to get to make.

Arizona holds keys out West

Arizona's November-and-beyond schedule is where the action is in the Pac-10. Certainly the Nov. 21 game against league-leading Oregon is the next showdown game (the 5-2, 3-1 Wildcats are the only team with much more than a mathematical chance to overtake the Ducks), but Mike Stoops' team also faces USC on Dec. 5 — the last meaningful Pac-10 game of the season. So Arizona stands between both Oregon and USC and their BCS opportunities. The Wildcats, whose loss at Iowa is looking better all the time, and whose loss to Washington was the flukiest result of the Pac-10 season, really do control their own path for their first Rose Bowl trip in their 31 seasons in the league. A more likely postseason destination for Arizona might be San Diego for the Holiday Bowl, where a Stoops-vs. Stoops matchup seems a more little plausible.

Utes preparing for TCU?

One thing about Utah: The 7-1 Utes are far from a finished product in the eyes of coach Kyle Whittingham. With a game against winless New Mexico standing between Utah and the Mountain West Conference showdown at TCU, Whittingham is in the process of changing quarterbacks. This is a team that has won 21 of 22 games, marred only by a one-possession loss at Autzen Stadium in September, but Whittingham wants the Utes to keep getting better. That's why he changed quarterbacks at halftime against Wyoming, benching Terrance Cain in favor of freshman Jordan Wynn. The heretofore redshirting Wynn sparked Utah to a 19-0 second-half run for a 22-10 triumph.

A case of good timing

For all the times when coaches have mismanaged the clock (isn't there a way to have somebody responsible to be sort of the clock-management consultant?), score one for the right way to do it. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano put the pressure on his own defense once UConn reached the Knights' 3-yard line when he called successive timeouts with 49 seconds and 43 seconds remaining. Coaches rarely do that to their defense, instead trying to rely on clock pressure to rush the offense into mistakes, at the expense of having no time remaining to mount a comeback if the opponent does score. Yes, the Huskies did score with 38 seconds to go, but Schiano hadn't let them bleed the clock, so his team still had a chance — which they cashed in when Tom Savage hit Tim Brown on a miraculous 81-yard touchdown throw-and-catch with 22 seconds remaining.

Fitting ending

While the loss to Rutgers was a sad result for the emotional Connecticut Huskies, playing in honor of their deceased teammate, Jasper Howard, it was equally emotionally uplifting for Scarlet Knights receiver Brown. Howard and Brown were longtime friends, growing up on the same street in Miami, and as he scored the winning touchdown he pointed to the sky and broke down in tears as he reached the sideline after the game-winning play. "We did everything together ... I miss him," Brown said. As hard as it was for UConn to lose that game, that the winning play went to Howard's best friend was spine tingling.

A Glance Ahead

Saturday, Nov. 7

Connecticut at Cincinnati: This week's game of the year in the Big East.

Oklahoma at Nebraska: Just 5-3 teams, but NU is still in the hunt in Big 12 North.

Florida State at Clemson: Seminoles and Tigers still battling in ACC Atlantic Division.

Northwestern at Iowa: What will Hawkeyes do to come from behind in this one?

LSU at Alabama: Tigers have won four in a row in Tuscaloosa ... but this 'Bama team is gooood.

Oregon at Stanford: Physical Cardinal will not roll over for emotionally spent Pac-10 leader.

Ohio State at Penn State: Nittany Lions can all but wrap up BCS bowl bid by beating Buckeyes.

Army at Air Force: First CIC Trophy game for Army's Rich Ellerson; AFA has won 18 of 20.

Vanderbilt at Florida: Good chance for Tebow to look particularly Heismanesque.