2011 College Football: Grading the Top 25 Teams' Performances from Week 8

Welcome to the first grading of the 2011 BCS ranked teams. What a wild ride week 8 was!

Upsets and poor performances are shaking up the BCS standings and rearranging the chase for the coveted title.

No. 3 Oklahoma fell to Texas Tech, while No. 6 Wisconsin suffered a last-second letdown to No. 16 Michigan State. No. 22 Georgia Tech was handled by Miami (FL), while No. 23 Illinois was inexplicably shut down by Purdue.

And the whole thing started with No. 15 West Virginia dropping a Big East showdown with Syracuse. No. 9 Arkansas was less than impressive in needing a comeback to take down Ole Miss, and No. 5 Boise State had their hands full with Air Force.

I don't think it's that much of a bold statement to say this was the biggest weekend in college football to date. If you've been waiting for things to shake up a little, your patience has been rewarded.

No. 4 Oklahoma State is suddenly the top team in the Big 12. The Big Ten race is wide open, and the SEC showed some chinks in their armor.

For those who are disappointed in their team's performance, my grades may seem a little light. For those who are excited with their team's outcome, my grades may seem a little conservative.

Throughout the week, though, there were some pretty great performances. They just didn't always turn out so well on the scoreboard.

Let's grade this crazy week and look forward to what's coming at us next week.

No. 25 Washington

Opponent: No. 8 Stanford

Outcome: Lost 21-65

Well, it was a valiant effort. The Huskies made their way into the Top 25 for the first time, but it was short lived. Stanford proved too much.

The Huskies got great production out of Chris Polk, who ran for 144 yards against a pretty good Cardinal defense.

However, the pass game was as much a liability as an asset, though. Keith Price completed 64 percent of his passes and amassed 247 yards, plus picked up a touchdown. However, he also threw a pick-six, and Nick Montana also gave up an interception.

In all, the Huskies turned the ball over three times and gave up 84 yards on penalties. It's somewhat amazing that they still managed 430 total yards.

Defensively, they just couldn't do anything with Andrew Luck and Stepfan Taylor.

Grade: C

No. 24 Texas

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

This might have been a fantastic week for the Longhorns to be idle. For one, they're on a two-game losing streak and could desperately use an opportunity to regroup and try to get things back in order before moving forward.

Second, there was some turnover at the bottom tier of the BCS standings, and Texas might get to avoid that.

It's still possible that the Longhorns could get bumped, thanks to stellar play from teams sitting just outside the standings. However, it's also possible that they will avoid getting punished for not playing.

No. 23 Illinois dropped a stinker to Purdue. No. 22 Georgia Tech didn't look a lot better against Miami (FL). It might be a very good thing that Texas wasn't available to catch the drop-out bug that struck the teams around them in the standings.

Looking ahead, the remainder of Texas' schedule looks like this:

vs. Kansas

vs. Texas Tech

at Missouri

vs No. 11 Kansas State

at No. 17 Texas A&M

at Baylor

No. 23 Illinois

Opponent: Purdue

Outcome: Lost 14-21

Are you kidding me? If not for a pair of fourth quarter scores, the Illini would have been blanked 21-0. How embarrassing is that?

As a longtime fan of the Big Ten Conference, I fully understand how dangerous Purdue can be. They rarely put together a great record and usually dwell in-or-near the cellar of the conference pecking order, and yet they find ways of knocking off better teams at least once a year.

Statistically, Illinois out-played Purdue. They had more first downs, more total yards and didn't turn the ball over any more than the Boilermakers did. They just couldn't get it done when they needed to.

It was a horribly flat performance by a team struggling to hang on to a spot in the BCS standings. Illinois needed a strong showing to prove that their previous loss to Ohio State was nothing to panic over.

Time to panic?

Grade: D

No. 22 Georgia Tech

Opponent: Miami (FL)

Outcome: Lost 7-24

The Yellow Jackets came into this game hoping to right the ship after seeing their triple-option offense out-performed by Virginia last week. They needed a little positive mojo to keep them in the ACC title chase and hold their spot in the BCS standings.

Tech sure didn't start very well. They fell down to the Hurricane 21-7 in the first half. A slow start wasn't the worst of their fears, though.

It never got better.

Miami's defense held Georgia Tech's triple-option offense to just 134 yards—well below their 347.9 average. Tevin Washington averaged only 1.8 yards per carry as the run game failed to ever fully get off the ground.

Meanwhile, the Hurricane were able to keep pace on the ground and nearly doubled the 77 passing yards Georgia Tech was able to manage.

Three turnovers killed virtually any hope the Yellow Jackets had of getting back into the game.

It's safe to say we won't be talking about Georgia Tech in next week's grades. We may not talk about them the rest of the year if things don't take a major turn.

Grade: D

No. 21 Penn State

Opponent: Northwestern

Outcome: Won 34-24

It wasn't always pretty, but when has Penn State football really been "pretty" this year? The hallmark of the Nittany Lion 2011 season is winning ugly.

Hey, teams have won national championships winning ugly. Anyone over the age of 20 remember the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes?

Penn State isn't going to win any national championships. Not this year at any rate. They're not likely to win the Big Ten Championship—or even a chance to play for it.

They're now 7-1, though, and could find their way higher into the standings after this win. In fact, thanks to Wisconsin's failure against Michigan State and Illinois' two-game skid, the Nittany Lions are now the leaders of the Leaders Division.

Whoda thunk?

Personally, I think QB Rob Bolden has more upside than Matt McGloin. However, there's no question in my mind that McGloin is the man who should be leading this Penn State offense this year.

McGloin's numbers aren't eye-popping. He completed 17-of-26 passes for 192 yards and a pair of scores. What's important, though, is that he didn't throw an interception and made the plays he needed to make.

His passing helped keep the defense honest, which opened the door for RB Silas Redd to have a stellar day. Redd rushed for 164 yards on 18 carries and picked up a touchdown. Redd chewed up yards and punished Northwestern defenders.

Like several teams this year, Penn State allowed Northwestern to gain more total yards and to control the time of possession. However, like several teams this year, those things didn't matter.

Penn State's defense was stout enough to hold Northwestern down the stretch and give their offense opportunities to make things happen.

They lost a fumble, but were fairly clean on penalties (four for 39 yards) and came away with an important win.

Grade: B

No. 20 Auburn

Opponent: No. 1 LSU

Outcome: Lost 10-45

It's never easy going on the road to take on the top team in the country. No one expected it to be any better for Auburn, who has been hugely inconsistent all year. 

Certain parts of Auburn's offense worked at certain times. RB Michael Dyer and RB Onterio McCalebb combined for 92 yards on just 15 carries and McCalebb scored a touchdown.

However, that touchdown came when the game was so far out of reach Auburn couldn't have bought a victory with all the gold in Ft. Knox. QB Clint Moseley completed 12-of-20 passes for 145 yards, but threw a pick.

The problems were two-fold for Auburn, though.

First, their defense couldn't do nearly enough to slow down LSU. QB Jarrett Lee was allowed to throw for two touchdowns and Jordan Jefferson passed for another. Meanwhile, Michael Ford and Kenny Hilliard combined for 147 rushing yards, with Hilliard picking up two touchdowns.

Second, turnovers were killer. Auburn gave up two turnovers and were unable to take any away from LSU. One of those turnovers was a 28-yard pick-six by Ron Brooks.

It's tough to say that this was a truly "bad" performance by Auburn. They were just out-matched. LSU's defense is very good and their offense is dangerous. Auburn never had the guns to go toe-to-toe with this LSU team. Not this year.

Still, I can't reward a blowout loss with a good grade, even when that loss was expected and came to the No. 1 team in the country.

Grade: C-

No. 19 Houston

Opponent: Marshall

Outcome: Won 63-28

Houston needed a huge win to prove they belong on this list. Well, they got it.

I know, Marshall isn't the kind of opponent that turns many heads. You've got to beat the people in front of you, though, and try to make a statement in the process.

How about QB Case Keenum's 24-of-28, 376 yards and six touchdowns performance? How about Charles Sims grabbing 75 yards on just seven carries with a touchdown?

How about the fact that Houston didn't turn the ball over one time? Meanwhile, Derrick Matthews snagged a beautiful 20-yard pick-six.

It's true that Houston allowed Marshall to put together 506 total yards of offense—fairly evenly divided between between the pass and run. It's also true that Houston allowed the Thundering Heard to control the football for an astronomical 42:15, thus leaving their defense on the field for nearly three full quarters.

None of that mattered.

Marshall's 27 additional plays didn't result in enough points to keep pace with the Cougars.

I don't know if this performance will help them move up the standings, but it was exactly the performance Houston needed to prove they at least belong.

Grade: A-

No. 18 Michigan

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

Michigan got to sit out this week, and it couldn't have come at a better time. QB Denard Robinson was looking a little worse for wear at the end of their showdown with Michigan State a week ago.

The Wolverines can't afford to have their star quarterback nursing injuries—no matter how minor they may be. He's too big a part of their offense. He is Michigan's offense.

The Wolverines are 6-1 and just one game short of matching last season's win total. They'll get that seventh win and have the pieces to go much farther. It won't be easy, though, and the Spartans may have revealed the blueprint for taking down the Wolverines.

This down week gives them an opportunity to lick their wounds, regroup and come up with some new wrinkles to help them going forward.

The rest of their season looks like this:

vs. Purdue

at Iowa

at No. 23 Illinois

vs. No. 13 Nebraska

vs. Ohio State

No. 17 Texas A&M

Opponent: Iowa State

Outcome: Won 33-17

Believe it or not, the second half almost got scary again for the Aggies. After running up a 30-7 lead, the Cyclones put together 10 points late in the third quarter to close the gap to just 13 points.

A&M held on and added another field goal to put the thing comfortably away.

Really, other than a brief blip on the scoreboard, it wasn't that close. A&M put up 205 more offensive yards than the Cyclones. They out-rushed them by over 120 yards and out-passed them by 80 more.

Christine Michael carried the ball for 142 yards, while Cyrus Gray carried it for 125 more. Ryan Tannehill tossed the rock for 263 yards and a pair of scores, and Texas A&M put away Iowa State with a more-than-effective offense.

They did give up a fumble, but also took away an interception. Giving up 70 yards to penalty isn't very smart, but it ultimately didn't hurt the Aggies too badly.

It was a good win on the road to keep the momentum going into their next game against Missouri.

Grade: A

No. 16 Michigan State

Opponent: No. 6 Wisconsin

Outcome: Won 37-31

Anyone who reads between the stat lines should have seen that Michigan State could give Wisconsin a run for their money. They did.

The Spartans' tough, physical defense took a quarter to get their rhythm working, but once they got rocking, they locked down on Wisconsin's fearsome offense.

Special teams came up with a couple of huge plays late in the first half. A blocked field goal prevented Wisconsin from extending a precarious 14-9 lead. Not long after, they blocked a punt that they recovered in the end zone.

Michigan State just always seemed to find the right plays at the right time. When things were looking down in the first half, they dialed up some big plays and went on a big run. Throughout the second half, they forced Wisconsin to fight their way back. They didn't give anything up easily.

A play on 4th-and-2 found its way into the end zone. Another third down play later went for a score. The Spartans continually found ways to drive daggers into Wisconsin's heart just when it looked as though the Badgers might have them stalled out.

Finally, the last play of the game made it an all-time classic. Whether you believe the ball really crossed the plane of the end zone or not is a judgement call. From my perspective, the replay showed the ball crossing the plane when Keith Nichol jerked to his right. That was my view of it, but I wasn't the replay official, so make your own call on that one.

The Spartans did not commit a single penalty, turned the ball over just one time and got a great upset win.

Grade: A+

No. 15 West Virginia

Opponent: Syracuse

Outcome: Lost 23-49

This one could hurt a little. Not to be unfair, but this is also why the Big East isn't taken seriously as a conference. Well, this, and the fact that they haven't looked great in bowl games the last few years.

The Big East just doesn't have a clear-cut "power team" that can lead this conference into bowl discussions.

West Virginia was beginning to look like that team. Now, the picture of the conference is looking murkier than ever.

Syracuse is a decent team. They're 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big East—just like West Virginia. However, the Orange hadn't had a truly signature win until this game. Suddenly, the focus of the Big East may shuffle from the Mountaineers to the Orangemen.

QB Geno Smith passed for 338 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but also coughed up two costly interceptions. RB Dustin Garrison averaged 5.1 yards per carry, but only got 11 touches and couldn't help the team put points on the board.

WR Stedman Bailey racked up 130 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, but it just wasn't enough.

The Mountaineer defense allowed Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib to pass for four touchdowns and allowed RB Antwon Bailey to rush for 125 yards and a score.

Special teams also failed, allowing Dorian Graham to return a kickoff 98 yards for a score.

The offense may have done some good things, but they did just as many bad things and the defense was inept against Syracuse's offense.

Not a good showing for a Top 15 team. Correction...former Top 15 team.

Grade: D

No. 14 South Carolina

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

The Gamecocks got a week off. As it turns out, it was a week too late. The big news for South Carolina coming out of last week was the loss of RB Marcus Lattimore for the season with torn knee ligaments.

That's a huge loss for the Gamecocks. During QB Stephen Garcia's rough start to the year, Lattimore was the one relative constant on that offense.

Now, they're going to have to figure out how to stay in the SEC East title race without either Garcia or Lattimore. Actually, while Garcia's story is a sad one, the team is likely just fine without him. Sophomore Connor Shaw has been very good as Garcia's replacement and looks to be a solid leader for this team.

Still, it will be awfully tough to find a replacement for Lattimore. Come to think of it, maybe the bye week came at a great time. At least the Gamecocks will have this extra week to identify a running back capable of handling the Gamecock rush attack.

The rest of their schedule looks like this:

at Tennessee

at No. 9 Arkansas

vs. Florida

vs. Citadel

vs. No.7 Clemson

No. 13 Nebraska

Opponent: Minnesota

Outcome: Won 41-14

Was there any doubt? As much as I may hate it for Jerry Kill that his team stinks this year, it's a cold, hard truth. Whatever adjustments Nebraska may be having to make within their new conference, they didn't need to do anything other than play Cornhusker football to handle the hapless Golden Gophers.

RB Rex Burkhead was the star of the Big Red Machine. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry, Burkhead rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown. QB Taylor Martinez had a good day, passing for 162 yards and running for 52 more, but it was Burkhead that really carried the offense on his capable shoulders.

The Cornhuskers ran up a 34-0 lead before taking their feet off the gas in the second half and cruising to an easy victory.

They put up 515 total yards of offense, didn't turn the ball over and only gave up 45 yards to penalties.

Solid performance to extend their record to 6-1.

Grade: A

No. 12 Virginia Tech

Opponent: Boston College

Outcome: Won 30-14

In a weekend full of upsets and tumultuous finishes, it began to look as though the Hokies might be yet another that would fall victim to a seemingly inferior opponent. Boston College jumped out to a 7-0 lead, then locked down on the Hokies and held them to just two field goals throughout the first half.

Of course, a mere 7-6 deficit was nothing for the Hokies to panic over, but for the casual viewer, it might have looked as though their offense was struggling enough to allow the Eagles to steal away an upset.

That illusion disappeared in the second half, and Tech went on to grab a convincing win.

QB Logan Thomas ultimately accounted for over 320 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. RB David Wilson had a tremendous day, running for 134 yards and another score.

The Hokie attack was very balanced, picking up 214 yards on the ground and 268 through the air. They didn't turn the ball over while picking up a fumble and an interception from the Eagles. Virginia Tech gave up just 13 penalty yards and were efficient just about every way you look at this game.

It may have been a slow start to the scoring, but Tech proved that diligence pays dividends and they came away with a nice win.

Grade: A-

No. 11 Kansas State

Opponent: Kansas

Outcome: Won 59-21

Sometimes, in-state rivals can be really tricky, regardless of how ineffective they may appear on paper. It's one of those things that can happen between two teams who share a state and know each other better than pretty much anyone else.

While all of that may be true, it didn't help the Jayhawks hang with the Wildcats. Kansas State throttled their little brother, jumping out to a 21-0 lead early and extending it to 31-14 by the end of the first half.

A 21-point third quarter erased any lingering hope for a Kansas comeback.

QB Collin Klein had another incredible performance, accounting for five total touchdowns. Four of them were on the ground, where he averaged 7.1 yards per carry. The other was earned with his arm on a 19-yard strike to Tyler Lockett.

Speaking of Lockett, he had a pretty solid day as well. Besides the touchdown catch from Klein, Lockett took a 92-yard kickoff return to the house.

The Wildcat defense was stout once more, allowing the Jayhawks to run for just 76 net yards and didn't give up anything over 10 yards on the ground.

K-State didn't turn the ball over and forced two Jayhawk fumbles. They also only gave away 25 yards on penalties compared to Kansas' 105 yards.

It was simply a dominant performance by the better team, and the Wildcats should probably find their way into the Top 10 this coming week.

Grade: A

No. 10 Oregon

Opponent: Colorado

Outcome: Won 45-2

This was so close to a shutout. Only a safety in the final 1:32 kept this thing from being a 45-0 rout—as though 45-2 isn't a rout, right?

I continue to be impressed by Kenjon Barner, who ran for 115 yards on just 10 carries with two touchdowns. His longest run of the day was an 84-yard burst, showcasing his big-playmaking ability.

Tra Carson also carved up some bison defense, rumbling for 80 yards on just 11 carries and a touchdown.

QB Bryan Bennett completed 11-of-20 passes and threw a couple of touchdowns while Oregon played a very clean game, failing to turn the ball over.

Colorado just didn't have anything for this Oregon team. Welcome to the Pac-12, Colorado. Enjoying yourselves yet?

Grade: A

No. 9 Arkansas

Opponent: Mississippi

Outcome: Won 29-24

This was so close to being very, very bad for Arkansas. Midway through the second quarter, Ole Miss led Arkansas 17-0. This from an offense that only managed more than 13 points twice before, and those were against Southern Illinois and Fresno State.

The Razorback defense allowed 370 total yards to a team that averages 268.8 per game.

Offensively, QB Tyler Wilson completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and couldn't find the end zone.

RB Dennis Johnson had a spectacular day, picking up 160 big yards on just 15 carries with a long of 52. He was arguably the brightest spot of the entire day, as Arkansas needed a huge third quarter to take command of this game.

The Razorbacks benefited from 85 penalty yards handed to them by the Rebels and only handed four small yards in return.

It just wasn't a great overall performance, and Arkansas should pay a small fee in the standings for nearly giving this game away to a team that's winless in SEC play.

Grade: C

No. 8 Stanford

Opponent: Washington

Outcome: Won 65-29

The closest this game ever got was a 17-14 Stanford lead early in the second quarter when Washington's Chris Polk ripped off a 61-yard scoring run to close the gap. From that point forward, Stanford just made it all look a little silly.

The Cardinal put up 446 rushing yards—more than the entire output of the Huskies for the game. Two Cardinal runners—Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney—averaged over 13 yards per carry and both scored touchdowns. Two more carriers—Anthony Wilkerson and Andrew Luck—averaged over 6.5 yards per carry and Wilkerson picked up two more scores.

Luck also had a pretty good day passing even if his total numbers aren't eye-popping. He completed 16-of-21 passes for 169 yards and two scores without an interception.

If there's anything to be a shade concerned about going forward, it would be that the defense did allow Washington to put together 430 yards of offense. Polk grabbed 144 yards against this Cardinal defense, though most of it did come on one big carry.

Still, Stanford played a fairly clean game. They didn't give up any turnovers and gained more yards from penalties than they gave up.

It was a comfortable win over an inferior opponent, and Stanford should be moving up in the standings.

Grade: B+

No. 7 Clemson

Opponent: North Carolina

Outcome: Won 59-38

North Carolina put a little scare in Clemson for quite a while. While the Tarheels only led the Tigers once—7-3 early in the first quarter—they stayed punch-for-punch with Clemson throughout the first half.

A 35-7 third quarter run, though, pretty well eliminated UNC's run at Clemson.

To be more precise, six turnovers eliminated any run the Tarheels wanted to make at Clemson. Kourtnei Brown had a pick-six in the second quarter and a 29-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter. All said and told, Clemson took advantage of three interceptions and three UNC fumbles.

QB Tajh Boyd had a Heisman day, throwing for 367 yards and five touchdowns while running for another score.

It wasn't all sunshine and daisies, though.

Clemson's ground game really didn't go anywhere. The top two runners—D.J. Howard and Mike Bellamy—both held averages in the three-yard-per-carry range. The only rushing score came from Boyd on a one-yard carry.

Also, as good as the defense has been this year, they allowed North Carolina to put up over 400 yards of total offense. UNC's QB Bryn Renner tossed for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though Clemson also took away three picks.

Big plays (turnovers) made the biggest difference in this game. All credit to the Tigers for starting 8-0 and taking charge of the ACC. This was a quality win against a good opponent, even if it wasn't necessarily as pretty as the score might indicate.

Grade: B+

No. 6 Wisconsin

Opponent: No. 16 Michigan State

Outcome: Lost 31-37

Whatever else is said about this game, the special teams get an F. It's not even a question. Leading 14-0 after the first quarter, a blocked field goal and a blocked punt helped Michigan State spawn a 23-point second quarter to lead the game 23-14 going into the half.

Michigan State has a very good defense, and their offense is decent, at the very least. You can't play sloppy ball against a fired up team with the tools Michigan State has at their disposal. In both of those special teams miscues, players went unblocked on their way to grabbing big plays.

The Badgers couldn't seem to come up with the big plays on either side of the ball when they really needed them. They gave up big plays when they had the Spartans stopped. They couldn't come up with big 3rd-and-long plays, and some of the coaching calls were arguable.

The final play bit them hard. Their defenders were in the right place, but batted the ball up rather than down. It's easy to pick at those things when you're sitting on the couch watching on television. It's something entirely different in the heat of the moment, on the field of battle.

It was really just dumb luck that the ball tipped the way it did and Nichol was there to grab it. They did everything they could to keep him from crossing the goal line, but it just didn't work.

I'm sure many Badger fans believe they got screwed. I wouldn't argue it, but would simply say "what's done is done." It can't be changed now.

RB Montee Ball ran the ball for 115 yards, and Wilson accounted for 253 total yards.

The defense just couldn't come up with the big plays needed to keep the Spartans down. Once the momentum shifted Sparty's direction, they refused to let it go.

Then there was that final play.

However you look at this thing, Wisconsin didn't quite play like the Badgers that were vying for a shot at the BCS Title. Then again, maybe they never really were.

Grade: B-

No. 5 Boise State

Opponent: Air Force

Outcome: Won 37-26

I may have inadvertently lied. OK, OK, I might have been wrong.

A week ago, I had mentioned that I believed Boise State had peaked in the standings at No. 5. Their schedule really hurts them now that the BCS standings are out and such things are figured into the whole affair.

With Oklahoma dropping a clunker to Texas Tech, the Broncos may prove me wrong and move up a step higher. That is, unless they're leapfrogged by someone else. It could happen.

Air Force made a real game of this. The largest margin Boise State enjoyed in the entire game was 14 points late in the third quarter and again in the fourth. At each turn, however, the Falcons closed it back up and stayed within striking distance of a major upset.

QB Kellen Moore was ultra-efficient, completing 23 of 29 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. However, he also served up a pick. RB Doug Martin also had a stellar day, grabbing 125 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown.

Unfortunately, the Bronco defense couldn't consistently contain Mike DeWitt, who ran for 108 yards. DeWitt wasn't their only concern, though, as the Falcons put together 264 rushing yards and gave up three rushing touchdowns.

Both teams had two turnovers and four penalties for relatively few yards.

Boise State's offense was more complete than that of the Falcons, but their defense couldn't quite figure out how to keep Air Force grounded.

It'll be interesting to see what this performance does for them (or to them) in the standings.

Grade: B

No. 4 Oklahoma State

Opponent: Missouri

Outcome: Won 45-24

Mizzou made a show of this in the first half. The Tigers aren't as bad a team as their record might indicate, and there was some concern (mostly from me) that the Cowboys could be set up for a letdown.

That wasn't to be. Oklahoma State grabbed the lead early and held it all day long. The Tigers may have kept it close early, but the Cowboys never surrendered the lead and ended up pulling away as the game wore on.

QB Brandon Weeden may not be getting quite enough attention for what he's capable of doing. This week, he threw for 338 yards and three scores, though he did also give up an interception.

Turnovers were a big part of the difference in this game. Missouri's QB James Franklin handed over three interceptions and the Tigers also surrendered a fumble.

The Cowboys had difficulty stopping Mizzou's run game. Henry Josey ripped off 138 yards as the Tigers racked up 248 net yards on the ground.

They only got two touchdowns out of all of that, though, while Cowboy Joseph Randle grabbed 138 yards of his own and scored three touchdowns.

In the grand scheme, this was a really important win. The score was convincing, Weeden looked like the star he is, and a spot in the top three just opened up, meaning the Cowboys could find themselves in the "money spot" for a BCS Title chase.

Grade: B+

No. 3 Oklahoma

Opponent: Texas Tech

Outcome: Lost 38-41

Bob Stoops and his team just have to be sick to their stomachs. The Sooners were in prime position to work their way into a BCS Championship Bowl game.

At No. 3, Oklahoma was right behind No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama—two teams that have to play each other in two weeks. One of them will have to drop for their top two spot, meaning the Sooners could have slid into position to be in the bowl for the crystal football.

Now, that's shot.

Yes, they could theoretically work their way back in. Losing a game doesn't necessarily mean you're out. In fact, there's a very good chance that at least one of the teams in the title game will have a loss.

However, losing at home to a team that wasn't in the Top 25 is killer. Oklahoma will take a big hit in the standings now, and it could be nearly impossible to get back up to the top.

Does it really even matter what the stats say happened? What happened was that Oklahoma took a bad loss at a bad time to a team they shouldn't have struggled with at all (on paper, anyway).

A 24-point run by the Red Raiders between the second and early third quarters put the Sooners in a hole they couldn't quite dig out of. QB Seth Doege threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns without giving up a pick.

That opened up Tech's ground game a little, allowing DeAndre Washington and Aaron Crawford to combine for 146 rushing yards.

Oklahoma's offense didn't perform poorly, really. QB Landry Jones threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw up a costly interception.

RB Roy Finch averaged a very impressive 7.2 yards per carry on 13 carries. The offense just couldn't do enough to dig the Sooners out of the hole they fell into in the second quarter.

Tough loss, but things may only get tougher. A trip to Kansas State and a home date against Texas A&M are next on the docket. Both are ranked and should be chomping at the bit after seeing how this game panned out.

Their offensive production will help their grade considerably. They out to get at least a D, but their offensive numbers were impressive enough to be worth a better grade.

Grade: C-

No. 2 Alabama

Opponent: Tennessee

Outcome: Won 37-6

If you like defense, the first half of this game was your cup of tea. The only thing either team could muster in the first 30 minutes were a pair of field goals apiece.

As the game wore on, though, the Volunteers couldn't hold pace. The Crimson Tide offense was just too much to contain, and their defense was too much to overcome.

QB A.J. McCarron completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, but ended up with 284 yards through the air and threw a touchdown with an interception. RB Trent Richardson struggled somewhat, but ended up with a pair of touchdowns to compliment his 77 yards rushing.

The Tide defense really stayed locked down. Tennessee couldn't manage to break triple digits either through the air or on the ground. In total, they managed just 155 yards of total offense.

Alabama gave up an interception, but were relatively clean on penalties, picked up a couple of turnovers of their own and ended up controlling the tempo of this game.

It wasn't necessarily the prettiest game they've played, but they got an important win and stay at the forefront of the chase for the BCS Title.

Grade: B-

No. 1 LSU

Opponent: No. 20 Auburn

Outcome: Won 45-10

There most definitely will not be a new No. 1 when the second BCS standings of the 2011 season come out. LSU made a plenty strong enough statement that they deserve to stay right where they are at the top of the ladder.

As lopsided as the score was, it wasn't even that close. LSU dominated Auburn, running the score up to 45-3 before allowing a very late touchdown.

LSU didn't turn the football over, Auburn's defense couldn't stop them and LSU's defense held Auburn down all game long.

I'm not sure there's much more to say than that. This is your No. 1 team, folks, and Saturday they played like they deserved it.

Grade: A