College Football Beat

Here are this week's thoughts on the past week in college football, including my pick for team and player of the week and a look ahead to next week.

Team of the Week

Mississippi

Mississippi shut out the sixth-ranked Gators in the second half to win 17-14 Saturday. It was the Rebels' first victory over a top-10 team since 1997, when they beat No. 8 LSU on the road, and one of their biggest victories ever in Oxford.

Player of the Week

Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech

He threw his fifth touchdown pass in overtime as Texas Tech rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat 23rd-ranked Texas A&M 48-47 Saturday. Overall, Kingsbury completed 48 of 58 passes for 468 yards.

Bye-Bye Heisman

Florida QB Rex Grossman was 19-of-41 for 205 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Bouncing Back

Penn State recovered nicely from losing to Iowa when they defeated Wisconsin 34-31 on Saturday. QB Zack Mills guided Penn State on seven scoring drives,and Larry Johnson had 171 all-purpose yards.

Are they for Real?

Jason Fife and Onterrio Smith are making sure Oregon is getting along just fine without Joey Harrington. Fife threw for two touchdowns,and Smith ran for 145 yards and two scores as the seventh-ranked Ducks beat Arizona 31-14. It was Oregon's 10th consecutive victory,dating to last season.

Dawgs Tough Enough

Early last week, former Auburn coach and Georgia All-American Pat Dye had said the Bulldogs weren't "man enough to beat Alabama." On Saturday the Bulldogs outrushed the league's top running team 161-109, on their way to a 27-25 victory. Musa Smith had 21 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. Georgia is the last remaining unbeaten team in the conference, and they are off to their first 5-0 start since 1982.

Dog Tired

Jason Witten caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Casey Clausen in the sixth overtime to give Tennessee an exhausting 41-38 win over Arkansas.

Doggonnit

"I had to win the stinking game and I had to whip him to do it. It's not fun when you whip your son. I didn't tell him to get into coaching."

- Bobby Bowden after No. 11 Florida State beat son Tommy's Clemson Tigers 48-31.

Strange Behavior of the Week

A man fell 30 feet from the upper deck of the Orange Bowl during Miami's game against Connecticut. The man, whom police said is in his 20s, was in critical condition Sunday with head injuries.

Looking Ahead:

#12 Florida State (5-1) at #1 Miami (5-0)

Miami should win a game that will be closer than most people think.

#2 Texas (5-0) vs. #3 Oklahoma (5-0)

Can Chris Simms live up to the hype? Can he beat Oklahoma?

Pittsburgh (5-1) at #8 Notre Dame (5-0)

The Notre Dame express has to come to a stop sometime. Right?

#7 Oregon (5-0) at UCLA (4-1)

Who will take control of the PAC-10?

#10 Tennessee (4-1) at #6 Georgia (5-0)

Georgia is in the driver's seat in the SEC if they win.

This Weekend's Player to Watch

Rod Rutherford, QB, Pittsburgh

Rutherford completed 10 of 15 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse. Can he keep it up against Notre Dame?

The Heisman Watch

1. Charles Rogers (Michigan State WR)

On the season Rogers has 32 receptions for 687 yards with 7 touchdowns.

2. Seneca Wallace (Iowa State QB)

3. Maurice Clarett (Ohio State RB)

Last Week had 29 carries for 140 yards with 2 TDs. He also had 3 fumbles.

4. Ken Dorsey (Miami QB)/ Willis McGahee (Miami RB)

They both deserve consideration. So against Connecticut:

Dorsey: 19-of-26, 216 yards, 3 TDs, INT

McGahee: 11 carries, 107 yards, 3 TDs

The Unbiased Top 5

1. Miami (5-0) 2. Virginia Tech (5-0) 3. Texas (5-0) 4. Oklahoma (5-0) 5. Ohio State (6-0)

Ready to move up: Notre Dame, Oregon, Georgia