Posted by Chip Patterson

CLEMSON WON. Death Valley was rocking from kickoff to final whistle, and Saturday's Top 25 Atlantic Division rivalry game lived up to everything we expetced as No. 21 Clemson knocked off No. 11 Florida State 35-30.  Quarterback Tajh Boyd orchestrated an impressive display of Chad Morris' offense, throwing for more than 300 yards for the second straight game.  Boyd becomes the first Clemson quarterback to accomplish that feat since Charlie Whitehurst, and the Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 2007.  

HOW CLEMSON WON: The Tigers did a lot of things right, but injuries and costly penalties also played a big role in Saturday's upset.  Three of Clemson's first four scoring drives were kept alive by costly penalties against Florida State on 3rd or 4th down.  By the end of the game, the Seminoles had racked up 11 penalties for 124 yards, which paired with the absence of EJ Manuel, Willie Haulstead, Bert Reed, and Greg Reid certainly aided the Tigers.

But don't let those facts discredit Clemson's performance.  Boyd was spectacular outside of a few poor decisions (the most humorous is featured below), freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins continued his breakout campaign with eight catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tigers' defense took advantage of the suddenly one-dimensional Florida State offense by putting pressure on Trickett in the pocket all afternoon. 

WHEN CLEMSON WON: Clint Trickett kicked off the fourth quarter by finding Rashad Greene for a 30-yard touchdown to cap off a three minute scoring drive that cut the Clemson lead to 28-23.  On the very next possession, Sammy Watkins beat senior cornerback Mike Harris with a double move and Boyd hit him in stride for a 62-yard touchdown.  The score deflated the Seminoles, and the offense followed with a three and out.  All Clemson had to do from there was take care of the ball and burn clock.  

WHAT CLEMSON WON: For the Tigers, this win was reaffirming what they began to believe in the victory against Auburn: they can hang with anyone on their schedule.  Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech looked like a brutal stretch coming into the season, and Dabo Swinney's squad has passed two of the tests with flying colors.  Taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg can be a daunting task, and Saturday's win was much-needed for their confidence heading into that matchup.

WHAT FLORIDA STATE LOST: Florida State walked into Doak Campbell a week ago one win away from being a national title contender.  Seven days later they are 2-2 with their starting quarterback leading a star-studded injury report.  Thankfully the Seminoles have a week off before returning to ACC play against Wake Forest.  This will be a crucial week for Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State coaching staff to refocus the team on their goal of reclaiming the ACC Championship.

THAT WAS CRAZY: Clemson won.  Despite this derp-tastic play.  (courtesy of @bubbaprog, Mocksession)



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Posted by Chip Patterson

Florida State starting quarterback EJ Manuel sat out of Monday's practice, resting what head coach Jimbo Fisher is calling a "sore shoulder."

In a news conference that same day, Fisher revealed Manuel's issue to be an AC joint separation in the left, non-throwing shoulder. The head coach said the MRI found "no abnormalities," and the quarterback would be evaluated on a "day-to-day" basis.

Manuel scrambled on a six-yard run in the third quarter of Florida State's 23-13 loss to Oklahoma before being hit by Sooners' linebacker Travis Lewis. Manuel landed awkwardly on that left shoulder, and reportedly could not lift that non-throwing arm parallel to the ground when he left the came.

Fisher claims pain tolerance is the only thing keeping Manuel from the field, but if the injury is an AC joint separation the injury could be much more serious. A "Type I" or "Type II" separation does not require surgery, and recovery time can be between 2-6 weeks. If the injury is a Type III separation, Manuel might be faced with some tough decisions regarding his return to the field.

A Type III AC joint sprain was the injury that ended Sam Bradford's career at Oklahoma in 2009. Bradford was originally scheduled to miss three-to-six weeks following the injury in the first game of the season against BYU. Bradford returned briefly after a three week absence before re-injuring his shoulder against Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The re-injury resulted in Bradford needing surgery, ending his career as a Sooner.

If Manuel's separation only requires rest and rehabilitation, it will be important that he does not put himself in a position of re-injury by coming back prematurely. The junior quarterback has shown incredible growth since his first action as Christian Ponder's backup in 2009, and there are high expectations of where he can lead this team before his career as a Seminole is over.

For more information on AC joint sprains, check out Coley Harvey's crash-course over at the Orlando Sentinel.  

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Posted by Chip Patterson

The new polls were released on Sunday, and the ACC was able to capitalize on an impressive non-conference performance by adding to their poll presence. Florida State fell from the top ten after their primetime loss to Oklahoma, but big wins for Clemson and Georgia Tech paid off in national rankings.

Florida State (AP: 11/Coaches: 14) - The Seminoles certainly had a chance to jump into national-title contender status, but the home loss to the top-ranked Sooners has dropped FSU from current consideration. Virginia Tech (AP: 13/Coaches: 11) - The Hokies jumped out to a big lead early on Arkansas State, and cruised in the second half to a 26-7 win. Virginia Tech's string of non-ranked opponents will continue this week, with a trip west to face Marshall. Once conference play starts, the Hokies will begin to face opponents that could raise their stock in the polls or reveal a team unworthy of their ranking. How the voters perceive the currently undefeated Hokies could change after hosting Clemson, Miami, and a road trip to a revived Wake Forest team.

Clemson (AP: 21/Coaches: 22) - The Tigers hit their stride at just the right time with their upset over Auburn in Death Valley. The game was a coming of age for sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd and an arrival party for star wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Clemson's celebration will be short-lived, as head coach Dabo Swinney prepares the Tigers for a crucial Atlantic Division showdown with Florida State on Saturday.

Georgia Tech (AP: 25/Coaches: 24) - Those who have doubted Georgia Tech's offense bit their tongues on Saturday when the Yellow Jackets piled up 604 rushing yards against Kansas. The 12.1 yards per carry was an NCAA record (minimum 50 carries) and the defense is starting to look comfortable year two under coordinator Al Groh. The Yellow Jackets are happy to break through, and will get their chance to prove themselves against North Carolina on Saturday.

North Carolina (AP: None/Coaches: 25) - The poll status of Everett Withers' squad is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Tar Heels just make the cut for the Top 25 in the USA Today poll of coaches. But the Associated Press voters do not show anywhere close to the same proportion of love for North Carolina, with the Tar Heels receiving just a handful of points. My only guess is that Butch Davis is a well-respected member of many coaching circles, and the Tar Heels could be getting extra credit from coaches while the presence of an interim is getting them less from the press. Either way, we'll have a much better idea of how North Carolina stacks up after facing No. 25 Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Saturday.

Other Receiving Votes - Miami is the top non-ranked vote getter after knocking off Ohio State at home. Maryland, a week after being on the cusp of national ranking, fell to the bottom of the "other receiving votes" pile after falling to West Virginia on Saturday.

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Posted by Bryan Fischer

A longtime Floridian told me Friday he couldn't remember the last time the state was the center of college football like it was this past weekend. Sure there have been big games and plenty of teams in championship contention, but it's hard to think of a time when each corner of the state had a big primetime match up. Equally surprising, he said, was that traditional rivalry Florida-Tennessee was only the third most interesting game on the docket.

The spotlight was indeed on the Sunshine State and things couldn't have gone better for the most part. At the northern end, number one Oklahoma rolled into Tallahassee to play Florida State and there were moments when you genuinely stopped and said, "FSU's back." A loss is a loss but the way the Noles played was encouraging.

The storyline coming out the game seems to be all about Big Game Bob Stoops' team getting their first non-conference road victory over a top-five team in over three decades. The Sooners were gritty, responding to scores like a top-ranked and championship team should. Quarterback Landry Jones had several clutch throws and it seemed like linebacker Tom Wort was making every other play on defense. Oklahoma looked the part and survived with a victory.

The key word being survived. Yes their road woes are well documented but the reason the game was close - closer than most thought - was that Florida State looked the part of a top five team as well. For three quarters at least, it was a knockdown, drag out fight between two high profile head coaches. After FSU freshman Rashad Greene caught a beautiful 56 yard touchdown pass to tie the game, Doak Campbell was rocking. As more than one writer said on Twitter, it was partying like it was 1999.

One wonders what might have been had quarterback E.J. Manuel not gotten hurt. Could he have pulled off the upset? Who knows? But the biggest take away was the defense held an explosive, veteran-laden OU offense to just 23 points and showed they are close to having the athletes at every position like they used too when things were rolling. They were kids last year in Norman and it took less than a year for them to grow up into men. The offense still needs some work - especially along the line - but the defense should help carry the Seminoles through ACC play.

Jimbo Fisher has Florida State making waves on the recruiting trail and there are plenty of signs that the on the field product is coming along as well. The next step is winning games like the one on Saturday but, by all indications, that's coming. Party like it's 1999 indeed.

A couple hours down the road in Gainesville, two teams showed they still need work if they're to take the next step. It looked like Florida was going to run away with the game up 30-7 late in the third but the defense seemed to take the foot off the accelerator. For the most part though, the defensive line was active and did a great job of shutting down the Vols' running game. Completely. Florida's defense held Tennessee to just -9 yards on the ground, the third best mark in the country so far. The offense took a hit once receiver Justin Hunter went down but it was the young offensive line that just couldn't handle the pressure Florida was generating.

All-purpose threat Chris Rainey was everywhere Saturday for the Gators' offense. He had 233 all-purpose yards and recorded his fifth career blocked punt. The Gators are still adjusting to Charlie Weis' offense and Will Muschamp's defense but Rainey is a constant playmaker that the team will have to lean on as they get into the thick of the SEC schedule. Is this team in the same class as Alabama or LSU? Not even close. But there's enough there on both sides of the ball to put up a fight with Georgia and South Carolina for the East title.

Further South, some observers would have had no issue with vacating the Ineligibowl. It just wasn't a pretty game. Ohio State was a step slow all night and Miami struggled on offense outside of their scoring drives to open and close the game. Both teams got back several players from NCAA suspension and Miami's certainly made the difference in the game: Jacory Harris was efficient outside of two boneheaded interceptions and linebacker Sean Spence truly transformed the defense into a much stouter unit that was able to apply pressure on nearly every snap.

Sophomore running back Lamar Miller set the tone early with a big run on the first play of the game en his way to a career night that made him the fourth leading rusher in the country at 151.5 yards per game. There's plenty of talent on this team to get nine or so wins but there's still moments when the Hurricanes revert to last year's form and make a boneheaded mistake. It will be curious to see how they use this game as a momentum builder going forward. At full strength and with some confidence, the Hurricanes have a little bit of swagger back.

On the other side, Ohio State is lacking an identity and has to figure out their quarterback position and do so soon. The Buckeyes have no clue about what kind of team they want to be and there could be some doubt amongst the players about head coach Luke Fickell if post game comments are to be believed.

"I felt like me and Jordan (Hall) were doing a great job in the run game, so I felt we should have just come out and ran at them," tailback Carlos Hyde told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We should have manned up and ran straight at them, see if they could stop us."

Also, don't overlook the other game in Miami on Saturday: FIU following up it's big win over Louisville with a solid victory over in-state foe UCF to start 3-0 on the season. Many had pegged the Knights as a possible BCS buster at the beginning of the season so for FIU to knock them off does wonders for a program that was the definition of a rebuilding job just a few years ago. Yes it's a Sun Belt team but with the schedule like it is, don't be surprised if FIU keeps things rolling. The defense recorded six sacks against UCF and did a great job the week before against the Cardinals. Plus they did everything without all-everything star T.Y. Hilton, who missed most of the game with a hamstring injury. Take note, the program in the state with the most upside is the one that's not in a BCS conference.

The state of Florida won't be the center of the college football universe like it was this past weekend for some time. But while it was, it delivered.

Stat of the week

Auburn's win streak was snapped at 17 games by Clemson on Saturday, which was the longest in the nation. It was the 10th longest streak in the past decade and amazingly, 10 of the 17 games were decided by eight points or less. Stanford now has the longest win streak in the country with 11, just two seasons removed from a losing record and five seasons away from the school's 1-11 mark.

Biggest reason why the Tigers' streak ended? They're 117th in total defense, 100th in pass defense, 116th in rush defense, 107th in scoring defense and dead last in the country in third down stops. Yikes.

Other stats of note

- Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege broke the NCAA record for highest completion percentage for 40 or more completions in a game. He completed 40 of 44 against New Mexico for a healthy 90.1 percent clip. He also hit 15 passes in a row at one point, tying a school record on his way to a 401 yard and five touchdown day.

- Kellen Moore's 457 yards of offense against Toledo was third most in the country this year and he averaged nearly 10.39 yards a play. His completion percentage on the season is at a remarkable 78.9 percent.

- With the loss to LSU on Thursday, Dan Mullen fell to 2-10 versus the SEC West as head coach at Mississippi State. Both wins are over rival Ole Miss. While the Bulldogs have been much more competitive under Mullen, they still haven't quite gotten over the hump just yet. He was 8-6 against the West while an assistant at Florida.

- There are beat downs and there's what Missouri did against Western Illinois. The Tigers defense allowed just one first down and 44 total yards on the day while the offense rolled up 744 total yards to set a school record that had been set just after World War II. Tailback Henry Josey ran for 263 yards and three touchdowns, the most in a game this season. The mark was also good enough to move him into sixth place on the national rushing list.

- Of the five players to top 200 yards rushing in a game so far this year, three did so on Saturday (Josey, Marcus Lattimore and LaMichael James).

- Georgia Tech's game against Kansas was pretty amazing to take a look at after the fact. The game delivered the longest run from scrimmage of the season (Orwin Smith went 95 yards for a touchdown), featured two 100 yard rushers and had five players with over 70 yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets also piled up a school-record 768 total yards, 604 of them via the running game. The 12.1 yards per rush also set an NCAA record for highest in a game.

- Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly has games with 18, 17 and 23 tackles to lead the nation in that category. His 58 total tackles are 19 more than the next player.

- Jeff Fuller became Texas A&M's all-time receptions leader against Idaho while Cyrus Gray topped the 100 yard mark rushing for the ninth time in a row.

- Via senior writer Bruce Feldman, Baylor's Robert Griffin III has eight touchdowns and just eight incompletions.

Yard-by-yard

- Impressive, impressive comeback by Iowa from down 24-3 in the 3rd quarter to Pitt. James Vanderberg has been a little underrated early in the season in the face of replacing a longtime starter and doing so with plenty of fresh faces around him. The junior quarterback is 31st in the country in passing efficiency and 25th in total offense after Saturday's game in which he had several impressive throws in the second half in route to a 399 yard and three touchdown day. The lack of a running game has to be concerning if you're Kirk Ferentz, especially as the begin Big Ten play in two weeks with a trip to Penn State. A heck of a comeback but it's apparent there's plenty of flaws in the Hawkeyes.

- Why hello there Sammy Watkins. While it has taken some time for the Clemson offense to adjust to Chad Morris' new system, Watkins has been an explosive playmaker for the Tigers they really haven't had since C.J. Spiller left for the NFL. Yes it was against a porous Auburn defense, but this week was Watkins' coming out party to the nation with 10 catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He shows an explosiveness you just can't teach whenever he gets the ball in his hands and was the spark that allowed Clemson to turn things around. A former five-star recruit, he was ranked behind fellow Tiger frosh Charone Peake coming out of high school by Maxpreps which should give you some indication what kind of young nucleus Dabo Swinney has assembled when you add in running back Mike Bellamy and quarterback Tajh Boyd. Speaking of Swinney, he channeled his inner-Howard Dean in his post game remarks on television.

- Al Golden didn't leave the cupboard bare at Temple as the Owls almost beat Penn State for the first time since Joe Paterno started coaching in Happy Valley. Despite giving up the lead late, Steve Addazio's club showed they can play with bigger and stronger team and should have no problem contending for a MAC championship this year.

- Kudos to James Franklin and what he's been able to do with Vanderbilt. After a close, 4th quarter win against defending Big East champ UConn, the Commodores embarrassed Ole Miss on Saturday 30-7. Franklin has really gotten the team and the rest of the community to buy into what he's building there and it's starting to pay off with the team's 3-0 start. Quarterback Larry Smith isn't sharp enough in the passing game yet but the offense is moving the chains on the ground and playing good defense - they're currently 10th in the country in total D. Things will get much tougher as they head on the road to face South Carolina and Alabama but with home games against Army and Kentucky and a date with Wake Forest, bowl eligibility is possible in Franklin's first year.    
 
- It looked like West Virginia finally started to get their rushing attack going against Maryland this weekend. Geno Smith is putting up great numbers from the quarterback position but head coach Dana Holgorsen knows that if the team wants to win the Big East - or beat LSU this week - they're going to have to be able to run the ball. Whether the answer at tailback is Vernard Roberts or Andrew Buie still remains to be seen but it can't just be all Smith, all the time. Tavon Austin is a dynamic threat who adds a few wrinkles but there still needs to be a consistent rushing attack so the defense can't play nickel the entire game. The Mountaineers did have an impressive three players top the 100 yard receiving mark last Saturday though.

- It was not pretty at the Rose Bowl as critics briefly turned their attention from overrating Texas to remarking on how hot UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel's seat is. He's an alum who probably cares more about the program winning than anyone there yet there's been hardly any progress to show for it. The defense was supposed to be much better this year and strength of the team but it was anything but in the blowout loss to the Longhorns. Case McCoy (with a little David Ash mixed in) appears to be the answer for UT at quarterback and freshman tailback Malcolm Brown showed flashes on his way to a 110 yard day.

- I am not a believer in Nebraska's defense after playing Washington last week but they'll still do just enough to make it to the title game in their first year in the Big Ten. Still, the effort against the Huskies had a lot to be desired of a top 10 team.

- After returning from Sun Life Stadium late in the Miami night, I was surprised to find out there was not one, but two football games on and I managed to stay up for Oklahoma State-Tulsa late, late, late into the night. I couldn't believe they kicked off after midnight local time, much less that Brandon Weeden was still throwing to Justin Blackmon late in the fourth quarter - and well past 3 AM Central - with the game well in hand. Mike Gundy is not only a man, he's all in on this Cowboys team it appears. All or nothing, this is the most talented squad since Barry Sanders was in Stillwater and everybody is onboard. Why Gundy still had his stars on the field that late in the game for a blowout continues to baffle me however.

- I thought Navy's offense in the middle of the season always spelled trouble for teams that weren't ready for it - especially those coming off an emotional victory like South Carolina. The Midshipmen had a chance late but ultimately the Gamecocks ended up winning 24-21 thanks to a last minute interception. As one head coach told me, you schedule option offenses early or play them in a bowl game or else you'll end up upset. South Carolina wasn't upset but they nearly were with the way they played.

- I couldn't believe the score when I first saw it but here it was, Utah 54, BYU 10. A week ago in the Coliseum, I saw the dejected faces on the Utes sideline as their rally came up short against USC. I thought it would be another tough battle in the Holy War but the Utes smacked everybody around Saturday. Don't count out Utah as representing the Pac-12 South with USC ineligible for the title game and Arizona State still Arizona State.

- Kudos also go out to Wyoming, who blocked Bowling Green's extra point to win 28-27. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat…

Quote of the week

Craig James during LSU-Mississippi State: "You play four quarters in the SEC."

Tweet of the week

Myself following the second ESPN account to feature the word Genocide in place of West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. Not a bad nickname if he keeps putting up passing numbers in Dana Holgorsen's offense however.

"Company-wide memo about Geno & autocorrect on Monday. RT @McShay13: WVU QB Genocide Smith off to a fast start."

More on College Football

Analysis

Dennis Dodd Know an honorbale man running college sports? Give him a minute. Read >> Brett McMurphy My AP ballot: Top five fixed, but four out, four in down below. Read >> Gregg Doyel Boise is something obvious, depending on your point of view. Read >>

Related links

Feldman: The Big Picture: OU's defense McMurphy: FSU loss reaffirms ACC weakness Jacobi: What I Learned from the Big Ten Hinnen: What I Learned from the SEC Fornelli: What I Learned from the Big 12 Patterson: What I Learned from the ACC

Video

Rainey, Muschamp on win over Tennessee

Fisch's Finest

My top 10 after week 2:

1. Oklahoma

2. LSU

3. Alabama

4. Boise State

5. Stanford

6. Wisconsin

7. Texas A&M

8. Oklahoma State

9. Florida State

10. Oregon

Where we'll be this week

Tony Barnhart will be at the big Arkansas-Alabama game, Dennis Dodd will be in College Station for the top 10 matchup between Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Brett McMurphy gets another great game this weekend, showing up at LSU-West Virginia Saturday night.

Leaning this way

Arkansas-Alabama: The secondary for Alabama will be flying around and turnovers will doom an explosive Arkansas offense.

Oklahoma State-Texas A&M: The Aggies defense is underrated but this game will still be a shootout. The home crowd will give them the edge in a close one.

LSU vs. West Virginia: LSU's defense is just too much late in the game for Dana Holgorsen's offense to break through.

Across the goal line

I was going to write about conference expansion in this space but figured things would change by the time I finished writing the final paragraph. 

Posted by Chip Patterson

1. When it comes to expansion, ACC moves swiftly and silently. While Mike Slive and Larry Scott continue to make headlines with their cryptic quotes about realignment and expansion, ACC commissioner John Swofford once again made the moves necessary to protect the future of the conference. Before Legends, before Leaders, and before the Pac-12 matched their name with their membership; the ACC added Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College from the Big East in order to hold a conference championship game. I knew that September 17 would be a big day for the ACC, but I did not know it would be a day that defined the future of the conference.

Before Big East commissioner John Marinatto could say "clambake," Pittsburgh and Syracuse reportedly submitted formal applications to the ACC for membership. CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy broke the story Saturday morning, and Gary Parrish is reporting the ACC presidents could vote on the expansion as soon as Sunday. "It's done," a source said to Parrish.

The addition of the two schools paired with last week's decision to raise the conference's exit fee to $20 million protects the future of the ACC. If we are indeed headed towards superconferences, Swofford has prepared his league to be one of them. By the time the story broke, the deal was reportedly already done, and there was no need for cryptic quotes or loaded statements. While Texas A&M's move was the first domino to fall, Saturday's developments may have expedited more major moves. Buckle up folks, the shift is happening now.

UPDATE: At 11:37 p.m. (ET), the ACC announced a media teleconference for Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.. CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy is reporting that the university presidents will meet prior to the teleconference. Stay tuned to CBSSports.com for more details of the conference's announcement, whatever it may be.

2. Florida State displays resilience in loss, but now what? The Seminoles fought with every ounce they could pull together from their beaten and battered roster in a losing effort to the top-ranked Sooners. The options were laid out plainly before the game: win and become a national title contender, lose and fall from the national title discussion entirely. Granted there are plenty of scenarios that could feature the Seminoles in the national title game as a 1-loss or even 2-loss team, but I wouldn't put any money on those outcomes.

The challenge for Jimbo Fisher's team is avoid a hangover from this frustrating loss. Florida State can still set their sights on the ACC Championship and a BCS bowl victory. The Seminoles haven't won an ACC title since 2005 and haven't won a BCS bowl game since defeating Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship for the 1999 season. There is plenty of room for growth, and the loss does not mean that the Seminoles "aren't back." The atmosphere in Doak Campbell Stadium was electric on Saturday night, and hopefully a sign of things to come in Tallahassee rather than a one-time occasion.

3. Miami got Jacory Harris back, but the difference was on defense. Jacory Harris may have matured, and changed in many ways off the field. But against Ohio State, Jacory Harris still looked very much like the Jacory we know and love. Great footwork, incredible athleticism, and wildly inconsistent in his reads and decision making. Harris finished the game with 123 yards passing, two touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions to match. The Hurricanes got their boost from their defense, which swarmed all over the field with high energy and held the Buckeyes to just 209 yards of total offense. Senior linebacker Sean Spence led the way in his first game back from suspension as the team's leading tackler while Adwele Ojomo and Marcus Forston provided depth on the defensive line that was lacking in Miami's season opening loss to Maryland.

4. Georgia Tech's offense is for real. Record-setting real. Georgia Tech's frustrating 2010 season included a 28-25 loss to Kansas. If the Yellow Jackets were out for revenge on Saturday, they certainly showed it in their 42-point second half output against the Jayhawks. When the final buzzer sounded 12 different Georgia Tech players had combined for 604 yards rushing in the 66-24 win. The total set a new school record, and the 12.1 yards per carry as a team set a new NCAA record. (NOTE: the official game notes list it as a record, but CBSSports.com's Adam Jacobi points out that Northern Illinois recorded 15.5 last November. Regardless, impressive performance by the Jackets).  Georgia Tech's offense has been steamrolling their opponents, using a stable of home-run threats to deflate their opposition with big plays. Against Kansas, the Yellow Jackets had scoring plays of 95, 63, 67, and 52 yards. Quarterback Tevin Washington has become a wizard in Paul Johnson's option offense, freezing defenders with fakes and reads while his teammates set up the perimeter blocking for the playmakers. High point totals against inferior opposition is normal for early season games, but hanging 66 on Kansas and giving the Jayhawks their first loss of the season made a statement. This offense is a force to be reckoned with.

5. Don't give Clemson WR Sammy Watkins any space. None. At least not if you plan on keeping him from burning your defense. The true freshman wide receiver has drawn the praises of coaches, fans, and teammates since arriving on campus this fall. On Saturday he made his presence known to the nation in the Tigers' 38-24 win over Auburn in Death Valley. Watkins led all receivers with 10 catches for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Both scores came on short/mid-range passes that Watkins reeled in and took to the house. Against a defense that carries the reputation of "SEC speed," Watkins looked supersonic as he left the Auburn secondary in his dust headed towards the end zone. Watkins is an early favorite for Rookie of the Year already, and likely will be giving defensive coordinators headaches for the foreseeable future.

6. Things have gone from bad to worse at Boston College. Heading into the season, all the buzz around Boston College was about an upgraded offense that would feature Preseason Player of the Year Montel Harris rather than rely on the star running back. The defense, ranked among the best in the nation, returned arguably the game's best linebacker in Luke Kuechly and touted sophomore Kevin Pierre-Louis. Kuechly still leads the nation in tackles, but that's about all that has been going write for the Eagles. Offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers has taken a medical leave of absence, Montel Harris is struggling to get back to the field after undergoing his second arthroscopic knee surgery in a year, and leading receiver Ifeanyi Momah might be lost for the season with his own knee injury. But frustrations have spilled over to kicking game as well, with Nate Freese missing an extra point in the second quarter and a 23-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining in a 20-19 loss to Duke in the ACC opener for both squads. What started as a season of hope for BC (and even some chatter about ACC Atlantic dark horse) has turned into an 0-3 start with Clemson, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Florida State, and Miami left on the schedule.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

OKLAHOMA WON. The Sooners dug in and outlasted a pesky Florida State squad, riding Landry Jones and a power running game to a 23-13 win in Tallahassee. It was the largest crowd in the history of Doak Campbell Stadium, but it was not enough to pull the Seminoles through for the upset.

HOW OKLAHOMA WON: The Sooners opening drive looked very much like the 2010 OU-FSU game. Landry Jones led the uptempo offense methodically down the field on a touchdown drive that took over 6 minutes of game time. But after that drive the game became a fierce battle in the trenches, with both lines hammering each other to make room for every yard.

WHEN OKLAHOMA WON: EJ Manuel left the game with bruised left shoulder, and was replaced by redshirt freshman Clint Trickett. Trickett came into the game hot, and turned a 3rd and 28 situation into a 56-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene to tie the game at 13 early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma answered in a fashion that you would expect from the No. 1 team in the nation. Landry Jones led an eight play, 83-yard drive in 2:32 that finished with an incredible touchdown catch by Kenny Stills. The fast response to put Oklahoma up 20-13 deflated the noisy stadium for the moment, and switched the momentum for good.

WHAT OKLAHOMA WON: For the Sooners, this was the first true test of their top ranking. Escaping Tallahassee in the manner they did is a huge boost of confidence for the team and likely a boost in the Sooners' status in the eyes of the voters. The offense wasn't the steamrolling unit many expected, but the defense was relentless and delivered the game changing interception.

WHAT FLORIDA STATE LOST: Possibly an injury to their star quarterback, and likely a shot at the national championship. Florida State is still very talented and could find themselves back in the top five by the end of the year, but for the time being their ceiling has been lowered to ACC Championship and Orange Bowl. That's still a great season for Florida State, especially only in year two under Jimbo Fisher.

THAT WAS CRAZY. We expected fireworks and a showdown between two of the games' touted quarterbacks. What we got was a gritty and grinding field position battle, with each team scraping for every single yard. Redshirt freshman quarterback Clint Trickett converting the 3rd and 28 with a 56 yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene was not in the script. Oklahoma's 8 play, 83 yard touchdown answer was. The entire game was a struggle, but it was Oklahoma that emerged thanks to fourth quarter execution.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

UPDATE: Manuel has returned from the locker room.  Trickett completed 5 of 8 passes for 62 yards, and set up Dustin Hopkins for a 46-yard field goal to cut the Sooners' lead to 7.  The official diagnosis is bruised left shoulder.  He is back in pads and on the sideline. 

Florida State junior quarterback EJ Manuel has left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. Manuel began favoring his left shoulder after being hit at the end of a six-yard rush near midfield. The Seminoles' leader looked to the sideline after completing a pass on the next play, pointing to his left side. He was replaced to freshman quarterback Clint Trickett, son of offensive line coach Rick Trickett, with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The hit Manuel sustained came at the hands of Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis.  Lewis was expected to miss as many as eight games this season recovering from a foot injury he sustained in the offseason.  Lewis was a last minute clearance for the Sooners, and has made his presence felt all over the field.  It was reported that trainers asked Manuel to raise his left arm, and he was unable to bring it parallel with the ground.  He was then escorted to the locker room to get out of his pads and undergo further examination.

Keep it here at CBSSports.com and the Eye on College Football Blog for more details as this story develops.

FOLLOW LIVE: Oklahoma - Florida State
Game Day Pulse: OU - FSU Chat

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Posted by Chip Patterson

Florida State does not know what kind of role it will have in the potential shift in conference realignment, but the school is making efforts to ensure they will be prepared for all scenarios.

Andy Harggard, chairman of FSU's board of trustees, told the Palm Beach Post on Tuesday that the school has begun forming a committee that will explore the university's options.

He says FSU should be prepared for any scenario, whether it's moving to another conference or staying in the ACC, and having a say in who else may join the league. That could mean Texas, which will seek to leave the Big 12 if Oklahoma and Oklahoma State jump to the Pac-12, which is expected.

Haggard said he believes that if Oklahoma and Texas decide to leave the Big 12 then "you will see the dominoes fall."

In the report, Haggard confirmed that Florida State has not been approached by the SEC and university officials are very happy with their current status with the ACC. The Seminoles have been rumored as a potential new member for the SEC for years, but that speculation has grown as the conference now looks for a 14th member to join Texas A&M.

While conference commissioner Mike Slive may say they are exploring the scheduling of a 13-team conference, it is the common belief that adding a 14th to keep divisions even is a preferable option. Adding Florida State would violate the "gentlemen's agreement" to not add a school from an existing SEC territory, but if "the dominoes fall" school officials may decide to act against their previous arrangements.

The rumors of Texas joining the ACC kicked into high gear after UT officials traveled to Norman to meet with Oklahoma about keeping the Big 12 together. With the results of that meeting being less than favorable for the future of the conference, Texas now much consider their next move.

With ESPN's arrangements with Texas for The Longhorn Network, it would seem that the most feasible options would be either to follow Oklahoma west to the Pac-12, or try to join with the ACC - who also has a media rights deal with ESPN.

Florida State was the face of ACC football from the moment they joined the conference in 1992. Since joining the Seminoles have won 12 conference titles, including a nine-year run from 1992-2000 where they added two national championships. Since 2005 the Seminoles sputtered to match their dominance as head coach Bobby Bowden slowly passed the program on to head coach Jimbo Fisher.

With the Seminoles back in the position of ACC favorite and national contender under Fisher, it would make sense the school wants to take an aggressive and prominent position in a potential realignment. Florida State was the face of ACC football when it joined, and they want to make sure their voice is heard if/when they expand.

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