It's anyone's game now

Oklahoma's loss opens the door for just about everyone in the Big 12. Everyone expected the road to the conference title would go through Norman, but now that's not the case. Oklahoma State and Kansas State have the inside track, and Texas A&M and Baylor still have some say.

Bill Snyder should be considered for Coach of the Year. Snyder, 72, has Kansas State off to its best start (7-0) since 1999. A win over Oklahoma next week would be a big step toward winning the Big 12.

Records are made to be broken. East Carolina's Dominique Davis (26 straight completions), Boise State's Kellen Moore (45 career victories) and Houston's Case Keenum (17,173 career yards of total offense) all matched or broke NCAA records. Moore's next win will push him past former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

We all knew it was going to come down to LSU-Alabama. For weeks, we've seen how good these two teams have been, so it should be no surprise that when they meet Nov. 5, it will be as No. 1 versus No. 2.

Michigan State's win was good for the Spartans, bad for the Big Ten. Sure, it was probably one of the greatest endings to a game in recent memory, but when Keith Nichol caught that Hail Mary, it doomed the Big Ten's chances for a team in the BCS title game.

Notre Dame is still not an elite team. Brian Kelly said it best after the loss to USC when he said this team takes one step forward and then two steps back. With no BCS game in its picture, the Fighting Irish must find something else to play for.

Georgia Tech went from contenders to pretenders. Back-to-back losses after a 6-0 start have forced the Yellow Jackets to win the rest of their ACC games, including a home game next week against Clemson, followed by another home date with Virginia Tech, to have a shot at the conference title.

Oregon appears to be hitting its stride. After losing the opener to LSU, the Ducks have been on a roll, winning their last six games by an average of 35 points. Even with injuries to quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James, this team looks poised to make some noise.

mmurschel@tribune.com