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Ohio State can win despite itself. The Buckeyes are by no means a flashy team, but they do two things really well — run the ball and play defense. It's that formula that helped them hand Illinois its first loss.

Texas still has a lot of work to do. With turnover trouble — eight in the two games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State — and virtually no production at quarterback, the Longhorns are far from being back on the national radar.

Baylor needs to quit believing the hype. It's easy to get caught up in Robert Griffin-mania, but that won't help the Bears find success. The Heisman candidate had 445 of the Bears' 480 yards of total offense against Texas A&M. His team still lost 55-28.

Big 12 can make noise on the field. Despite rumors of its demise, the league has been having a stellar season thanks to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas A&M, who are all ranked in the top 25 polls.

The bubble burst for Michigan, Illinois. Both of these teams played way above their means to start the season and it finally caught up with them Saturday. Michigan State exposed Denard Robinson as the below-average passer he is, while the Illini's luck just plain ran out against the Buckeyes.

South Carolina is in trouble. Losing Marcus Lattimore to a season-ending knee injury is a huge blow for a team looking for back-to-back SEC East titles. A workhorse in the backfield — 163 carries for 818 yards — Lattimore was the most consistent part of a struggling offense.

Trent Richardson, Russell Wilson made cases for the Heisman. Richardson's 183 rushing yards and four touchdowns were impressive enough in Alabama's victory over Mississippi, but his 76-yard ankle-breaking touchdown run in the third quarter made all the highlights. So did Wilson's 25-yard touchdown catch in Wisconsin's win over Indiana, giving voters something to consider.

Teams shouldn't overlook Sammy Watkins. The freshman rallied Clemson past Maryland with his team-record 345 all-purpose yards and three scores. His late 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was a thing of beauty.

Rutgers is a surprise. Raise your hand if you had the Scarlet Knights in your Big East pool? Coming off a 4-8 campaign, few gave them a chance this season. However, their defense has helped them to a 5-1 start, including a 2-0 mark in the conference.

Kellen Moore knows how to win. The Boise State quarterback threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns in his team's 63-13 victory over Colorado State. He's 44-2 as a starter and can tie Colt McCoy for the most wins in NCAA history this week against Air Force.