Noted at BCS Headquarters

No one has ever seen Clark Kent and Kevin Weiberg in the same room. During the past week, Weiberg added the task of dodging bullets to his dual responsibilities of serving as the coordinator of the BCS and Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. Louisville let a 17 point half-time lead slip through its hands and Notre Dame, as always, beat this fall's feel good team of the season, Navy, to eliminate two of the dwindling number of would-be gate crashers to the postseason gala run by the BCS.

Louisville @ Miami:A second half concussion suffered by Louisville QB Stefan LeFors may have been the blow that prevented the Miami Hurricanes from being knocked out of the chase for the mythical national championship. Before having to retire to the bench late in fourth quarter, LeFors completed 17 of 22 passes for 3 TDs and helped deal his Cards a, 31-14, third quarter lead.

The 'Canes offense, dormant throughout much of the first month of the season, came to the rescue at that point. Improved play from QB Brock Berlin, a 78 yard punt return for a TD by Devin Hester, his third of the year, and a 1 yard TD run in the final minute of the game by Frank Gore were enough to lift Miami to a, 41-38, victory and trump the Cards.

Notre Dame @ Navy:  There are competitive series and then there are teams that happen to play each other every year. Notre Dame's public beheading of Navy qualifies as an example of the latter rather than the former. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish topped the Middies, 27-9, to post the team's forty-first consecutive win over the USNA.

Held without a passing yard in the first half, Navy's offense was unable to mount any sort of balanced attack against what continues to be a solid Tyrone Willingham coached team. QB Brady Quinn led two effective scoring drives early in the first quarter to stake ND to a, 14-0, lead. Notre Dame's defense held Navy's ground game in check and QB Aaron Polanco never established the threat of a passing game for Navy.

Even if Navy had beaten the Fighting Irish for the first time since 1963, it's doubtful the Middies' schedule would have been able to help them ascend high enough in the polls to create any consternation for the BCS. Notre Dame's victory marked the 34th time in the 41 game streak it has defeated Navy by 10 or more points.

USC @ ASU:  The passing lane was closed. In its most impressive performance of the year Southern Cal's defense shut down the high powered aerial attack keyed by Arizona State's QB, Andrew Walter, in routing the Sun Devils, 45-7, in a battle of undefeated PAC 10 teams.

USC limited Walter to 188 yards on 19 compilations, no TD passes and intercepted a pair of his throws. On offense, the Trojans' jack-of-all-trades and master of every one of them, Reggie Bush, handled the ball just ten times, but accounted for 167 yards of offense and 2 TDs.

QB Matt Leinart threw 4 TD passes and directed a sizzling USC attack that scored 42 first half points--28 of them coming in the second quarter. WR Mike Williams may not be playing this year, but the Trojans hardly missed him against Arizona State as freshman Dwayne Jarrett pulled in five passes for 139 yards and three scores.

Arizona State could manage no more than 24 yards rushing against an immovable USC defensive line.

Auburn @ Arkansas:  Tommy Tuberville's Auburn Tigers continued to go about their business quietly, efficiently and outside the spotlight's glare which remains focused on USC and Oklahoma.

The Tigers thrashed Arkansas, 34-20, in a Southeast Conference game as they improved to 7-0 for the year and 4-0 in the SEC's west division.

QB Jason Campbell, who may be the nation's most improved player this season, completed 17 of 19 pass attempts for the game in helping lead Auburn to a, 30-0, lead before the Razorbacks scored late in the second quarter. RBs Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams led a ground assault that totaled 225 yards against Arkansas and the Tigers battered the visitors for 522 yards of offense.

Purdue @ Wisconsin:  In the latest contest pitting an unstoppable offense against an unyielding defense, Wisconsin badgered its way to a, 20-17, win over Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Robert Brooks literally stood Boilermakers' QB Kyle Orton on his head and Scott Starks recovered the ensuing fumble, returning it 40 yards for a TD late in the fourth quarter to lift the Badgers to a 20-17 lead. On Purdue's final possession of the game, PK Ben Jones missed the first attempt of his career from between 40 to 49 yards--after having made eleven such kicks--enabling Barry Alvarez's team to escape with its seventh win of the year. Wisconsin raised its Big Ten conference record to an unblemished 4-0 for the 2004 campaign.

Although Purdue amassed 367 yards on offense it was held to 142 less than its season average. The home team's 17 points were nearly 25 less than it had been averaging through its first five games of the schedule. The team's combined for 23 of the game's thirty-seven points in the final quarter of play.

Virginia @ Florida State:  The best surprise is no surprise, unless of course you are Coach Al Groh of the Virginia Cavaliers. Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles clobbered the visitors from Charlottesville, 36-3, to raise their record against Virginia to 12-1. The defeat was the 23rd consecutive for Virginia on the road versus teams ranked in the top ten.

The 'Noles streaked to a, 19-0, lead, held the Cavs to 20 yards rushing for the game, kept QB Marques Hagans from completing a TD pass and used a sterling performance by young QB Wyatt Sexton to turn Virginia into road kill.

A dominating performance by the FSU defense held Virginia to less than four yards per play, while the Seminoles rolled up seven yards per snap. UVA PK Connor Hughes kicked a 23 yard field goal as time expired in the first half to provide his team with its only points of the game. Lorenzo Booker gained 122 yards rushing and found the end zone twice for FSU. The teams now have identical 5-1 marks on the year.

Cal @ UCLA:  A week after failing to convert a first and goal situation which would have provided the winning points against Southern Cal, coach Jeff Tedford's California Golden Bears rebounded with a, 45-28, mauling of UCLA.

TB J.J. Arrington breezed through the Bruins' defense for 205 yards and a pair of TDs, while QB Aaron Rodgers continued his scintillating season-long performance by throwing 4 TD passes, with two of them being snared by WR Geoff McArthur. Cal, which led 21-14 at halftime, blew open the contest with a third quarter TD pass from Rodgers to RB Marshawn Lynch and then put the game on ice when Rodgers and McArthur connected on an 80 yard strike early in the final quarter.

Utah @ North Carolina:  Losses by Navy, Southern Miss and Louisville may have made life easier for the folks at BCS headquarters, but Utah of the Mountain West Conference maintained its dogged pursuit of an invitation to the BCS' postseason gala by dismantling North Carolina, 46-16.

In playing their final non-conference game of the regular season, the Utes lifted their record to 6-0 by thrashing the Tar Heels. UNC was shredded for a school record 669 yards by Utah's high octane offense led by QB Alex Smith, WRs Paris Warren and Steve Savoy and RBs Marty Johnson and Quinton Ganther.

Smith threw for 341 yards and 4 TD passes. Warren, Savoy, Ganther and John Madsen were on the receiving end of the scoring tosses. Four players ran for 50 or more yards as the Utes once again demonstrated the balance that has been their trademark this fall. Utah joined Boise State (17) and USC (15) as the only teams in division 1-A with active winning streaks of at least ten games.

With three of its five remaining MWC games slated for Rice-Eccles Stadium, Utah appears likely to be the biggest thorn in the BCS' side as the chase for bowl berths gathers pace.

Michigan @ Illinois:  The Wolverines sent the Fighting Illini to their 12th straight defeat in Big Ten play on Saturday by pounding them, 30-19. RB Michael Hart couldn't be contained as he torched Illinois for 234 yards and a TD midway through the fourth quarter which enabled Michigan to secure the victory.

Michigan's ball control offense which allowed Illinois less than 24 minutes of time of possession and three interceptions from a ball hawking Michigan defense were too much for the home team to overcome.

The Iowa Hawkeyes topped the Ohio State Buckeyes for only the fourth time in forty-two tries when they beat OSU, 33-7. QB Drew Tate riddled Ohio State for 331 yards and three TDs through the air.

An anemic Buckeyes' ground game mustered just 27 yards on 29 carries and the offense committed three turnovers. Iowa's ground attack was no more potent, but the aerial combo of Tate and Clinton Solomon produced 131 yards and a pair of TD passes.

The Buckeyes begin the Big Ten conference schedule with an 0-3 record for the first time since 1988.

HEADLINES & HEADLINERS.

New Mexico's DonTrell Moore,rounding into shape after injuring a knee ligament three weeks ago, had his second consecutive 100 yard rushing day as the Lobos beat UNLV, 24-20 in Las Vegas.

There's been a power outage in College Park, Maryland that's stopped the Terps dead in their tracks. Maryland lost to North Carolina State, 13-3, and limped its way to a paltry 91 yards of total offense. That's ten more than the Terps managed last week against Georgia Tech.

Pitt is struggling mightily this year, but the Panthers' 20-17 overtime win against Boston College, gave them their 16th win in their past 21 Big East games.

Oklahoma didn't suffer any letdown after its annual triumph over Texas. OU's Sooner Schooner rolled over the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas as QB Jason White and RB Adrian Peterson led OU to a 31-21 win against Kansas State. White tossed 4 TD passes and Peterson ran for 130 yards as OU avenged last year's loss in the Big 12 title game.

Boise State and Tulsa locked up in a classic WAC shootout which the Broncos didn't put in the victory column until PK Tyler Jones booted a 46 yard FG with three seconds to play. The 45-42 slugfest raised BSU's win streak to a nation's best 17.

Having stopped its 19 game losing streak a week ago by beating Cincinnati, the Black Knights of Army have now started a decidedly different streak. The cadets used five second half touchdowns from Carlton Jones to beat South Florida, 42-35. Army hadn't won consecutive games since downing Rutgers and Colgate in 1997.

PK Mason Crosby kicked a school record 60 yard field goal to help the Colorado Buffaloes down Iowa State, 19-14, in Boulder.

Virginia Tech routed Florida A & M, 62-0, as QB Bryan Randall threw 4 TD passes for the Hokies.

There are two teams in particular which know that there's no place like home. Baylor's, 59-27, loss in Lincoln to Nebraska dropped the Bears' lifetime road record in the Big 12 to an incomprehensibly bad 0-34. Wyoming's, 24-13, loss in Provo to BYU kept the Cowboys winless in MWC road games since 1999.

Miami and Louisville entered their game as the nation's second and third stingiest defenses in terms of allowing points. The Hurricanes had been allowing 6.5 a contest while the Cards were yielding just a half point more. The offenses found a way to confound their counterparts for 79 points.