Heisman Candidates - College Football Power Rankings

They Are Making a Statement and Staying PAC!!!!!!!




Forde Yard Dash
Pat Forde espn.com
I love these every week. To read more go to espn.com
The Interim Guy
One is thriving. One is writhing.

Winner: Everett Withers (4), North Carolina. Shoved into the head-coaching job when Butch Davis was fired just days before the start of fall camp, Withers has kept the Tar Heels on task. In one of those stats that seems hard to believe, Carolina is 1-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2000 after beating Virginia 28-17 on Saturday.

Loser: Luke Fickell (5), Ohio State. Since Jim Tressel resigned Memorial Day, Fickell had two more months of interim prep time than Withers -- but five fewer key players. Those are the suspended Buckeyes (and Terrelle Pryor) who must miss the first five games of the season for NCAA rules violations. Without them, Ohio State looks as bad as it has looked in a decade, maybe longer. In the 24-6 loss to Miami on Saturday, the Buckeyes completed a Cro-Magnon four forward passes. This is about the time some Wacky Morning Radio Personality decides to live on a billboard until Urban Meyer is hired.


Coach who should take the bus to work
Rick Neuheisel (38), UCLA. After a 29-point home beatdown against Texas, the Bruins are 3-8 since upsetting the Longhorns last year. They've won just one of their last six games, and that was against San Jose State. Even with USC vulnerable, UCLA has made up no ground on its crosstown rival.

Putting out an APB for …
… Errict Rhett (39), the ground-based portion of Steve Spurrier's early Fun 'n' Gun offenses at Florida. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Gators' all-time leading rusher, please apprise The Dash.

Meanwhile, The Dash is pleased to report that last week's APB subject, former Stanford wide receiver Ken Margerum, is reportedly alive and well and living in the Bay Area, where he is an assistant coach at Scotts Valley High School. Previously Margerum had coached extensively at the college level, most recently at San Jose State -- where his bio said his daughters' names are Sunny and Windy. The Dash thanks all spies who passed along tips.


Point after
When hungry and thirsty and in need of football viewing in Tallahassee, The Dash recommends a visit to Tomahawk Sports Bar & Grill (40) on the main drag near campus. Solid beer selection, good burgers, enough TVs to catch all the action. Check it out and thank The Dash later.



College Football Power Rankings - Week 3
RK (LW) TEAM REC PTS COMMENT
1 (1) Oklahoma (17) 2-0 616 Gut check? Check. Florida State asked questions of Oklahoma and the Sooners responded with a go-ahead TD and a defensive stand in the fourth quarter to earn a 23-13 win in a hostile environment. Missouri visits Saturday.
2 (3) LSU (8) 3-0 603 The Tigers earned a second win away from home over a ranked opponent after beating Mississippi State -- their 12th straight win over the Bulldogs. The road doesn't get easier this week, as LSU travels to West Virginia on Saturday.
3 (2) Alabama 3-0 579 North Texas forgot to bring the Mean for its visit to Tuscaloosa, so the Tide provided it in a 41-0 win, led by Trent Richardson's three touchdowns. SEC play begins Saturday with a visit from Arkansas.
4 (4) Boise State 2-0 537 Kellen Moore set a career high in completions (32) and tied his previous best in TD passes (5) as Boise State cruised to a 40-15 win over Toledo. The Broncos play in Boise for the first time this season Saturday when Tulsa pays a visit.
5 (6) Stanford 3-0 508 Stanford settled into a rhythm after a nervy start at Arizona, winning 37-10 to earn its first Pac-12 win. Andrew Luck's two touchdown passes gave him 53 for his career, moving him past Jim Plunkett into sole possession of third place in school history.
6 (7) Wisconsin 3-0 497 Wisconsin improved to 3-0 for the eighth consecutive season after another offensive clinic, this time against Northern Illinois. Russell Wilson continues to impress for the Badgers, who have one final tuneup before Big Ten play begins against Nebraska.
7 (8) Oklahoma State 3-0 458 Mother Nature merely delayed the inevitable, as inclement weather pushed the start of Oklahoma State's game with Tulsa to after midnight. Once on the field, the Cowboys beat the Golden Hurricane (by a lot) and the sunrise (barely).
8 (9) Texas A&M 2-0 446 The Aggies passed their first two warmup tests. Now it's on to the big one: Oklahoma State in their Big 12 opener. Last season's matchup proved to be a classic, albeit in the Cowboys' favor. What will this year's game say about both teams?
9 (5) Florida State 2-1 389 Despite the loss of a big-play receiver and its starting QB during the game, Florida State clawed back to tie OU in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles didn't have enough in the tank to overcome the Sooners, however. ACC play begins Saturday at Clemson.
10 (12) Oregon 2-1 385 Oregon has taken the frustration of its season-opening loss to LSU out on its next two opponents to the tune of 125 points. The Ducks begin Pac-12 play Saturday with a visit to Arizona.





Tracking the Candidates
Sept. 20, 20111
Andrew LuckQB
| StanfordNext Game: 10/1 vs. UCLAThe Cardinal didn't start firing on all cylinders until the second half but once they found their rhythm, they were able to sweep aside Arizona on the road. Luck passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns.
WEEK 3 AT ARIZONA
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
173.9 325 2 0 64.5
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
36 0 12.0
2011 SEASON
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
173.4 786 8 1 67.1
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
47 1 5.9


2 Kellen MooreQB
| Boise StateNext Game: 9/24 vs. TLSAMoore was at it again Friday night, carving up the Toledo defense at every turn. The senior quarterback threw for 455 yards and five touchdowns. He also had a career-high 32 completions in 42 attempts.
WEEK 3 AT TOLEDO
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
201.7 455 5 1 76.2
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
2 0 1.0
2011 SEASON
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
187.6 716 8 2 78.9
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
2 0 1.0


3 Marcus LattimoreRB |
South CarolinaNext Game: 9/24 vs. VANThe numbers tell the story: 37 carries, 246 yards and three touchdowns. Lattimore scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to save South Carolina against Navy and allowed the Gamecocks to run out the clock on a 24-21 win.
WEEK 3 VS. NAVY
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
246 3 6.6
RECEIVING
REC YDS YPR TD
4 25 6.3 0
2011 SEASON
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
534 7 6.1
RECEIVING
REC YDS YPR TD
9 66 7.3 0


4 Robert Griffin IIIQB
| BaylorNext Game: 9/24 vs. RICEMother Nature halted the game in the third quarter, but there was still plenty of time for Griffin to impress. He passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards in Baylor's win over Stephen F. Austin.
WEEK 3 VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
237.1 265 3 0 90.9
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
78 0 9.8
2011 SEASON
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
244.5 624 8 0 83.7
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
116 0 6.4


5 Landry JonesQB |
OklahomaNext Game: 9/24 vs. MIZZJones passed for just 199 yards and threw his first two interceptions of the season, but he accounted for both of Oklahoma's touchdowns in a road win at Florida State, including the go-ahead touchdown pass to Kenny Stills in the fourth quarter.
WEEK 3 AT FLORIDA STATE
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
126.0 199 1 2 66.7
RUSHING
YDS TD YPC
-10 1 -3.3
2011 SEASON
PASSING
RAT YDS TD INT CMP%
140.3

Michigan Banns Photographer Linked to Pryor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan has banned Dennis Talbott from photographing its teams on campus.
Talbott has been linked to ex-Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor in the Buckeyes' memorabilia-for-cash scandal.
Michigan spokesman Dave Ablauf says Ohio-based media outlet This Week in Football asked for a credential for Talbott, listing his first name as "Jay" on the application. Ablauf says Talbott shot an image of Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson during the season-opening game against Western Michigan and it appeared on SI.com after being distributed by Icon Sports Media.
Website sportsbybrooks.com was the first to report Talbott was credentialed by Michigan.
ESPN's "Outside The Lines" has reported Pryor was paid $500 to $1,000 each time he signed mini football helmets and other gear for Talbott, a Columbus businessman and freelance photographer.