Top Ten Takedown

Brace yourself. As conference play began this week, things got jumbled and chaotic much sooner than expected. If you thought things wouldn't heat up until later in the year, think again. We're just three weeks into the college football season, and already the stakes have never seemed higher.

Sweet home Alabama, where the skies are so blue...and falling! If you missed it this weekend, Ole Miss pulled it off yet again, beating the second ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 43-37 on their home turf. Although they were looking to avenge last year's loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tide appeared out of sync and discombobulated most of the night. Ole Miss's offense was firing on all cylinders, and they rolled right through one of the nation's top defenses. This wacky play sums it up. Alabama was uncharacteristically sloppy throughout the game, and they have some huge questions at their quarterback position moving forward. 

                         This image is compliments of Kevin Cox.

Ole Miss now holds the fast track in the SEC, and they certainly appear playoff worthy through 3 weeks. However, Alabama still managed to reach the playoff last year after losing to the Rebels, so definitely don't count them out! One loss may not be enough to vanquish one of the best coached teams in the nation.

Besides No. 2, the top ten lost another playoff contender as unranked Stanford upset the sixth ranked USC Trojans! Stanford looked indomitable in their 41-31 road win, as their offense pounded USC into the dirt. Remember, this is the same Stanford team that scored only six points in their loss at Northwestern just two weeks ago! This upset certainly shakes things up in the PAC 12 Conference, which is already a jumbled mess of power-hungry teams.

This picture is courtesy of Harry How.

The top ten came just one point away from losing a third member Saturday night, as UCLA rallied to slip past the BYU Cougars 24-23 in a game that came down to the wire. A late touchdown lifted UCLA past the playoff-hopeful Cougars, handing them their first loss of the season. 

Elsewhere across the country, top ranked Ohio State looked confused at best as they barely eked out a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois. That's right, the reigning national champions struggled to beat a team that most people didn't even know existed. The Buckeyes need to wake up and settle on a starting quarterback if they're to repeat as champions. On the other hand, No. 6 Notre Dame looked great in their win over No. 14 Georgia Tech. The Irish got outstanding play from their backup quarterback after their starter was injured last week.

The upcoming week should be a little more quiet, as there is a limited number of ranked match-ups. Nonetheless, watch out for some exciting action out on the west coast in the PAC 12! I'm predicting that No. 9 UCLA finds a way to win on the road as they face the surging Arizona Wildcats at No. 16.  I also think that No. 12 Oregon will pull away late to earn a tough conference win against Utah. Finally, I predict that USC will bounce back to claim the victory against Arizona State.

This image is provided by Nabil Mark.

Keep cheering on your Nittany Lions as they host San Diego State! After last week's revitalizing win over Rutgers, look for Penn State to put their opponent away early in a dominant performance. Enjoy the weekend of football!