Team of the Week

Penn State

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The Nittany Lions gained just 195 yards against Ohio State. Their play-calling was straight vanilla in the second half. Same old Penn State offense, right? Nope. The single biggest reason the Nittany Lions outlasted A.J. Hawk and the Buckeyes on Saturday was that they didn't commit a single turnover. "We definitely didn't play as well as we could have," quarterback Michael Robinson told me on Sunday. "But we played smart football."

Such is the extent of the remarkable mental transformation Robinson and his teammates have undergone in just two weeks. They've morphed from a team that shot itself in the foot every way imaginable in a 34-29 comeback win over Northwestern to a sharp, fundamentally sound squad that's beaten two ranked foes in a row and is alone in first place in the Big Ten. "When we made that play [Robinson's last-minute touchdown pass to Derrick Williams against Northwestern], it really elevated everyone's confidence," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said Sunday. Suddenly the close games Penn State routinely lost last year are going its way, and, in turn, the Lions are 6-0.

The Inaugural 'This Guy Could Be Player of the Week Every Week But It Would Get Old' Award

Louisville DE Elvis Dumervil

It's just getting ridiculous, really. Through five games, the Cardinals senior has 14 sacks. No other player in the country even has seven. In Saturday's 69-14 win over North Carolina (explain to me again how Louisville scored just 14 points against USF?), Dumervil was a one-man wrecking crew yet again. He had three sacks (for 25 yards), two forced fumbles, a pass break-up and an interception, leaving the Tar Heels in awe. "He's the second coming," marveled UNC coach John Bunting. "He's real good," said running back Ronnie McGill. "You can't cut him. You can't block him. You can't run away from him. You can't run through him."

The Inaugural 'Dirtiest Play In Football History' Award

Virginia tackle Brad Butler

Maybe that's overstating it -- but not by much. In a blatant attempt to sideline Boston College's star defensive end, Mathias Kiwanuka, the Cavaliers senior dove into the back of the All-America's knees after the whistle had blown on a third-quarter incompletion. The appalling play set off a firestorm, as the BC crowd went nuts. Eagles DT Al Washington jumped on Butler and got ejected and, Kiwanuka later got ejected for throwing a punch in retaliation. Somehow, Butler got off scot free, playing the rest of the game (which the suddenly angry Eagles won 28-17), and he hardly seemed remorseful afterward. "I play hard and play to the whistle," he told the Washington Post. "That's how all of our linemen play." Either head coach Al Groh is encouraging chop-blocking, or Butler has a contorted interpretation of "playing to the whistle." Either way, Groh needs to send a message and sit Butler for Virginia's next game.

Spreading the field

• The supposed "hex" Texas overcame against Oklahoma on Saturday is nothing compared to the monkey Minnesota got off its shoulder against Michigan. Not only had the Gophers lost the Little Brown Jug every year since 1986, but the last two defeats -- a 38-35 game in 2003 in which they blew a 28-7 lead and a 27-24 loss last year in which the Wolverines staged another last-minute rally -- were heartbreakers that sent previously promising Minnesota seasons (the Gophers entered both games undefeated) straight down the toilet. Perhaps Saturday's stunning 23-20 win in Ann Arbor, in which the Gophers (4-1) were the ones pulling off the last-second rally, will have the opposite effect.

• Don't look now, but Baylor is no longer the worst team in the Big 12 South. While Oklahoma State is reeling, the Bears are showing signs of life under third-year coach Guy Morriss, the likes of which haven't been seen in Waco in more than a decade. They improved to 4-1 with a 23-13 win at Iowa State, remarkably their first conference road victory since the Big 12's inception in 1996. Meanwhile, the Cyclones have washed away any momentum from their early season upset of then top-10 Iowa, falling to 0-2 in conference play.

• Once again, a Chan Gailey-coached Georgia Tech team appears to be squandering away what once appeared to be a special season in the making. You can't fault the coach for the play-call that did in the Yellow Jackets against N.C. State last Thursday -- a play-action pass to the end zone in which the ball slipped through stud receiver Calvin Johnson's hands and into those of N.C. State defender Garland Heath, sealing a 17-14 Wolfpack victory. You can, however, question how a team with so many weapons (Johnson, QB Reggie Ball, RB P.J. Daniels) can be so erratic offensively. The problem: Gailey has staked his entire program on the shoulders of Ball, who has started since the first game of his freshman year, and Ball, now a junior, is still mixing flashes of brilliance with longer stretches of inconsistency (he finished 21-of-53 with two picks against the Wolfpack).

• Major props to Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges for the composure he showed in the Red Raiders' 34-31 win at Nebraska. Moments after throwing what should have been a game-ending interception (Huskers DE LeKevin Smith caught it and fumbled it back), Hodges, facing fourth-and-2 at the Nebraska 10 with 19 seconds remaining, got flushed out of the pocket, rolled left and calmly found receiver Joel Filani in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score. Until the pick, Mike Leach's latest protégé was having another flawless day, going 34-for-45 for 368 yards and four scores. Meanwhile, Filani caught 11 balls for 163 yards and three scores.

• What a mess in College Station. Texas A&M's defense continues to exhibit the same problems that have plagued it throughout Dennis Franchione's three-year tenure. The Aggies got absolutely torched Saturday by Colorado, falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter and 41-6 in the second half of a 41-20 loss. This is the same Buffaloes team, mind you, that managed three points in a loss to Miami. Yet, in the sad state that is the Big 12 North, Colorado is squarely on track to win its fourth division title in five years.

• If Northwestern (3-2) wants to reach a bowl game this season, the Wildcats are going to have to continue outscoring people PlayStation-style like they did in their 51-48 win over previously undefeated Wisconsin. Behind steady senior quarterback Brett Basanez and freshman sensation Tyrell Sutton -- the nation's second-leading rusher -- NU's spread offense is putting up ridiculous numbers (513.8 yards per game, ranked sixth nationally). Unfortunately, its defense is giving up yardage at almost the same rate (509.2 yards per game, 116th out of 117 teams). If nothing else, the combination will make for some exciting upcoming games against similarly offensive-minded Purdue and Michigan State.

• While not quite to the same degree as Michigan, Tennessee and Texas A&M, Washington State has also been a major disappointment. After a 5-6 rebuilding season last year broke a string of three straight 10-win seasons, most around the program expected the Cougars to bounce back this season. However, despite the presence of offensive weapons like receiver Jason Hill and running back Jerome Harrison, Wazzu has lost its first two Pac-10 games to Oregon State and Stanford, and the next five games bring UCLA, Cal, USC, Arizona State and Oregon. Yikes.

• Get to know the name Sam Hurd. The Northern Illinois receiver looked like the second coming of Randy Moss -- no joke -- against Miami of Ohio, catching seven passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. The senior, who had a 14-catch, 139-yard, three-touchdown performance his previous game against Akron, literally looked like a man among boys. Of course, if his career to date is any indication (before this stretch, Hurd had just two 100-yard games since a 161-yard performance against Wisconsin the third game of his career), he may well fall back into obscurity by next month.

• First-year BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall got a much-needed boost Saturday when the Cougars rallied to beat New Mexico 27-24 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from John Beck. Much had been made over the offseason about Mendenhall, a Utah native, returning the program to glory after an ugly recent stretch both on and off the field. Before Saturday's game, however, the results had been more of the same, with BYU losing 31-10 to San Diego State to fall to 1-3. One thing's for certain, though: The Cougars' offense is explosive, and Beck, who threw for 371 yards, is a major reason why.

• For the first time in the Sun Belt's five-year history, it looks as if someone other than North Texas will win its title. The Mean Green (1-3), which struggled mightily in non-conference play as well, lost in league play for the first time since 2001 when it fell to Troy on Oct. 4 

• Finally, Ball State knows how to end a losing streak in style. The Cardinals, who had lost their first four games this season by scores like 56-0, 63-3 and 38-0 and had seen 15 players suspended for improper use of a book loan program, beat Western Michigan 60-57 in five overtimes Saturday. In the loss, Broncos receiver Greg Jennings caught 11 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.