Winners & L0sers

1. VIRGINIA Was Ronald Curry the nation's most-sought-after high school quarterback? Or the most coveted point guard? After the 6'3", 195-pound Hampton, Va., standout verbally committed to the Cavaliers last Thursday, with the intention of playing both sports, Hampton High Crabbers coach Mike Smith called Curry "the biggest thing to happen to Virginia since Thomas Jefferson."

2. MIKE McQUEARY In his first start, the Penn State fifth-year senior quarterback set Nittany Lions records for passing yards (366 yards) and total offense (370 yards) in a 34-17 defeat of Pittsburgh. McQueary completed 21 of 36 passes, two of them for touchdowns. Eight of his completions covered 20 yards or more. Next up, Temple.

3. NORTHERN ILLINOIS The Huskies turned down an offer of $300,000 from No. 21 Kansas State to move the game between the two teams to the Wildcats' home field. Instead, a crowd of 26,873—the third largest in Huskie Stadium history and 4,127 below capacity—watched its team lose 47-7. As a result, Northern Illinois netted $100,000.

1. THE WAC After a tumultuous off-season during which it demanded—fairly successfully—that the biggest I-A conferences treat it as an equal, the league had a grand opportunity to prove itself. But BYU got run over by Washington, 42-20, and Colorado State lost to Colorado, 31-21. The alliance bowls may be WAC-free again this year.

2. TEXAS CAMPUS POLICE On Sept. 1 an officer stopped Texas running back Ricky Williams going through a stop sign. Williams, who didn't have his license with him, said he was Ricky Lynne Williams. The officer, seeing that the car was registered to Errick Lynne Williams, cuffed him and took him to jail. The campus police chief subsequently apologized to Williams and suspended the officer. Williams had to run stadium stairs for missing curfew. Then he ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns' 48-14 defeat of Rutgers.

3. SYRACUSE In 13 days the Orangemen went from the surprise team of the early season to...the surprise team of the early season. After shutting out Wisconsin on Aug. 24, Syracuse has given up 68 points and allowed 21 of 34 third-down conversions in losses to N.C. State and Oklahoma.