Stewart Mandel's Three-point Stance

1  Texas Tech (8-0) finally has a defense to complement its high-octane offense. The sixth-ranked Red Raiders had high hopes of fielding their best D in Mike Leach's nine years as coach, and in a 63-21 defeat of Kansas it didn't disappoint, holding QB Todd Reesing to a season-low 154 passing yards. Next up: Heisman front-runner Colt McCoy of Texas.

2  Virginia's turnaround has been astounding. After allowing 42.7 points per game in three early losses, the Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1 in the ACC) have won four straight games--including two against ranked teams, North Carolina and Georgia Tech--in which their opponents averaged a mere 12.5 points.

3  Seventh-ranked USC (6-1) has the nation's most dominant defense, but its offense remains inconsistent. In a 17-10 win at Arizona, the Trojans took the lead midway through the third quarter, then couldn't put the Wildcats away--punting five times and missing a field goal on their last six possessions.