Stewart Mandel's Three-point Stance

1 Turner Gill has orchestrated a masterful turnaround at Buffalo (7--4). The Bulls, who had a 10--69 record in their seven Division I-A seasons before Gill's 2006 arrival, have already clinched the school's first bowl berth.

2 Here's how volatile the ACC race has been this season: With North Carolina State beating North Carolina and Florida State trouncing Maryland on Saturday, unranked teams are now 13--4 against ranked teams in league games.

3 A year ago Houston Nutt bolted Arkansas under pressure, three days after the Razorbacks knocked off eventual national champ LSU. Last Saturday, Nutt once again stunned the Tigers with his new team, Ole Miss (7--4), while his old team lost to Mississippi State to fall to 4--7.