NCAA Top 10 Capsules

(1) USC 27, WASHINGTON 24 -------------------------
SEATTLE (Ticker) -- On a weekend full of upsets, the top-ranked Southern California was close, but did not fall victim. Running backs Stafon Johnson and Chauncey Washington combined for 231 yards and two touchdowns as USC defeated Washington, 27-24. The Trojans were sluggish for most of the game, committing three turnovers and 16 penalties that cost them 161 yards. Quarterback John David Booty threw for 236 yards for USC (4-0, 2-0 Pac-10), which beat Washington (2-3, 0-2) for the sixth straight time. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker ran for a one-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to cut the deficit to three, but Washington failed to recover the onside kick. Locker completed 13-of-28 passes for just 90 yards, but the Huskies scored 21 points off Trojan turnovers and a blocked punt. After a scoreless first quarter, Booty fumbled the snap on his own 14 yard line to set up great field position for Washington.

(2) LSU 34, TULANE 9 --------------------
NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Jacob Hester and Charles Scott each rushed for two touchdowns and second-ranked Louisiana State overcame a sluggish first half en route to a 34-9 victory over Tulane. Nearly a six-touchdown favorite, the Tiger's (5-0) hardly resembled one of the nation's top teams in the first half when they had more penalties (11) than points (10). Perhaps part of the Tigers' struggles could have been attributed to looking ahead to next Saturday's showdown against defending national champion Florida. But with their dominant defense, the Tigers regained their focus and took control after the break to beat their intrastate rivals for a 16th straight time. Hester, who opened the scoring in the first quarter with a three-yard touchdown run, plowed up the middle for a one-yard TD with 5:53 left in the third, giving the Tigers a 20-9 cushion. Scott, a fullback, added to the lead by rumbling up the middle for a 35-yard TD three minutes into the fourth quarter for a 27-9 advantage. He also contributed a three-yard TD with 8:49 left. After being held to minus-11 yards rushing in the first half, the Tigers finished with 137 overall. The running game helped overcome an inconsistent game from Matt Flynn, who completed 16-of-30 passes for 258 yards and an interception. He also was sacked six times. Flynn also was called for intentional grounding in the end zone in the second quarter resulting in a safety. The Green Wave (1-3) then embarked on an 11-play, 58-yard drive against the nation's top defense. Andre Anderson capped the march with a five-yard TD run, giving the Green Wave a surprising 9-7 lead with 4:11 left in the half. Colt David converted a 36-yard field goal with 1:33 left in the half, allowing LSU to take the lead into the intermission.

COLORADO 27, (3) OKLAHOMA 24 ----------------------------
BOULDER, Colorado (Ticker) - Kevin Eberhart kicked a game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired to lift Colorado to a 27-24 upset of third-ranked Oklahoma. It was the second straight victory for Colorado (3-2, 1-0 Big 12 North), which erased a 17-point second-half deficit to knock Oklahoma - the preseason favorite in the conference and a consensus top-five team in the national rankings. Oklahoma (4-1, 0-1 South) lost to Colorado for the first time since 1999. The Sooners appeared headed to another win and may have been looking ahead to next week's showdown with rival Texas. After forging a 24-24 tie with just over four minutes remaining, Colorado forced redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford into two incompletions on the ensuing drive, forcing Oklahoma to punt. Chase McBride took the punt at Colorado's 25-yard line and reeled off a 25-yard return to midfield. Cody Hawkins hooked up with freshman Kendrick Celestine for a 16-yard completion on 2nd-and-11, and Demetrius Sumler rumbled for seven yards to the Oklahoma 28. That set the stage for Eberhart, who calmly drilled the game-winning kick with just two seconds remaining to spark a wild celebration. Oklahoma built a seemingly comfortable lead 2 1/2 minutes into the second half on Patrick's second TD of the contest, a 17-yard jaunt which extended the lead to 24-7. But it was all Colorado from there, as Hawkins orchestrated a trio of scoring drives over the next 24 minutes. After Eberhart's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10 with 4:10 left in the third quarter, Colorado halved the deficit just 10 seconds into the final period when Hawkins found tight end Tyson DeVree for a four-yard TD. Eberhart missed a 36-yard field goal with 7:01 left, but safety Daniel Dykes intercepted Bradford on the very next play to give Colorado the ball at the Oklahoma 30. The Buffaloes were forced to punt four plays later, but all-conference defensive back Reggie Smith muffed the punt return. Colorado's Justin Drescher recovered the ball at the Oklahoma 16 and the Buffaloes capitalized three plays later when Hawkins hooked up with Dusty Sprague for a game-tying 15-yard score with 4:05 remaining.

(6) CALIFORNIA 31, (11) OREGON 24 ---------------------------------
EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- DeSean Jackson saved his best for the big stage. Jackson hauled in a pair of touchdown catches and Justin Forsett ran for two scores - including the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter - as sixth-ranked California held on for a wild 31-24 victory over No. 11 Oregon in a Pac-10 Conference showdown. One of the nation's top wide receivers and a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, Jackson entered the contest with just 17 catches and no receiving touchdowns over his first four games this season. But the speedy junior delivered in the Golden Bears' biggest game of the season so far, posting career highs of 11 receptions and 161 yards. Forsett also enjoyed an outstanding performance for California (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10), rushing for 105 yards on 23 carries. The 5-8 senior scored his second TD of the game with 3:11 remaining to give the Golden Bears a 31-24 advantage. Oregon star quarterback Dennis Dixon was intercepted by defensive tackle Tyson Alualu on the following possession, but the Ducks (4-1, 1-1) forced a punt on the ensuing defensive series to give themselves a chance. Starting from his own 25-yard line, Dixon orchestrated a heroic last-ditch drive and guided the Ducks to the Cal 5 with 22 seconds to play. On 1st-and-goal, Dixon dropped back and found Cameron Colvin in the left flat. ILLINOIS 27, (21) PENN ST 20 ---------------------------- CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (Ticker) -- Illinois forced four turnovers in the second half - including three interceptions - to hold off mistake-prone No. 21 Penn State, 27-20. Illinois (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten), which defeated Indiana last week, has won its first two conference games for the first time since 1991. The Fighting Illini's offense was virtually non-existent after scoring 21 points in the first half. Quarterback Juice Williams was benched early in the fourth quarter after going 0-of-5 in the second half. But the defense yielded only three points in the second half, despite six straight Penn State possessions in Illinois territory. Four of those drives ended with turnovers. Penn State also continues to be plagued by poor red zone execution, settling for field goals on its two possessions inside the 20. The Nittany Lions have not scored a touchdown on their last five trips in the red zone. They managed only three field goals in last week's 14-9 loss at Michigan. Kevin Kelly's 20-yard pulled the Nittany Lions within 24-20 with 5:55. remaining in third quarter but the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on their next four possessions. With 1:11 left in the third quarter, Illinois' Brit Miller interfered with punt returner Derrick Williams, giving the Nittany Lions a first down at the Illini 27. But linebacker Jeremy Leman preserved the lead with two huge defensive plays. On first down, Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli hit receiver Andrew Quarless with a perfect pass inside the 5, but Leman stripped Quarless just before he crossed the goal line. Two plays later, Leman intercepted Morelli at the 3-yard line. Penn State (3-2, 0-2) reached Illinois' 25 on its next possession, only to have defensive back Vontae Davis pick off Morelli at the 18.

KANSAS ST 41, (7) TEXAS 21 --------------------------
AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) -- For the second straight year, Kansas State may have derailed Texas' national championship hopes. Hunter Lawrence and Jordy Nelson scored special teams touchdowns on long returns as the Wildcats upset the seventh-ranked Longhorns, 41-21, in a Big 12 Conference contest. Last season, Kansas State ended Texas' title hopes with a 45-42 victory and it may have done the same on Saturday, taking advantage of the mistake-prone Longhorns. Lawrence returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter and Nelson took back a punt 89 yards for a score late in the third period. Kansas State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12 North) also converted four interceptions by Colt McCoy into 20 points, including a 41-yard return for a touchdown by Ian Campbell that gave the Wildcats a 14-7 lead. Campbell's return started a stretch in which the teams combined for 24 points in the final four minutes of the first half. McCoy shook off his first interception to throw a 26-yard TD pass to Quan Cosby with 2:34 remaining in the second quarter. But Kansas State quickly regained the lead on Lawrence's kickoff return and McCoy was picked off again by linebacker Justin Roland on the Longhorns' next play. The Wildcats cashed that turnover into a 33-yard field by Brook Rossman and a 10-point halftime lead. The Longhorns (4-1, 0-1 Big 12 South) closed to 24-21 on Jamaal Charles' six-yard TD run early in the third quarter and appeared to have momentum on their side.

MARYLAND 34, (10) RUTGERS 24 ----------------------------
PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Maryland could not hold the lead for the second week in a row, but this time the Terrapins didn't let the game slip away. Keon Lattimore rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown and Lance Ball added 90 yards and two scores as Maryland stunned No. 10 Rutgers, 34-24, in a non-conference game. The Terrapins (3-2) overcame a last-minute meltdown in the first half that led to a pair of touchdowns by Rutgers in 43 seconds, the loss of quarterback Jordan Steffy to injury and three missed field goals by Obi Egekeze to end the Scarlet Knights' 10-game winning streak. Maryland had squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead a week ago in a 31-24 overtime loss to Wake Forest in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener and blew an 11-point first-half lead against the Scarlet Knights. But the Terrapins rallied behind sophomore quarterback Chris Turner, who replaced an injured Steffy at the end of the first half and completed 14-of-20 passes for 149 yards. Turner's only other action came in a season-opening 31-14 win over Villanova, where he was 4-of-6 for 33 yards and two interceptions. The sophomore backup turned in the biggest play of the game, hitting LaQuan Williams on a 27-yard reception on 3rd-and-12 with 8 1/2 minutes to play. Williams made a brilliant fingertip catch while fully extended and Lattimore bulled in from the 2-yard line on the next play for a 27-17 lead. Rutgers (3-1), which was playing for the first time since a 59-0 drubbing of Norfolk State on September 15, lost at home for the first time since a 34-21 defeat to South Florida on November 5, 2005.

(9) WISCONSIN 37, MICHIGAN ST 34 --------------------------------
MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Michigan State failed its first big test. Tyler Donovan threw two touchdowns and P.J. Hill ran for two more as ninth-ranked Wisconsin withstood a second-half push from the surprising Spartans and held on for a 37-34 Big Ten Conference victory. Travis Beckum had 122 receiving yards and a score for the Badgers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who thwarted two potential game-tying drives by Michigan State in the final minutes. Spartans kicker Brett Swenson missed a 53-yard field goal with 3:17 left, and Michigan State (4-1, 0-1) turned the ball over on downs as Brian Hoyer's desperation fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 1:07 remaining. The Spartans had yet to taste defeat under new coach Mark Dantonio, but their non-conference slate consisted of Alabama-Birmingham, Bowling Green, Pittsburgh and winless Notre Dame. In its Big Ten opener, Michigan State could not contain Wisconsin's offense, which racked up 457 yards and drove the field when it mattered most. The Badgers embarked on a nine-play, 64-yard drive to set up the go-ahead field goal - a 22-yard boot by Taylor Mehlhaff to snap a 34-34 tie with 6:15 left. On the ensuing possession, the Spartans advanced to the Badgers 36-yard line before Jehuu Caulcrick was stopped short of the first down on a peculiar play-call on 3rd-and-7 - setting up Swenson's miss.