AP Top 25: Ohio State slips, Penn State in, Houston out

“Our preparation since we hit that low point has been incredible”, quarterback Trace McSorley said Saturday night, still trying to wrap his mind around the 24-21 win against Ohio State.

Penn State created some of that scheme flexibility as the game wore on. One vehicle was reported damaged and one person taken to a hospital after he was struck in the head with a bottle.

It’s given Penn State’s offense the life it searched for each of the last two years and the Nittany Lions have clearly established an identity for themselves as a team on the rise that’s tough to play against right now. Said the special teams meeting is Tuesday, and that is when it will be addressed. The Nittany Lions entered the rankings at No. 24.

The Spartans improved to 6-10-1 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play after upsetting No. 16 Penn State in last Saturday’s game. He became the first Northwestern signal-caller since at least 2000 to throw three or more touchdown passes in three consecutive games.

No. 3 Clemson (-4.5) at No. 12 Florida State: The Seminoles have rebounded from their most recent loss to North Carolina with back-to-back wins over Miami and Wake Forest.

There was an immediate rush of caution to avoid overstating the impact of the Buckeyes’ stunning loss to Penn State on Saturday night.

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer considers coaching greats Earl Bruce and Lou Holtz to be the two biggest influences on his career. We’ll move forward. We’ll let it hurt for a while.

“Every goal we have is still alive”. The last three games, Thorson has been spectacular, hitting 24-of-43 passes for 285 yards in a 24-14 win vs. in on Saturday. West Virginia, Baylor and Nebraska are all still looking to prove they belong at the top of the rankings while Clemson, Washington and MI want to maintain their spots in the top four.

A 37-yard run by Barkley and a 35-yard pass to Saeed Blacknall were the big plays in the drive. Penn State won 24-21.

The Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) moved on as the powerhouse SEC’s last unbeaten team, getting yet another in a long string of defensive scores. They’ve blown out several opponents and have two quality road wins over ranked foes in Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

I previously tabbed Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel as “Thunder and Lightning” and I’m sure you can figure out which is which.

The college football power rankings saw some big-time shakeups with Ohio State and Texas A&M tasting their first defeat.

“There are a multitude of things (that went wrong)”, Meyer said. Barrett has averaged just 188 passing yards over the course of those three games and has thrown just three touchdowns to two interceptions.

“Our defense is unbelievable”, coach James Franklin said. Ohio State losses are a rare occurrence since he took over in 2012. What appeared to be a problem with the snap resulted in a missed extra point by Durbin in the first half. They have now won their last two games by a combined score of 119-8. Again, they’ve been installed as more than a three-touchdown favorite. A scoreless first quarter was the first time OSU was held scoreless in a quarter this season.

Yards on Penn State’s touchdown drive just before halftime. He’s the first Sooner ever to reach 200 yards rushing and 100 receiving in the same game.