-It was a busy college football Saturday. And while a few of the elite teams cruised to victories to remain in the BCS hunt, a couple of Top 25 schools became upset victims in probably the two best games of the night.

One was No.16 Arkansas who fell at Alabama 41-38 thanks to some last second heroics as Matt Caddell hauled in John Parker Wilson’s throw in the corner of the end zone to give the Crimson Tide the first huge victory under new coach Nick Saban with eight ticks remaining. Wilson threw for 328 yards and four scores to help string the upset despite a brilliant night from Heisman hopeful Darren McFadden who carried the ball 33 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns for the Razorbacks.

Unfortunately, the future NFL top five selection’s effort came in a tough defeat after his team scored four straight TDs to take a seven-point lead after trailing 31-10. But ‘Bama would get within four thanks to a Leigh Tiffin 42-yard field goal. Their D would stop Arkansas and get the ball back setting the stage for Wilson’s successful final drive which started at his own 27 with 2:13 left, giving the undefeated Crimson Tide the win which improved them to 2-0 in the SEC and 3-0 overall.

You have to figure they’ve earned a ranking.

-While that upset was taking place, another was brewing in the Battle of Lexington between the No.9 ranked Louisville Cardinals and the host Kentucky Wildcats.

If you’ve followed the Cards, then you know that their D was a laughingstock just waiting for the right opponent to expose it enough to destroy their championship aspirations. So maybe it wasn’t too shocking that the Wildcats burst their bubble thanks to a late Andre Woodson 57-yard touchdown pass to Steve Johnson with 28 seconds remaining to give them a 40-34 upset win- snapping Louisville’s four-game win streak in the series.

Ah. But only if you had caught the final frantic five-plus minutes to understand just how exciting this game was.

With his team trailing 33-28 with six minutes left, Heisman candidate Brian Brohm calmly led the Cards down the field for an 84-yard go-ahead score. After finding the underneath route all drive, he handed off to Anthony Allen, who ran in from two yards out for his second TD of the night which gave Louisville a 34-33 edge.

But Brohm’s intended pass on the two-point attempt for Mario Urrutia was too long leaving his team only a point up.

With still under two minutes left plus a timeout, it was enough time for the Wildcats to do something. After a Woodson fourth down completion kept the drive alive, a foolish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on one of their linemen made it second and 25 from their own 44, amazingly enough Woodson found an uncovered Johnson wide open at the Louisville 20. He then outran a couple of scrambling Cards in the secondary for the shocking game-winning score.

How was anyone left that open at such a pivotal point of the game? I wouldn’t want to be the D coordinator or personnel after that one.

It got even more bizarre when the Kentucky coach inexplicably passed up going for the two-point conversion opting to kick a meaningless PAT which made it 40-34. What if Brohm somehow led the Cards down the field in 22 seconds for a quick strike? He only QB’s one of the most dangerous offenses in the nation.

It made no sense. When you had a Kentucky player putting their hands up when they sent kicker Lones Seiber on the field, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Good thing the timekeeper ran 1-2 extra seconds off the clock on a couple of Louisville plays because who knows what might’ve happened. Especially when Brohm’s hail mary was knocked into the hands of main target Harry Douglas (13 catches for 225, TD) at the Kentucky 10 before he was tackled thankfully for the Wildcats.

As for the game’s two QBs, Brohm was 28-of-43 for 369 yards, two TDs and an Int while Woodson was 30-of-46 with 270 yards and four scores. The Kentucky QB not only got the better of his rival dating back to high school but extended his streak without a pick to 257 consecutive passes- breaking David Greene’s 2004 SEC record set with Georgia. He’s still 14 shy of former NFL QB Trent Dilfer’s NCAA mark.

-Aside from these two great games, who else impressed?

1.Florida and QB Tim Tebow, who combined with Percy Harvin and Brandon James for 600 all-purpose yards in the defending champion’s 59-20 rout of No.22 Tennessee in Gainesville.

After the only mistake Tebow made turned into a 95-yard interception TD return for the Vols’ Eric Berry which cut it to 28-20, the Gators caught a break when Adrian Foster fumbled and lost the ball to Dustin Doe who recovered and ran it back 18 yards for a crushing score to make it 35-20.

The Gators ran off the final 31 points as Tebow and Harvin each ran for a score in the final quarter as they outscored the Volunteers 24-0.

The final numbers on the Florida trio which destroyed Tennessee:

Tebow- 14-of-19, 299 passing yds 2 TDs, 62 rushing, 2 TDs, 1 Int

Harvin- 195 total yds (120 receiving, 75 rushing), TD

James- 105 total yds including 83-yard punt return for game’s first score

Pretty scary stuff. We’ll see how they fare at No.2 ranked LSU next month (Oct.6).

2.No.1 ranked USC had no trouble with 14th ranked Nebraska coasting to a 49-31 win which wasn’t that close. They led 49-17 at one point. The 49 they put up against the Cornhuskers were the third highest ever at Lincoln.

Pete Carroll’s Trojans ran up and down the field literally totaling 313 yards on the ground including 144 from Stafon Johnson plus one of their five rushing touchdowns.

Believe it or not, Nebraska once led 10-7 thanks to 10 straight points coming from a Cody Glenn score from a yard out and an Alex Henery 37-yard field goal early in the second quarter. But a Stanley Havili rushing TD followed by Johnson’s score gave USC a 21-10 into the half. They never looked back pushing it up to 42-10 with three more TDs in the third quarter as they rolled.

If they were wondering about their final regular season game in December against UCLA to avenge last year’s upset, they might want to take note as the 11th ranked Bruins got hammered by Utah 44-6 turning it over five times against a team who entered winless. Go figure.

Maybe they should just focus on next week’s clash against Washington State instead which might be close if it’s like last year. USC prevailed 28-22 in that one.Up 17 late against Idaho, the Cougars should enter next week’s clash 2-1.

3.Other easy winners included second ranked LSU (44-0 over Middle Tennessee St.), third ranked Oklahoma (54-3 over Utah State), No.8 California (42-12 over LA Tech), No.12 Penn St. (45-24 over Buffalo) and 13th ranked Rutgers (59-0 over Norfolk State).

The Scarlet Knights got three first half scores each from Heisman hopeful Ray Rice and QB Mike Teel. They only led by 45 at halftime.

So far, they’ve won their first three games against Buffalo, Navy and Norfolk St. outscoring these perennial college football programs 138-27. The Big East is good this year but could they at least try to schedule some more respectable opponents?
Greg Schiano’s team will step up in competition two weeks from now when they play host to Maryland in Piscataway. The Terps played Big East power West Virginia close before the Mountaineers pulled away in a 31-14 victory this past Thursday night.

So this game could be worth checking out.

4.No.6 Texas narrowly escaped the upset bug hanging on for a 35-32 win on the road over Central Florida. Kicker Ryan Bailey was the hero making five-of-six field goals including one from 40 and another from 37 which put them up 29-24 before a 46-yard scamper from Jamaal Charles put the competitive game out of reach.

Though the Golden Knights’ Kyle Bruce never quit tossing a seven-yard score to Kamar Aiken plus a two-pt conversion to him which cut it to three late, his team couldn’t recover the onside kick as the Long Horns ran out the clock.

That’s more than you can say for Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes, who opted to run another play with a once close game already won getting a bonus 37-yard score on a third down from Brandon Saine at the buzzer for a 33-14 win at Washington for No.10 ranked Ohio State.

Was this final score really necessary? Nothing like running it up to get some more points in the polls. In some way, you can’t blame the coach because the way the system is setup is flawed. They value blowouts and margin of victory. The problem is it encourages this sort of thing which in our book is poor sportsmanship.

It would be nice to see them take a knee. Maybe if they ever go to a playoff system. But will it ever happen? Tough to say. There’s so much money in the BCS and other Bowl games for these schools that it discourages change. Plus if they did go to a system, that would mean more wear and tear on student/athletes plus maybe less time in the classroom.
So while you want a defined BCS winner if there are a couple of teams unbeaten, there are some drawbacks.

-So how bad are the Fighting Irish? After taking it on the chin at Michigan getting spanked 38-0, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis backed up the truck and said his struggling team which can’t seem to get out of its own way won’t bother watching the tape. That instead, it was “time to get back to work and start training camp and come out swinging.”

It’s only the second time in Notre Dame history they’ve started a season losing their first three. A far cry from where this program was a year ago under the former New England offensive guru. It’s probably a good thing they don’t watch the tape because it would only make them feel worse.

Mike Hart backed up his guarantee by rushing 35 times for 187 yards and two scores.

Just how uncompetitive was it? From the outset, it went completely wrong for the Irish whose first snap went over running back Armando Allen’s head. In fact, they lost 27 yards on their opening two drives. At the half, they had rushed for negative 45 yards due to a few of the Wolverines’ eight sacks on sitting duck Jimmy Claussen.

The QB had little chance due to no protection completing 11 passes for 72 yards and an Int. Notre Dame was outgained on the ground 286-27. Michigan had 27 first downs and 376 total yards compared to the Irish’s 10 first downs and 110 total yds. Yikes.

While the Wolverines can feel good about themselves entering next week’s Big Ten showdown against undefeated Penn State (3-0), it’s back to the drawing board for Notre Dame who has yet to net an offensive score in getting outscored a discouraging 102-13 in its first three blowout defeats to Georgia Tech, the Nittany Lions and Michigan.

Sadly, it might not get much better with nemesis Michigan State on tap next week in South Bend. After that, here’s what follows:

9/29 @ Purdue

10/6 @ (11) UCLA

10/13 (21) Boston College

10/20 (1) USC
Good luck.
-After getting hammered by the Sooners last week, Randy Shannon’s Hurricanes struggled offensively in a 23-9 win over Florida International. If you rack up 427 total yards including 203 on the ground thanks to the combo of Javarris James (92 yds) and Graig Cooper (11-for-48, TD), you have to do better than 23 points and two scores.

Especially against a lesser foe who is best known for an ugly brawl with your team last year which further embarrassed Miami’s program and helped lead to the firing of Larry Coker.

The good news was Kyle Wright did toss an 80-yard touchdown to Lance Leggett. The bad was once highly thought of senior who just got his job back completed just 10 passes in 19 attempts including a couple to the other team which might help explain why his team didn’t manage more points. He did hook up five times with Darnell Jenkins for 108 yards.

Until the Canes’ pass game becomes consistent, they can’t be taken seriously. You can only run it so often before teams start stacking the line making you beat them through the air.

They’ll get a stiffer test against Big 12 team Texas A & M this Thurday night at The Orange Bowl. The No.25 ranked Aggies can put up points quickly. So we’ll see if the Canes are ready.

-Congrats to Duke on snapping their nation long 22-game skid with a 20-14 road win at Northwestern, holding off the Wildcats whose final attempt at the end zone came up short to become their first victim since Virginia Mary Institute back on Sept. 17, 2005. No joke.

It has to feel pretty good for the Dukies. Ah. I can hear Dick Vitale warming up for the hoops season as he sweats. They really need to send him a lifetime supply of towels.

-Pedro Martinez should’ve won his third game for the Mets yesterday going six allowing only a run on seven hits while walking nobody and fanning nine Phillies. But his pen failed him. That’s what happens when you have a questionable pen.

The Phils waited until he was out before they rallied to tie it on Aaron Rowand’s solo homer and Jimmy Rollins’ two-run triple which should’ve been caught by Carlos Beltran- instead resulting in the winning hit as Philly took their seventh straight against the Amazin’s.

Pedro did it with a fastball which only sometimes reached 83. How did he baffle hitters including Jayson Werth three times? By mixing his pitches well, changing speeds and locating. He’s always been able to do it. If you have a young starter who can’t throw overly hard, just get them a tape of the future Hall of Famer and they can learn a lot about how to pitch.

One other thing about why he’s been so effective. Well two actually.

A.He’s fresh. It helps a lot. His arm might not be throwing as hard but it’s healthy and he’s throwing strikes.
B.Teams are seeing him for the first time. It takes hitters time to adjust. Anytime you go against a calibre of a Pedro who’s back from rotator cuff surgery, you don’t know what to expect. By allowing him to return late, it’s an advantage for the Mets because their opponents won’t be as familiar with the pitching artist or have much to go on.

-The Red Sox hammered the Yanks 10-1 in the second game at Fenway going back up 5.5 with the final game later tonight on ESPN when the Rocket opposes Curt Schilling. Think this game isn’t important? The Bronx Bombers only lead the Tigers by two and a half for the wildcard now. So they really need it even if they’re not going to win the division.

-If you ever get the chance, take a look at the seasons a pair of Marlins are having. There’s leadoff hitter and shortstop Hanley Ramirez who’s chasing 30 home runs and 50 stolen bases. The 2006 NL ROY is one of the best young players in the game and has flown under the radar due to the senior circuit’s crop of shortstops.

Those Marlins who have taken two against the WC contending Rockies also boast one of the best young sluggers in the game in Miguel Cabrera. Very similar to Manny Ramirez, the third baseman can hit for a high average as well as drive balls out of the park to all fields. He hit his 32nd in last night’s win.

It’s ashame that two such gifted players play in obscurity. If you haven’t caught them yet, we suggest you do so before the season ends.

-I’m no expert but maybe the Giants would be better off sitting Eli Manning against the Packers in today’s home opener. Given their schedule this year, they could still win 8-9 games if the D straightens out.

-The Jets better go with Kellen Clemens today at Baltimore if they know what’s good for Chad Pennington.

-So where will the hidden camera be for the Chargers tonight at Gilette? Just asking.

-The Browns say they’re about winning. Jamal Lewis is their RB and Brady Quinn isn’t starting yet. Maybe they should rethink their philosophy.

-One reunion off concert in a bad part of London for Led Zeppelin and only 20 million registered for tickets. What? 30 million was asking too much?

-This could be a special year for Tom Renney’s Rangers and much of it will depend on ex-Devil Scott Gomez. If he flourishes with Jaromir Jagr and brings a good work ethic, then the sky’s the limit. But if he shows the inconsistencies the playmaking pivot had last year, he’ll morph into Bobby Holik. And we all know how that turned out on Broadway.

Only difference is he wanted the spotlight and was genuine about it. He’s still cashing much bigger paychecks now and must deal with plenty of expectations. We’ll see if the Alaska kid with the winning personality is up to the task because there aren’t going to be many more chances for Jagr at another Stanley Cup.

It says here though that Henrik Lundqvist must stay healthy for them to be in the mix. If he does, the Swede could win his first Vezina along with some other hardware.

-One year after captaining the Devils, Patrik Elias found out he’s not good enough yet for new coach Brent Sutter who has exactly zero total NHL games so far. Only them.

-So we found out from our buddy Patrick Murray that ESPN’s Erin Andrews isn’t very friendly away from the field. That’s too bad because she sure is easy on the eyes.

-Six years later, 9/11 still haunts many. As a fellow New Yorker who got to see the  historic tragedy unfold from Bayonne NJ, it still pains me to watch the tape or think about what transpired and affected so many taking innocent lives in the process.

It still feels like yesterday. And when you see all those troops putting their lives on the line in Iraq, not much has changed. You just hope the ones who have survived thus far come back home alive so you don’t have to see another family pained with grief over what’s an unwinnable situation. It’s a tough situation.

One you just wish would end already.