Here we go again: 8 of top 25 fall

Top-ranked Florida State rolled over North Carolina 42-10. No. 2 Penn State had little trouble dispensing of Indiana 45-24. The third-ranked Florida Gators defeated Kentucky 38-10. But while the boys at the head of the Top 25 cruised on Saturday, the best of the rest had a much tougher road to traverse. Put simply, it was survival of the fittest -- college football style.

The fourth-ranked Wolverines definitely made the cut. In this past weekend's marquee match-up, Michigan got a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Tom Brady in a 21-16 victory over Wisconsin. Brady was 17-of-27 for 217 yards, and David Terrell added seven receptions for 88 yards and a 45-yard rushing touchdown. But the real story was the agressive, hard-hitting Wolverine defense. The Michigan 'D' held Badger running back Ron Dayne to zero yards rushing in the second half and shut him down twice on crucial fourth down situations. It was Michigan's third straight win over Wisconsin and the Wolverine's 18th consecutive in a Big Ten Conference opener.

The defending national champions nearly fell, as did fellow top 10 squad Georgia. No. 7 Tennessee pulled one out by the skin of their teeth, downing Memphis 17-16. Tee Martin hit Cedrick Wilson with a 15-yard touchdown pass with a minute left as the Vols dodged the upset bullet. The Bulldogs got two touchdowns from Quincy Carter, but it was a missed extra point that wound up giving Georgia a 24-23 win over Central Florida. The Knights entered the game as 28-point underdogs, and appeared to tie the game with 5:21 to play. But Javier Beorlegui's extra point deflected off the left upright and the upset bid fell short.

No. 13 Miami, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 19 BYU, No. 24 N.C. State, and No. 25 Air Force weren't as lucky, as they were among the teams who fell victim to natural selection this weekend. East Carolina improved to 4-0, overcoming Hurricane Floyd and a 20-point deficit to upset Miami 27-23 and prove they're a team on the rise. Alabama downed Arkansas 35-28 in a minor shocker. Virginia rebounded by stunning 19th-ranked BYU in a 45-40 shootout. Fellow Mountain West squad Air Force also fell, 10-7 to Wyoming. And upset-specialist N.C. State found themselves on the losing end of a 31-7 special from the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.

The Pac-10 was turned upside-down as well, as 16th-ranked USC and 18th-ranked UCLA suffered huge conference losses. The Trojan went to triple overtime with Oregon, but USC kicker David Newbury missed on a 37-yard field goal. That opened the door for Ducks reserve kicker Josh Frankel, who nailed the game winner from 27-yards out. Oregon took home the 33-30 victory. The Bruins, on the other hand, had cut a 25-point Stanford lead to just 3. But the comeback fell short, as DeRonnie Pitts scored on a 13-yard catch with 3:02 left to power the Cardinal to a 42-32 victory. Oregon State is now the only undefeated team left in the conference.

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