THE WEEK

SOUTH

1. ALABAMA (10-0)
2. AUBURN (9-0)
3. GEORGIA (9-1)

While Auburn was marching through Georgia, Alabama shrugged off Miami 31-3. With Halfbacks Johnny Musso and Joe LaBue both out with injuries, the Crimson Tide's Wishbone was more wish than bone. They fumbled the ball away three times and threw two interceptions. But that was all right, albeit a mite disturbing to Coach Bear Bryant because Alabama's defense bent the Hurricanes like so many limp palm trees. Alabama spotted Miami a field goal after losing a fumble, but after that the visitors spent most of the time playing deep in their own territory. So dominant was Alabama's defense that even Musso, watching from the sidelines, was forced to shudder a bit. "I'd hate to play against our defense myself," he said.

On offense Alabama was not completely hapless. Quarterback Terry Davis scored twice. Bill Davis kicked two field goals and Wilbur Jackson—Musso's replacement—got off a 67-yard TD run. Asked if he thought at the beginning of the season that both Alabama and Auburn would come to their finale undefeated, Bryant had a not-so-subtle editorial comment on schedules: "Looking at the schedules, I could see more teams on our schedule capable of beating us than I could see on theirs capable of beating them."

Jackson, Miss. is one of LSU Coach Charlie McClendon's least favorite places. Going into the Tigers' game with Mississippi State, he had not won there since 1962, and as recently as a few weeks ago LSU was upset by Ole Miss in Jackson. But Mississippi State is not Ole Miss, so this time Charlie left Jackson with a 28-3 win. After LSU's defense forced State to give up the ball on downs at the LSU 44 early in the second quarter, Quarterback Bert Jones moved the Tigers to a touchdown and a 14-3 lead. The offense also ran smoothly behind Paul Lyons, who ran for two TDs. Most heartening to McClendon, however, was the return to form of Tommy Casanova, his ill-starred defensive halfback. Casanova warmed up for his duel with Notre Dame Receiver Tom Gatewood by playing the entire game, batting down two passes and making tackles all over the field.

The situation has deteriorated so badly at Florida that now the Gators get emotional over a 35-24 win over somebody as hapless as Kentucky. Quarterback John Reaves (remember him?) completed 18 of 25 passes for three touchdowns and 248 yards, while ace Receiver Carlos Alvarez caught five for 117 yards and one TD. Thus Reaves became the second leading career passer in NCAA history (behind Jim Plunkett), and Alvarez became the SEC's all-time top receiver. Afterward there was a lot of crying and hugging in the Florida dressing room, even between Reaves and Coach Doug Dickey, who have had their differences. In Atlanta, Coach Bud Carson of Georgia Tech was happy, too, because the Jackets' 12-6 victory over Florida State insured them their second straight winning season. The heroes were the members of Tech's defense, who held Florida State without a touchdown for the first time in 38 games. They also allowed State Quarterback Gary Huff only 12 of 41 passes, intercepted him once and sacked him six times for losses totaling 45 yards.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest ripped Duke 23-7, and North Carolina found out that Don McCauley did not graduate after all. This year his name is Lewis Jolley, and against Virginia he ran 32 times for 167 yards and caught a touchdown pass as the Tar Heels won 32-20 to cinch at least a tie for the league title.

In Memphis they are having a grand old time playing politics with football. Or is it football with politics? First there was the state legislator who said last week he would introduce a resolution asking that Memphis State Coach Billy Murphy be relieved of his coaching duties. Which raised a question: Doesn't the Tennessee legislature have something more important to worry about? Mayor Henry Loeb got into the act, too, by declaring Saturday, the day of State's game with North Texas State, "Support Memphis State Football Day." So, naturally, a paltry 13,788 showed up. Some support, but then the Tigers have some team. They beat North Texas 47-8 and won a trip to the Pasadena Bowl, although their overall record is only 4-5. If you do not understand all this, welcome to the club.

After Houston demolished Virginia Tech 56-29, Coach Bill Yeoman immediately began to lobby for a bowl bid. "This is the most dangerous schedule we've ever played," he said. "I think we've played well enough to go to a bowl." They certainly played well enough against Tech, containing Quarterback Don Strock, the nation's leading passer, and stuffing the Gobblers with plenty of Veer T. Gary Mullins threw three touchdown passes, and Robert Newhouse gained more than 100 yards—201 to be exact—for the 13th time in 14 games.

MIDWEST

1. OKLAHOMA (9-0)
2. NEBRASKA (10-0)
3. MICHIGAN (10-0)

Now we all know why Michigan is ranked only No. 3 in the nation. It is not because of Nebraska and Oklahoma, as most people supposed. Not at all, says Coach Bo Schembechler of Michigan, who revealed the truth last week at his press luncheon before the Wolverines' game at Purdue. "We will never be No. 1 in the nation because of the press," said Schembechler, apparently irked because his team's thrilling 63-7 win over Iowa did not merit as much space in the Michigan newspapers as Michigan State's 17-10 upset of Ohio State. And Bo did not stop at that. Asked what he thought about the polls, he snapped: "They're worse than the writers."

Against Purdue, Michigan was lucky to be the No. 1 team in Lafayette, Ind. In the end all that stood between the Wolverines and Purdue was Dana Coin's 25-yard field goal with 43 seconds left to play. The Boilermakers did some things to Michigan that no other team has been able to do this season. Like score 17 points, score in the third quarter and complete two TD passes in the same game. The man who made Michigan boil the most was Quarterback Gary Danielson, who hit on five of nine passes for 110 yards, and both TDs, before being injured late in the third quarter. For Michigan the heroes were Running Backs Ed Shuttlesworth, Billy Taylor and Glenn Doughty and, of course, Coin. "He doesn't just kick, either," said Sports Information Director Will Perry. "He's out there in practice as a linebacker—a good one, too."

Afterward Schembechler said, "Just call us G-U-T-T-Y. And I'll say it again—G-U-T-T-Y. We are the best." O.K., Bo, but do not forget to look at those Oklahoma and Nebraska scores. Could it be that the writers—and the polls—are not as S-T-U-P-I-D as you think?

Well, Ohio State lost again. In Columbus. So what else is new? This time the Buckeyes were beaten by Northwestern, 14-10, and afterward Coach Alex Agase enthused, "This is the most magnificent game I've ever been associated with as coach." The difference was that Northwestern was able to sustain a drive and score late in the game—a la the Buckeyes of old—while Ohio State was not. Trailing 14-10, the Buckeyes were stopped when Mike Coughlin intercepted a Don Lamka pass at the Wildcat 14. Northwestern later marched 64 yards in 18 plays to score the game winner. Now Ohio State has lost three times—all at home—and it is loaded with injuries heading into this week's game at Michigan. Down deep now, don't you feel sorry for Woody?

Coach Bob Blackman put on his lucky orange blazer, and Illinois, which lost its first six, beat Wisconsin 35-27 for its fourth straight. The last time the Illini did that was in 1953. At East Lansing Eric (The Flea) Allen scored four times as Michigan State whipped Minnesota 40-25. And in South Bend, Notre Dame overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit to beat Tulane 21-7 before scouts from the Sugar, Gator, Liberty and Fiesta Bowls. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl? Heaven help us all.

In the Big Eight all the great runners are not at Oklahoma and Nebraska. Colorado's Charlie Davis gained 342 yards in 34 carries—breaking Greg Pruitt's conference record set early this season and falling just eight yards short of Eric Allen's NCAA mark—as the Buffaloes routed Oklahoma State 40-6. Davis now has 1,190 yards for the year, breaking the school record set by Byron (Whizzer) White in 1937.

SOUTHWEST

1. HOUSTON (7-2)
2. TEXAS (7-2)
3. ARKANSAS (7-2-1)

This Texas team is only a shadow of its stampeding predecessors, yet now it seems likely that the Longhorns will be back home on that ol' familiar range on New Year's Day—the Cotton Bowl. After beating TCU 31-0 in its most impressive performance since early in the season, Coach Darrell Royal's gang now has a 5-1 Southwest Conference record. Their only conqueror, Arkansas, is 4-1-1 and shriveling up faster than a piece of frying bacon. To edge out Texas, the Razorbacks must beat Texas Tech Saturday, while the Longhorns must be upset by Texas A&M on Thanksgiving Day.

TCU held Texas to a 7-0 lead at halftime, but the Longhorns came out snorting in the third period. Even when Quarterback Eddie Phillips was injured—again—in the middle of a sustained drive, Donnie Wigginton jumped right in and took Texas on to its second touchdown. From there it was a case of who would gain the most yardage—Jim Bertelsen or Dennis Ladd. Bertelsen wound up with 94 to pass Steve Worster and become the second leading rusher in Texas history, trailing only Chris Gilbert. And Ladd, a sophomore, looked like the next Gilbert-Worster-Bertelsen as he gained 89 yards in 15 carries.

In another mediocre performance Arkansas squeezed past SMU 18-13. The Mustangs made a game out of it thanks mainly to some Arkansas bungling. Deep in their own territory, the Razorbacks put the ball in the air, and SMU Cornerback Pat Curry stole it and ran 34 yards for a TD to pull the Mustangs to 12-10. Moments later the Mustangs recovered a fumble, and Chipper Johnson kicked a field goal to give them the lead. Enter Dicky Morton, who led a late drive that culminated in Jon Richardson's game-winning touchdown run from the two.

EAST

1. PENN STATE (9-0)
2. DARTMOUTH (7-1)
3. CORNELL (7-1)

Even at halftime, when Cornell trailed Dartmouth 17-0 in the Ivy League's answer to the Super Bowl, none of Ed Marinaro's rooters were overly worried. The game was Cornell's only TV appearance, right? And Big Ed wanted to win the Heisman, right? And Cornell needed a win to insure its first undisputed Ivy title and its first unbeaten season since 1939, right? So surely in the second half Marinaro would come roaring out with that Frank Merriwell glint in his eyes and stomp Dartmouth into a big green pulp while Chris and Bud golly-gee-whizzed up there in the ABC booth. That's how it just had to end, didn't it?

Well, yes and no. Marinaro did indeed bestir himself after an unspectacular first half. Early in the third quarter Cornell scored after a blocked punt and nine straight Marinaro carries. The next time Cornell got its hands on the ball, Marinaro broke a 46-yard touchdown run, by far his biggest gainer of the day. Right then would have been a fine time for the Indians to fold up their tents and fade into the sunset. Instead, Quarterback Steve Stetson, who did not know he was going to start until 1½ hours before kickoff, pulled his team together and took it on a quick touchdown march for a 24-14 lead. And early in the final period, when Cornell had a fourth and four on the Dartmouth 22, the Indians' Weymoth Crowell stopped Marinaro short of a first down. That ended Cornell's last serious threat because the Big Red does not have any such thing as a catch-up offense. In the waning moments, when it should have been going for the bomb, Cornell still was running Marinaro into the line, as if it was sitting on a 10-point lead. When it was apparent that Cornell was done, a segment of the Indian cheering section could not resist sticking a fork in Marinaro, serenading him with that old ditty we all know and love, "Goodby Heisman." Which, of course, was slightly out of tune with Marinaro's statistics: 177 yards and two TDs on 44 carries.

Over at University Park, Pa., against North Carolina State, Penn State got off like the Penn Central. Slow, that is. After three quarters the nation's No. 2 scoring team was ahead by only 7-3, but then it was All Aboard! and away we go. When the express finally stopped rolling, Penn State had a 35-3 victory—its ninth of the year and 14th straight. The locomotive, as usual, was Lydell Mitchell, who scored three of Penn State's four last-quarter touchdowns. His four-touchdown outburst gave Mitchell 25 for the season, breaking the NCAA record set by Art Luppino of Arizona way back in 1954.

It was a booming week for the military, too, as Army topped Pitt 17-14 on Jim Barclay's 20-yard field goal, and Navy dumped puzzling Syracuse by the same score. Boston College (7-2) was held to zero yardage in the first half but rallied to beat Northern Illinois 20-10. Across town, Boston U. took on Delaware, the nation's top small-college team, and got a 54-0 drubbing. And for all you Gary Wichard fans (SI, Nov. 15), the nation's top small-college quarterback passed for three TDs and 232 yards as C.W. Post routed Kings Point 47-0.

WEST

1. ARIZONA STATE (8-1)
2. USC (6-4)
3. STANFORD (7-3)

In the last exciting installment of the Perils of the Pacific Eight, we learned that Stanford had won the league championship and the accompanying trip to the Rose Bowl. And that the Pac Eight was really the Pac Seven because California was on NCAA probation for playing two young men who had been declared scholastically ineligible. But wonder of wonders, now we find that California is hypothetically eligible after all. And if it is, and if the Bears beat Stanford this week, then it might be California against Michigan in the Rose Bowl instead of the Indians.

It works like this: The attorneys for Isaac Curtis and Larry Brumsey showed up in U.S. District Court last week charging that the NCAA had acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in ruling the players ineligible because they did not take the 1.6 predictability test as required. The action further charged that the NCAA had violated the due process clause of the 14th amendment. The matter turned into a civil-rights hearing when expert witnesses were introduced to testify that the college admission tests discriminate against blacks and underprivileged students. The case was heard by Judge Albert C. Wollenberg in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, who recessed the hearing and tentatively scheduled another late this month.

Should the judge grant the requested injunction, Cal's probation would be lifted and the Bears' 4-2 Pac Eight record would count in the league standings. And if the Bears also beat Stanford, then each would have a 5-2 record, and Cal just might get the Rose Bowl bid by virtue of its win over the Indians. "The court has not shut us out yet," said Coach Ray Willsey.

The Bears kept their ball rolling by beating Oregon 17-10 at Eugene. With the score tied late in the last period, Sam Garamendi intercepted an Oregon pass at the Duck 38 after it bounced off the shoulder pads of an Oregon receiver. Seven straight carries by Steve Kemnitzer put the ball on the four, and from there Rick Jones scored the winner with just 54 seconds left.

Meanwhile, Stanford, which has long since proven that it can lose to just about anybody, was embarrassed by San Jose State 13-12, thanks at least in part to some uncharacteristically shoddy kicking by Rodrigo Garcia, who has been troubled by a bad heel. Going into the game Garcia led the nation in field goals with 14 and had accounted for 64 points. But against San Jose he missed five field-goal attempts and even an extra point. His last missed field goal came with 17 seconds left and Stanford on San Jose's three-yard line. All day Garcia had been off to the left, so this time he tried to compensate with a strong kick to the right. It missed, too, and Stanford was done. The blame had to be shared, however. The Indians gave San Jose a TD in the first half when, on fourth down, Punter Steve Murray fumbled a poor snap in the end zone, then tried to run it out instead of settling for a safety. He was tackled on the one by Linebacker Dave Chancy, and San Jose was set up for an easy score. Also, Quarterback Don Bunce fumbled late in the game to stop a Stanford drive at the San Jose 40. Said Coach John Ralston, "I never thought until the last few seconds that we would lose this game." Well, no matter what happens to Stanford, San Jose may just have won itself a bowl trip to Pasadena—for the Pasadena Bowl on Dec. 18.

It was a weird day in Seattle, where Washington played host to USC. Instead of the high-scoring affair that everyone expected, the score was only 12-10, in Washington's favor, with only 3:40 left to play. Then came the biggest giveaway this side of foreign aid. Backed up in their own territory with a two-point lead, the Huskies made no attempt to run out the clock. Instead, Sonny Sixkiller went to the air and was intercepted by USC's Skip Thomas at the Huskies' 40. Four plays took the Trojans to the Washington 11. From there it was an easy chip shot for Kicker Mike Rae with 2:12 left. "It'll take a whole year for me to get over this one," moaned Huskie Coach Jim Owens.

Quarterback Rocky Long scored three TDs and passed for another as New Mexico beat Texas-El Paso 49-13 in the Western Athletic Conference. And Arizona State bowled over Wyoming 52-19 to win its third straight WAC title. Trailing 6-3 early in the third quarter, Arizona State began to roll behind Steve Holden's 90-yard punt return. According to Holden, he was supposed to run outside but went up the middle instead because his vision was blocked by beads of sweat in his eye.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

THE LINEMAN: San Jose Linebacker Dave Chancy (5'11" and 218 pounds) made 14 individual tackles, recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass in his team's 13-12 upset of Stanford. One recovery set up a San Jose TD.

THE BACK: Colorado's Charlie Davis gained 342 yards on 34 carries—including a 67-yard TD run—as the Buffaloes whipped Oklahoma State 40-6. His total, a Big Eight record, missed the national mark by only eight yards.