Stewart Mandel's Three-Point Stance

1  Texas Tech(8-0) finally has a defense to complement its high-octane offense. Thesixth-ranked Red Raiders had high hopes of fielding their best D in MikeLeach's nine years as coach, and in a 63-21 defeat of Kansas it didn'tdisappoint, holding QB Todd Reesing to a season-low 154 passing yards. Next up:Heisman front-runner Colt McCoy of Texas.

2  Virginia'sturnaround has been astounding. After allowing 42.7 points per game in threeearly losses, the Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1 in the ACC) have won four straightgames--including two against ranked teams, North Carolina and Georgia Tech--inwhich their opponents averaged a mere 12.5 points.

3 Seventh-ranked USC (6-1) has the nation's most dominant defense, but itsoffense remains inconsistent. In a 17-10 win at Arizona, the Trojans took thelead midway through the third quarter, then couldn't put the Wildcatsaway--punting five times and missing a field goal on their last sixpossessions.