Oct 27, 2012 4 min read

What a tough day to be a highly ranked team. All sorts of ambitions came crashing down in a handful of Top 25 upsets on Saturday, none more costly than No. 3 Florida’s loss to Georgia. The 12th-ranked Bulldogs stuffed the Gators, giving Florida its first loss of the season and damaging their chances to make the SEC title game, let alone the BCS title game. Southern California’s national title hopes took another hit when they were upset in the desert. New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez got a signature win of the sort that mostly eluded him at Michigan, bumping off the Trojans 39-36 thanks to a huge day by quarterback Matt Scott. Scott scored on a 10-yard run, then found Dan Buckner on a 9-yard touchdown pass to pull Arizona within 28-26 after the Wildcats recovered a fumble. The Wildcats sniffed out a double reverse on fourth-and-2, stopping Marqise Lee a yard short, and marched 72 yards for a 7-yard touchdown run by Ka’Deem Carey that put Arizona up 32-28 after the 2-point conversion failed. No. 2 Oregon 70, Colorado 14: Kenjon Barner rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 2 Oregon easily took care of Colorado in advance of next weekend’s Pac-12 showdown with USC. The Ducks (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) built a 56-0 lead by halftime and their 70 points were the most they’d ever scored against a conference opponent. It was Oregon’s 11th straight overall victory dating to a 38-35 loss at home to USC last season. No. 4 Kansas State 55, No. 15 Texas Tech 24: Collin Klein accounted for four touchdowns, and Arthur Brown returned an interception 37 yards for another score. Klein was 19 of 26 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and had 83 yards and two more scores on the ground – bolstering his credentials for the Heisman Trophy. Arizona 39, No. 10 USC 36: Matt Scott had 469 total yards and accounted for four touchdowns, helping Arizona overcome a huge day by Southern California’s Marqise Lee. Lee caught 16 passes for a Pac-12-record 345 yards and two touchdowns to help USC (6-2, 4-2 Pac-12) build a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. No. 11 48, Duke 7: EJ Manuel threw two touchdown passes and Devonta Freeman ran for two more scores to lead No. 11 Florida State to a 48-7 victory over Duke. Florida State’s win coupled with North Carolina State’s loss to North Carolina puts the Seminoles back in control of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division while Duke (6-3, 3-2) dropped out of the undisputed lead in the league’s muddled Coastal Division. No. 17 South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35: Connor Shaw threw three touchdowns and ran for another score, and No. 17 South Carolina overcame the loss of tailback Marcus Lattimore. Tyler Bray had driven the Vols to South Carolina’s 19 with 1:08 left when he was hit from behind by defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The ball popped loose and linebacker Shaq Wilson recovered. Kent State 35, No. 18 Rutgers 23: Defensive end Mark Fackler returned his second interception 25 yards for a touchdown, and Kent State forced five other turnovers in its biggest win since it started playing football in 1920. The Golden Flashes (7-1) had been 0-22 against ranked teams, but they ended the best start for Rutgers (7-1) since the Scarlet Knights were 9-0 in 2006. No. 21 Boise State 45, Wyoming 14: D.J. Harper rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 21 Boise State to its seventh straight win. Harper scored on runs of 12 and 3 yards, and Joe Southwick completed 20 of 28 passes for 198 yards and one interception for the Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West). The Boise State offense was an efficient 12 of 14 on third down conversions and scored on all five its red zone opportunities. Miami (Ohio) 23, No. 23 Ohio 20: Ohio gambled by going for one more play instead of a tying field goal, and Tyler Tettleton was sacked as time ran out. The Bobcats (7-1, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) went for it all in their first game as a ranked team since 1968, when they finished the season at No. 20. They had a little history on their side – Ohio had won the last six games in one of the MAC’s edgiest rivalries.