Shaw awes Missouri
Toughness evident as South Carolina stuns No. 5 Tigers
half shutout and recorded a 42-14 win. Stanford, Oregon’s Pac-12 North rival, was quickly dismissed as a national contender following an inexplicable loss to Utah, but the Cardinal earned big wins against ranked opponents UCLA and Oregon State in consecutive weeks, thanks to a stout defense. That defense will be tested against the Ducks on Nov. 7. Florida State cleared perhaps its biggest hurdle so far this season by avoiding a letdown against N.C. State. The Seminoles — who were coming off a big 51-14 win over then-No. 3 Clemson — traditionally drop a game against a team they should beat. However, FSU grabbed a 42-0 halftime lead against the Wolfpack on Saturday on their way to a 49-17 win. Ohio State looked impressive during its 63-14 win over Penn State. The Buckeyes rolled up 686 yards of offense. Braxton Miller Never question quarterback Connor Shaw’s toughness. Shaw, who was held out of the South Carolina starting lineup because of a knee injury, entered the Missouri game with the Gamecocks trailing the Tigers 17-0 in the third quarter. Shaw led the comeback that sent the game into overtime. The Gamecocks earned the win in double overtime and his teammates fittingly returned the favor by carrying him off the field on their shoulders. Excuse Florida and Georgia if they suffer from Schadenfreude, but Missouri’s misfortune Saturday night was the best thing that could have happened for the Gators and the Bulldogs. The Tigers’ loss opened the door for both in the SEC East title race. It also makes the FloridaGeorgia rivalry game in Jacksonville a bit more meaningful. There’s Alabama and then there’s everyone else in the Southeastern Conference. Once again, the Crimson Tide appear to be the cream of the crop when it comes to talent in the SEC. The East is a disaster thanks to Missouri’s loss, and the second-best team in the West is Auburn, which is coming off a three-win season in 2012. Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge Oregon’s high-powered ... defense? While everybody points to the great job Mark Helfrich has done with the Ducks offense, it’s the defense that stepped to the forefront Saturday night by holding then-No. 12 UCLA under 300 yards. The Ducks pitched a second- passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more. It’s just too bad the rest of the Big Ten isn’t living up to its part of deal. Reports of Mack Brown’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. In September, the veteran Texas coach was facing a grim future after back-to-back embarrassing losses and a change at defensive coordinator. But the Longhorns have looked impressive running off four straight victories and are in contention for the Big 12 title. Clear Thursday, Nov. 7, on your calendar. That’s when Oklahoma travels to Baylor and Oregon travels to Stanford for two of the biggest games so far this season. There are 34 bowl-eligible teams after this weekend’s play, including some surprises, such as Tulane, Buffalo and Auburn. The three teams were a combined 9-27 last season.