Smith completed 13 of 21 passes for a career-high 298 yards and three touchdowns while the usually conservative Ohio State offense rolled over Illinois 40-2 on Saturday. The senior quarterback has led an Ohio State offense that has rolled off four wins in a row since losing to Penn State in Happy Valley. Over the past month, Smith has completed 65 percent of his passes for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He has come into form at exactly the right time, with OSU still in the race for the Big Ten title. Smith needs to lead the Buckeyes to win against Northwestern and for Michigan to keep the pressure on first-place Penn State.
Miami helped clear up the top of the BCS standings by downing Virginia Tech 27-7 on Saturday. The Hurricanes shut down the Hokies' explosive Marcus Vick, forcing him into six turnovers and holding him to 8 of 22 for only 90 yards.
Miami has been clawing their way back up the rankings after their season opening loss at Florida State. The 'Canes have won seven in a row and if they win out they will get the chance to play for the ACC title. They have been clicking on all cylinders as the defense has held opposing offenses to fewer than 200 yards and the offense has scored 27 points or more in five straight games.
If you are looking to show the country that you deserve consideration for the Heisman trophy, the last thing you need is a bad performance. Vick delivered just that, with the worst performance of his college career on Saturday in Virginia Tech's 27-7 loss to Miami. Vick went 8-for-22 for 90 yards passing, was intercepted twice, sacked four times and lost four fumbles. The Hurricanes turned those turnovers into 17 points and all but ended the Hokies' quest for a national title.
Vick and his team were on the way to the ACC title game and perhaps had a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl. Now they have to hope for some help to even have a chance at the ACC.
UCLA had to have gone into Arizona expecting an easy win Saturday. Perhaps overconfidence set in, as the previously undefeated Bruins were upended by the Wildcats 52-14. Arizona had previously lost 19 of its last 21 Pac-10 home games and had not beaten a team ranked as high as UCLA since 1992.
UCLA's luck finally ran out after mounting comebacks to win three of their previous four games. Arizona dominated the Bruins from start to finish, scoring on its first four possessions while building a 31-7 halftime lead. The Bruins were finished when the Wildcats rolled off two quick scores in a 53-second span in the second half to go up 45-7.
