Stanford — This was no fluke. This was domination. Two years after winning at the L.A. Coliseum as a 41-point underdog, Stanford rolled past the mighty Trojans of USC with stunning ease. The Cardinal seized control with a 14–0 spurt to start the game and blew things open with a 27-point fourth quarter en route to the 55–21 win. The 55 points were the most ever allowed by USC and the 34-point margin of defeat was the largest since the Trojans’ 37–3 loss to Notre Dame in 1985. Stanford outgained USC 469 to 334 and received another monster performance from senior tailback Toby Gerhart, who ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. Stanford, now 7–3 overall and 6–2 in the Pac-10, still has a shot at its first league title since 1999.

TCU — The Horned Frogs won the battle of undefeated Mountain West teams, rolling past Utah, 55–28, with ease before a rare sellout in Fort Worth. TCU jumped out to a 35–7 lead early in the second quarter and coasted the rest of the way en route to its fifth straight win of 27 points or more. Quarterback Andy Dalton, as usual, was efficient (17-of-29 for 207 yards), and tailback Edward Wesley posted his first-ever 100-yard game, running for 137 on 12 carries. The Frogs are now fourth in the BCS and both the AP and coaches poll, but they still remain a long shot to play in the national title game.

Pittsburgh — This is far from a vintage Notre Dame team, but any win over the Fighting Irish is a good win. The Panthers improved to a very quiet 9–1 with a 27–22 win over Notre Dame Saturday night at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh took control with a 27–9 lead early in the fourth quarter but had to hold off a late rally to secure its second straight win over the Irish. True freshman Dion Lewis was the offensive star for the Panthers, rushing for 152 yards on 21 carries. It was the fifth consecutive 100-yard game for Lewis. Pittsburgh has a week off before closing the season at West Virginia and vs. Cincinnati in a game that likely will decide the Big East title.

Disappointments of the Week

USC — What has happened to the mighty Trojans? A defense that gave up an average of 8.6 points through the first five games has allowed 27 points or more in four of the past give games. The most recent debacle — a 55–21 loss at home to Stanford — was without a doubt the low point of the Pete Carroll era. “I’m not sure I have the right words to describe being humbled like this. I don’t really know where to put it. ... We have fallen apart and given our opponents the opportunity to do whatever they want, but you have to give Stanford a lot of credit,” Carroll said after the loss.

South Florida — The Bulls traveled to Rutgers with revenge on their minds but headed back to Tampa with a 31–0 defeat — the first shutout loss in program history. South Florida was limited to seven first downs and 159 total yards. Quarterback B.J. Daniels’ final stat line was a disaster — 7-of-17 for 129 yards with two INTs and 11 net yards rushing on 16 attempts. South Florida has now lost four straight to Rutgers, the last two by a combined 80–16. The Bulls, now 6–3 overall and 2–3 in the Big East, dropped out the national rankings.

Tennessee — It was a tough week on Rocky Top. Two days after three Tennessee players were arrested on charges of attempted armed robbery, the Vols went out and played one of their worst games of the season, a 42–17 loss at Ole Miss. There is no shame in losing in Oxford, but Tennessee looked lethargic and disinterested in a game that could mean the difference between an 8–4 and 7–5 regular-season record. The Vols will be heavily favored to beat both Vanderbilt and Kentucky, but this past Saturday afternoon they sure didn’t act like a team that is excited about the rest of the season.

Player of the Week

Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss — He’s technically a wide receiver, but McCluster does it all for the Ole Miss offense. Saturday against Tennessee, the senior gained 324 all-purpose yards, including 282 on the ground, and scored four touchdowns to lead the Rebels to a surprisingly easy 42–17 win. The 282 rushing yards were the most ever gained against Tennessee.

Freshman of the Week

Landry Jones, Oklahoma — The Sooners appear to be set at the quarterback position for the next several years. Jones, a redshirt freshman filling in for the injured Sam Bradford, completed 24-of-39 attempts for 393 yards with five touchdowns as Oklahoma cruised to a 65–10 win over Texas A&M in Norman.

Under the Radar Wins

• Rice broke through with its first win of the season, beating Tulane 28–20 in Houston.

• UAB won at Memphis 31–21 to improve to 4–2 in C-USA, clinching its first .500 or better league record since 2004.

• North Carolina beat Miami (Fla.) 33–24 for its third straight win.

• Wyoming improved to 5–5 overall and 3–3 in the MWC with a comeback win over San Diego State.

• Missouri bounced back from a loss at home to Baylor by winning convincingly, 38–12, at Kansas State.

Notes

• Colin Kaepernick was five yards away from giving Nevada three 100-yard rushers in a game for the second time this season. Kaepernick, a junior quarterback, rushed for 95 yards in the Wolf Pack’s 52–14 win over Fresno State. Running backs Vai Taua (179 yards) and Luke Lippincott (149) easily topped the century mark.

• Florida finished the SEC season with a perfect 8–0 record for the first time since 1996.

• Missouri wideout Danario Alexander hit the 200-yard mark in consecutive games, catching 10 passes for 200 yards in the win over Kansas State one week after catching 13 for 214 in a loss to Baylor.

• Since Tom O’Brien left Boston College for NC State after the 2006 season, the Eagles are 16–6 in the ACC with two appearances in the league title game while the Pack are 8–14 in conference play.

• Indiana has not had a winning Big Ten record since 1993, when Bill Mallory’s team went 5–3 en route to the Independence Bowl.

• Arizona State is the highest ranked team in scoring defense (29th, 21.0 ppg) with a losing record (4–6).

• BYU leads the nation in scoring on the road, averaging 45.4 points in five games.

• Texas A&M, which lost at Oklahoma 65–10 on Saturday, has three losses of 28 points or more and four wins of 22 points or more.

• Baylor has scored 14 points or less in five of the six games since Robert Griffin went down with a torn ACL in Week 4 against Kent State.

• Connecticut, which returns to action at Notre Dame after a bye, has lost its five games by an average of three points.