Chip Kelly is God: Oregon isn’t losing, unless they beat themselves. They have solved the conundrum. Their no-huddle offense combines the explosive potential of the spread with a more relentless attrition than any power running game. They grind the opposition without grinding themselves. The Ducks have played good defenses this season and have scored at least 42 points every time.

Week Off: The weekend’s winner may have been idle Alabama. Michigan State and Missouri ahead of them lost. TCU and Utah still play each other. The Crimson Tide already have schedule strength. An undefeated close would add wins against LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and the SEC East Champion. It would vault them past a Boise State team cascading down the computer rankings. If they win out, they should be in the title game.

Time to Die, Bulldogs: Chris “Time to Die Bitch” Rainey was the catalyst. He returned from suspension for the first time. He ran for a 20-yard touchdown. Suddenly, the Florida offense looked versatile and reasonably frisky. They beat Georgia 34-31. The Gators have been disappointing, but wins against Vandy and South Carolina the next two weeks would return them to the SEC Title Game.

Déjà Vu: TV cameras during the Penn State loss caught Rich Rodriguez storming into Michigan’s defensive huddle, pushing his way past an expressionless Greg Robinson and berating his players. He connected with the Michigan community more at that moment than any other.

Michigan played a mundane and predictable Penn State coming off a bye week. They were favorites and they were comprehensively beaten. Michigan may be starting three-star freshmen, but Penn State played a walk-on at quarterback in his first start. Talent, athleticism and depth are issues. Tackling, basic decision-making and poor coverage schemes should not be.

Tragedy: Notre Dame lost to Tulsa at home last weekend. Sadly, that was a sideshow to a far more important incident. A student died. This is not a learning experience. This was not a “freak accident.” A plausible risk was ignored. A student died.  It was preventable.  Productivity trumped safety. Expediency should not trump responsibility.

[Photo via Getty]