Fasten your seat belts, college football fans. This season is fast becoming one of the most entertaining in recent years.

After an exciting first big week of action, this past Saturday turned out to be just as riveting. Sure, there were a number of one-sided blowouts, but there were also plenty of nail-biters that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Expect more of the same this week, with highlighted matchups including Marshall at Virginia Tech (Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), Michigan at Notre Dame, Washington State at Ohio State, Ole Miss at Texas Tech, USC at Colorado, Iowa State at Iowa and Nebraska at Penn State.

	Irish coach Tyrone Willingham has Notre Dame back to its winning ways.

As for the week past, Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham continues to work his magic in South Bend, as the Irish defeated Purdue 24-17. Notre Dame is 2-0 despite failing to score an offensive touchdown yet this season. Defense and special teams have been the key for the Irish, but in coming weeks, against the likes of Michigan and Michigan State, QB Carlyle Holiday and the Irish offense must sustain drives and generate points.

In the first two games, Holiday has completed just 24 of 49 passes for 276 yards and no TDs. To his credit, though, he has stayed away from interception. Sophomore RB Ryan Grant has gained 162 yards but he's averaging just 3.7 per carry.

Grant definitely has ability, and the Irish have to be excited with the promise displayed by redshirt freshman Rashon Powers-Neal (6-foot-2, 225 pounds), who had seven carries for 43 yards against Purdue. For a big back, Powers-Neal has demonstrated the necessary explosiveness.

However, as I stated last week, the veteran offensive line (four seniors and one junior) has to do a better job of moving defenders. Junior center Jeff Faine has been the only standout thus far. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a better interior offensive lineman in the entire nation than Faine. He has All-American written all over him.

While junior wideout Omar Jenkins is pacing the Irish with six catches, TE Gary Godsey is coming off a four-catch effort against Purdue. Arnaz Battle hauled in four receptions against Maryland but was shut out versus Purdue. Remember, Godsey and Battle are both converted QBs.

MIAMI RELOADS AT FLORIDA'S EXPENSE
Going into the showdown between defending national champ Miami (Fla.) and Florida at The Swamp, I said that the loser would have no excuses. Both squads were hit hard by key losses on both sides of the ball, particularly in terms of underclassmen leaving early for the NFL. One such loss for the Hurricanes was standout RB Clinton Portis. Fortunately for Larry Coker and his staff, Miami's running attack didn't miss a beat. In my opinion, sophomore Willis McGahee was the difference in the game.

Senior QB Ken Dorsey had his ups and down (16-of-32, 202 yards, four TD passes, three interceptions), which is why McGahee's performance was so critical. The physically talented 6-1, 225-pounder resembled former Miami star Edgerrin James, rushing for 204 yards on 24 carries (8.5-yard average).

Blue-chip sophomore TE Kellen Winslow Jr. also stepped up. The super-talented 6-4½, 235-pounder is fast becoming the Hurricanes' next star at tight end, following in the footsteps of Jeremy Shockey and Bubba Franks. Against Florida, Winslow hauled in four receptions for 42 yards.

The veteran Hurricane defensive front generated steady heat on Gators QB Rex Grossman, with Andrew Williams (five tackles, two for loss), William Joseph, Matt Walters, Vince Wilfork and Jerome McDougle leading the way. In the secondary, youngsters such as redshirt freshman Kelly Jennings (playing with a dislocated finger) and sophomore Antrel Rolle have effectively made up for the loss of Phillip Buchanon and Mike Rumph to the NFL.

Thus far, Coker and his staff have been able to take the term "reloading" to a completely new level. It will be interesting to see if this continues in the weeks to come when the Hurricanes take on Florida State at the Orange Bowl on Oct. 12 and Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 9.

SOONERS SEARCHING FOR "A" GAME
In Norman, Oklahoma nearly allowed a 23-3 halftime lead to slip away, holding on for a 37-27 victory over well-coached and extremely aggressive Alabama.

Alabama coach Dennis Franchione and his staff did a great job of pulling out all the stops and leaving nothing in the playbook. This was especially true on special teams, where the Crimson Tide surprised OU by recovering not one but two on-side kicks. The 'Bama special teams also ran a faked-FG play for a TD, blocked a punt for a TD and blocked a FG attempt. Kudos to special teams coach Mark Tommerdahl for a job masterfully done.

Remember, the Sooners struggled late last year as well, losing in Norman to Oklahoma State before beating Arkansas 10-3 in the Cotton Bowl. In the season opener this year, they failed to completely overwhelm Tulsa, even though the final score was 37-0. Keep in mind, those same Tulsa Golden Hurricanes lost on Saturday to Arkansas State, which was destroyed by Virginia Tech and also lost to San Jose State.

Over the past four games dating back to late last year, the Sooners have failed to come anywhere close to playing an "A" game. Additionally, the heartbreaking knee injury to QB Jason White means that senior Nate Hybl will be counted on to lead the Sooners the remainder of the campaign.

Entering preseason practice, it appeared that Hybl could be challenged for the backup job by highly regarded redshirt freshman Brent Rawls. But things changed dramatically in August when Hybl made enough strides to place himself in the mix for the starting role. The schedule allows Hybl time to settle in, with upcoming games against UTEP (beaten 77-17 by Kentucky on Saturday) and South Florida, both at Norman. In between those two contests, OU has a week off.

Defensively, the Sooners are also looking for a ringleader to emerge. During their national championship season in 2000, LB Torrance Marshall came up with game-changing plays on several occasions. Last season, LB Rocky Calmus and SS Roy Williams continued to be true difference-makers who set the tone. Remember also that during their national championship season, the Sooners benefited from the outstanding play of QB Josh Heupel. Since Heupel moved on, the QB position has been a major source of concern.

CAL SURPASSES LAST YEAR'S WIN TOTAL
In the Pac-10, the surprise so far has been the impressive 2-0 start of California, under the direction of new head coach Jeff Tedford. The former offensive coordinator at Oregon has done a great job in helping senior QB Kyle Boller realize the potential many envisioned when he signed as a high-profile recruit four years ago.

Through the first two games, Boller has been on fire, completing 63.8 percent of his passes and tossing five TDs with no interceptions. Boller's favorite target has been sophomore wideout Geoff McArthur, who leads the Golden Bears with 11 catches for 116 yards. In the backfield, senior Joe Igber paces the rushing attack, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry so far.

While the offense has stolen the spotlight, averaging 52 points per game, Cal's defense has limited the opposition to 17.5 per game. Senior DE Tully Banta-Cain was a one-man wrecking crew against New Mexico State on Saturday, finishing with 4½ sacks. The Golden Bears also are getting outstanding play from senior rover Nnamdi Asomugha.

Last year, Cal was a dismal 114th (next to last) in the nation in turnover (minus-17) margin, but thus far in 2002, the Golden Bears are second in the Pac-10 and eighth in the nation with a plus-6 margin.

Wins over Baylor and New Mexico State are satisfying -- especially after a 1-10 campaign in '01 -- and indicate Tedford is the right man for the job. But the schedule gets much more difficult in the weeks to come, beginning this week at Michigan State. Then, after hosting Air Force and Washington State, Cal travels to Washington and USC in back-to-back weeks.

FRESHMEN GIVE BADGERS SOME PUNCH
There is no questioning the fact that coach Barry Alvarez has found some quality new weapons at Wisconsin. With super blue-chip senior wideout Lee Evans recovering from April knee surgery, the Badgers have needed someone to get the job done at WR as they waited for Evans' return. Evans is progressing well and appears to be on target for the Oct. 5 home game versus Penn State.

Based on early indications, redshirt freshman WR Jonathan Orr has been a major surprise, bursting on the national scene with several eye-catching efforts in the early going. Through the first three games, Orr has 14 receptions for a whopping 20.4-yard average and three TDs.

Against West Virginia on Saturday, talented freshman WR Brandon Williams provided a major spark (six catches for 125 yards). Heading into August, sophomore WR Darrin Charles (6-5, 198) was expected to be the No. 1 option until Evans returned. But Charles has been bothered by a sprained ankle from preseason practice. Thus far, he has been limited to six receptions in three games.

Alvarez also has found a change of pace to Anthony Davis in the backfield. Freshman Dwayne Smith is averaging nearly 5 yards per carry and has scored two TDs. Redshirt freshman FB Matt Bernstein (6-2, 260) also has caught my eye. He has scored three TDs and has the ability to develop into quite a lead blocker.

FITZGERALD COULD FILL PITT'S WIDEOUT NEED
While the Pittsburgh Panthers fell to Texas A&M 14-12 at Heinz Field on Saturday, coach Walt Harris has to be pleased with the second-half performance of QB Rod Rutherford. After a dismal first half, when he was just 4-of-10 passing for 26 yards, Rutherford turned things around in the second half, delivering a number of accurate strikes to freshman sensation Larry Fitzgerald. In the second half, Rutherford completed 16 of 22 aerials for 143 yards.

With Antonio Bryant and R.J. English moving on after the 2001 campaign, Harris desperately needed a big-time wideout to step forward. Based on Saturday's effort, Fitzgerald appears to be the man. At 6-3 and 210 pounds, he has ideal size along with excellent natural pass-receiving skills. Against the Aggies, Fitzgerald caused major problems for A&M's blue-chip senior cover man Sammy Davis, hauling in 10 receptions for 103 yards.