The interesting thing as we get to mid-November is how many conferences races are still up in the air. Both divisions in the Big 12 are pretty much up for grabs, a lot of things could happen in the ACC, Iowa and Ohio State are deadlocked at the top of the Big Ten and Washington State still has a couple big games left on the Pac-10 schedule.

It seems that this year more than any other we are seeing two or three teams at the top of every league that have a shot to win the conference title. The matchups are great, games that once meant nothing now have added significance and it's great for college football.

As proven with Oklahoma's 30-26 loss to Texas A&M, it does not matter how teams lose but rather when they lose.

	Quentin Griffin and the Sooners dug a big hole with the loss to Texas A&M.

Unbeaten teams that suffer defeats in November are pretty much done in the national championship race, but I think it is utterly laughable that people are ranking Oklahoma the sixth-best team in the nation. The Sooners are third in my rankings because I do not subscribe to the theory that a team has to drop five or six spots in the polls after a loss.

Oklahoma behind Texas? Come on, you don't need a computer to tell that OU beat the Longhorns convincingly just a few weeks ago. And despite last weekend's loss, I would still take Oklahoma against Washington State, Ohio State and Iowa.

But it should be pointed out that for all the accolades OU's defense has gotten this year, it did not have a good game against A&M. In giving up over 400 yards of total offense, the Sooners did not get a consistent pass rush which allowed Aggies freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal to be very comfortable in the pocket. OU's safeties were out of position on a lot of plays, the hitch-and-go routes worked on the corners and defenders took a lot of bad angles.

That being said, Texas A&M had a great game plan that exploited the weaknesses of the OU defense. A lot of the long passes the Aggies completed were to the middle of the field and they did a good job of attacking the Oklahoma safeties in difficult positions. McNeal also did a good job pump-faking a couple of times and getting the Oklahoma defenders to bite.

The offensive staff had a tremendous plan that was executed well and McNeal was fantastic with his four touchdown passes.They deserve credit as much as the Oklahoma defense deserves criticism.

'Canes back on top
I was impressed with Miami's 26-3 win over Tennessee. After Cedric Houston's 74-yard run on the second play of the game, I started to wonder if it was going to be the same story we've seen in recent weeks, but the Hurricanes played like a different team after that and answered all the challenges the way a championship team should.

Tennessee had nothing to lose and could have thrown anything at Miami, but the 'Canes played physical football and showed a lot of heart. The drop in the polls and all the talk about how they were struggling were good for them because they got mad. And when they show up to play, no one can beat them.

Miami could have added to the winning margin had it not called off the dogs in the second half. Larry Coker might be the nicest coach in the world, because he did the same thing last year in the Rose Bowl against Nebraska. This game could have been much worse.

This is a great team that will be in Tempe if the players keep their heads on straight. The Hurricanes are clearly the No. 1 team in the nation.

I know some people will get on me for dropping Miami to No. 2 last week and pushing them back up this week, but that's college football. Teams are evaluated on a week-to-week basis and last year or two months ago have no bearing. It's all about what teams are doing right now and I have no problem saying the 'Canes are the top team.

Buckeyes find a way
If Ohio State plays against Michigan like it did it its 10-6 win over Purdue, the Buckeyes will lose to the Wolverines. But give OSU credit for pulling out the win because championship teams find a way to get it done in games like that.

Craig Krenzel's game-winning, fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins reminds me of Eric Crouch's touchdown reception against Oklahoma last year. Nebraska had posters made up of that play and I'm sure Jenkins' catch will become "The Play" of this season for Ohio State. Krenzel throwing a strike while running forward in the pocket was truly fantastic.

That being said, we were able to see in this game what happens to the Ohio State offense without a consistent running game. Purdue did a great job stuffing the run and dominating the Buckeyes on the line of scrimmage while holding them under 100 yards rushing on the day.

But Purdue continued to kill itself. The Boilers moved the ball up and down the field but could not convert thanks to an interception in the end zone and missed field goals. They have to feel like they should have won the game, but give Ohio State credit for finding a way to win and remaining undefeated.

Cougars powering through the Pac-10
Washington State is separating itself from the rest of the conference after its 32-21 win at home over Oregon. The Cougars have the best trio of wide receivers in college football, Jermaine Greene is running the ball nicely and Jason Gesser has been very good as usual.

The challenge for WSU going into the game was whether or not it could line up and stop the run. Oregon's Onterrio Smith helped the Ducks smash the Cougars last year with 285 rushing yards and Ohio State's Maurice Clarett ran for 240 against Washington State earlier this year in its only loss.

The Cougars took a step forward in that department last weekend, holding Smith and his sore toe to 60 yards on 23 carries. Greene countered that with 180 yards of his own to take some of the pressure off Gesser and the talented threesome of Mike Bush, Devard Darling and Jerome Riley.

Washington State also gets good pressure on the quarterback, has a great offense and great team speed. They will remain a very good team as long as it stays physical.

Getting better in the Big Ten
I have been critical of the Big Ten recently, but the conference deserves a little bit of credit. There are some good teams at the top of that league.

After what Iowa did to Northwestern in a 62-10 rout, there is no doubt the Hawkeyes are the best team in the Big Ten. It was only Northwestern, but they way they conducted themselves was impressive. Iowa came out, took the first drive in for a touchdown and never let up. The Wildcats had some success throwing the ball early, but the Hawkeyes did not mess around and made proper adjustments. This was a business-like win.

Michigan went up to Minnesota and came away with a 41-24 win, showing that when John Navarre is right and the defense is playing well the Wolverines might be able to beat anyone. Add that to Michican's 250 yards on the ground and the Wolverines are looking good right now.

To me, half of the members in a conference should be "really good", and the Big Ten is on its way there when you throw teams like Penn State in the mix. At least half of the teams are respectable at this point and that league is coming back.

Notre Dame
Notre Dame is okay despite the close call it had in a 30-23 win at Navy. People are saying the players are getting tired because of physical practices, but you have to think that everything about this season has been a little draining for the Irish. It seems that all the hype and excitement is starting to wear on them.

I've been part of teams that were terrible and it was easy. There are no media demands or other requests and the distractions are minimal. But I was also a part of national championship teams that had big games week-in and week-out, and that can take a toll on players. That is not to say that Notre Dame is emotionally spent, just a little worn out from all the excitement of the season.

You have to give the Irish credit, though, because they haven't looked good but still found a way to win last week. But they have turned the ball over eight times in the last two games and things will change if that continues.

Terps look like tops in the ACC
What has happened at Maryland this year is an even better story than last year's Cinderella run. People were writing the Terrapins off after injuries and two early losses left them at 1-2, but they have reeled off seven straight wins since then, including last week's 24-21 victory over NC State.

The coaching ability of Ralph Friedgen is now truly on display. His team is back in contention for the ACC championship and is the best in the ACC this year. Sure, Florida State beat Maryland earlier this year, but the way the Fridge has brought the Terps team together is impressive. They lead the conference in scoring defense at 15.1 points per game and are second in scoring offense at 34.6

What is amazing, though, is that FSU could wind up with four losses -- the season finale with Florida is dangerous -- and still make it into the BCS. But give the Seminoles credit for getting a big 21-13 win at home over Georgia Tech last weekend.

There has been some turmoil in Tallahassee in recent days with Stanford Samuels being suspended for the Wake Forest game and O.J Jackson leaving the team, but Samuels came up with two interceptions and at the end of the day the 'Noles found a way to win.

But this is not a great team, it is above-average. Adrian McPherson struggled to an 8-for-24 day and had just 142 passing yards, Greg Jones is out with a knee injury and I don't believe Florida State is the best team in it conference.

Cyclones waning, Wildcats surging
The schedule has been brutal to Iowa State and it looks like the Cyclones are finally dead after the 58-7 whipping they suffered at the hands of Kansas State. Any time a team rushed for 223 yards like K-State did against ISU, it means the players are getting tired.

Iowa State has some great players on its team, but the last thing a program needs to get to the next level is great depth. Some people would argue that no teams in college have great depth, but Iowa State is still a step below.

The Cyclones have been hurt by the fact that they have been in close games most of the year and have not been able to play their backups. The starters have been fighting for four quarters in nearly every game, and the unfair schedule has been just one more difficult thing to overcome.

Any team would have a tough time with the stretch ISU is in the middle of: at Oklahoma, at Texas, Missouri, at Kansas State, at Colorado.

Kansas State, on the other hand, has a defense that is playing well in limiting its last five opponents to 301 yards or less of total offense. Ell Roberson is doing a good job as a double-threat quarterback and Darren Sproles has gone over 1,000 yards rushing. The Wildcats are a fundamentally sound team and Nebraska is facing a tough test in Manhattan this coming weekend.

Wild finish may doom Wildcats
I've seen Hail Mary passes succeed before, usually when a player comes down with the ball in a crowd, but never in the fashion we saw in LSU's 36-30 win over Kentucky. I have never seen a quarterback throw a rope about 60 yards like LSU's Marcus Randall did, have it tipped and then have a receiver pluck it out of the air and take it in for the winning score with no time left like Devery Henderson did.

It will be interesting now to see how both teams respond to the game. The loss is devastating for Kentucky. To fight so hard for four quarters and lose on a fluke play is a killer, and who knows if UK can recover. But LSU got lucky and is still alive in the SEC West, and this might be the kind of win that gives the Tigers enough momentum to get to the SEC championship game.

Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for ESPN. He contributes a weekly column to ESPN.com.