As a part of College GameDay, I have the good fortune of being able to go the marquee matchup every weekend. Now that Texas and Oklahoma are truly among the elite in college football, one of my favorite weekends of the year is the trip to Dallas to see the Sooners and the Longhorns in the Red River Shootout. Seeing half of the Cotton Bowl dressed in burnt orange and the other half in crimson, and all the fans going crazy, makes for an unbelievable atmosphere.

	Andre Woolfolk snares this interception for the Sooners.

As for the game itself, Oklahoma ended up winning, 35-24 but it seemed like Texas had the upper hand early, and when Rod Babers intercepted Nate Hybl and took it back for a 14-3 lead there was a feeling that maybe this was the year the Longhorns would break through against the Sooners.

But then Antwone Savage returned a kickoff 81 yards to the Texas 16 and that was the turning point in the game. The subsequent drive, kept alive by an offsides call on the Longhorns' defense on a fourth-down play, ended with a touchdown pass to tight end Trent Smith and a gutsy call on the two-point conversion attempt that was caught by Curtis Fagan to cut the lead to just 14-11.

Texas got the ensuing kickoff around midfield and elected not to take a shot at the end zone, and when the two teams went into halftime the Oklahoma players and fans were going crazy while Texas was wondering what just happened. That set the table for OU to dominate the second half.

The Oklahoma offense kept running Quentin Griffin on the same play right at Texas and the Sooners' defense answered the questions about how it would contain quarterback Chris Simms and running back Cedric Benson. OU stepped up to the challenge and came away with an important win.

This game was pivotal because Oklahoma needed a game where the defense would answer the call and finally start to form its own identity after the loss of players like Roy Williams and Rocky Calmus. These kinds of games where the talented Sooners defenders build the chemistry and confidence that they can go out and dominate a game.

Something we continue to see is that the way Bob Stoops coaches at Oklahoma -- whether you call it coaching with confidence or with bravado -- rubs off on his team. His aggresive decisions in critical situations like the fourth-down situation against Texas and a fake field goal two weeks ago against Missouri give the Sooners an edge in every game they play.

I have felt all year that Oklahoma is one of the teams to beat, and they are especially tough now that the offense is starting to develop and perform in games when it has to step up. There are still some big games left for the Sooners (Iowa State, Colorado, at Texas A&M), but they are looking good.

This was another tough outing for Chris Simms against a big opponent, but he can go on to win some big games this year. Texas fans should be open-minded enough to remember him for something other than not beating Oklahoma.

'Canes survive determined Seminoles
Going into the Florida State-Miami game, the Hurricanes had to be careful of the Seminoles coming in as an underdog with nothing to lose. Instead, the 'Noles played like a team with everything to gain in the 28-27 loss. The game an be explained simply: one team was incredibly motivated and determined to win and another that couldn't match that enthusiasm for most of the day.

It has become obvious after Florida State's 298 rushing yards that the only way to beat Miami is to run the ball right up the gut of the defense if you have the personnel. Florida State did a good job of mixing in play-action passing, but what was really impressive was the way the defense played for three-plus quarters. It was lights-out in shutting down 'Canes running back Willis McGahee and not giving up the big play to Ken Dorsey. Give the Seminoles credit for coming in and playing with such determination.

Much has been said abut the way Florida State handled the final drive, but the only problem I had was with the lack of urgency. Two tremendous passes from Chris Rix to Talman Gardner got FSU to the Miami 25, but a 43-yard field goal is pretty long and the Seminoles might have been better off trying to get the ball a little closer -- to the 15 maybe.

Instead of accepting a 43-yard field goal, why not try to make it 30 yards. As for running the ball on the last play before the kick, the 'Noles were just trying to get the ball in the middle of the field. The Florida State players needed to get the Miami guys off the pile and get on the line a little faster, but they got the kick off on the next play and that's all that matters.

	Miami wide receiver Jason Geathers leaps into the end zone for the winning TD.

It should be noted that Miami came back and won this game by keeping their poise and passing the test. Coach Larry Coker's calm demeanor has a positive effect on his team, and having a quarterback like Dorsey under center when they are down 13 points with eight minutes to go means a lot. Dorsey did not have a great day, but when the game was on the line, an unbeaten record and the national championship on the line, he and the rest of the 'Canes produced. That says a lot about Ken's ability as a leader.

Michigan's gaining confidence
The problem for John Navarre has been finding confidence. What he was able to do on the road at Illinois two weeks ago, throwing for 264 yards and four scores, was a nice springboard for the game against Penn State. You knew that if the offensive line could protect him that Navarre would have some opportunities to throw the ball against the Penn State secondary.

The line held up and gave him a chance, and that was the big key in the Wolverines' 27-24 overtime win. The Nittany Lions were coming off a game at Wisconsin in which they had seven sacks and it was impressive to see Michigan protect Navarre like it did.

Equally impressive was a beleaguered Wolverines secondary holding its own against one of the most talented and versatile attacks in the Big Ten. The Michigan defense came into the game ranked near the bottom of the NCAA in pass defense, but it made the plays that were needed and kept Penn State out of the end zone in the overtime period. This was a vintage Michigan win -- using good defense and a balanced offense to get a big victory.

Penn State will be fine, even after two overtime losses in the conference, because this is a program that has been down the last couple of years, and there is plenty of leadership on that team. A lot of those players were around for the last two losing seasons and were humiliated, and they are resilient enough to bounce back from a couple of tough losses to have a good season.

Ducks keep flying high
In Oregon's 31-30 win over UCLA, Mike Bellotti and his staff again proved that the Ducks continue to consistently win games and put points on the board. They recruit well, have a system that works and players in Southern California and all along the West Coast want to go there.

Now what we're also seeing Jason Fife living up to what many thought he could do based on what Mike Belotti told us. He has a good feel for what Oregon is trying to do and made some big plays when they were needed. You combine that with receivers Keenan Howry, who is getting healthier, and Samie Parker and the running of Onterrio Smith and this is an offense that will attack you. They will throw anywhere on any down and run it anywhere on any down. You have to be ready to defend a balanced attack that has a lot of playmakers.

I think Oregon wants that young defense to just keep getting better. It sounds crazy, but to go on the road and hold UCLA to 30 points, with the way Cory Paus is playing, is a pretty good feat. In the Pac-10 that is legitimate. They need to keep becoming better because the last thing Oregon needs is to get into a situation where they are in a shootout every week and have to rely on the offense to outscore the other team. That inexperienced defense is becoming more experienced and needs to step up.

Grossman, Gators searching
The Gators are pressing right now, and in the attempt to search for answers they look discombobulated at times. Because Rex is the featured player with so much potential, the onus is on him and he wants to make plays so bad that he is forcing things and making bad plays.

Nick Saban is a great defensive coach and LSU put together a great play to take advantage of Florida's concerns on offense. You just have to wonder at this stage what direction Florida is going to go in. Have they reached the point where Ron Zook and the staff could potentially lose this team? That is a major concern for this team, especially looking at their schedule.

Players of the Week

Iowa defense - Coming into the weekend, the offense had been carrying the Hawkeyes and the pass defense was the question, especially against Charles Rogers. The Hawkeyes sacked Michigan State 3 times, caused 5 turnovers and contained Rogers.

Chris Brown - Colorado's tailback ran for 299 yards and 2 TDs. The Buffs have to be one of the best turnaround stories this year. The same team that had 61 total yards against USC is still unbeaten in conference play.

Greg Jones - The 'Noles back ran 31 times for 189 yards and symbolized FSU's effort in Miami.

Greg Bragg and Cory Paus - The Bruins came up short against Oregon, but it wasn't because of Paus (17-of-31 for 316 yards and 3 TDs) and Bragg (9 catches for 230 yards and 3 TDs).

Cody Pickett - Washington's QB threw for 335 yards and 3 TDs in the Huskies' 32-28 win over Arizona. Two losses have put UW off the radar, but his performance every week needs to be noticed.

Quentin Griffin - Griffin had 248 of the Sooners 266 yards rushing. He has 9 TDs in OU's last three games against Texas.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN College GameDay.