Everyone knew going into last weekend's game against Florida State that Notre Dame's would try to take away Greg Jones' ability to run and force Chris Rix to make decisions in the passing game, and that's exactly what the Irish were able to do in a 34-24 win.

Shutting down an FSU running game that gave Miami fits allowed Notre Dame to be creative with its pressure, and it seemed like Rix was scrambling every time he dropped back because of the combination of coverage and pressure. The Irish shut down the run with a physical front seven and safeties that flew to the ball to make big hits, and the talent of Shane Walton and Vontez Duff gives them flexibility.

And then Notre Dame did in the third quarter what has become its trademark, forcing turnovers to break open a 10-10 game. Linebacker Courtney Watson got it going with an interception that led to a field goal, a Rix fumble led to a touchdown shortly thereafter and Leon Washington's fumble on the ensuing kickoff led to the last of ND's 17 unanswered points.

Notre Dame is obviously now a proven contender. What it has done the last two weeks against Air Force and FSU has earned more respect than anything that happened in the first six weeks.

It's all because of great defense against a variety of offenses, changing philosophies against various opponents, and growing confidence in and offense that has a great running game and is protecting Carlyle Holiday better. Arnaz Battle has speed at wideout and the Irish are finding ways to get the ball to him, Omar Jenkins and Maurice Stovall.

There is no reason to think Notre Dame won't be undefeated going into the USC game on Nov. 30. The toughest thing to deal with now is that everyone will expect the Irish to kill Boston College this week as opposed to thinking this might be the week they stumble.

How they handle those expectations will be interesting, but Tyrone Willingham has this team on a mission and it would be a shock to see them go through the motions against the Eagles.

But just because Florida State gave Miami all it could handle and then got beat up by Notre Dame doesn't mean the Irish are better than the Hurricanes. If we sat down and compared scores all day we could probably make a case for Bowling Green as the best team in the nation.

College football is week-to-week, and Florida State played with desire and hunger against Miami because it rallied as a huge underdog. But the Seminoles team that played Notre Dame reminded me of the one I saw in person against Clemson and Louisville, a team that is no longer good enough to just show up and expect to dominate.

The 'Noles need a little anger and attitude the rest of the way like they had in the Orange Bowl against Miami.

Big rout in the Big House
The Iowa Hawkeyes are also gaining respect every week, especially after a 34-9 whipping of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They have the most explosive offense in the Big Ten, one that can hurt you running the ball with Fred Russell or with Brad Banks throwing to a plethora of talented receivers, and with his ability to scramble Banks also gives them a third way to drive defensive coordinators nuts.

What was really surprising, though, was the way Iowa went into Michigan Stadium, where the Wolverines historically find ways to win big games, and flat-out dominated the Wolverines offense. Michigan rushed the ball 20 times for just 22 yards against an Iowa defense that won the battles at the line of scrimmage and dominated the U of M offensive front.

People in Ann Arbor want to point the finger at John Navarre but they might take a look at the offensive line, which has traditionally been a strength at Michigan. On this particular day they looked like the Achilles' Heel of that offense.

Meanwhile, Iowa keeps becoming more confident. Coach Kirk Ferentz has been able to build this program in the right way, taking the time to put together some great recruiting classes, and all of a sudden this team is a real contender in the conference.

ASU poised for Pac-10 showdown
Washington decided to sit way back against Andrew Walter and force Arizona State to run the ball and throw short passes, and that is what Arizona State did in a 27-16 win against the Huskies. Walter didn't have 300 yards like usual, but he was efficient and didn't make big mistakes and showed that there is more to that team than one way for this offense to skin a cat.

And don't forget about Terrell Suggs on defense. He had 4.5 sacks against the Huskies and now has 17.5 on the year. This guy is a speed demon off the edge. He helped the ASU defense hold Cody Pickett to just 210 yards passing after he entered the game with at least 300 in every prior outing, sacking him eight times all told and allowing just 70 passing yards through three quarters.

Take notice when a team plays defense like that in the Pac-10, because you just don't see that kind of play out there on the West Coast. That alone gives Arizona State a legitimate chance to be a contender for the conference title.

This is a team that is dangerously confident while getting ready for a big showdown this week with Washington State that will decide who is the leader in the Pac-10 race.

Stubborn Ducks torched again
It was more of the same for Oregon last week in a 44-33 loss to USC. One of these days the Ducks are going to have to get out of one-on-one coverage on the outside because they can't pressure the quarterback and have given up 1,007 passing yards in the last two weeks. Play-action passes are killing them and teams are going right over the top for big plays with no problem.

USC probably has the most diversified, efficient offense in the country right now and teams do not want to play the Trojans at this point in the season. Carson Palmer has completed 68 percent of his passes over the last two weeks and has thrown nine touchdowns in that span against Oregon and Washington. He is finally showing that he has a firm grasp on the offense after facing some adversity early in his career.

Palmer is a beneficiary of having Mike Williams on the outside, who caught 13 balls for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Oregon and might be the best true freshman in the country. Williams continues to do his best Keyshawn Johnson impersonation while getting help from Keary Colbert and veteran Kareem Kelly.

Then there's Sultan McCullough, Justin Fargas and Malaefou Mackenzie running behind a big offensive line that can hurt teams, and as they prepare for a season-ending game against Notre Dame the Trojans are as good as there is in the Pac-10.

This is another team gaining confidence every week and I cannot see anyone beting them before the Irish come into town.

Shorthanded Bulldogs get it done
Georgia won big against Kentucky, 52-24, but what made it even more impressive is that the Bulldogs were without offensive starters Musa Smith at running back, Fred Gibson at wide receiver and Jon Stinchcomb at tackle

They took Kentucky's best shot and were in a battle early, trailed 24-21 at the half, but the offense spread it around and David Greene and D.J. Shockley eventually combined for six TD passes while the defense was coming alive. The D controlled Wildcats' quarterback Jared Lorenzen in the second half thanks to pressure from David Pollock, the leading sacker in the SEC.

But it is Terrence Edwards who has really improved and is doing the little things right. He now now has the total package as far as making every kind of catch and doing a good job as a blocker.

This team is now playing with a little swagger, and if UGA can get through the showdown with Florida this week it is headed to the SEC championship and has a good shot at running the table.

Don't worry about the 'Canes
The biggest joke going right now is the thought that Miami is vulnerable, a perception that gained more support after the Hurricanes' 40-23 win at West Virginia.

If the Hurricanes are vulnerable to anything right now it is complacency. This team was motivated and hungry in every game last year because they were so angry about being slighted by the BCS in 2000, but the challenge this year is coming back with that same fire after having climbed the mountain and winning the national championship.

The teams that could beat Miami this year are not the ones like Virginia Tech that the Hurricanes respect. They will get up for that game because everyone is hyping it so much. The dangerous teams are those those that Miami has a hard time getting motivated for and West Virginia was a perfect example.

Miami was on the road in a hostile environment, and no matter what Larry Coker and his staff said the players were probably still convinced that this was "just" West Virginia. Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez and his team were fired up and played like they could have made their season by beating the Hurricanes.

People underestimate the power of mindset in college football, and how the biggest difference between a team looking dominant and looking vulnerable is its attitude. And over the last couple of games the Hurricanes have been complacent. They lack that hunger they played with last year and that is the challenge between now and the Virginia Tech game, staying fired up for every game.

OSU, Gamble get defensive
Ohio State's 13-7 victory over Penn State was huge for the Buckeyes. As a baseball fan I equate it with an old-fashioned, 2-1 pitchers duel in the age of the three-run homer and 11-8 finals.

It was a classic Big Ten defensive battle in which Penn State came to play, and when running back Maurice Clarett went out of the game with a shoulder injury the Nittany Lions were able to zero in on the Ohio State offense and attack it.

It was the OSU defense that won this game in conjunction with the kicking game. Holding PSU tailback Larry Johnson to minus-6 yards on 11 carries in the second half allowed them to focus on Zack Mills, pressuring him with the front four and dropping seven men into coverage to take away open throws.

And punter Andy Groom is as responsible as anyone for the victory. Groom booted some big punts, including a 59-yarder from his own end zone prior to Penn State's final comeback attempt, which combined with a clipping penalty to push the Nittany Lions back to their own 20-yard line.

Chris Gamble was the story of this game, though. The best athlete on the team, he is a wide receiver who also played every snap on defense against Penn State and returned an interception for the Buckeyes' only touchdown. Gamble also ran back punts, and the presence of him and Dustin Fox at the corners makes the OSU defense much more aggressive.

Ohio State does not have an offense that will scare teams right now, but as much as people talk about high-powered attacks the ability to play great defense is the one constant for championship teams. All of the unbeaten teams in the country right now have tremendous defenses and special teams, and those are Ohio State's strengths right now. They are a contender.

Shocks to the system
Two games ended up being huge shocks last weekend.

The first was LSU self-destructing in a 31-7 loss to Auburn. Even with the injury to starting quarterback Matt Mauck I thought the Tigers' strong defense would lead them to victories. But give Tommy Tuberville credit because it was the Auburn defense that stepped up and created turnovers to help quarterback Jason Campbell out in his first start at quarterback.

Auburn picked off four Marcus Randall passes and recovered a fumble while forcing LSU into a one-dimensional offense.

Second was Nebraska going down to Kyle Field, where it was once taboo for opponents to even think about winning, and coming out with a 38-31 win. Texas A&M has been gaining confidence on offense and of course had the Wrecking Crew defense, and for the Huskers to put up 38 points is amazing.

But give Frank Solich and his staff credit for trying to become more balanced and finding different ways to attack on offense. They are trying to put the ball in the air more and get away from always running the option, and any new looks make it tougher to defend that option.

Nebraska always wants to run the ball, and it is a sign of great coaching by Solich that his team is finally trying to become more diverse. And coming back from a 17-point third-quarter deficit with an offense that traditionally struggles when playing from behind is a good sign.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN College GameDay.