College Football Corner: Key Clashes

Updated from Sept. 17

The U is back.

The No. 22 Miami Hurricanes showed flashes of that 1980s dominance in a 33-17 bust-up of No. 13 Georgia Tech Thursday night. The big win likely raised some eyebrows up in Gainesville.

Miami's sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris completed 20 of 25 passes for 270 yards and three TDs. But it also was the defense that harkened back to the glory days in Coral Gables. The U's D held Yellow Jackets' star running back Jonathan Dwyer to seven yards rushing on five carries in the first half before he left with an injury.

Jacory Harris celebrates Miami's victory.

So Miami has served notice in the ACC, and maybe this is the weekend its former conference, the Big East, gets some respect, with two big interconference tilts on tap.

No. 21 Cincinnati, which is averaging close to 60 points a game, travels to No. 24 Oregon State of the Pac-10. West Virginia will play at Auburn in a matchup of 2-0 teams, and if any team has represented the conference well over the past decade, it's been the Mountaineers, particularly against the SEC.

Prior to Cincy's opening-day pasting of conference rival Rutgers, no Big East team was ranked in the top 25. So beating a Pac-10 team that has had USC's number at times the past few years would be a good statement game for the Bearcats.

Speaking of USC, they head to the Northwest this weekend against a reviving Washington team. And the team that USC disposed of in a classic last Saturday -- Ohio State -- will need to stay alert against a Toledo club that put up 54 points in a win against Colorado of the Big 12 last week.

There are two big conference clashes on tap this weekend. No. 2 Texas vs. unranked Texas Tech, which perhaps was the most ballyhooed and exciting game of the 2008 season, and No. 1 Florida vs. Tennessee. Even though it's the Gators' first big-time opponent this season, this game probably lost a little luster after the Vols fell to the UCLA Bruins last Saturday.