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SCS.com This week was dubbed Separation Saturday, and it proved to be one of the best Saturday's in September history. There was never a dull moment, as perennial powerhouses fell, new front-runners emerged, and pretenders were exposed. The name fit perfectly.

Rarely is a week of college football this early in September full of exciting matchups. There was controversy, blowouts, low-scoring games, and dramatic finishes. If there was ever a time to be glued to your chair, it was last Saturday. The BCS bowl picture was shaken up. Is this the year that Miami or Florida State fail to win the ACC? Will the Big Ten come down to Michigan vs Ohio State? Can Texas recover from its week two loss to Ohio State and win the Big 12? If you said yes to all three questions, we are on the same page.

DATE BOWL MATCHUP

Dec. 19 Poinsettia Colorado State vs. Navy

Dec. 21 Las Vegas Arizona State vs. TCU

Dec. 22 New Orleans Arkansas State vs. UCF

Dec. 23 New Mexico UTEP vs. New Mexico State

Dec. 23 Birmingham UAB vs. Pittsburgh

Dec. 23 Armed Forces Utah vs. Southern Miss

Dec. 24 Hawaii Hawaii vs. Oregon State

Dec. 26 Motor City Ohio vs. Purdue

Dec. 27 Emerald Arizona vs. Virginia

Dec. 27 Independence Texas Tech vs. Alabama

Dec. 28 Holiday Oklahoma vs. UCLA

Dec. 28 MPC Computers Fresno State vs. Florida State

Dec. 29 Champs Sports Clemson vs. Wisconsin

Dec. 29 Music City Arkansas vs. Miami (Fl)

Dec. 29 Sun Cal vs. Texas A&M

Dec. 29 Insight Michigan State vs. Missouri

Dec. 30 Alamo Minnesota vs. Iowa State

Dec. 30 Liberty Houston vs. Alabama

Dec. 30 Meineke Car Care Rutgers vs. Wake Forest

Dec. 30 Chick-fil-A South Carolina vs. Boston College

Jan. 1 Gator Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame

Jan. 1 Cotton Nebraska vs. Tennessee

Jan. 1 Outback Penn State vs. Georgia

Jan. 1 Capital One LSU vs. Iowa

Jan. 1 Rose [BCS] Michigan vs. USC

Jan. 1 Fiesta [BCS] Boise State vs. Texas

Jan. 2 Orange [BCS] Florida vs. Virginia Tech

Jan. 3 Sugar [BCS] Auburn vs. Louisville

Jan. 6 International Toledo vs. South Florida

Jan. 7 GMAC Tulsa vs. Akron

Jan. 8 *BCS TITLE* Ohio State vs. West Virginia

WHO'S HOT

Michigan - For the 2nd straight week, Michigan makes my hot list. UM shocked the country by dominating Notre Dame in South Bend. The underrated Wolverines are now front-runners to win the Big Ten.

Florida - Urban Meyer finally got that big road win as Florida beat Tennessee 21-20 on Saturday. He is now 2-0 against the rival Volunteers. Not even former UF coach Steve Spurrier could say that.

Washington - The Washington Huskies upset the Fresno State this weekend. The Huskies need big wins like this to keep their program afloat. A win against UCLA this upcoming weekend would put UW in position to get in a bowl game.

Army, Navy, and Air Force - Navy is 3-0 and looks to be heading towards another bowl. Army gave Texas A&M all they could handle on Saturday. Even in a tough 28-24 loss, the Army football team is showing signs of improvement. Air Force has played only 1 game, but nearly beat Tennessee at Neyland Stadium just a week ago.

Auburn vs. LSU - What a game! Well, only if you like hard hitting, terrific punts, and controversial finishes. Watching these defenses play was a thing of beauty. The only touchdown scored was a one-yard QB sneak on a 3rd down. This game reminded me of why I love college football. The players left it all on the field. No one deserved to lose that game.

WHO'S NOT

Replay - Oregon and Oklahoma played last week, and not one but two bad replays cost Oklahoma the game. In a 33-27 contest, Oregon lined up for an onside kick. The Ducks recovered, the play was reviewed, and the replay clearly showed that Oregon touched the ball before the necessary 10 yards. However, the call stood. A bad pass interference call was made as well. It was reviewed, and the replay clearly showed the ball was tipped at the line. However, the call stood and Oregon went on to win the game. Why have replay if the people running it are inadequate?

Indiana - Indiana played without coach Terry Hoeppner who had brain surgery Wednesday and will be out of coaching for 2 to 4 weeks. They also were missing top receiver James Hardy when they played Southern Illinois. I don't want to add salt to the wound, but losing to Southern Illinois in a game that isn't basketball is nearly inexcusable. However, our hopes and prayers are with the Hoeppner family and the University of Indiana.

Stanford - The Stanford Cardinal football team had a heap of promise coming into the season. Now the 0-3 Cardinal may be the worst team in the Pac-10. Recent losses to San Jose State and Navy have crushed the hopes for a good season in Palo Alto.

Coaches on the Hot Seat - Chuck Amato may be in his last year at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack have lost their last 2 games to Akron and Southern Miss, and a game against ACC front-runner Boston College isn't what the doctor ordered. Larry Coker's loss to Louisville wasn't just embarrassing, it was devastating to his job security. John Bunting's North Carolina Tar Heels are a disappointing 1-2. Their only win this year was a 3-point victory over Division 1-AA Furman. Don't be surprised if all of these coaches are gone by the end of the year.

Temple - If you look up the word cupcake in the dictionary, you would find the University of Temple. The only winnable game of the year was in week 1, and they blew their chance to beat Buffalo. The past two weeks have been laughable. Consecutive 62-0 losses against Louisville and Minnesota showed that the Owlsl have a long road ahead of them if they want to compete in the MAC when they join in 2007.

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