20. A Soapbox Moment
OK, so Duke just lost its Division I-A-worst 15th consecutive game, this time to Big Ten tri-champion Northwestern. And, yeah, the Dookies might be headed to a second straight 0-11 season (through no fault of sophomore tailback Chris Douglas, who could play for every team in the ACC, including Florida State). Big whoop.

As far as we're concerned, Duke coach Carl Franks is a big 1-0 this week, after he waded his way into the muddy waters of Falls Lake and rescued a man from a submerged Jeep. That seems to be a fair tradeoff: lose a game, save a life.

The details are a bit sketchy, but apparently the man suffered some type of seizure, causing him to gun his SUV into the nearly deserted marina area of the lake. Franks, along with Duke equipment manager Mike Hawley, just happened to hear the splash and took action.

"It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time," Franks told reporters.

About that being in the right place stuff. . .

Northwestern, which won or shared three Big Ten championships in the '90s, is the owner of the all-time longest losing streak (34) in D-IA history. Virginia, which the Dookies play this Saturday, is tied for second (28). . . with Kansas State. Tied for sixth is South Carolina (21) and tied for seventh is none other than Florida State (20).

So see? Miracles can happen. Just ask the guy who got pulled from the water by Franks.

19. "Oh, Say Can You See. . ."
In light of recent events, it goes without saying that our favorites are now Conference USA, the Patriot League, the Freedom Football Conference, the Independence, Liberty and Humanitarian bowls.

And, of course, our favorite D-III program is Defiance.

18. The King is Dead
It's never a good thing for Florida State followers when you can't tell the difference between the Seminoles and North Carolina. But that's what happened Saturday as FSU looked surprisingly vulnerable against a Tar Heels team that began the day 0-3, but didn't end it that way.

Carolina produced the upset of the infant season, but maybe the 41-9 win wasn't such of a shocker, after all. Here's why:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Rix looks like a keeper (how can you not like a kid who wears one wristband with MOM on it, and another that reads, "NY-DC," in honor of those tragedy-stricken cities), but the game against the Heels was only his third-ever start. Rix has a wonderful arm and obvious athleticism (he eluded a cornerback blitz and threw all the way across the field for 29-yard TD pass), but he also committed three turnovers. He was pulled after a third-period interception led to a UNC field goal and 20-9 lead. . . and replaced by true freshman Adrian McPherson. Rix later returned and fumbled away the ball on a scramble. Yikes.

FSU lost seven starters and coordinator from an offense that played in the national championship in January -- and it shows. And so far the Seminoles have lost nine different players to injury, and that doesn't include the tragic death of Devaughn Darling or the subsequent transfer of his twin brother, Devard. Not even roster-rich Florida State can take those kind of hits and not feel the effects.

Once again FSU's special teams were a mess. Blocking penalties on returns. . . extra points caroming off uprights. . . punts from hell. At times poor Chance Gwaltney, who replaces 4-year starter Keith Cottrell, didn't look like he could win a Tallahassee punt-pass-kick competition. He had two punts that traveled 12 and 31 yards.

Carolina played the tar off its heels.

17. The King is Dead -- Part II
The Kenan Memorial Stadium crowd actually mocked the Seminoles with their own tomahawk-chop chant. Can you blame it? Carolina had never beaten FSU, nor a top-5 team (now 1-34-1), for that matter. And last season UNC suffered a 63-14 loss to the Seminoles, who entered Saturday's game with a 71-2 conference record since joining the ACC.

And here's guessing the embattled Ronald Curry got a game ball for the effort. The senior quarterback, once the object of a fierce recruiting battle between FSU, Virginia and Carolina, finally had a football Saturday worth cherishing.

16. Coach of the Week
John Bunting, North Carolina.

The first-year Carolina coach, who starred at Chapel Hill in the '70s, had misty eyes during the pregame playing of the National Anthem and misty eyes after the emotional victory.

15. Fearless Predictions
OK, who's the knucklehead who said Rutgers would be markedly improved this season? Oh, wait, that was me.

In the last two games the Scarlet Knights have been outscored, 111-0. True, it was Miami and Virginia Tech doing the scoring, but c'mon, fellas. And can someone at Rutgers please do something about their helmet decal. That R emblem looks like Radio Shack's corporate logo.

14. Quote of the Week
"I'm not going to hit hit him as hard. I want him to stay in the game because if Applewhite gets in the game, he's smarter than Simms is."
-- Houston defensive end Adrian Lee, speaking before the Texas game about the difference between Longhorns starting quarterback Chris Simms and backup Major Applewhite.

Final score: Texas 53, Houston 26. Simms was 20-for35 for 311 yards with three TDs and one interception.

13. Texas Two-Step
Relations between the Houston and Texas athletic departments were already a little tense after UH president Arthur K. Smith ordered the dismantling of temporary bleachers at the school's on-campus Robertson Stadium. The decision was made after officials deemed the bleacher section unsafe for use.

Texas was steamed because it meant the loss of 4,000 seats for visiting Longhorn fans. And it didn't help that Houston had assured Texas AD DeLoss Dodds that the seats would be fine.

"This whole situation in my mind is just absolutely out of whack," said Dodds, who wanted the game moved to Rice Stadium or the Astrodome to accommodate the crowd -- and was told no. "I am sick about it. We are very upset about this."

Dodds might want to put a governor switch on his indignation. After all, Texas is the program that left Hawaii high and dry when it squirmed out of its contract to play at Hawaii last season. Texas, with its huge football budget, cited financial considerations for canceling out. Uh, huh.

12. Countdown to History
Joe Paterno is still stuck on 322 victories -- and by the looks of his semi-dreadful Penn State team, might stay there awhile.

Linebacker U. is playing two walk-ons at the position. The once-proud Nittany Lions power running game had 1 yard rushing at halftime. Truth is, if you didn't recognize the Penn State uniforms you would have sworn you were watching North Texas.

Penn State's 18-6 loss to Wisconsin was notable also because it was the Nittany Lions' sixth defeat in its last 10 games at Unhappy Valley.

It doesn't get any easier for JoePa Pa. His next six games: at Iowa, Michigan, at Northwestern, Ohio State, Southern Mississippi, at Illinois. No wonder they're celebrating at the Bear Bryant Museum.

11. Buff Power
Colorado officials were thinking about placing a U.S. flag on the back of school mascot Ralphie the Buffalo, but wisely abandoned the idea. We love the big furry guy (his mug shot is among those featured in the CU media guide under athletic staff personnel, between dance coach Tameka Queeley and facilities and grounds worker Larry Reifschneider), but the Stars and Stripes looks better on a flagpole.

10. Running Back U.
Ron Dayne, Michael Bennett. . . now Anthony Davis.

The Wisconsin redshirt freshman added another 200 rushing yards to his season total and is fast becoming a player to watch this season. Northwestern's Damien Anderson and Michigan State's T.J. Duckett got a lot of preseason pub -- and deservedly so -- but Davis is the one making the most noise. This is the same guy who gained 69 yards and scored twice on just six carries in the Badgers' spring game.

Not surprisingly, redshirt freshman running back Tyron Griffin recently decided to transfer to another program.

By the way, Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez knows how to recruit New Jersey running backs. Both Dayne and Davis played high school ball in the state.

9. Don't Bet on It
The dismissal of star hoops player Teddy Dupay from the Florida team didn't go unnoticed by Gators football coach Steve Spurrier and the athletic department. Dupay was given the heave-ho after providing information to gamblers. No other UF player was cited, but that didn't stop the Gators administration from taking a proactive stance on the issue.

We made one call to the athletic department about the Dupay situation and a day later a FedEx package arrived, courtesy of Florida AD Jeremy Foley. Inside the package was an impressive collection of anti-gambling material given to UF athletes. In addition, they also receive a series of lectures from experts, compliance staff and former gamblers.

8. Pointing Fingers
Just out of habit, Ohio State fans blamed former coach John Cooper for the Buckeyes' three missed field goals and a 9-yard punt against UCLA.

7. Best Rumor
Penn State still plays Division I-A football. (OK, I admit it. . .that's a cheap shot.)

6. Heisman Trophy Race
Bring a coat and tie to the Downtown Athletic Club: Fresno State's David Carr.
Moving up: Florida's Rex Grossman, Toledo's Chester Taylor, Northwestern's Damien Anderson, Nebraska's Eric Crouch, Wisconsin's Anthony Davis.
Staying same: Oregon's Joey Harrington, Miami's Ken Dorsey, UCLA DeShaun Foster.
Slipping fast: Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler.
Thanks for stopping by the booth: UNLV's Jason Thomas.

5. Staying Put
No wonder Frank Beamer didn't ditch Virginia Tech for Alabama.

Even with Michael Vick bolting for the NFL, even with the loss of tailback Lee Suggs to a knee injury, the Hokies still have a wonderful chance to enter its regular season finale against Miami with an undefeated record.

Tech's next seven opponents: Central Florida (oops. . . UCF), at West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, at Pittsburgh, at Temple, at Virginia. Then they get the Hurricanes at home. . . on a likely cold Dec. 1 day.

In case you're curious, Vick's replacement, Grant Noel, threw four touchdowns in the blowout win against Rutgers.

4. Second Guessing
We hate the two-quarterback system, but Carolina's Bunting made it work against Florida State with Curry and Darian Durant. ABC's Bob Griese said it exactly right: At Carolina, it's a quarterback competition, not a controversy.

3. Whatever Happened To. . .
. . . the Notre Dame-Michigan State rivalry. With Saturday's victory, the Spartans have won the last five games against the Irish. Before that, Notre Dame had won the previous eight meetings.

2. Sigh of Relief
Dave Parry, the Big Ten and national supervisor of officials, is a happy man now that the regular NFL refs have returned to work.

Parry was concerned about the short and long term effects of some college refs crossing the lockout line to do NFL games. Before an agreement was reached, refs from such conferences as the WAC, MAC, ACC and Big Ten were working Saturdays and Sundays.

"You hope you don't have a flaw in a college game that affects the outcome [and have it] come from a guy who's working the NFL in his next game," Parry said.

Thankfully for everyone, he doesn't have to worry about it anymore.

One Hack's Weekly Elite
Honorary No. 1: Air Force, Navy, Army.
1a. Miami (2-0)
2. UCLA (3-0)
3. Oklahoma (3-0)
4. Florida (3-0)
5. Fresno State (4-0)
6. Nebraska (4-0)
7. Kansas State (2-0)
8. Oregon (3-0)
9. Virginia Tech (3-0)
10. Georgia Tech (3-0)
Waiting list: Tennessee (2-0), Toledo (3-0), Illinois (3-0), South Carolina (3-0), Washington (2-0).

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Movers and Shakers appears each Monday. E-mail him at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.