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As is the case each and every season, each and every week, any omission below is not on purpose, its merely intentional.

WINNERS

Barner emphatically states his trophy case Matt Barkley begat Geno Smith, who begat Collin Klein in the progression of Heisman front-runners from the preseason through Week 9. In Week 10, an Oregon running back not named DeAnthony Thomas made his Heisman presence felt. And what a presence it was. In the Ducks 62-51 win over USC, Kenjon Barner rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns, the former shattering a school record in the process. Barners 143.9 yards rushing per game are second nationally, as are his 19 touchdowns; both of those totals would be exponentially higher if the Ducks didnt perform a first-half evisceration of their opponents on a weekly basis, as evidenced by his full-game performance against the Trojans. While some voters might hold the product of the system argument against Barner, theres little doubt that, bare minimum, the back has earned a mid-December trip to New York City.

Not your fathers Bruins In its first year under Jim Mora, and in just nine games, 7-2 UCLA has already won more games than it has since 2009 and is on pace for its best season since 2005. Hell, if they win out they could break the school record (10, multiple times) for wins in a single season. The latest example of the Bruins being back came Saturday, with UCLA putting a 66-10 woodshedding on then-No. 24 Arizona. As a result, and for the first time since the 2001 season, UCLA holds a higher ranking than its crosstown rival USC (Obligatory pause for our NBCSports.com editor to throw up a little bit in his mouth) (Still pausing) (And hes good) (For now). Just as it is for the Trojans, the remainder of the season is really very simple for the Bruins: win out and represent the South for the second straight season, mind you in the Pac-12 championship game. And anyone who says they saw this early-November development coming in the offseason? Yeah, OK. Liar.

Huskers slightly tighten Legends stranglehold On the strength of its win over Michigan last weekend, Nebraska had one simple task: win out and claim its first-ever spot in the Big Ten championship game. Consider the first of four tests passed. Barely. Thanks to yet another conference comeback courtesy of a Taylor Martinez touchdown pass with six seconds left, the Huskers claimed a 28-24 win over free-falling Michigan State to push its conference mark to 4-1. Three tests remain, however, with home games the next two weeks against Penn State and Minnesota, and then the regular-season finale on the road against Iowa. Pass all three or hope for a loss by both Michigan and Northwestern if the Huskers stumble once and its an early-December road trip to Indianapolis for Husker Nation.

And he wont back down Its not too often that a quarterback who barely hits the century mark in passing yards in a 20-point loss lands in the winners section of the Fifth Quarter. Shawn Petty, though, is no ordinary quarterback. Hell, hes not even a quarterback literally. Thanks to an incomprehensible four season-ending injuries at the position in about two months, Petty was moved from linebacker to quarterback and started Marylands game against Georgia Tech. And, much to his credit, the true freshman was serviceable. Petty, in his first collegiate snaps from under center, completed 50 percent of his passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps most impressively, Petty tossed just one interception. Yes, the Terps dropped a 33-13 decision to the Yellow Jackets, but, in the loss, Petty showed the type of team player that he is in shouldering the offensive burden under less-than-ideal circumstances.

The Gardner did it After stating all week that Denard Robinson was probable for the Little Brown Jug matchup with Minnesota, the Michigan quarterback wasnt mere moments before kickoff as the school announced the senior would be a no-go. Enter Devin Gardner, the quarterback-turned-wide receiver who flipped back to his former position in the week leading up to the Gopher game and turned in an electric performance in a game that kept the Wolverines in the thick of the Big Ten Legends division race. In the 35-13 win over Minnesota, Gardner threw for 234 yards and accounted for three touchdowns two passing, one rushing in his first action under center since last season. The good news for UM is that Robinson should be healthy enough to take the field against Northwestern next weekend. Even better news? Even if hes not, or if hes injured down the road, the Wolverines seem to have found a very viable backup alternative going forward.

Ohio: the heart of it (footb)all While the eyes of a nation will be focused on the great state of Ohio this Tuesday an election or something? theres something happening on the weekends that deserves some attention as well. There are eight FBS football teams that hail from the Buckeye State, and five of them Ohio State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Kent State and Ohio University are a combined 40-5 in 2012. Two of them are ranked in the latest Associated Press poll No. 18 Buckeyes and No. 23 Rockets while the Bobcats were ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in over four decades prior to suffering its first loss to Miami of Ohio. When it comes to recruiting, Florida and Texas and California are still the go-to states for mass quantities of high-quality football players. This season, though, has shown that theres still some pretty damn good football being played in the Midwest generally and the great state of Ohio specifically.

[/PSA] [/send me my money Ohio Tourism Board]

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