Washington stole the show in Week 3 by shocking USC 16-13 thanks to a last-second field goal by Erik Folk from 22 yards out. The Huskies beat the Trojans outright as 20-point home underdogs.

Jake Locker announced his Heisman candidacy by throwing for 237 yards and scoring on a four-yard run. Most importantly, Locker didn’t commit a turnover, while USC coughed up a pair of fumbles and threw an interception.

We won’t bury Pete Carroll’s team from national-title contention just yet, but the Trojans are going to have to win out and get a ton of help to have any shot at getting to Pasadena. They still have road trips to Cal, Notre Dame, Oregon and Arizona St. on their slate.

After going winless in 2008, Steve Sarkisian has led Washington to a pair of wins in the first three games of his tenure. Things won’t get any easier for the Huskies in the coming weeks, as they face back-to-back road games at Stanford and at Notre Dame.

Speaking of the Irish, they survived Michigan State’s upset bid Saturday, albeit barely. The Spartans had a golden opportunity to go ahead or tie when they got into field-goal range late in the fourth quarter. But one play after Kirk Cousins missed a wide-open Larry Caper all alone in the end zone, Notre Dame’s Kyle McCarthy intercepted Cousins to secure a 33-30 victory.

The Spartans covered the number as 11-point underdogs. They will hope to bounce back at Camp Randall against Wisconsin next week, while the Irish hit the road to take on Purdue. They will do so without star wide receiver Michael Floyd, who had knee surgery Sunday. Through three games, Floyd had 13 receptions for 358 yards and five touchdowns.

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The bludgeoning that most expected at The Swamp never materialized. Florida won a 23-13 decision against Lane Kiffin’s Tennessee team, but the Vols easily took the cash as 30-point underdogs. UT has now covered the number in all six double-digit underdog spots it has faced since 1999.

Monte Kiffin’s defense executed his brilliant scheme thanks to All-American safety Eric Berry, who was all over the field and is easily among the top handful of players in America. The Gators were leading 23-6 early in the fourth quarter when Tim Tebow lost a fumble in the red zone.

After a 41-yard return, the Vols quickly marched down the field and scored on a Montario Hardesty run. They held UF on its next drive and had the ball back with more than six minutes left. Down just 10, UT head coach Lane Kiffin called back-to-back running plays between the tackles. This kept the clock moving and with the offense’s complete lack of urgency, it was clear Tennessee wasn’t even trying to win the game.

The brash Lane Kiffin must’ve rationalized his conservative play-calling as a product of wanting to win the war rather than Saturday’s specific battle. Whatever the case, gamblers backing UT and the ‘under’ (53) were pleased.

UF played without WR Deonte Thompson, who is nursing a hamstring injury. WRs Carl Moore and Andre Dubose aren’t expected back anytime soon and this position is clearly a weakness for Urban Meyer right now. RB Jeffery Demps was limited with flu-like symptoms, while LB Brandon Spikes missed most of the second half with a strained Achilles.

Kentucky is on deck for the top-ranked Gators in Lexington. The 'Cats stayed unbeaten this past weekend by rallying for a home win over Louisville.

California went on the road in Week 3 and captured a 35-21 win at Minnesota as a 14-point favorite. Jahvid Best ran for 132 yards and five TDs, including a pair of fourth-quarter scampers that put the Gophers on ice. The Bears go to Oregon before hosting USC in two weeks.

Miami looks like a contender after spanking Ga. Tech by a 33-17 count last Thursday. The Hurricanes hooked up their backers as four-point home favorites. Jacory Harris had another stellar performance to cement his early-season presence in the Heisman conversation. Harris threw for 270 yards and three TDs, connecting on 20-of-25 passes. UM goes to Blacksburg next and in two weeks Oklahoma will come to South Florida.

The Sooners destroyed Tulsa 45-0 behind six touchdown passes from Landry Jones. Bob Stoops’ team took the money as an 18-point home favorite. OU will get an open date before its showdown at Miami.

Brian Kelly’s stock continues to rise as he led Cincinnati to a 28-18 win at Oregon St. as a short road ‘chalk.’ Tony Pike threw for 332 yards and a pair of TDs, while Kelly’s defense limited Beavers’ RB Jacquizz Rodgers to only 73 rushing yards.

Georgia QB Joe Cox silenced his critics by leading the Dawgs to a 52-41 win at Arkansas as a two-point underdog. Cox threw for 375 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes. Ryan Mallett had 408 yards passing and five touchdowns for the Razorbacks.

Auburn is 3-0 following its 41-30 win over West Virginia on the Plains. The Tigers fell behind 14-0 early, but they eventually prevailed and covered the number thanks to a pick-six by Craig Stevens with 3:41 left in the final stanza. Chris Todd threw four touchdown passes for Gene Chizik’s squad.

One week after needing a last-minute touchdown to beat Jacksonville St. at home, Florida St. trounced BYU 54-28 as an eight-point road underdog. The Seminoles’ win snapped an 18-game home winning streak for the Cougars. Christian Ponder was the catalyst with 272 all-purpose yards, two TD passes and one TD rushing. Greg Reid had a 63-yard interception return for a score.

Va. Tech rallied in the final minute to beat Nebraska by a 16-15 count. Tyrod Taylor found Dyrell Roberts for an 11-yard TD pass on third and goal to lift the Hokies into the win column.

Boise St. cashed tickets for the third straight week when it blasted Fresno St. 51-34 on Friday night. The Broncos covered the spread as 7 ½-point road favorites in their WAC opener.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 951 yards with a 9/0 touchdown-interception ratio.

--WVU’s Noel Devine ran for 128 yards and three TDs in his team’s loss at Auburn. Jock Sanders had 12 receptions for 115 yards and one TD as the ‘Neers fell to 2-1.

--South Florida QB Matt Grothe is out for the season after tearing his ACL in a 59-0 home win over Charleston Southern. The Bulls will go with a different QB (redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels) for the first time in 41 games when they go to FSU in Week 4. Grothe ends his collegiate career as the Big East’s all-time leader in total offense with 10,875 yards.

--South Carolina improved to 3-0 ATS by beating FAU 38-16 Saturday as a 21-point home favorite. The Gamecocks played without senior starting DT Nathan Pepper, who has a sprained ankle and is "questionable" for Thursday's home game vs. Ole Miss. DT Ladi Ajiboye might start in his season debut after serving a three-game suspension. Steve Spurrier's team beat Ole Miss 31-24 in Oxford last year.

--My Top Ten:
1-Florida
2-Alabama
3-Texas
4-Ole Miss
5-USC
6-Penn St.
7-California
8-Miami
9-Boise St.
10-Oklahoma

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.

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