Teams in top 25 take a beating

Turns out, West Virginia’s upset loss was just the appetizer.

Separation Saturday may be an understatement. Try shearing-off Saturday, where the mighty fell frequently and the mighty fell hard.

Red River Rivalry? Roiled.

Big East? Exposed.

Top 25? Turned topsy-turvy.

By the time the weekend dust settled, half of the top 10 teams -- No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 West Virginia, No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Rutgers -- were dealt losses.

And it didn’t stop there. Four other top 25 teams fell, including No. 11 Oregon (at least that was to No. 6 California) and No. 13 Clemson.

Oklahoma and Texas -- possibly looking to next week’s matchup -- stumbled against unranked teams.

Kansas State scored three special-teams touchdowns, stunning the Longhorns, 41-21, and handing Texas Coach Mack Brown his worst home defeat in 10 years.

“We’re not used to losing like that around here, especially like that,� Brown said. “We’ve got to regroup.�

Among early Bowl Championship Series title contenders, Oklahoma had revealed the fewest chinks in its armor.

Entering Saturday’s game against Colorado, the Sooners were averaging an eye-popping 61.5 points.

They lost, 27-24, and although a three-point win doesn’t exactly constitute a Boulder beat down, Colorado Coach Dan Hawkins said he had an inkling of what was to come.

“I told them all week they’re going to win the game,� he said. “I’ve done this for 25 years and you just know. You know when your team’s ready, you know when you’re poised.�

Meanwhile, the Big East may once again be known as just a basketball conference.

Louisville opened at No. 8 and quickly dropped all the way out of the top 25. West Virginia joined it in the doldrums Friday. And Rutgers fell, 34-24, to Maryland on Saturday.

“I think as a team, we are all mad because we know we didn’t come out and play our best football,� Rutgers cornerback Jason McCourty said. “As Coach [Greg Schiano] says, every time you step on for practice or a game you want to be your best, and when you are not it’s disappointing.�

Auburn capped the day of upsets by kicking the game-winning field goal against No. 4 Florida as time expired.

Twice.

Freshman Wes Byrum kicked a 43-yard field goal to lift the Tigers to a 20-17 victory -- only to have to do it all over again because Gators Coach Urban Meyer, borrowing a page from Denver Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan, called time out just before the snap from center.

No matter.

Byrum just did it again -- driving his kick just inside the right upright, in almost the exact same spot he did the first time.

So much for the luster of that Southeastern Conference showdown between Florida and Louisiana State next Saturday.

Not OK in Oklahoma

Sooner. Former Sooner. Saturday was a tough day to be either.

Former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar, dismissed along with defensive lineman J.D. Quinn after receiving money from a phantom car dealership job in 2005, suited up for Sam Houston State against Oklahoma State.

“Everybody knows it’s a tough deal, whatever, but I really don’t think about it anymore,� Bomar, 23, said of his troubles. “Everybody helped me to get through it. I knew I was going to come out on top.�

He didn’t on Saturday, though, getting replaced in the fourth quarter of a 39-3 loss after completing 22 of 40 passes for 270 yards.

Pretty (good) in pink

The New Mexico State Aggies wore pink socks and adorned their helmets with pink ribbons to promote breast cancer awareness and raise money for research programs in the state.

Coach Hal Mumme said that when he broached the idea with his players, they quickly agreed.

His wife, June, endured a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and months of chemotherapy after a 1996 diagnosis.

“I was late stage one, early stage two,� June Mumme said of her diagnosis. “I’ve seen women go through more aggressive treatment than me.�

As fans filed into Memorial Stadium, it was clear the Mummes’ effort was a hit.

“Men wear pink, tough men wear pink,� said a smiling 11-year-old Dante Aguirre, wearing a light pink ribbon on his football jersey.

Said June Mumme: “It shows a football team cares more about just a football game.�

In enough of a rush

The rushing title will have to wait, but Danny Woodhead still enjoyed a good homecoming.

The 5-foot-8, 200-pound senior rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns for Division II Chadron State in a 49-0 win over New Mexico Highlands.

That boosted Woodhead’s career rushing tally to 7,233 yards. He needs 121 more to pass R. J. Bowers of Division III Grove City College for the NCAA’s all-divisions career record.

Bowers gained 7,353 yards for the Pennsylvania school from 1997 to 2000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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