It’s about survival and margin for error. Undefeated teams continue to buy time, the once-beatens strive to avoid the brink and the teams with two losses who were considered legitimate playoff contenders are on the verge. We head into the second week of October and there are some enormous games around the country, most notably the Red River Shootout, where the script has flipped over the last couple of years. Penn State is in utter shock.

1. Ohio State – The Buckeyes are in a groove and the defense is playing great for the Buckeyes. They followed up an impressive win at Washington by taking care of Minnesota. Ohio State could have a tough challenge Saturday, visiting Illinois.

2. Miami – The Hurricanes have already had a fantastic season, especially in the eyes of longtime fans. They have impressively taken care of both Florida and Florida State – plus South Florida. Miami is off this week then hosts Louisville on a Friday night.

3. Oregon – The Ducks were off this past Saturday and got to savor their thrilling win at Penn State. Dan Lanning, off the Kirby Smart coaching tree, has done an outstanding job in Eugene. The Ducks get Indiana in an undefeated battle Saturday in Autzen.

4. Ole MIss – The Rebels are rolling, and got to savor their fantastic win over LSU this past weekend. Ole Miss can flat out move the football and the Rebels create negative plays on defense. Lane Kiffin’s attack turns its attention to Washington State Saturday.

5. Oklahoma – Boomer Sooner is on a roll. Despite being without QB John Mateer, the Sooners didn’t skip a beat against Kent State. Now it’s off to Dallas for the big battle with Texas, which has its backs to the wall. The Sooners schedule is brutally tough.

6. Texas A&M – The Aggies have the makings of a big time team. Their defense and running game shined in a 31-9 win over Mississippi State. Texas A&M gets rejuvenated Florida Saturday at Kyle Field, as the Gators come in off a huge win over Texas.

7. Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets had this past week off, and are enjoying a fantastic undefeated start to the season. They figure to be sharp, led by quarterback Haynes King this week, as the Jackets host Virginia Tech. These two have played some dandies.

8. Texas Tech – It’s Gun’s Up for the Red Raiders, who stand with Brigham Young as the undefeated teams of the Big XII. Texas Tech blew away Houston 35-11 on the road, and now hosts Kansas. The Red Raiders are in a very good spot as they dream of the CFP.

9. LSU – The Bayou Bengals had this past weekend off, and surely that loss at Ole Miss didn’t sit well in Baton Rouge. South Carolina heads to Tiger Stadium this weekend as the Fightin’ Tigers aim to bounce back. The offense is trying to find its way.

10. Alabama – The Crimson Tide pulled away from tough Vanderbilt to improve to 4-1 on the season. They have a very tough game coming up Saturday in Columbia against the strong, undefeated Missouri Tigers. Mizzou is a perfect 5-0 and was off this week.

11. Georgia – The Bulldogs had a nice bounce back win over Kentucky, defeating the Wildcats 35-14 Between the Hedges to make it 4-1 on the campaign. Kirby Smart is the best in the business. His Dogs will have a huge challenge Saturday night at Auburn.

12. Memphis – The Tigers absolutely pummeled Tulsa 45-7 and now sit at 6-0 and 2-0 in the American. Memphis, Navy and North Texas are all undefeated in the league. The Tigers can enjoy an undefeated open date, and head to UAB the following Saturday.