Confetti from a college football weekend

Oregon 45, UCLA 30

— Since the opening 54-3 Poseidon Adventure against Georgia, Oregon’s Bo Nix (pictured) has been one of the game’ss best quarterbacks. He had five TD passes against UCLA, which gives him 17 for the season with one interception, and he also has seven rushing scores.

— The Ducks’ recent tradition of solid offensive line play did not leave with former coach Mario Cristobal. As they romped for 261 rush yards against previously unbeaten UCLA, the guys up front still have given up just one sack all season.

— The Ducks still have to deal with Utah and Oregon State, but they’re the only unbeaten team in Pac-12 play. If Oregon stays that way, it will likely play the UCLA-USC winner in the league championship game. However, Utah knocked off the Ducks twice last season. This year’s game, the 11th of the year for Oregon, will be in Eugene.

TCU 38, Kansas State 28

— When Deuce Vaughn clicked off a 47-yard touchdown run halfway through the second quarter, Kansas State led TCU 28-10. The Horned Frogs then scored the next 28 points and remained undefeated.

— Knocking quarterback Adrian Martinez out of the game helped, but TCU got two TD passes from Max Duggan and two rush touchdowns from Kendre Miller. It also hogged the ball for 38:05 and never turned it over.

— TCU became the second Big 12 team to win four consecutive games against ranked teams (Oklahoma, 2016). But will the eighth-ranked Frogs make the College Football Playoff even if they stay undefeated? They still have games at Texas and Baylor.

Oklahoma State 41, Texas 34

— The Longhorns led 31-17 late in the second quarter, but Spencer Sanders threw touchdowns to Brennan Presley and Bryson Green in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys went to 6-1.

— Oklahoma State also qualified for college football’s version of the Lady Byng Trophy by playing 60 minutes without a penalty.

— Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers regressed, going 19 for 49 with three interceptions. Steve Sarkisian’s club fell to 5-3 and failed to convert 14 of 17 third downs.

Duke 45, Miami 21

— The Hurricanes’ defensive players used to wear a “turnover chain” whenever it pried a football loose from opponents. Now it’s a chain of fools. Miami coughed it up eight times — five fumbles, three picks — and fell to 3-4.

— It’s the most turnovers in a Power 5 conference game since Nebraska did it against Iowa State 14 years ago. Losing quarterback Alex Van Dyke to a shoulder injury didn’t help.

— Cristobal, who played for the championship “U” teams in the 80s, becomes the latest coach to learn how hard it will be to exhume those memories. He’s the fifth Miami coach since Larry Coker won the school’s last national title in 2003.

Cincinnati 29, SMU 27

— For the fourth time in five games the Bearcats held an opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing. They are now 6-1 after a 7-point opening loss at Arkansas.

— Eastern Michigan transfer Ben Bryant has been a solid quarterback for the Bearcats, and George McClelland, who missed most of the past two seasons with injuries, has two consecutive 100-yard games on the ground.

— Cincinnati went to the College Football Playoff last season, and receiver Alex Pierce (Colts) and cornerbacks “Sauce” Gardner (Jets) and Coby Bryant (Seahawks) have made an impact as NFL rookies. This year’s Bearcats are proving that Luke Fickell hasn’t just built a team but a program. Next week brings a difficult trip to UCF.

LSU 45, Mississippi 20

— Jayden Daniels, the Arizona State transfer, ran for 121 yards and three scores as the Tigers dealt Ole Miss its first loss.

— An Ole Miss defense that gave up 34 points to Auburn and 28 to Vanderbilt developed new holes, after the Rebels had pushed to a 17-3 lead. They still have dates with Alabama and Mississippi State.

— LSU welcomes Alabama to Baton Rouge in two weeks and has scored 45 in back-to-bak games with Florida and Ole Miss. Daniels has led 12 touchdown drives in those wins and 10 of them have been 73 yards or longer. Brian Kelly’s first LSU team is now 6-2 and improving. But did the fans really need to storm the field?

Alabama 30, Mississippi State 6

— Mike Leach’s Air Raid ran into some anti-aircraft problems in Tuscaloosa. Will Rogers threw 60 times and completed half of them, as the Crimson Tide had four sacks and 25 pass breakups.

— The Crimson Tide was beached last week at Tennessee, giving up its most points (52) since 1907, but rolled back in with a dominant performance. Mississippi State’s only touchdown was on the final play of the game.’—

— Trips to LSU and Ole Miss will determine whether Alabama wins the SEC West again and gets a chance to revisit the College Football Playoff. There have been eight of them and the Tide has played in seven.

Clemson 27, Syracuse 21

— The Tigers trailed Syracuse 21-7 in the second quarter and were on their way to a four-turnover day. But they dominated the fourth quarter, got a 50-yard TD run from Will Shipley, and went to 8-0.

— Along the way, coach Dabo Swinney replaced D.J. Uiagalelei with freshman Cade Klubnik, a super-recruit from Austin. Klubnik only threw four passes, but threw for the 2-point conversion that provided a 24-21 lead. Later, Swinney said the job still belonged to Uiagalelei, whose fumble turned into a 90-yard TD by Syracuse Ja’Had Carter.

— The Orange slipped to 6-1 with tough games at Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Clemson has used strong fingernails to hang onto its CFP hopes. Its next task is Notre Dame, but it will be favored to win out and then win another ACC championship game.

Montana State 43, Weber State 38

— Don’t be saying, “Aw, snap!” near the Weber State football offices this week. Four haywire snaps on punts became four safeties, and Montana State used them to knock off Weber State, 43-38.

— If you know a long snapper’s name, that’s probably not good. Grant Sands became the most famous man in his profession, hiking it past and over Australian punter Jack Burgess four consecutive times. Each time, Montana State took the kick after the safety and scored a touchdown. The last three of those nine-point combos turned a 9-24 Montana State deficit into a 36-24 lead. Only once was Burgess able to punt safely.

— Weber State also had a 100-yard kickoff return and a 91-yard punt return, both for touchdowns, in the first quarter. The Wildcats and Bobcats are both 6-1.

—

—

.