Big XII ruling the roost in season 5, but SEC vows to bounce back

The Big XII has spoken! The conference, long overlooked by the ever-powerful SEC, has emerged as the most powerful conference in the country thanks to a clean sweep (in user/user games) of its SEC opponents in week 2. The results set up three Big XII teams in the top 4 of the nation (#1 Ohio State, #2 Oklahoma, #4 Miami).

And, if Oklahoma is able to knock off #6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa in week Week 3, the Big XII will have swept the SEC for the season (barring any head-to-head matchups in bowl week).

Week 2 saw #1 Ohio State defeat then #4 LSU 35-28 in a fight to the finish in Columbus and Miami held on to defeat then #5 Florida 22-19. The Sooners defeated UNC 35-10 to complete the sweep.

(Editor's note - Tennessee's week 2 victory over Oregon doesn't count as a head-to-head victory, since Oregon is still playing without a head coach)

With that said, the SEC is still very much alive and well in the National Championship race, and with all three Big XII teams still having to play each other head-to-head even before the conference title game, there will be some shakeup at the top. Look for the winner of the Alabama/LSU game later this season, and the SEC East Champion to be very much in contention to claim a spot in the BCS title game at season's end.

Here are some photo highlights from week 2:

On the game's 2nd play, LSU scored on a long TD pass

OSU TE Sean Davis came up big all game long, including on this nifty TD spinning reception, which tied the game 7-7

LSU WR Tharold Simon caught a wide open TD pass with under 2 mins left in the 1st half to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead

But..OSU marched back downfield and Sean Davis caught a leaping TD reception with 20 secs left until halftime. The ball was just inches away from being knocked down by an LSU defender. At halftime, the game was tied 14-14.

After OSU took a 21-14 lead to start the 3rd quarter, DE Jameson Taylor laid a big hit on Simon, knocking the ball free. OSU recovered and scored on its ensuing drive to take a 28-14 lead.

Oklahoma kept the pedal to the metal and defeated UNC 35-10 in Norman. The defending National Champions say that the road back to the title game still goes through them!

The Hurricanes defense came up huge in its 22-19 victory over Florida. Coach stinvol and Miami, who finished the season ranked #4 last season, have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in RUTS3.