Chris Rix is an exciting QB to watch, but if Florida State is gonna make a national title run, it's gonna be on the back of Greg Jones, the Noles' Herculean running back. If you want proof, check the tape of last weekend's Virginia game. The Cavs tried to drop eight men into coverage and play mind games with Rix, hoping he'd get antsy and his happy feet would backfire on FSU. Instead, the Noles hammered UVa with the 6'1", 248-pound Jones, who is such a downhill force teams can no longer afford to play soft on FSU's ground attack.

	Rix may have the arm, but Jones has the muscle.

The cousin of boxing legend Joe Frazier (they've only met once), Jones does more than just pack a heavy punch. He has become more elusive, a better receiver and finishes off his runs as well as any back in the country, with the possible exception of Colorado State's Cecil Sapp.

Jones' evolution shouldn't come as too much of a shock since he was pretty raw when he got to Tallahassee. Until his senior year in high school, he was a fullback in a Wing-T offense. "Since I've been here, I've gained about 10 pounds and I feel like I'm a little bit faster," he says. The big difference though, Jones adds, is that he's learned at this level everybody is big and can run, so he's stopped trying to dance his way through defenses as he did in his first season. "Now, I just get to make one move and then it's time to go."

Even though Jones has opened up with consecutive 100-yard games, he's not concerned about 1,500-yard seasons. "Nah, man I just want the ring. That's all. Just that ring."

N.C. State's defense appears to have finally come of age. The stellar recruiting classes that Chuck Amato has landed the last two years are paying off. Three of his four DBs are second-year guys (CBs Lamont Reid and Marcus Hudson and SS Andre Maddox), while pass-rushing star Shawn Price is a JC transfer who arrived in the same class. The 6'2", 237-pound DE gives State a presence similar to what Amato had back in his days in Tallahassee, which is crucial since the Pack is running the same pressure-packed bump-and-run D that the Noles used a few years ago. "[Price] is a guy who ran 4.52 for the NFL scouts last spring and has close to a 500-pound bench," says secondary coach Chris Demarest, a former FSU assistant. "He's so doggone fast, he reminds us of Peter Boulware."

Kentucky's stunning upset of Louisville Sunday night not only elevated the program, it also may have helped the Wildcats land a stud QB. Andre Woodson, a 6'6", 220-pounder from North Hardin (Ky.) High School, came to the game as a guest of Louisville. But he sat behind the UK bench and got to get a close-up look at the Cats' coaching staff at work. Woodson, who flashed a live arm and great feet at Penn State's camp this summer, was so impressed he verballed to UK over Louisville and PSU, where he was the top QB on their board.

From the "When it rains, it pours" department: Shane Lehmann pleaded no contest Tuesday in LA Superior Court to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a fight in May. The reserve UCLA O-linemen, who was sentenced to three years probation and 30 days of community service, won't be allowed to play in the Bruins opener Saturday vs. Colorado State. He was questionable due to a groin injury anyhow. The bigger story though isn't how this depletes an already thin line, it is that it's just the latest in a series of off-field messes for coach Bob Toledo, who is already on the hot seat after last season's meltdown. In the last year alone, DE Asi Faoa was sentenced to 180 days in jail for misdemeanor assault, LB Audie Attar was kicked off the team for fighting, freshman DT C.J. Niusulu was charged with felony battery and star corner Ricky Manning was charged with felony assault.

They may have gotten smoked by Texas 27-0 in its opener, but North Texas had the most impressive guy on the field. Booger Kennedy, a baby Warren Sapp NG, who shed down 25 pounds from last season and is now an unblockable 5'10", 297-pounder with a lethal first-step. A former standout prep point guard, who could do reverse dunks at almost three bills, wreacked havoc, notching a sack and eight tackles, helping the Mean Green limit UT to 28 yards on 35 carries. "In our scheme, nosemen don't have to be tall," says UNT coach Darrell Dickey. "We just feel like it all comes back to low man wins and he just can't help but stay low." Kennedy, by the way, is the kid brother of NFL DB Kenoy Kennedy.

Good news for Wisconsin: Battering ram fullback Matt Bernstein has been cleared to play for this Saturday's game against West Virginia. The 6'1", 261-pound redshirt freshman proved in the Badgers' opener against Fresno State (five rushes, 23 yds, 2 TDs) he's more than just a short yardage weapon, he's also got surprisingly nimble feet. With the threat of Bernstein on quick hitters, teams can't key 100% on Anthony Davis coming out of the I. That, too, should make the darting style of Davis that much more effective.

Yeah, Ohio State's Maurice Clarett looks great, but the Buckeye also have hit the jackpot on their rookie linebackers too. All-everything recruit Mike D'Andrea is a force against the run, but the two real studs back there may be A.J. Hawk, already outstanding in coverage and Robby Carpenter, who LB coach Mark Snyder calls another Dan Morgan.

Last, I've gotten a bunch of emails bashing me for putting Dave Ragone near the top of the Hot 100. These emails came a day after his team lost to Kentucky. I seriously doubt any of these people watched that game. Instead, they just looked at his stats. Too bad, because they didn't see how Ragone practically beat a team by playing six against 11 (because it didn't look like his O-linemen were even on the field).

Bruce Feldman covers college football for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.