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m Slipping: Virginia

Georgia Tech proved three things Saturday: it is possible for the Yellow Jackets to win in Charlottesville; it is possible to defeat Virginia Coach Al Groh, below, in October; and it is possible that the ACC Coastal Division now has a front-runner.

The Yellow Jackets defeated Virginia by 25 points and sharply curtailed the faint notion that the Cavaliers might contend for a spot in the ACC championship game. Sure, Virginia now sits as one of five Coastal Division teams with one conference loss, but the Cavaliers' road seems much more daunting than those of their competitors.

Virginia still must host Duke and Virginia Tech, as well as play Miami on the road. The Cavaliers also play Boston College and Clemson, which sit tied atop the ACC's Atlantic Division. Making it through that stretch and maintaining a one-loss ACC record will be a challenging task for a Virginia squad that allowed Georgia Tech to possess the ball for nearly 43 minutes on Saturday.

Equally concerning for Groh is an offense that compiled 198 total yards against a Georgia Tech defense that entered the weekend ranked No. 11 out of 12 ACC teams in yards allowed per game (377.9).

i Rising: Big East's top tier

It's safe to assume that very few college football observers would have predicted in August that the Big East would possess three top 25 teams eight weeks into the season. And yet, when a new set of Associated Press and Bowl Championship Series rankings are released on Sunday, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia will own some real estate.

Playing without starting quarterback Tony Pike, who underwent surgery last week to repair a plate in his non-throwing forearm, No. 5 Cincinnati thrashed Louisville, 41-10, to move to 7-0. If the Bearcats remain undefeated, they would earn a second BCS berth in as many seasons and, theoretically, could earn a spot in the national title game.

But to accomplish such a feat, Cincinnati will have to beat the Big East's two other ranked teams. No. 22 West Virginia and dynamic running back Noel Devine travel to Cincinnati in three weeks. No. 20 Pittsburgh is off to its first 7-1 start since 1982 and will host the Bearcats in the regular season finale.

The Big East remains one of the two weakest conferences among the six that receive automatic BCS bids. But at least among its top teams, the Big East is demonstrating at least a modicum of strength.

q Holding steady: Alabama

About the only positive that came out of No. 1 Alabama's matchup against Tennessee was the win that kept the Crimson Tide undefeated at 8-0. Alabama's defense was unusually porous, its rushing game was underwhelming and its luck nearly ran out.

The Crimson Tide needed a block on a last-second Tennessee field goal attempt to prevail over a Volunteers squad that has been wildly inconsistent in Coach Lane Kiffin's first season. Alabama, which entered the weekend ranked No. 2 in the nation in yards allowed per game, gave up 341 total yards to Tennessee.

Mark Ingram, who generated considerable Heisman trophy buzz in the past week, tallied 99 yards on 18 carries. The Crimson Tide turned over the ball twice and lost the time of possession battle. But they got the win, which is all that matters to Coach Nick Saban, below, in the chase for the BCS national title.

However, Alabama's sub-par performance against the Volunteers makes its upcoming contest against No. 9 Louisiana State all the more intriguing. The Tigers already have played No. 2 Florida close this season and possess the overall speed necessary to challenge the Crimson Tide's once-vaunted defense.