Weekend Top 25 results

The Wisconsin Badgers have had their share of ups and downs this season. Barry Alvarez and his staff have worked through a rebuilding-type year in Madison after losing key players to graduation. But the Badgers still have star power at several positions, highlighted by incomparable junior wideout Lee Evans.

	WR Lee Evans had a huge game vs. Iowa.

Evans had a huge game in a 34-28 victory over Iowa (seven receptions for 175 yards). The win got Wisconsin back to 5-5, at least giving the Badgers' hope of postseason action. One of their wins, though, came against Division I-AA Western Kentucky.

The Badgers have a bye this week before playing host to Michigan on Nov. 17 and then playing at Minnesota on Nov. 24. The Michigan game will be pivotal for Wisconsin's bowl hopes.

Looking at receivers around the country, nobody has played better than Evans. At about 5-foot-10½ and 190 pounds, he has outstanding quickness, feet, route-running ability and hand-eye coordination. With Brooks Bollinger and Jim Sorgi, the Badgers don't have a dynamic quarterback throwing the football, and the Badgers don't run a sophisticated pass offense. But Evans continues to make plays in the passing game.

Evans is a more polished receiver than Chris Chambers, who was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins. Alvarez must be keeping his fingers crossed that Evans will return for his senior year, because there is speculation he'll move on to the NFL after this season.

Before the season, other junior receivers got more publicity than Evans, players such as Pittsburgh's Antonio Bryant, Florida's Reche Caldwell, Tennessee's Donte Stallworth and USC's Kareem Kelly. And everybody is talking about LSU's Josh Reed and his 19-catch performance Saturday. But regardless of class, I think Evans is the best receiver in college football, one who projects well into the NFL. Looking at the Biletnikoff Award, you'd be hard-pressed to put any receiver ahead of Evans.

Illini winning with D
Illinois' 45-20 loss to Michigan on Sept. 29 has not affected the Fighting Illini negatively, as it did last year. Since the loss, Illinois has rolled, beating Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin and now Purdue.

The win over the Boilermakers was a mild upset because Purdue was a slight favorite. And the Boilermakers jumped to a 13-0 lead, intercepting Kurt Kittner three times in the first quarter. But Kittner settled down and turned in a great performance as the Illini came back to win 38-13.

The Illini defense was the difference, especially the secondary -- with Christian Morton, Bobby Jackson and Eugene Wilson. Morton had another big game; he and Jackson returned interceptions for touchdowns. Everyone knew Kittner, Brandon Lloyd and Rocky Harvey were strong skill-position players on offense. The big question was whether the defense would be significantly improved -- and it is. That's why Illinois is 7-1.

With Michigan losing to Michigan State, if Michigan loses to Wisconsin on the road or Ohio State on Nov. 24, Illinois would have a chance to win the Big Ten. Illinois, however, still hosts Penn State, plays at Ohio State and then hosts Northwestern on Thanksgiving Day.

Is Washington 'Apple' of Pac-10's eye?
Depending on what happens when Oregon visits UCLA in Pasadena on Saturday, there is a chance the Apple Cup on Nov. 17 could determine the Pac-10 champion. Washington plays cross-state rival Washington State the week before playing Miami (Fla.). Amazingly, the Huskies, now 7-1 after beating Stanford, still feel they have a chance for the Rose Bowl. And if they beat Miami and finish with only one loss, they will definitely be in the running.

Although I don't expect the Huskies to reach the Rose Bowl, to even talk about Washington as a possible participant in the national-championship game is unbelievable. Rick Neuheisel should be one of the top three or four coach-of-the-year candidates. The Huskies lost so much quality talent to graduation, especially quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, who was instrumental in their fourth-quarter comebacks a year ago. But without Tuiasosopo, Washington has continued to its effectiveness in the fourth quarter.

Maybe it's not just the quarterback. It's a credit to Neuheisel and his staff to reload the way they have and continue their excellence. Neuheisel, a former quarterback at UCLA, has a lot to do with Washington's success.

Playoff pitch: BYU deserves a shot
Want one reason why we need a 16-team playoff in college football? Check out unbeaten BYU. The Cougars are a great example of a team that wouldn't get the national respect to be in a four- or eight-team playoff. A 16-team playoff is needed to allow for Cinderella stories, teams that don't play top-notch schedules.

Hypothetically, wouldn't it be a shame if BYU went unbeaten and didn't have a chance to play for the national title? One of the great intrigues would be seeing BYU play Florida, Texas, Oklahoma or Nebraska in a playoff system.

BYU has arguably one of the top offensive teams in college football history. The Cougars have scored 35 or more points in every game but one (24 against New Mexico while running back Luke Staley sat out due to eligibility questions). The Cougars have scored 52 or more points in six of their nine games and are No. 1 in the country in points per game at 50.78. At the current rate, BYU would surpass the Division I-A single-season record for most points scored in a season, held by Nebraska (624 in 1983).

BYU has some NFL-caliber talent, beginning with Staley. I had Staley in my top-five Heisman Trophy picks for ESPN.com last week, and I'm moving him up to third this week. He belongs in the Heisman race behind Eric Crouch and Ken Dorsey. Staley ranks No. 1 in the nation in yards per carry (9.1) and rushing touchdowns (19) and is fourth in yards per game (136.5).

Brandon Doman may not be an NFL quarterback, but he is a great college player because he is mobile, smart and decisive with the football. Tight end Doug Jolley projects as a third-round prospect. Meanwhile, the defense is one of the best the Cougars have had, with Ryan Denney at defensive end, Justin Ena at middle linebacker and Paul Walkenhorst at outside linebacker. They gave up nearly 600 yards of total offense and 34 points against Colorado State, but the talent base is strong.

Under Gary Crowton, a certain coach-of-the-year candidate, BYU has had a remarkable turnaround from last season. The Cougars finish with Wyoming, Utah, Mississippi State and Hawaii and are an exciting team to watch. If they went 13-0, it would be unfortunate to see them shut out of the postseason equation, with or without a playoff system.