At the half: midway through the season, blowouts are in, celebrations are down and there is no shortage of thrills

Sporting News, The, Oct 16, 1995 by Andrew Bagnato

5. Ron Powlus, Notre Dame quarterback. Most quarterbacks would be thrilled to be ranked in the top 20 in passing efficiency at midseason, but Powlus isn't delivering the big plays expected of him after a strong freshman season. He committed critical mistakes in the Irish's losses to Northwestern and Ohio State, and there is some question whether he's the right man to run Lou Holtz's offense.

Alibi of the Year

Auburn players claimed they heard a whistle before Louisiana State sacked quarterback Patrick Nix for a safety in LSU's 12-6 victory over the Tigers. The noise apparently came from the stands. "I asked the ref if he heard the whistle and he said, `No,'" Nix says. "But later on he said he did."

Cross-country racing

Here's a quick look at the major conferences and their races:

Big Ten. When it comes to playing the toughest nonconference opponents, no one has come close to the Big Ten this fall. As the conference season kicked into gear, the Big Ten stood 8-4 against ranked nonconference opponents. The records of other leagues: SEC: 0-2. Pac-10: 1-4. Southwest: 0-7. Big Eight: 2-1. WAC: 0-5. Big East: 1-8. ACC: 0-3. Projected winner: Ohio State. With a guaranteed contract, Coach John Cooper is willing to take more chances with the offense.

Southeastern. Because SEC teams like to puff up their records with nonconference victories over East Whatchamacalht State, it's difficult to tell how the league stacks up against the nation. But improving also-rans such as LSU and Arkansas make this as tough a conference as any. Projected winner: Florida. Its pro-style offense remains a step ahead of the league.

Big East. September 24 was a dark day. Both major polls were released, and neither had a Big Easter among them -- a first in league history. Projected winner: Virginia Tech. In a down year for the league, the Hokies have just enough defense.

Atlantic Coast. Florida State 70, Duke 26. Florida State 77, North Carolina State 17, Yes, the Seminoles are that good. Yes, the rest of the ACC is that bad. Projected winner: Florida State. The hardest thing for the Seminoles will be staying awake until they play Florida on November 25.

Big Eight. Five teams ranked in the AP Top 15 in October? The Big Eight figures to do just fine in the expanded Big 12 next season. With the resurgence of Oklahoma and

Kansas, this league is on the upswing just as it ceases to exist. Projected winner: Nebraska. It has enough veteran talent to overcome all the off-field turmoil.

Western Athletic. The number of schools in the soon-to-be-expanded WAC: 16. The number of time zones in the expanded conference:

4. The number of current WAC schools ranked in the Top 25: 0. Projected winner: Utah. The confidence the Utes gained from last year's victory over Brigham Young has carried over to this season.

Southwest. This historic league hoped to make a big splash in its final season. But it has yet to beat a ranked nonconference opponent (0-7), and on one weekend Texas A&M and Texas were spanked on national TV by Colorado and Notre Dame, respectively. Projected winner: Texas A&M. Despite the loss to Texas Tech, the Aggies will still rule the Lone Star State.