Blacksburg, Va. ? Miami swaggered into Virginia Tech as underdogs and took a huge bite out of the Hokies’ national-title hopes.

The fifth-ranked Hurricanes put the clamps on Marcus Vick, forcing him into six turnovers, and blew out the Hokies in a stunning 27-7 victory Saturday night. The third-ranked Hokies (8-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) had hoped an impressive victory over Miami would not only take them a step closer to their second straight ACC title, but also give them a boost in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

Instead, Miami (7-1, 4-1) helped clear the clutter at the top of the BCS and ensure that Virginia Tech won’t be this season’s Auburn – perfect but left out of the national-title game.

“We played with a chip on our shoulder,” said Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, who passed for 146 yards and a touchdown despite being shaken up in the first half and missing most of the second quarter.

The day started with five unbeaten teams in major-college football, but the Hokies and UCLA fell. Texas and Alabama stayed perfect, with USC winning big late Saturday night.

“We were well prepared and ready to play, but they played great, and we just couldn’t quite get going,” Hokies coach Frank Beamer said.

The Hurricanes turned four lost fumbles by Vick and two interceptions into 17 points.

No. 4 Alabama 17, Mississippi State 0

Starkville, Miss. – Kenneth Darby ran for 122 yards, and Alabama returned two turnovers for touchdowns. Brodie Croyle was 14-of-22 for 116 yards for Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC), which forced four takeaways and held the Bulldogs to 26 yards rushing. Mike Henig, a red-shirt freshman making his first start, was 9-of-28 for 78 yards with three interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-7, 0-6).

No. 6 LSU 24, Appy State 0

Baton Rouge, La. – JaMarcus Russell passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and LSU beat Appy State (6-3). The Tigers (7-1) extended their winning streak to six.

No. 8 Notre Dame 41, Tennessee 21

South Bend, Ind. – Brady Quinn threw three touchdown passes, and Tom Zbikowski had a punt return and interception return for scores to lead Notre Dame (6-2). The Volunteers (3-5) lost their fourth straight for the first time since 1988, which also is the last time they failed to go to a bowl game.

N.C. State 20, No. 9 Florida State 15

Tallahassee, Fla. – Andre Brown ran for 179 yards and a 65-yard touchdown, and N.C. State (4-4, 2-4 ACC) intercepted Drew Weatherford three times to beat Florida State (7-2, 5-2) for the third time in five years.

No. 10 Penn State 35, No. 14 Wisconsin 14

State College, Pa. – Michael Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for 125 yards, and Tony Hunt added 151 yards and two scores for Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten), which is guaranteed a trip to a BCS bowl if it wins its final regular-

season game, Nov. 19 at Michigan State. John Stocco threw one TD pass and two interceptions for Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2). The Badgers had the Big Ten’s highest-scoring offense coming in to the game (39.7 points).

No. 12 Ohio St. 40, Illinois 2

Columbus, Ohio – Troy Smith threw three touchdown passes, and Antonio Pittman ran for two scores for Ohio State (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten). Illinois (2-7, 0-6) lost its seventh game in a row.

No. 13 Florida 49, Vanderbilt 42, 2OT

Gainesville, Fla. – Backup cornerback Reggie Lewis intercepted Jay Cutler’s first pass in the second overtime to lead Florida (7-2, 5-2 SEC) over the pesky Commodores (4-5, 2-4).

No. 15 Oregon 27, No. 23 California 20, OT

Eugene, Ore. – Third-string quarterback Brady Leaf threw a four-yard touchdown pass to James Finley in overtime to lift Oregon (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10). California (6-3, 3-3) had a chance to win in regulation, but Tom Schneider missed a rushed, 53-yard field-goal attempt.

North Carolina 16, No. 19 Boston College

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Connor Barth broke out of a season-long slump with three field goals for the Tar Heels (4-4, 3-2 ACC).

No. 17 Auburn 49, Kentucky 27

Lexington, Ky. – Kenny Irons, Tristan Davis and Tre Smith combined for 364 yards rushing and five touchdowns for the Tigers (7-2, 5-1 SEC).

No. 20 TCU 33, Colo. St. 6

Fort Worth, Texas – TCU (9-1, 7-0 Mountain West) wrapped up its first outright conference title in nearly 50 years.

No. 21 Fresno State 45, San Jose State 7

Fresno, Calif. – Paul Pinegar passed for 368 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score for Fresno (7-1, 5-0 WAC).