Pass or Fail-Week 5

Almost halfway into the season, things are finally starting to take shape.

The best teams and players are now starting to hit their stride while all the pretenders are now falling by the wayside, and nothing was more evident this weekend than this separation taking place.

Head of the Class: Alabama missing a linebacker? Really? When Dont'a Hightower went down for Alabama, many fans were left wondering how how the Crimson Tide would cope without him. Enter Rolando McClain, who was the only 'Bama player who didn't switch positions after the injury, and managed to step up when Alabama needed him most. McClain helped quell an Alabama defense that gave up 133 rushing yards by coming up with 12 tackles and an interception against Kentucky. The Crimson Tide seem to be rotating around the linebackers for the rest of the season and will get Jerrell Harris back next week.

Pass: A.J. Green is a man among boys. With so many people discussing who is the better receiver between Green and Julio Jones, Green has separated himself as possibly the best receiver in the country now. After being a part of the destruction of the Arkansas secondary as well as the key figure in the Bulldogs win over Arizona State, Green once again rose to the occasion against LSU, hauling in five balls for 99 yards and a touchdown. In his past three games, Green has 20 catches for 389 yards and four touchdowns...plus a blocked kick. It is safe to say that Green will continue to be a force for Georgia no matter who is at quarterback.

Fail: No one can compete with the Almost Competitive Conference...because its just that bad. It was bad enough for the ACC to start the season, losing to two FCS teams and another high profile game. This weekend, it just got worse. For starters, Virginia Tech, fresh off of a mauling of Miami, couldn't put away a Duke team. Then, a North Carolina team who was looking to finally take a step forward this season, lost to Virginia, much to the ire of Cavalier fans who might now be stuck with Al Groh for yet another year. Finally, Florida State decided that enough is enough and had the trustees chairman publicly ask for the removal of Bobby Bowden at the end of the season. The ACC is slowly and quickly being passed up as the season progress, and if the rumors of Tuberville to Louisville do come true, the ACC may find themselves at number six in the BCS power rankings.

Pass: Nevada was 0-3 before Saturday? Nothing a trip to Vegas can't fix. When the Wolfpack travelled out to Las Vegas to take on UNLV, they had lost their first three games, two to BCS teams, and had no direction to their season. Enter the Rebels, who not only got doubled up on the scoreboard 63-28, but also on the stat sheet, as Nevada racked up 773 total yards, 559 of them on the ground, all the while having four turnovers in the game. UNLV managed only 70 yards on the ground themselves, but they did beat out the Wolfpack on one stat: the Rebs at least converted a fourth down.

Epic Fail: Celebrate good times (with 15 yard penalties). C'mon! For too long, there has been an uproar each time an officiating crew calls an excessive celebration penalty in the fourth quarter of a game. It happened to Vanderbilt in 2005, Washington in 2008, and now Georgia this year, resulting directly, or at least affecting, a losing outcome for all the teams previously mentioned. The subjectivity of this rule is what draws the most ire from pundits and public alike, and if the definition was changed to taunting, it would not be such a hindrance to most people. Jumping up and down and acting like a college kid during a touchdown is no big deal, and the sooner officials realize this, as well as Mike Slive, this will no longer be an issue. That is, unless a double-standard is upheld (Tim Tebow and Knowshon Moreno vs. John Parker Wilson).