Kansas State

Former Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh, the all-time leading passer in Maryland high school history, has left Kansas State. Cosh, who enrolled at KSU last January and redshirted his freshman season, plans to enroll at James Madison. "I'm pleased that Billy will have the opportunity to get on the field quickly in a program that features the passing game," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said in a news release. "Billy is obviously a dear friend and a great young man. He loved Manhattan and our program and players but simply felt by transferring he could gain more immediate playing time.

Bill Self is being modest. He's in his office, surrounded by pictures and mementos from a national championship and a mess of other happy moments at Kansas when you point out that there just isn't anything else like this going on in college basketball. "We're not doing anything different," he says. "We've just been real fortunate. " Except he's wrong. Kansas is doing something different than every other major conference basketball program in the country, something that has never been more obvious.

Surprise parties all through college basketball this weekend. Records through Sunday (last week's ranking) 1. Duke 15-0 (1): The Blue Devils travel to Florida State on Wednesday, which could be a dangerous ACC game. 2. Ohio State 16-0 (2): Another week, another Big Ten honor for freshman center Jared Sullinger. 3. Kansas 15-0 (3): The Morris twins were powerful forces in overtime to beat Michigan. 4. Syracuse 16-0 (4): The Orange survived a shooting slump to beat Seton Hall.

Before the season, choices look so clear. Predictions for MVP, Final Four and NCAA champion appear logical and sound. A few weeks into the season, the only question is this: What were people thinking? As the nonconference slates come to an end and we head into the meat of the season, let's reflect on who has proved us right, who has proved us wrong and who has confused the heck out of us. Told ya so: Duke was a unanimous — and deserving — preseason No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.

American East: Boston University ACC: Duke , Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Maryland, Virginia Tech Atlantic Sun: Lipscomb Atlantic 10: Temple , Dayton, Richmond, Xavier Big East: Pittsburgh , Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia Big Sky: Weber State Big South: Coastal Carolina Big Ten: ...

No surprise: Duke, with returning starters Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith from last season's championship team, will start the season as the nation's top-ranked team, according to the Associated Press. The Blue Devils received 55 first-place votes and 1,613 points from a nationwide media panel, outdistancing Michigan State and Kansas State for the top spot. The Spartans and Wildcats also garnered first-place consideration. Kansas was the top-ranked team at the start of last season.

Hey, it really wasn't that hard: Auburn beat South Carolina, which beat Alabama. So Auburn is No. 8 this week, followed by South Carolina and Alabama. Oregon State defeated Arizona, so it moves ahead of 'Zona, which stays ahead of Iowa. OK, time for lunch. Boise State, our No. 1 since Day 1, could be No. 1 in Sunday's first Bowl Championship Series standings, which at least temporarily would halt the hate mail to my Idaho in-box. Note to 'Bama fans bemoaning steep drop to No. 10: In 2003, LSU rallied from No. 12 in the first BCS standings to win the national title.

Twenty-five major college teams remain undefeated, not all are equal, and only one can win this season's national title. In fact, the title might not go to any of the 25. A one-loss team — say Iowa, which was brave enough to risk a nonconference game at Arizona — might have the backbone to fight back. Know this: Early-season records and statistics in college football are only slightly less fraudulent than pro wrestling. Pass completions against Georgia State — which plays at Alabama on Nov. 18 — count just as much as they do against Georgia Tech.