QB Case Keenum, Houston
PARTICULARS: 6-2/210, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Abilene (Texas) Wylie
THE BUZZ: Keenum leads the nation in passing yards (426 per game) and total offense (438.8 per game). He has led Houston to upset wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech while throwing 17 touchdown passes with only four interceptions.

RB Noel Devine, West Virginia
PARTICULARS: 5-8/176, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: North Fort Myers (Fla.) High
THE BUZZ: Devine has rushed for 631 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 carries and ranks third in the nation with 126.2 yards per game. He rushed for 220 yards in a 35-24 victory over Colorado, and he has scored at least once in each of his five games.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
PARTICULARS: 5-7/191, Soph.
HIGH SCHOOL: Richmond (Texas) Lamar Consolidated
THE BUZZ: Rodgers has rushed for 697 yards on 128 carries and leads all running backs with 13 touchdown runs (only Navy QB Ricky Dobbs has more). Rodgers also has 38 catches to lead all running backs.

WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
PARTICULARS: 6-1/187, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Bunnell (Fla.) Flagler Palm Coast
THE BUZZ: Gilyard has caught at least five passes in each game and has 48 receptions for 657 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught a touchdown pass in each of Cincinnati's first five games this season.

WR Jordan Shipley, Texas
PARTICULARS: 6-0/190, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Burnet (Texas) High
THE BUZZ: Shipley has caught at least 10 passes in three consecutive games and already has 47 receptions for 583 yards and three touchdowns. He also has scored twice on punt returns. Shipley ranks second in the nation in receptions per game (9.4), fourth in punt-return average (18.9) and seventh in receiving yards per game (116.6).

TE Dennis Pitta, BYU
PARTICULARS: 6-5/247, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Moorpark (Calif.) High
THE BUZZ: Pitta has 28 catches for 399 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Cougars in all three categories. His four touchdown catches have come in BYU's past three games. He leads all tight ends in receiving yards per game (66.5) and ranks second among tight ends in catches per game (4.7).

T Chris Marinelli, Stanford
PARTICULARS: 6-7/300, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Boston College High
THE BUZZ: Marinelli has made 33 career starts and possesses enough versatility that he has started at left guard and right tackle this season. He has helped Stanford lead the Pac-10 in rushing while allowing the fewest sacks in the conference.

T Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
PARTICULARS: 6-5/300, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Houston Bush
THE BUZZ: Okung has helped Oklahoma State allow the fourth-fewest sacks in the nation and lead the Big 12 in rushing. Okung was the only offensive player selected as one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, which goes to the nation's top offensive lineman, defensive lineman or linebacker.

G Jeff Byers, USC
PARTICULARS: 6-3/290, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Fort Collins (Colo.) Loveland
THE BUZZ: After the NCAA granted Byers a sixth season of eligibility, the third-year starter wasted no time making the most of his opportunity. His versatility allowed him to take over as the starting center in place of the injured Kristofer O'Dowd - an All-America candidate in his own right - in the season opener.

G Mike Johnson, Alabama
PARTICULARS: 6-6/305, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest
THE BUZZ: Alabama had to replace two outstanding linemen in Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith and center Antoine Caldwell, but Johnson has made sure the Tide continue to dominate the line of scrimmage. The third-year starter has helped give Alabama the nation's 11th-ranked rushing offense (223.4).

C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
PARTICULARS: 6-5/310, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lakeland (Fla.) High
THE BUZZ: Pouncey has graded out at 90 percent or higher in each of Florida's first five games, including two grades of 98 percent and a 95-percent performance last week against LSU. He helped the Gators rush for a school-record 369 yards in a season-opening win over Charleston Southern.

E Von Miller, Texas A&M
PARTICULARS: 6-3/240, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: DeSoto (Texas) High
THE BUZZ: Argue all you want about whether Miller is a better fit as a defensive end or linebacker. His dominance isn't up for debate. Miller plays the "jack" position - a hybrid defensive end/linebacker - and leads the nation with nine sacks. He also has 11 tackles for loss and ranks third in the nation with 2.2 tackles for loss per game.

T Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
PARTICULARS: 6-4/300, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Portland (Ore.) Grant
THE BUZZ: Suh is the rare defensive tackle who leads his team in tackles. He has 32 overall stops to go with seven tackles for loss and three sacks. He also leads all defensive linemen with seven pass breakups and has picked off a pass and forced a fumble.

E O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
PARTICULARS: 6-3/248, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Chicago North Chicago Community
THE BUZZ: Schofield leads the nation with 14.5 tackles for loss and tops the Big Ten with 6.5 sacks. He delivered four tackles for loss in an overtime victory over Fresno State and delivered two sacks and forced a game-clinching fumble against Minnesota.

LB Pat Angerer, Iowa
PARTICULARS: 6-1/235, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Bettendorf (Iowa) High
THE BUZZ: Angerer has a team-high 59 tackles for the undefeated Hawkeyes. He collected 14 tackles, returned an interception 38 yards to set up a touchdown and also forced a fumble in the Hawkeyes' 21-10 victory at Penn State.

LB Greg Jones, Michigan State
PARTICULARS: 6-1/228, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller
THE BUZZ: Jones has 71 tackles and ranks third in the nation at 11.8 tackles per game, the most of any player in a Big Six conference. He has made at least eight tackles in each of the Spartans' six games. He also has 6.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

LB Rolando McClain, Alabama
PARTICULARS: 6-4/258, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Decatur (Ala.) High
THE BUZZ: McClain has served as the anchor of the nation's second-ranked defense. He has 45 overall tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss - team highs in both categories - to go along with 4.5 sacks.

LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina
PARTICULARS: 6-1/252, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb
THE BUZZ: Perhaps no defensive player in the country has made more big plays this season. Norwood leads the SEC with six sacks and also has 38 overall tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. He has picked off two passes and has blocked two kicks.

CB Joe Haden, Florida
PARTICULARS: 5-11/190, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Fort Washington (Md.) Friendly
THE BUZZ: Haden has been the best performer on arguably the nation's best secondary. He has 26 tackles and has picked off two passes to help the Gators lead the nation in total defense (202.6), scoring defense (6.4), pass defense (115.2) and pass efficiency defense (78.3).

CB Al Verner, UCLA
PARTICULARS: 5-11/180, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair
THE BUZZ: Verner picked off a pass in a victory at Tennessee and recorded two more interceptions the following week against Kansas State. He also has 30 tackles and scored on a 70-yard return of a blocked field-goal attempt against San Diego State.

SS Eric Berry, Tennessee
PARTICULARS: 5-11/203, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside
THE BUZZ: Perhaps the best overall player in the nation, regardless of position, Berry has picked off Tim Tebow and has scored on a 46-yard fumble return. He also has 50 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss.

FS Taylor Mays, USC
PARTICULARS: 6-3/235, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Seattle O'Dea
THE BUZZ: USC overhauled its defense without missing a beat, in large part because Mays made the surprising decision to return for his senior season. Arguably the most physically imposing player in the nation, this future first-round pick has 28 tackles to go along with an interception.

K Kai Forbath, UCLA
PARTICULARS: 6-0/192, Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame
THE BUZZ: Forbath has made 13 of his 14 field-goal attempts. He is 5-for-6 from at least 40 yards and 2-for-3 from at least 50 yards. Forbath has made 26 of his past 27 attempts in a stretch that began last season, and he has made his past 23 kicks from less than 50 yards. He has made seven career kicks from at least 50 yards.

P Drew Butler, Georgia
PARTICULARS: 6-2/203, Soph.
HIGH SCHOOL: Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge
THE BUZZ: Butler leads the nation with an average of 49.8 yards per punt and has helped Georgia rank first in the nation in net punting. He is on pace to shatter the school single-season record average of 45.4, set in 1984 by Chip Andrews. Butler is the son of former Georgia and Chicago Bears kicker Kevin Butler.

KR Chris Owusu, Stanford
PARTICULARS: 6-1/200, Soph.
HIGH SCHOOL: Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian
THE BUZZ: Owusu scored on the opening kickoff in back-to-back games against San Jose State and Washington. He also scored on an 85-yard kickoff return in a season-opening victory over Washington State. Owusu is averaging 39.7 yards per return.

PR C.J. Spiller, Clemson
PARTICULARS: 5-11/195, Sr.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lake Butler (Fla.) Union County
THE BUZZ: Spiller's average of 36.4 yards per punt return would lead the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify. He ranks fourth in the nation with a kickoff-return average of 37.1. He has scored on a 77-yard punt return against Boston College, a 96-yard kickoff return against Middle Tennessee and a 92-yard kickoff return against Maryland.