By Josh Dubow
The Associated Press

Some people thought Ohio State would be distracted by the turmoil surrounding Maurice Clarett's suspension and miss their star running back on the field. Think again.

The second-ranked Buckeyes rolled to a dominating 28-9 win over No. 17 Washington, the pick by some to win the Pac-10.

"They are as advertised. They are big and powerful and quick and they have lots of athletes," Huskies coach Keith Gilbertson said. "That is a very good football team."

Clarett's replacements, Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall, ran for touchdowns but didn't show the game-breaking ability that made Clarett the Heisman Trophy favorite before his suspension.

But with steady Craig Krenzel at quarterback and the same dominating defense that won the title last year, the Buckeyes look just as tough as a year ago.

Auburn came into this season hoping to be this year's Buckeyes. A stable of running backs and overpowering defense was supposed to make the Tigers a national-title contender.

But Auburn already is looking for help following a 23-0 drubbing at home to No. 8 Southern Cal that is sure to drop the Tigers far from No. 6 when the new AP poll comes out Monday.

The Tigers ran for only 43 yards against a Trojans team that showed Pac-10 teams can play defense.

"We just got beat pretty good up front," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We have to go back and work harder. We are not going to panic. This is a good football team. We have to go back and practice and get ready."

There should be plenty of excitement once again at Florida, Florida State and Nebraska after big season-opening wins.

The three schools - which together won at least a share of the national title every year but one from 1993-99 - all began the season outside the Top 10. Florida State was 13th, while Nebraska and Florida were outside the poll entirely.

All three had dominating wins Saturday. Florida State got a strong performance from much-maligned quarterback Chris Rix and rolled up 553 yards in a 37-0 victory at North Carolina.

After losing nine times the past two seasons, Bobby Bowden's Seminoles are back on track.

"This is more like it," Bowden said. "I won't say we're back, but just compare this to last year."

Florida coach Ron Zook and Nebraska head man Frank Solich began this season on the hot seat as they failed to live up to the lofty standards of their predecessors.

The Gators, who went 8-5 in Zook's first season in place of Steve Spurrier, delivered a Spurrierlike blowout with a 65-3 win over San Jose State.

Zook even juggled quarterbacks like Spurrier used to, getting touchdown passes from Ingle Martin, Gavin Dickey and Chris Leak. But the real test comes Saturday at Miami.

"They understand that it's a long road," Zook said. "We've talked to them about this. We have a long way to go, but on the same token it was a good start for us."

Same for Nebraska. Coming off a 7-7 season that was their worst in 41 years and prompted a shuffling of assistant coaches, the Cornhuskers overwhelmed No. 24 Oklahoma State 17-7.

It was vintage Nebraska. The Huskers ran for more than 250 yards, held the Cowboys to 183 yards and forced five turnovers.

"We showed the nation the Blackshirts are back," cornerback Fabian Washington said of Nebraska's defense. "We knew it in winter conditioning, in the spring and during fall practice. We just had to show the nation today."

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WINNERS AND LOSERS: This week's honorees:

Winner: Wisconsin WR Lee Evans. Evans caught a game-tying 20-yard TD in the fourth quarter against West Virginia in his first game since injuring his left knee in the 2002 spring game. Evans finished with seven catches for 70 yards in the 21st-ranked Badgers' 24-17 victory.

Loser: Oklahoma State. With an easy nonconference schedule, the Cowboys were set up for a 5-0 start if they could win at Nebraska. But Oklahoma State's high-powered offense sputtered and didn't score after its first possession.

Winner: Alabama coach Mike Shula. After falling behind by 10 points early to South Florida, the Crimson Tide rolled to a 40-17 to give Shula his first win as a head coach heading into Saturday's showdown with No. 1 Oklahoma.

Loser: Miami of Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger. Considered by some the top passer in the nation, Roethlisberger threw four interceptions in a 21-3 loss at Iowa.

Winner: Michigan State QB Jeff Smoker. After missing the final five games last season to seek treatment for substance abuse, Smoker made a triumphant return to the field, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-21 win over Western Michigan. Smoker became the Spartans' career leader in yards passing and total offense.

Loser: Atlantic Coast Conference. The big offseason winners by luring Big East powerhouses Miami and Virginia Tech for 2004, the ACC got off to a 1-3 start in nonconference games against Division I-A teams.

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Josh Dubow covers college football for The Associated Press. Write to him at jdubow@ap.org