College football's Week 9 winners and losers

Here are a few ways to view Michigan State's continued dominance of the once-lopsided rivalry with Michigan:

The Spartans' defense has accounted for as many touchdowns, one, as Michigan's offense during the series' last three meetings.

The Spartans have taken five of the last six in the rivalry, the program's best stretch since 1956-62.

The Wolverines gained just 65 yards on 28 carries … and it was a huge improvement from a season ago, when Michigan accounted for -48 yards on 29 carries.

Saturday's 35-11 win was vintage: Michigan State made an 11-point halftime lead feel insurmountable before hitting the jets in the third quarter, scoring on an interception return and a long pass from quarterback Connor Cook to receiver Tony Lippett to officially pull away.

From Michigan State's perspective, the gap between the two programs has never been greater. From Michigan's point of view, the upcoming hire — assuming, as most do, that Brady Hoke won't return in 2015 — must make reclaiming the upper hand a leading priority.

The Spartans, now 7-1, also continue their push for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The next test comes on Nov. 8, when Ohio State visits East Lansing.

Here are some of Saturday's other winners:

North Carolina. The low point came on Oct. 4, when a 34-17 loss to Virginia Tech dropped UNC to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Tar Heels began digging themselves out of a hole — and slow starts have become par for the course for Larry Fedora-led UNC — in a 50-43 loss to Notre Dame a week later, one that highlighted the team's defensive flaws but provided the offense with a much-needed boost of confidence. In its past two games. UNC has knocked off Georgia Tech and Virginia, the latter by a single point thanks to a fourth-quarter score, to even its record at 4-4 heading into the final month. The Coastal Division title remains very much in play.

Georgia Southern. The Eagles are quickly becoming not just the must-see team in the Sun Belt Conference — and are doing so as a first-year member of the Football Bowl Subdivision — but the conference favorite, thanks to a devastatingly effective running game perhaps unmatched in college football. Saturday's 69-31 win against Georgia State featured 613 yards on the ground, a new single-game Sun Belt record; the rushing total was more than eight FBS teams gained all season heading into the weekend.

Stanford. The Cardinal always plays outstanding defense. Sometimes, the Cardinal's special teams step forward with a momentum-changing moment. Occasionally, even Stanford's offense will deliver in chunks. Yet it wasn't until Saturday's 38-14 win against Oregon State that Stanford put the entire package together, shutting down Sean Mannion and the Beavers' passing game, scoring on a punt return and gaining TK yards of offense — giving a picture of the perfect game, one the Cardinal might need to revisit in next week's marquee matchup against Oregon.

LOSERS

Minnesota. Actual Big Ten Conference contenders don't lose to Illinois. Therefore: Minnesota is not — and never was — a real Big Ten contender. The Golden Gophers spoiled a perfect start to conference play by losing to rudderless Illinois, falling behind 14-3 at halftime and allowing the go-ahead score with less than seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. With Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin to come in November, the Gophers can begin planning for a bowl game — just not a very good one.

Texas. Say one thing about the Longhorns' previous five games heading into Saturday: Texas was, if nothing else, fairly competitive. The Longhorns were anything but in a 23-0 loss to Kansas State, the program's first shutout defeat in a decade. UT gained 196 yards of offense, accounted for only 12 first downs and controlled the ball for just over 20 minutes — essentially allowing the Wildcats to dictate the flow of attack for a three-hour block.

Rutgers. In hindsight, the Scarlet Knights' 5-1 start was not built of sturdy material. In its past two games — Ohio State and Nebraska — Rutgers has lost by a combined score of 92-41, with Saturday's loss to the Cornhuskers sealed midway into the third quarter. Though bowl eligibility remains very much in play, the Scarlet Knights need more time to develop into a Big Ten team of consequence.